After removing Xi, abandoning Mao, and discarding the Communist Party, Chinese rejuvenation will formally begin. Rejuvenation must inevitably welcome Confucius back. Confucius represents 2,500 years of Chinese cultural tradition and has long been deeply rooted in the foundations of Chinese culture.

After halting Mao Zedong’s class-struggle campaigns, Deng Xiaoping also spoke of Chinese rejuvenation, but he clung tightly to Mao. Mao and Confucius are fundamentally incompatible; without discarding Mao, one cannot speak of welcoming Confucius back, nor of genuine national rejuvenation. Mao once stated bluntly: “The Communist Party rose by criticizing Confucius and can never turn back—criticize first and then revere. To bring Confucius back again in order to consolidate one’s position is impossible. If the Communist Party invites Confucius back, it means you are finished.” Deng Xiaoping was relatively tolerant and allowed the publication of books about Confucius among the people, giving society an opportunity to rediscover Confucius and preparing the ground for his revival—this was already commendable. But he did not allow Confucius to be re-erected, and no Communist leader ever visited Confucius’s hometown of Qufu in Shandong.

The so-called “revolutionary theories” of Marx, Lenin, and Mao that incite rebellion are, when fully exposed, nothing but a “demonic path,” not a normal “human path.” Confucius represents 2,500 years of the Chinese “human path.” The demonic path and the human path cannot coexist. As long as the demonic path remains, the human path cannot flourish. One must first abolish the demonic path before seriously speaking of reviving the human path. Well-intentioned contemporary Confucian scholars in China have attempted, under Communist and Marxist-Leninist-Maoist authoritarian rule, to explore ways to integrate Confucianism into modern society, hoping for a “creative transformation” of Confucianism to fit a synthesis with Marxism-Leninism-Maoism. This is merely a naïve fantasy. The Communist authorities pay no attention to it, and in reality it is entirely impossible.

Xi Jinping’s “staying true to the original aspiration” remains old Communist clichés

After coming to power, Xi Jinping spoke even more grandly about rejuvenating China and about the grand strategy of two centenary goals. But without Confucius, what is there to rejuvenate, and what is there to revive? Rejuvenation after rejuvenation still turns out to be the old Communist and Maoist routine—“the Long March of the Red Army,” “staying true to the original aspiration.” Occasionally he cloaks himself in the outer garment of traditional Chinese classics to deceive international opinion, but at heart it is still the old Soviet Communist routine of the hammer and sickle—a false rejuvenation. True rejuvenation already exists in the forms of Taiwan and Hong Kong; they are the beacons for mainland rejuvenation. Taiwan and Hong Kong have always revered Confucius and taken traditional culture as their foundation, and in recent decades they have truly revived the Confucian tradition. Xi Jinping, however, seeks to swallow Taiwan with the appetite of a red emperor and to fully “redden” Hong Kong, acting in direct opposition to “Chinese rejuvenation.” At home, collusion between officials and businessmen, forced demolitions and relocations, and rampant land finance continue, even at the cost of destroying traditional historical sites. Where, then, is “rejuvenation”?

What did Mao Zedong’s “Cultural Revolution” revolutionize? First, it took the lives of Liu Shaoqi and millions of others. Second, it took the life of Chinese civilization itself, inflicting devastating destruction upon it. Fortunately, Chinese civilization has roots thousands of years deep, and like grass in spring, it grows again. Over two thousand years, the Confucian tradition created the great golden ages of the Han, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Every dynasty took Confucius as the foundation of statehood, and Confucian principles of governance formed the “state doctrine” of each era. In times of chaos one relies on arms; in times of peace one relies on sages. If you travel the world, it is hard to find another country with such a rich store of principles for governance and life as China—centered on Confucianism, complemented by Daoism from Laozi and Buddhism introduced from India and sinicized—forming a Confucian-Daoist-Buddhist integrated tradition that has continued unbroken for two thousand years, making it the world’s only civilization that has endured from antiquity to modern times without interruption. Until the mid-19th century, China’s economy consistently ranked first in the world, and its culture shone brilliantly. Only with the British Industrial Revolution did the West gradually surpass China.

The Marxist-Leninist-Maoist revolutionary demons forgot their ancestors, abandoned their roots, discarded the three treasures of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism, and brought unprecedented disaster upon the nation—tens of millions died, and the country plunged into profound crisis. Deng Xiaoping cared neither for black cats nor white cats, only that people could eat their fill. With the “Four Cardinal Principles” as four iron cudgels in hand, he was always ready to suppress those who disobeyed the Party. He paid no heed to restoring tradition. After the Marxist-Leninist-Maoist set was rejected by the people, Confucius was still not welcomed back, leaving people spiritually unanchored, their souls homeless. Some had bulging wallets but empty minds, looking around in confusion, lost and at a loss. Social morality declined, corruption became pervasive in officialdom. Upon what could the people’s spirit rely? How could they establish themselves in life? Demons destroyed the grand edifice of millennia-old civilization, leaving the people displaced, with nowhere to dwell.

Although Confucius was battered and defiled for decades, his teachings and famous sayings have flowed into the national bloodstream and become part of everyday language, such as: “Among any three people, there is always one who can be my teacher,” “Review the old to learn the new,” “Never tire of learning,” “Do not be ashamed to ask,” “Do not yield when it comes to what is right,” “The younger generation is to be feared,” “Work so hard that one forgets to eat,” “Find joy that makes one forget sorrow,” “The burden is heavy and the road is long,” “Strive until death,” “Think thrice before acting,” “Harmony is most precious,” “Be careful at the end and remember the distant ancestors,” “Greed for small gains ruins great undertakings,” “One who excels in learning may enter official service,” “Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire,” “The benevolent must also be brave,” “Stand up for justice,” “If one has no long-term concerns, one will have immediate worries,” “Do not resent Heaven, do not blame others,” “Do not dwell on old wrongs,” “Listen to what he says and observe what he does,” “If one’s own conduct is not upright, even orders will not be obeyed,” “Those who follow different paths cannot work together,” “Let bygones be bygones,” and many others.

In 2016, Germans who admired Confucian culture predicted that within five years, private academies devoted to learning Chinese rites and reviving Chinese culture would rise—studying ancient rituals, classical texts, traditional culture, and the arts of qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting. This German prediction has indeed shown signs of coming true. In recent years, rural Confucian academies have gradually reopened across the land, attracting enthusiasts of antiquity to study Confucian culture, listen to teachings on benevolence and righteousness, and learn how to establish themselves in life. Some children focus primarily on traditional culture while also studying modern science, combining ancient and modern—a budding sign of the revival of traditional culture.

We greatly admire how people of Indian descent walk proudly through American streets wearing their traditional national attire, while it is rare to see Chinese people walking the streets in traditional dress. Indian men who earn doctoral degrees in the United States still return to India to hold traditional weddings according to their parents’ wishes—something rarely seen among Chinese. India has strong religious faith, and the Communist demon’s invasion did not succeed there as it did in China, allowing India to avoid the century-long Communist catastrophe that killed tens of millions in China.

After China removes Xi, sheds Mao, and abandons Communism, religious freedom will inevitably open up. Christianity and Islam will no longer be suppressed. Christianity is the most popular among the people. Many young people, even if they do not convert, enjoy celebrating Christmas, and every Christmas the festive atmosphere is strong everywhere. However, since Xi Jinping came to power, hostility toward Western culture has led to bans on celebrating Christmas. Christians have been forced into underground house churches and continue to face harassment and suppression.

Catholicism was introduced into China over 500 years ago during the Ming dynasty by the missionary Matteo Ricci and has long been welcomed by the people. Ricci allowed converts, after joining the Church, to continue offering sacrifices to Heaven, to ancestors, and to Confucius. He believed that the Chinese “Heaven” was the same as “God,” that ancestor worship also existed in the West albeit in different forms, and that honoring Confucius was a matter of remembrance of a philosopher—Confucius was not a god and did not conflict with belief in God. Ricci wore Confucian robes and translated Confucius’s Analects into Latin, publishing it in Paris.

The “Ricci Rules” were accepted by the Roman Curia, and during the Ming and Qing dynasties Catholicism and Christianity flourished and spread rapidly. It was only in the 1770s, during the Kangxi period, that the Vatican, heeding the views of some missionaries, abolished the “Ricci Rules,” seriously hindering the spread of the Gospel in China and greatly affecting the growth of believers. Not until 1939 did the Vatican lift the ban on the “Ricci Rules,” clearing obstacles to the development of Christianity.

Today, many Western Christians admire and yearn for Confucius, appreciating him without seeing any contradiction with their faith in God. Confucius is accepted by Westerners as China’s foremost philosopher. This is the achievement initiated by Matteo Ricci.

Traditional Chinese culture lacks a strong religious faith—this is one of its weaknesses. Individuals need religious faith; nations need religious faith. A people supported by a strong belief in God can stand unshaken in the world. Israel, sustained by a strong faith in God through millennia of suffering, stands today as a respected and powerful nation—an exemplary case. Christianity, widely welcomed by the people, will develop broadly in China in the future and will surely provide new spiritual nourishment, powerfully promoting the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.