Work · East Asian Philosophy
A Manifesto on Chinese Culture to the World
Drafted by Tang Junyi and signed with Mou Zongsan, Xu Fuguan and Zhang Junmai: Chinese culture is not a dead object for sinology but a living tradition whose core is the learning of mind and nature; it should take up science and democracy.
Introduction
The manifesto, drafted by Tang Junyi and revised with Mou Zongsan, Xu Fuguan and Zhang Junmai, appeared in January 1958 in the journals Minzhu pinglun and Zaisheng in Hong Kong and Taiwan. It addressed Western sinologists and the world public: Chinese culture should not be studied as a dead object or a museum piece but understood as a living tradition with its own spiritual core, the learning of mind and nature (xinxing zhi xue). The authors admitted that China had not developed science and democracy and argued that both could be developed from Confucian principles. The manifesto is regarded as a founding document of modern New Confucianism.
Connections
Builds on
- The Spiritual Value of Chinese Culture1953 · Tang Junyi
More works by Tang Junyi
As of November 2026 · Improve this page · How Agora is made