UM Macao Humanities Forum explores Confucianism and Confucius

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities (FAH) of the University of Macau (UM) held the Macao Humanities Forum on 20 February 2025, where Chen Zhi, president and chair professor of Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College (UIC), delivered a lecture titled ‘Was Confucius the founder to the Ru school, or did the Ruists exist before Confucius?’. The lecture attracted a large audience of faculty and students.

Speaking at the event, Joaquim Kuong, assistant dean of FAH, noted that Confucian thought is an important part of Chinese culture, and that the concepts such as ‘education for all without discrimination’ proposed by Confucius, and the ‘doctrine of the mean’ advocated by Confucianism remain profoundly inspiring in the 21st century. Zhang Jian, associate dean of FAH, introduced Prof Chen’s academic background and achievements, as well as his international reputation as a scholar of Chinese literature, Chinese history, and Sinology. Prof Chen’s research covers the study of classical Chinese literature, early Chinese culture and history, ancient Chinese poetry, excavated documents and ancient scripts, and the intellectual history of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Prof Zhang added that the lecture aimed to discuss various issues related to Confucianism and Confucius, bridging literature, philosophy, and classical studies, while combining ancient and modern perspectives as well as Chinese and Western thought, thus broadening the audience’s academic horizons.

Prof Chen began by exploring the distinction between ru (Confucian), ruzhe (ru scholars), rujia (the ru school of thought), and ruxue (Confucianism). He posed a question as indicated by the title of the lecture ‘Was Confucius the founder to the Ru school, or did the Ruists exist before Confucius?’. Drawing on ancient records, Prof Chen traced the historical evolution of ru, pointing out that the term originally denoted neither a tradition nor a philosophy, but rather a profession, a social group, or a social class that existed long before Confucius. He also noted that modern scholarship has also explored the distinction between ru and rujia.

Prof Chen emphasised that understanding Confucius’ role in transforming ru from a profession into a philosophical system is central to the study of intellectual history. Recent archaeological discoveries, such as the tomb of the Marquis of Haihun, provide new material for the study of Confucius and his era, which will further enhance the study of Confucianism. Questions such as whether ru represented the mainstream of the intellectual class in Confucius’ time and the subsequent changes in the social status of the ru school are expected to be further clarified.

During the Q&A session, UM faculty and students engaged in in-depth discussions with Prof Chen on a variety of topics, including the social status of the ru school in the early Han dynasty; religious practice during the Shang and Zhou dynasties and the shift in focus to the secular world during the Zhou dynasty; Zhuangzi’s criticism of ru scholars as ‘hypocrites’; the dual identity of ru scholars as descendants of the Shang dynasty and residents of the Zhou dynasty; and the importance of academic development during the Han dynasty in positioning Confucianism within Chinese intellectual history. Prof Chen emphasised the importance of archaeological research, particularly the study of ancient Chinese shamanism and medical systems, in uncovering insights into intellectual history, and he encouraged aspiring scholars to conduct research in this field and contribute new findings to the academic community.

This was the fourth lecture of the Macao Humanities Forum for the 2024/2025 academic year. Each year, the forum invites prominent scholars in different fields of the humanities to share their latest research findings with students and faculty members in Macao. Previous lectures of the forum have covered a wide range of topics, including literature, linguistics, history, translation, and arts.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/press-release/detail/60551/