Princeton-China

Jiang Qing is the founder and director of the Yangming Confucian Academy in Guizhou, China. His books include Political Confucianism and Life, Faith, and Humane Politics. What a Confucian constitutional government might look like in China's political future As China continues to transform itself, many assume that the nation will eventually move beyond communism and adopt a Western-style democracy. But could China develop a unique form of government based on its own distinct traditions? Jiang Qing-China's most original, provocative, and controversial Confucian political thinker-says yes. In this book, he sets out a vision for a Confucian constitutional order that offers a compelling alternative to both the status quo in China and to a Western-style liberal democracy. A Confucian Constitutional Order is the most detailed and systematic work on Confucian constitutionalism to date. Jiang argues against the democratic view that the consent of the people is the main source of political legitimacy. Instead, he presents a comprehensive way to achieve humane authority based on three sources of political legitimacy, and he derives and defends a proposal for a tricameral legislature that would best represent the Confucian political ideal. He also puts forward proposals for an institution that would curb the power of parliamentarians and for a symbolic monarch who would embody the historical and transgenerational identity of the state. In the latter section of the book, four leading liberal and socialist Chinese critics-Joseph Chan, Chenyang Li, Wang Shaoguang, and Bai Tongdong-critically evaluate Jiang's theories and Jiang gives detailed responses to their views. A Confucian Constitutional Order provides a new standard for evaluating political progress in China and enriches the dialogue of possibilities available to this rapidly evolving nation. This book will fascinate students and scholars of Chinese politics, and is essential reading for anyone concerned about China's political future. "This thought-provoking volume by Jiang offers a vision for a Confucian constitutional order that may serve as a compelling alternative to both the status quo in China and a Western-style liberal democracy." "Qing's ideas are likely to be fairly widely known in China and will probably become more so. . . . [The] book is significant because it breaks new ground by putting forward a fairly detailed proposal by a mainland Chinese academic for a non-Communist future Chinese system."---Kenneth C. Walker, Asian Affairs "No doubt, the book will generate thought-provoking debates. Although we may not agree with Jiang's political vision, we have to admit that he is a true believer who is not afraid to stand alone. . . . For this, I give the book thumbs up. Last but not least, a special credit goes to Edmund Ryden, the translator, whose superb English rendering makes Jiang's basic political philosophy a fantastic read."---Ellen Y. Zhang, Dao "[T]his volume helps readers to see that there are many different ways that Confucianism may be able to play roles in political thinking both in China and more generally. Jiang Qing's is an important and provocative perspective."---Stephen C. Angle, Philosophy East and West "An excellent introduction to Jiang's thought and, more broadly, to some recent developments in the Chinese intellectual scene. Bell and Fan should be congratulated for their efforts, and Edmund Ryden should be proud of his translations. . . . A Confucian Constitutional Order should surely take pride in its place among the Princeton-China Series publications."---Yuri Pines, China Review International "At the very moment that China is roiling with pressure for change-ethically, politically, and spiritually-Jiang Qing has unveiled a provocative road map that seeks to reconnect the nation's past with its future. This book opens the window on the struggle for China's soul."-Evan Osnos, China correspondent for the New Yorker "Should Confu

Yan Xuetong is professor of political science and director of the Institute of International Studies at Tsinghua University in Beijing. His many books include The Rise of China and Its Strategy, International Politics and China, and American Hegemony and China's Security. From China's most influential foreign policy thinker, a vision for a "Beijing Consensus" for international relations The rise of China could be the most important political development of the twenty-first century. What will China look like in the future? What should it look like? And what will China's rise mean for the rest of world? This book, written by China's most influential foreign policy thinker, sets out a vision for the coming decades from China's point of view. In the West, Yan Xuetong is often regarded as a hawkish policy advisor and enemy of liberal internationalists. But a very different picture emerges from this book, as Yan examines the lessons of ancient Chinese political thought for the future of China and the development of a "Beijing consensus" in international relations. Yan, it becomes clear, is neither a communist who believes that economic might is the key to national power, nor a neoconservative who believes that China should rely on military might to get its way. Rather, Yan argues, political leadership is the key to national power, and morality is an essential part of political leadership. Economic and military might are important components of national power, but they are secondary to political leaders who act in accordance with moral norms, and the same holds true in determining the hierarchy of the global order. Providing new insights into the thinking of one of China's leading foreign policy figures, this book will be essential reading for anyone interested in China's rise or in international relations. "Highly recommended."---Malcolm Warner, Asia Pacific Business Review "For those who welcome a China that is increasingly active at the global level, as well as for those who do not, it seems the time is right to thoroughly engage with the ideas and proposals of prominent Chinese thinkers today like Yan Xuetong. By putting his grand vision for a Chinese 'superpower modelled on humane authority' to the test before it becomes a possible political reality, we will have gained a greater appreciation of China's cultural heritage and, following that, a glimpse at its possible political future."---Mark Chou, Australian Review of Public Affairs "Thought-provoking."---Kerry Brown, Asian Affairs "The volume provides stimulating insights not only into the rich world of ancient Chinese thought, but also into the way contemporary Chinese thinkers see the world today. . . . The excellent introduction by Daniel Bell and a long interview with Xuetong in the appendix are especially rewarding."---Michael Rochlitz, Political Studies Review "China's great thinkers from the time of Confucius are known for their profound contributions to philosophy, ethics, and military strategy. Less appreciated in the West is their sophisticated thinking about statecraft. The incessant conflicts among the fragmented principalities that eventually formed a unified China in 221 BC produced a rich flowering of conceptual thinking on issues of governance and interstate relations. In this fascinating study, inquiring readers will find a wealth of information regarding how ancient China's strategic sages assessed the factors determining the success or failure of rulers and states, with immediate relevance for better understanding the implications of China's current rise to wealth and power."-Dr. Henry A. Kissinger "China's increasing strength and influence in the modern world are confronting Chinese with a new set of intellectual challenges in assessing how the country's enhanced status will affect Chinese behavior, how other countries will react, and what policies China should adopt to optimize its interests. Not surprisingly, thoughtful Chinese are looking for

Fu Xinian is professor of Chinese architecture at Tsinghua University. This is his first full-length book in English. Works that have appeared in Chinese include Architectural History, Chinese Ancient Architecture, and Ancient Chinese Architectural History. Nancy S. Steinhardt is professor of East Asian art and curator of Chinese art at the University of Pennsylvania. Her books include Chinese Architecture in an Age of Turmoil and China's Early Mosques. A groundbreaking book by one of the world's leading historians of Chinese architecture Translated by Alexandra Harrer. Fu Xinian is considered by many to be the world's leading historian of Chinese architecture. He is an expert on every type of Chinese architecture from every period through the nineteenth century, and his work is at the cutting edge of the field. Traditional Chinese Architecture gathers together, for the first time in English, twelve seminal essays by Fu Xinian. This wide-ranging book pays special attention to the technical aspects of the building tradition since the first millennium BC, and Fu Xinian's signature drawings abundantly illustrate its nuances. The essays delve into the modular basis for individual structures, complexes, and cities; lateral and longitudinal building frames; the unity of sculpture and building to create viewing angles; the influence of Chinese construction on Japanese architecture; and the reliability of images to inform us about architecture. Organized chronologically, the book also examines such topics as the representation of architecture on vessels in the Warring States period, early Buddhist architecture, and the evolution of imperial architecture from the Tang to Ming dynasty. A biography of Fu Xinian and a detailed Chinese-English glossary are included. Bringing together some of the most groundbreaking scholarship in Chinese architectural history, Traditional Chinese Architecture showcases an uncontested master of the discipline. "This volume can be read as an introduction to Chinese architecture, or it can be used as a detailed reference tool. An important resource for anyone interested in architectural history." "Fu Xinian is one of the most important scholars of Chinese architecture, and this English translation of his essays is a major contribution to the field. This work will be welcomed by students of global architectural traditions as well as those interested in the history, art history, architectural history, and material culture of China."-Tracy Miller, Vanderbilt University "One of the most eminent Chinese architectural historians of his times, Fu Xinian's work has decisively shaped how the field has developed since the 1980s. Fu, more than any other scholar of his generation, has broadened the scope of the history of China's building tradition to what we understand it to be today. The essays in this collection are thoughtful and useful, the translations are superb, and the range and depth of the discussions are unprecedented." -Wei-Cheng Lin, University of Chicago

Su Li (Zhu Suli) is a professor at Peking University Law School and a pioneering scholar in the sociology of law, law and economics, and law and literature in China. His many books include Rule of Law and Its Indigenous Resources, Sending Law to the Countryside, and Law and Literature. How was the vast ancient Chinese empire brought together and effectively ruled? What are the historical origins of the resilience of contemporary China's political system? In The Constitution of Ancient China, Su Li, China's most influential legal theorist, examines the ways in which a series of fundamental institutions, rather than a supreme legal code upholding the laws of the land, evolved and coalesced into an effective constitution. Arguing that a constitution is an institutional response to a set of issues particular to a specific society, Su Li demonstrates how China unified a vast territory, diverse cultures, and elites from different backgrounds into a whole. He delves into such areas as uniform weights and measurements, the standardization of Chinese characters, and the building of the Great Wall. The book includes commentaries by four leading Chinese scholars in law, philosophy, and intellectual history--Wang Hui, Liu Han, Wu Fei, and Zhao Xiaoli-who share Su Li's ambition to explain the resilience of ancient China's political system but who contend that he overstates functionalist dimensions while downplaying the symbolic. Exploring why China has endured as one political entity for over two thousand years, The Constitution of Ancient China will be essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the institutional legacy of the Chinese empire. "Su Li is, by many measures, the single most influential Chinese legal academic of the past twenty years. This is one of the most important works on historical Chinese constitutionalism to come out in years, and will most certainly be a milestone work against which future research in this area will be constantly measured.-Taisu Zhang, Yale Law School "A bold theoretical exploration and systematic reinterpretation of ancient constitutionalism, this book forms a new space for the analysis of the Chinese political-legal system that encompasses the ancient in the modern."-Xiang Feng, Tsinghua University

"Shortlisted for the BISA Susan Strange Best Book Prize, British International Studies Association" Yan Xuetong is professor of political science and dean of the Institute of International Relations at Tsinghua University in Beijing. His many books include Ancient Chinese Thought, Modern Chinese Power (Princeton). A leading foreign policy thinker uses Chinese political theory to explain why some powers rise as others decline and what this means for the international order While work in international relations has closely examined the decline of great powers, not much attention has been paid to the question of their rise. The upward trajectory of China is a particularly puzzling case. How has it grown increasingly important in the world arena while lagging behind the United States and its allies across certain sectors? Borrowing ideas of political determinism from ancient Chinese philosophers, Leadership and the Rise of Great Powers explains China's expanding influence by presenting a moral-realist theory that attributes the rise and fall of nations to political leadership. Yan Xuetong shows that the stronger a rising state's political leadership, the more likely it is to displace a prevailing state in the international system. Yan defines political leadership through the lens of morality, specifically the ability of a government to fulfill its domestic responsibility and maintain international strategic credibility. Examining leadership at the personal, national, and international levels, Yan shows how rising states like China transform the international order by reshaping power distribution and norms. Yan also considers the reasons for America's diminishing international stature even as its economy, education system, military, political institutions, and technology hold steady. The polarization of China and the United States will not result in another Cold War scenario, but their mutual distrust will ultimately drive the world center from Europe to East Asia. Using the lens of classical Chinese political theory, Leadership and the Rise of Great Powers offers a provocative, alternative perspective on the changing dominance of nations on the global stage. "[Leadership and the Rise of Great Powers] is written with clarity and vigour, and amply repays careful attention."---Rana Mitter, Financial Times "In this thought-provoking book, Yan offers a novel and provocative perspective."---Xiao Alvin Yang, Journal of Chinese Political Science "In Leadership and the Rise of Great Powers, Yan Xuetong draws insights from Chinese history and philosophy to challenge international relations scholarship. Yan offers a powerful vision of a new bipolar world whose stability depends not on material power or norms, but on the quality of leadership exercised by China and the United States. A thoughtful and provocative book."-Amitav Acharya, American University, Washington, DC "Yan Xuetong has been prominent in rethinking realist international relations theory in the light of classical Chinese political philosophy. In this important new book, he shows us what realist theory and world history look like from a Chinese perspective. A welcome and often challenging corrective to Eurocentric orthodoxies. There is nothing like this book on the market."-Barry Buzan, emeritus professor, London School of Economics "This fascinating book represents the current thinking of an influential figure on some of the pressing questions of international politics."-Jonathan Kirshner, author of American Power after the Financial Crisis "The rise and fall of hegemons, Yan Xuetong argues, is based not only on their power but also on the quality of their leadership. This compelling book advances key debates about the rise and decline of great powers, the nature and impact of soft power, and the crisis of liberalism."-Jennifer Lind, Dartmouth College "In this riveting account of the rise and decline of global leadership, Yan Xuetong engages classical

Joseph Chan is a professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Hong Kong. Since the very beginning, Confucianism has been troubled by a serious gap between its political ideals and the reality of societal circumstances. Contemporary Confucians must develop a viable method of governance that can retain the spirit of the Confucian ideal while tackling problems arising from nonideal modern situations. The best way to meet this challenge, Joseph Chan argues, is to adopt liberal democratic institutions that are shaped by the Confucian conception of the good rather than the liberal conception of the right. Confucian Perfectionism examines and reconstructs both Confucian political thought and liberal democratic institutions, blending them to form a new Confucian political philosophy. Chan decouples liberal democratic institutions from their popular liberal philosophical foundations in fundamental moral rights, such as popular sovereignty, political equality, and individual sovereignty. Instead, he grounds them on Confucian principles and redefines their roles and functions, thus mixing Confucianism with liberal democratic institutions in a way that strengthens both. Then he explores the implications of this new yet traditional political philosophy for fundamental issues in modern politics, including authority, democracy, human rights, civil liberties, and social justice. Confucian Perfectionism critically reconfigures the Confucian political philosophy of the classical period for the contemporary era. "[T]he political vision that emerges from the pages of this book is reasonable, humane and inspiring." "Chan has created a very interesting work in the Confucian tradition of revival and reinterpretations for current times." "[This book is] at the forefront of contemporary attempts to grapple with the normative and empirical issues presented by East Asian politics and the relationship of those issues with democracy. [It] supplies important insights into, and reasons for, considering alternatives to liberal democracy, but also raises equally important questions and problems related to those alternatives."---David J. Lorenzo, Perspectives on Politics "Joseph Chan's book is an exceptionally ambitious yet moderate reconstruction of Confucianism for such an inhospitable world and, as such, it is important both in its own right and as an exemplar of a steadily expanding normative enterprise."---Jiwei Ci, Dao "Chan's writing is very clear and wellstructured. His arguments and in-depth analysis of issues shows that he has a thorough understanding of the strengths and limitations of both western liberal democracy and ancient Confucianism."---Andrew T.W. Hung, European Political Science "This splendid book makes a powerful case that Confucianism has much to contribute to contemporary political thought and practice the world over. With clear and careful argumentation, Chan shows that Confucian perfectionist ideals retain their attractiveness in the present day and that new kinds of institutions are needed to best realize these ideals in our modern world."-Stephen C. Angle, Wesleyan University "Joseph Chan is one of the most sophisticated and insightful people working not only to understand traditional Confucian political philosophy but also to develop it as a powerful and attractive view for the modern world."-Philip J. Ivanhoe, City University of Hong Kong "This book introduces an exciting new element to contemporary democratic theory-the integration of key concepts drawn from Confucianism and adapted for the modern world. With its stimulating arguments, the book has the potential to have great influence in Asia and shake up democratic theory in the West."-Jane Mansbridge, Harvard Kennedy School "This original and important book is a fresh effort to use Confucian ideas to help us recognize, understand, and perhaps, address problems in our own democracy."-Archon Fung, Harvard Kenned

Tongdong Bai is the Dongfang Professor of Philosophy at Fudan University in Shanghai and a Global Professor of Law at New York University School of Law. His books include China: The Political Philosophy of the Middle Kingdom. How a hybrid Confucian-engendered form of governance might solve today's political problems What might a viable political alternative to liberal democracy look like? In Against Political Equality, Tongdong Bai offers a possibility inspired by Confucian ideas. Bai argues that domestic governance influenced by Confucianism can embrace the liberal aspects of democracy along with the democratic ideas of equal opportunities and governmental accountability to the people. But Confucianism would give more political decision-making power to those with the moral, practical, and intellectual capabilities of caring for the people. While most democratic thinkers still focus on strengthening equality to cure the ills of democracy, the proposed hybrid regime-made up of Confucian-inspired meritocratic characteristics combined with democratic elements and a quasi-liberal system of laws and rights-recognizes that egalitarian qualities sometimes conflict with good governance and the protection of liberties, and defends liberal aspects by restricting democratic ones. Bai applies his views to the international realm by supporting a hierarchical order based on how humane each state is toward its own and other peoples, and on the principle of international interventions whereby humane responsibilities override sovereignty. Exploring the deficiencies posed by many liberal democracies, Against Political Equality presents a novel Confucian-engendered alternative for solving today's political problems. "An insightful guide to a mode of thinking becoming ever stronger in a China that has turned strongly against liberalism."---Rana Mitter, Financial Times "Sprawling and ambitious. . . . A great accomplishment."---Russell Arben Fox, The Review of Politics "An important contribution to contemporary Confucian political theory."---Sungmoon Kim, The Review of Politics "Bai possesses a rare combination of expertise in contemporary political philosophy and classical textual exegesis. He occupies his own well-defined territory in the intellectual and ideological landscape of contemporary Chinese political thought, and Against Political Equality is a welcome and much-needed addition to the field."-Justin Tiwald, San Francisco State University "In this rich, engaging, and important book, Bai's perspective is that of a contemporary political philosopher influenced by both early Confucianism and Rawls. He thinks creatively about the challenges and needs of contemporary polities, and Against Political Equality is well-argued, provocative, and methodologically sound. This is a significant contribution to the emerging literature on Confucian political philosophy, and will attract much notice."-Stephen C. Angle, Wesleyan University