The Contemporary Neo-Confucianism and Transmission of the Confucian Academy

Mayifu(馬一浮), Liangshuming(梁漱溟), Xiongshili(熊十⼒) and Zhangjunmai (張 君勱), who belong to the first generation of the Contemporary NeoConfucianist, established Confucian Academy or taught there, respectively. What they have in common is that they are the first generations of the Contemporary Neo-Confucianism school, criticizing the shortcomings of Chinese university education at the time and attempting to transmit the spiritual essence and academic tradition of traditional Confucian Academy to the modern world. In other words, it shows the idea of the Contemporary Neo-Confucianism to restore traditional Confucianism through the medium of Confucian Academy while modernly interpreting it anew. In this paper, I would like to discuss Fuxing Confucian Academy founded by Mayifu in Sichuan, Mianren Confucian Academy in Sichuan founded by Liangshuming and taught by Xiongshili, and Minzuwenhua Confucian Academy established by Zhangjunmai in Dali Yunnan. There are differences in the goals and educational content of these three Confucian Academies. Fuxing Confucian Academy was so retro that there was almost no difference from an ancient Confucian Academy. Mianren Confucian Academy instilled practical nationalist ideas in students in line with the needs of the times, and Minzuwenhua Confucian Academy opened many Western studies courses to show the same character as a kind of research institute. Based on this point of view, this paper first examines the characteristics and genealogy of modern Confucianism, and analyzes the purpose of establishment, mental pursuit direction, and educational content of the three Confucian Academies mentioned above. In addition, I would like to look at the paths of the three Confucian Academies after its establishment.