Doctor of Historical Sciences

The reforms launched in the late 70s put an end to Mao Zedong's leftist policies, which condemned the country to the preservation of economic, cultural and political backwardness. New times have come in the history of China. In the course of the reforms, which gradually covered all aspects of public life, not only the economic system changed, but also the social consciousness continued to break down, and the worldview and psychology of people, especially young people, changed. Chinese society, which looked monotonous and isolated from the latest trends, has become multidimensional. New forms of attitude to life, to one's rights and duties, are gradually replacing the old, familiar ideas.

The time of the reforms clearly showed that Mao Zedong and his henchmen managed to dehumanize society only temporarily, and when the brutal violence against people was put an end to, the Chinese began to return to normal work, to think about their own welfare, about the future of their children, in short-to live in realities, not slogans.

The movement towards the market, freedom and democracy, although it runs with great difficulties, encountering ideological and psychological barriers, nevertheless becomes insurmountable. Experts highly appreciate the economic success of Chinese reforms, which are accompanied by a struggle of various political and ideological trends, but this struggle itself takes other forms than those that were in the era of Mao Zedong. The nature of the problems facing the state and society has changed, and the methods of solving them have also changed.

DANGEROUS TRENDS

One of the most important problems recognized by both the CCP's leaders and their opponents on the left and right is the moral degradation of society. This is manifested not only in the immeasurably increased corruption of the party and state apparatus, in the growth of crime, fraud and other criminal phenomena, but, as the Chinese press notes, also in a sharp increase in selfish, self-serving views and moods, in ignoring the interests of society, in the loss of faith in socialism and communism, in the decline of the state and the the authority of the Communist Party.

Chinese newspapers have published articles lamenting the growing influence of non-Marxist and even anti-Marxist views that run counter to socialist morality. Individualism is contrasted with collectivism, it is written that the worship of the money bag, which is becoming widespread, is dangerous for society.

In order to eliminate such sentiments and views, the CCP leaders demand to strengthen the propaganda of Marxism-Leninism, the ideas of Mao Zedong, the theory of Deng Xiaoping, but at the same time they declare their determination to continue to adhere to the course of market reforms, expanding the activities of the private sector of the economy, and maintaining the contract system in the countryside.

Democrats, who support the consistent implementation of political and economic reforms, believe that liberalization is hindered by both the old Confucian tradition and the new Marxist - Maoist one. They associate the successful implementation of radical transformations with the elimination of total control over the individual by the authorities. Overcoming the moral crisis, in their opinion, requires the rejection of Confucian and Maoist dogmas that restrict individual freedom and give more power to the bureaucratic apparatus.

Orthodox left-wing conservatives insist on the need to pay more attention to ideological and educational work. They explain the moral degradation of society by the harmful influence of reforms, the harmful influence of the market, the expansion of ties with Western countries, which increases the opportunities for the penetration of immoral bourgeois ideas into the country, contributes to

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the bourgeois degeneration of Chinese society increases the threat of destruction of the foundations of socialism.

Neither of them says a word about the fact that the decline in morals in Chinese society began during the reign of Mao Zedong, when endless ideological and political campaigns were conducted in the country, witch hunts were constantly going on, "class enemies" were being sought out and persecuted everywhere, when for the sake of their own well-being, or even for the sake of simple self-preservation, people got used to deception, lies, when hypocrisy flourished and selfish, career aspirations were covered with false words about serving society, "world revolution", the need to accelerate the construction of a communist paradise. It was then that the ideas of socialism and communism were discredited.

Trying to dehumanize the Chinese to the end, Mao Zedong launched a punitive campaign against Confucius (Kung Tzu, 551-479 BC), the greatest philosopher of ancient China, the creator of ethical and political teachings, who was declared the main enemy of socialism, the culprit of all troubles. The mass campaign of denouncing Confucius aimed to push out of the consciousness of the Chinese traditional concepts of the rules of human behavior, the foundations of human dignity, the norms of family and kinship feelings, replacing them with the ideas of the so - called class struggle, which was declared a miraculous means of resolving all issues-from industrial to family. While during the new culture movement at the beginning of the century, Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao, and other Chinese democrats fought against Confucianism as the ideological basis of the monarchical system, recognizing the greatness of Confucius as the teacher of the nation, Mao Zedong turned the sharp edge of his criticism against the humanistic principles of Confucianism and completely denied the importance of Confucius, in every possible way belittling and distorting his meaning in the development of the spiritual culture of China.

Mao Zedong and his inner circle cultivated a philosophy of struggle. In practice, this was expressed not only in inciting the poor against the rich, but also against all those who did not agree with the policy of the "great helmsman" or doubted the correctness of his ideas. The philosophy of struggle permeated not only social and political relations, but also invaded the family, requiring children to inform on their parents, and those - on their sons and daughters. This was called drawing a class line between one's own and others', between one's own and one's enemies. Mao Zedong believed that the spirit of struggle is traditionally inherent in the Chinese nation, whose entire history is full of wars and uprisings.

But no matter how much Mao Zedong tried to denigrate Confucius, to throw him in the mud, his ethical teachings continued to live on in the Chinese people, to determine the relations between people in the family and society. The mud that was poured over Confucius did not bother him, the ancient sage remained for most Chinese the teacher of life that he had been for centuries.

Now, when the reforms have brought a new order to Chinese society, Chinese scholars have turned to the history of the nation and its culture. They find in it humanistic traditions, namely, the desire to maintain order, social stability, and most importantly - peace and harmony in human relationships. According to the famous scholar Cheng Siyuan, the culture of China is a culture of peace, harmony, harmony, cooperation, unity. This principle was followed by representatives of the three great teachings: Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. The principle of agreement and unity did not exclude differences of opinion; on the contrary, it was considered that disagreements, rather than unanimity, were a natural thing, a necessary condition for finding the truth and the right path. But these differences should not serve as an insurmountable obstacle to achieving harmonious unity, because by their very nature the Chinese people have always been inclined to choose peaceful methods of resolving contradictions, and they were motivated by the love of peace and unity.

We find similar thoughts in another equally well-known philosopher, Xing Benshi, who usually expounds on the views of the CCP leadership. He believes that the principle of "hehe" (the principle of peace and harmony) best expresses an exceptional feature of Chinese political culture. This principle is also important for understanding nature as a whole, since it implies a harmonious relationship between Heaven, Earth and Man. At the same time, it is the ideal of interpersonal relations. Confucius put order and peace above all else; he sought harmony while maintaining differences. Xing Benshi calls for developing mutual respect, caring for each other, mutual assistance and mutual love based on this principle. Recognition of the existence of conflicts in the world and society implies the need to find a way out of contradictions not on the path of struggle, but in achieving harmony, balance, cooperation, and in foreign policy-to oppose the policy of hegemonism to the line of preserving peace in a multipolar system. "Applying the' hehe 'principle," Xing Benxi emphasizes, " means spreading ethical norms to all aspects of human society. This is in line with the prevailing mood in all sectors of Chinese society. The "hehe" principle bequeathed by our ancestors is still sacredly observed by both townspeople and peasants, both in their speeches and in their actions. This is the main idea with which China enters the 21st century."

"DON'T DO TO OTHERS WHAT YOU DON'T WANT TO DO TO YOURSELF"

The transition to a market economy has a strong impact on the social psychology and behavior of Chinese people. The reforms have changed people's way of life and are undermining traditional ideas. Value orientations are undergoing major changes. The pursuit of material benefits becomes for many the meaning and purpose of life. The object, the cult of worship, is money, the production of which turns into a passion that supersedes all other feelings.

The slogan " Get rich!", put forward in the late 70s, is understood by many enterprising businessmen as a call to get rich at any cost, regardless of honor, conscience, law, or morality. Not only among entrepreneurs, but also among officials, there is an opinion about the omnipotence of money. Chinese newspapers and magazines constantly write about this with concern, urging readers not to succumb to material temptations, not to become slaves to the money bag, not to strive to achieve personal enrichment at the expense of harming society and the state. The pursuit of profit, the desire to make a profit, should not lead to the loss of humanity.

The Chinese press recognizes that the establishment and development of market relations requires a new approach to material benefits, to money, because without this, it is impossible to increase people's labor and entrepreneurial activity, awaken the spirit of innovation and initiative, and thereby promote the introduction of new technologies, a way to improve the quality of life.-

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to promote economic growth, in other words, to accelerate the country's modernization and create conditions for its prosperity. But at the same time, money and wealth, propaganda teaches, should not become an end in itself, obscure the high ideals of social justice, they are designed to satisfy not only personal, but also general interests, act as an instrument, as an instrument of social progress. Recognizing the importance of money in society does not mean that you should worship a golden idol. On the one hand, ethical norms should reflect the peculiarities of real life, adapt to the requirements of the market, which rejects ethical assessments of entrepreneurial activity, but, on the other hand, the development of a socialist-type market economy cannot be carried out without critical development of the best moral criteria, spiritual traditions of national culture.

The principle of competition, without which normal market relations cannot be built, should be complemented by the idea of cooperation and mutual assistance. Rival businesses or entrepreneurs tend, quite naturally, to push competitors out of the market. But losers in business should be helped, share their experience with them, so that they can improve the quality of their products. Justice must also be respected in the pursuit of profit. "Do not do to others what you do not wish for yourself" - this moral imperative of Confucius, similar to Kant's, is recommended to be taken as the basis of commercial, entrepreneurial activity. The following words of Confucius are often quoted today: "When acquiring, proceed from a sense of justice!"

A market economy should develop based on ethical standards. It is not in the public interest to run a household immorally; even when the entrepreneur acts within the law, following the legal norms must be combined with observing the ethical guidelines prescribed by Kung Tzu and other ancient sages. Chinese scientists see this as the difference between national forms of transition to the market and the Western model. In their opinion, entrepreneurs should not just strive for wealth, but also be Confucianists: this means that they should follow the best traditions of national culture in their activities, remember that getting rich is only fair when it is achieved not by cheating, not by robbing or harming others, but by such means that do not violate the best traditions of the national culture. principles of humanity and moral duty. The Confucians, emphasizing the importance of moral norms-love of humanity, justice, kindness-were well aware that the desire to become rich and noble is inherent in human nature, that the pursuit of profit is indestructible, but at the same time they taught not to separate economic interests from moral principles, to think not only about their own benefit, but also about social, the state good, to put the interests of the people above their own. In modern China, the concept of "Confucian entrepreneur" (zhushan) contains quite clearly the spirit of socialism, according to Chinese scientists. At one time, the famous reformer and scholar Liang Qichao (1873-1929) called Confucius the first representative of socialist thought in China.

Such an attitude to Confucianism does not contradict the modernization of the Chinese type. But not everyone agrees with this. Many people tend to view an ethical approach to entrepreneurship as a serious obstacle to the development of market relations and the modernization of the economy as a whole. According to them, the priority of morality over profit, the maintenance of social justice has always been and still is a deterrent, if not a hindrance, factor in the country's economic development, that is, the preservation of its backwardness.

The very formulation of the question of the correlation between ethics and selfishness, material and spiritual interests, is largely explained by the fact that the transition from a totalitarian system with its deceptive slogans of equalization and social justice to market relations takes in most cases wild forms, when questionable means are indiscriminately used in the pursuit of profit, even criminal ones, when in order to achieve greater profit, benefits, mercilessly finish off the opponent, neglect the interests of the consumer, selling him counterfeit products. The immoral behavior of businessmen combined with the corruption of state and party officials causes natural indignation in society. But there are scientists and politicians who consider these anti-social phenomena not only inevitable, but also necessary for the fastest transition to the market. It is precisely against this kind of views that speeches in defense of ethical norms and principles and their consideration in conducting economic activities are directed.

ENTREPRENEUR AND CONFUCIANIST ROLLED INTO ONE

Supporters of the development of market relations while observing ethical standards are not opponents of the market, do not oppose it to planned economy, as leftist conservatives do, they insist that the natural desire of business owners to get the greatest profit is not accompanied by attempts to circumvent the law, to deceive the partner, which, however, is not considered shameful by some, because, according to the according to their beliefs, "everything that benefits the entrepreneur is moral and permissible."

The combination of a Confucianist and an entrepreneur in one person should not interfere with the desire to enrich oneself, but this desire should be balanced by the ideals of kindness, mutual assistance, and justice. After all, Confucius himself, when asked what the first task of a ruler is, answered:: "Enrich the people, and then start educating them."

The principles recommended by Confucius ' teachings, many believe, can ennoble, improve the path to the market and ease dissatisfaction with reforms among those who have not yet managed to adapt to the new order, although they partially enjoy certain benefits.

The peculiarity of the Chinese path to socialism (and the Chinese leadership is not going to abandon the idea of socialism as a designation for the system that was built and is being built in China) is a respectful attitude to national traditions and spiritual heritage. Its study and development is considered both as an antidote to China's Westernization and as a means of preserving its identity.

The question of the role and place of Confucianism, which was essentially closed to objective study and discussion during the reign of Mao Zedong, has now become the subject of normal scientific discussions. During the debate, the most polar assessments of Confucianism in its relationship with modernization are expressed and discussed. Some scholars are inclined, although not in the same way as Mao Zedong did, to emphasize conservative forms of Confucianism, to note the impossibility of

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its adaptation and use in modern conditions. Others believe that if the Confucian ideology could serve feudalism and is the spiritual basis of capitalism in a number of Asian countries, then it can also successfully contribute to socialist modernization. Confucianism, according to scientists of this direction, never remained in an unchanged state, it was constantly updated depending on the requirements of the time, absorbed other teachings-from Legalism ("fa-jia" - the school of "lawyers", as the doctrine was formulated in the 1st century BC) to Buddhism, and therefore in the current conditions it can also be modernized and become the leading ideology of socialism with Chinese overtones. There will be either a Marxization of Confucianism or a Confucianization of Marxism. In any case, Confucianism is subject to transformation, which is not so difficult to do, since it is not a dead, but a living teaching, and its influence on all aspects of social and political life in China remains undoubtedly the strongest. China's socialist culture and economy cannot be modeled on someone else's. Attempts to apply the Anglo - American model of modernization in China ended in failure. Attempts to borrow Soviet experience in building socialism were also unsuccessful. Hence the inevitability and objective necessity of finding a way of modernization that, on the one hand, corresponds to the high ideals of socialism, and on the other hand, would take into account the peculiarities of national culture.

The Chinese press draws attention to the fact that, unlike Christianity, Confucianism is not a religious teaching, and this is its advantage. It teaches a rational view of things, of the world, and therefore it can serve to find the truth, since it does not oppose science to belief in the other world; it is entirely turned to reality. The superiority of Confucianism lies in the fact that it adheres to the principle of the "golden mean" and thus protects a person and society from extremes, from a one-sided assessment of events taking place in the world.

In June 1999, a scientific conference dedicated to the 2550th anniversary of the birth of the great philosopher of ancient China was held in Beijing. It was attended by scientists and politicians. All of them unanimously emphasized: Confucius is a common heritage of all Chinese people, and on the eve of the XXI century, it is necessary to better understand and understand the value and importance of Confucius and his teachings for the comprehensive modernization of China and its entry into world civilization. Studying the ideas of Confucius and mastering them helps to instill in the Chinese a sense of responsibility for the fate of the nation and the state. Confucianism, combined with Marxism, contributes to the strengthening of socialist patriotism.

Confucianism, the conference participants emphasized, with its powerful vitality, contributed both to the internal cohesion of the Chinese nation and to its protection from external enemies. It was and remains a spiritual factor of national unity. The essence of this teaching, in particular, is to cultivate national dignity, to cultivate self-confidence, and it has successfully withstood the test of time throughout the history of China, instilling self-respect in the people combined with modesty. Confucianism has always emphasized that each individual should engage in self-education in order to improve and improve his character, his qualities, observe the correct relationship between man and nature, the individual and society.

XIAOCANG - SMALL WELFARE SOCIETY

As long as there is a relationship between nature and man, as well as inter-human relations, Confucianism will retain its spiritual value. The teachings of the ancient sage remain relevant today, because without mastering them, it is impossible to develop the material and spiritual basis of socialist modernization, many in China believe.

Some participants of the conference, recognizing the existence of conservative, outdated provisions in traditional culture, spoke about the need, dismissing them, to preserve and adopt the scientific and rational thoughts contained in Confucianism. After all, the Confucians themselves have always advocated the renewal and progress of society.

The conference also spoke about the great ideal of Confucius-the creation of a Society of Great Unity, which would be based on the position "The Middle Kingdom should belong to everyone!". This great ideal was followed by many Chinese reformers, and it penetrated the consciousness of many generations of Chinese people, defining the purpose of life and activity of the best sons and daughters of the Chinese people.

It was from the storehouse of Confucian thought that Deng Xiaoping took the concept of "xiaokang" - "a society of small prosperity", in which the level of average prosperity will be achieved. The father of Chinese reform believed that such a goal was real and feasible for the CCP by the beginning of the twenty-first century. It is precisely the achievement of this goal, which means solving the problem of "warmth and satiety" for the entire population, that makes it possible to better activate the labor and mental efforts of the people than the unrealistic slogans that were voiced under Mao Tse-tung, calling for the construction of a ladder leading to the communist sky in a short time.

Confucianism as a whole has taken deep roots in Chinese society, the conference participants noted, and neither the penetration of Western ideas into China, nor the "cultural revolution", which dealt merciless blows to the traditional system of values, and above all to Confucianism, could destroy them. It has survived and today serves as an indispensable pillar of social order and national prosperity.

In the Chinese press, one can also find such judgments: in order to play a positive role in the country's modernization, Confucianism must interact with Marxism and European-style liberalism. Neither Marxism nor liberalism should be completely discarded, but experience has shown that they cannot become the basis for solving the country's social and economic problems. Such a basis is only Confucianism, which in its updated form can effectively counteract the Westernization of the Chinese economy, politics and culture.

Along with the glorification and exaltation of Confucianism in the Chinese press, there are articles whose authors call for reducing the temperature of such a hot worship of Kung Tzu, do not forget about the importance of Marxism and the theory of Deng Xiaoping, but these articles also recognize the enduring importance of Confucianism and note the need to combine this teaching with the main provisions of Marxism, which will help to find better ways to build socialism with Chinese overtones.

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