Reshaping a tradition for moral education: Confucianism in a school curriculum in Hong Kong

Purpose School curricula are vital carriers of traditions, which in turn are sources of moral and civic education. Drawing on the ideas of Raymond Williams, this article analyses the Chinese virtues and values chosen and represented in a Confucian school curriculum in Hong Kong. Design/methodology/approach This study was mainly a documentary one combined with an in-depth interview with a key informant of the curriculum. Findings The curriculum still relies on Confucian classics and selected historical stories, albeit with some adjustments to accommodate the situation of modern society and considerations of pedagogical effectiveness and compatibility with official education reforms. The concepts of rite, filial piety and loyalty have been reinterpreted to coincide with modern life. Classics education and modelling are supplanted by new ways of learning. Research limitations/implications This is an empirical analysis of the adoption and adaptation of Confucian thoughts in modern school curricula, making new contributions to the sociology of morality and moral education. Practical implications This article demonstrates how Confucianism can be utilised in pedagogical practices, including Confucian understanding of some virtues and its learning methods, such as etymological exercises, ways of thinking and introspection. Originality/value Utilising Williams's framework to understand the cultural production of morality and its education along the dimensions of selection, interpretation and social analysis, this article adds new knowledge concerning the invention of tradition. We can better understand how actors compose and change traditions through various forms of borrowing and mutual interaction out of cross-cultural encounters.