THE East is a career，” writes Benjamin Disraeli in his 1847 masterpiece Tancred. The quote is short， but controversial. Was Disraeli dismissing an entire continent as a testing ground for young ambitious Western statesmen， as some have said？ I prefer Edward Said’s interpretation of the quote， outlined in his influential 1978 masterwork Orientalism. Said took Disraeli to mean that， “to be interested in the East was something bright young Westerners would find to be an all-consuming passion.”
　　Since Deng Xiaoping initiated China’s reform and opening-up policies， millions of bright young European entrepreneurs， scholars， adventurers and language-lovers have flocked to China. I am by no means the brightest， nor youngest， of these trailblazers， but I too have felt an all-consuming passion to make a career out of the East， and in particular out of China.
　　There’s a reason for this – as China’s economic star has risen， its culture has been attracting more and more interest in Europe. Many Europeans now believe that the path out of Europe’s current malaise lies in adopting certain ideas outlined in China’s Confucian philosophy.


　　 Lofty Pragmatism
　　Few people realize the great impact of Chinese thought on today’s Europe. Germany， for instance， is currently undergoing a de facto thought transformation away from philosophical idealism and Christian dogma toward a kind of lofty pragmatism that finds close parallels in Confucianism.
　　Germany still shies away from outward displays of its deep affection for the Far East – the ruling Christian Democratic Union under Chancellor Angela Merkel doesn’t even officially recognize “multiculturalism.” But sooner or later， Germans will realize the significant similarities in philosophy the two countries share.
　　To some extent this recognition will come from the increasing visibility of Chinese culture in Germany. The country has 28，000 Chinese students studying in its schools and universities， and is home to 13 Confucius Institutes， Chinese governmentsponsored centers for the promotion of Chinese language and culture. And as long as China’s economy continues to be the engine of global economy growth， the country is unlikely to fall from the headlines of German business news media.
　　But at a more fundamental level， rather than China moving closer to Europe in the popular conscience， Europe has moved closer to China， and in particular， to Chinese philosophy. Over the past decade or so， Europe has embraced – unwittingly， perhaps – Confucian ideals in religion， education， philosophy and intellectual culture. 　　Europe is an increasingly secularized continent. Secularization is a European， not a broadly Western， phenomenon – just look at the strength of the Religious Right in the United States. Europe has drawn closer to Confucianism in how it approaches religious thought. Confucianism is not religion –neither is Buddhism， technically – but rather a code of conduct that aims to create a harmonious society. Creating a harmonious society is the goal of the Chinese government. New socialist Europe has the same goal， though it frames it rather differently as “aspiring to a peaceful and tranquil society.”
　　There is also a political parallel between modern Europe and the Confucian ideal of governance. The European parliament in Brussels， unlike Europe’s national governments， resembles a council of sages– pragmatic technocrats， not charismatic personality politicians.
　　 For Love of Learning and Family
　　Next， let’s look at the European educational system. Reforms continue， but Europe is now tilting toward unification of its fragmented national educational systems. China unified its scholarly examination system as early as the Han Dynasty over 2，200 years ago. And it did it again in 1952 when New China established the national higher education entrance examination.
　　The 1999 Bologna Accords， which aim to unite all European educational systems under one higher education format， will result in better assessment and thus the promotion of ability， not privilege， as the major mechanism by which governments and businesses select and promote workers.
　　It is important not to underestimate the importance of privilege and “birth right” to Europe’s old models of education and employment.
　　Though the French Revolution of 1789-1799 was instrumental in the dismantlement of feudal， aristocratic and religious privileges across the whole European continent， France has continued， right through to the current century， to discriminate in its education system. Graduates of its grandesécoles dominate the business and political elites in the country.
　　Germany’s system， while not favoring the privileged to the extent that France’s does， has a threetier school system that locks students into limited career paths straight out of primary school. Do badly in primary school， and you’ve already blown your chances at a top-flight career. Europe needs Bologna to work in order to level the educational playing field.
　　China’s historic Confucian examination system was different. It guaranteed anyone – be they peasant or aristocrat – a fair go at landing a top career post. The canons of Confucianism， moreover， have instilled a love of learning in the hearts of ordinary Chinese. Europe has a lot to learn from China in how it values education as one of life’s main priorities. 　　One of principal Confucian concepts is Xiao， filial piety. Put more colloquially， Xiao means that children should respect and care for their parents throughout their lives. In the past century Europe outright rejected this premise. It seemed the continent was intent on severing connections between the generations as quickly as possible –parents were not obliged to pay for their children’s education， and the young were encouraged to“break away” from their parents as early as possible. National government stepped in to fill the void； students and youth received generous grants for studies and ample living allowances， while the elderly found themselves in nursing homes. The homes were free； but that didn’t fill in for the lack of family.
　　China is different. While economic development is raising tensions in some families as the young move to big cities to hunt for high-paying work， as a rule， family is still holy in China.
　　Thankfully， many European governments have been rethinking their role in family ties. I’ve even noticed rising talk of “filial piety” among my European friends. It’s a positive sign.
　　Talk of Xiao brings us to the greater nature of Confucian humanism， namely the Confucian family value system. As Gu Zhengkun， a professor of world literature at Peking University， argues， China is a society based on family values， while Europe is a society based on interest groups.


　　China has always endeavored to promote a moral code among its people as if they were， so to speak， one big family. Perhaps that’s why China came together as a united nation as early as 221 BC. Europe only managed this in the late 20th century with the creation of the European Union. While there are many reasons for Europe’s tardiness in regards to unification， one possible cause is a lack of collective identity on the continent， which is in turn a symptom of a lack of emphasis on the family.
　　 Beyond Comparison
　　Perhaps it’s unfair to compare Europe and China. Europe， after all， is a continent-sized collection of nation states. China is a single country. But in the areas of philosophy and culture， it is fair to compare the two. Europe is united in Christianity and shares a Greco-Roman heritage. China is united， in part， by the legacy of Confucianism.
　　Europe is a civilization， and so is China. Some have stated this emphatically； Lucian Pye， a renowned American sinologist， once commented，“China is a civilization masquerading as a country.” 　　But labeling both as “civilizations” is a little misleading. Chinese approach the meaning of civilization， the usual translation of the Chinese word Wenming， differently to Europeans. As Professor Gu Zhengkun explained， “Wenming describes a high level of ethics and gentleness of a people.” In English， “civilization” derives from the Latin civis， which means “city” or “city state” and possesses no moral connotations.
　　China’s and Europe’s definition of “civilization”may be different， but that doesn’t mean that one can’t learn from the other. I would contend that the path to lasting European unity doesn’t lie in more laws and regulations； rather， Europe should look to China and establish a pragmatic ethical framework based on Chinese concept of harmoniousness， or， to employ the Chinese term， Zhongyong – the Middle Way.
　　As President of Peking University Zhou Qifeng recently remarked in his speech at the opening of the World Ethics Center： “We need to seek answers to the questions man faces from more culturally diverse perspectives. We shouldn’t find ourselves confined to the parameters of Western philosophy.”To which Swiss philosopher and sinologist Hans Küng replied： “If the concept of human rights is largely a Western contribution， then traditional Chinese culture offers the most abundant resource for the concept of human responsibility.”
　　Europe could benefit from importing Chinese concepts of human responsibility. As greater numbers of young Europeans head to China for at least part of their fledgling careers， they gain exposure to Chinese philosophy. Hopefully they internalize some of China’s best ideas， among which are The Middle Way and human responsibility， and bring them back to where they are sorely needed – Europe.