Description
Book SynopsisAs China continues to transform itself, many assume that the nation will eventually move beyond communism and adopt a Western-style democracy. This book provides a standard for evaluating political progress in China and enriches the dialogue of possibilities available to this rapidly evolving nation.
Trade Review"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."--Choice "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
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments vii Introduction 1 Daniel A. Bell Part I: A Confucian Constitutional Order * The Way of the Humane Authority: The Theoretical Basis for Confucian Constitutionalism and a Tricameral Parliament 27 Jiang Qing * The Supervisory System of Confucian Constitutionalism: Reflections on the Supervision of the State by the Academy 44 Jiang Qing * A Confucian Constitutionalist State: The Constitutional Role and Contemporary Significance of Republicanism under a Symbolic Monarch 71 Jiang Qing Part II: Comments * On the Legitimacy of Confucian Constitutionalism 99 Joseph Chan * An Old Mandate for a New State: On Jiang Qing's Political Confucianism 113 Bai Tongdong * Transcendent Heaven? A Critique of Jiang Qing's Grounding of the Right to Rule 129 Chenyang Li * Is the Way of the Humane Authority a Good Thing? An Assessment of Confucian Constitutionalism 139 Wang Shaoguang Part III: Response to the Commentators * Debating with My Critics 161 Jiang Qing Notes 209 Bibliography 241 Contributors 249 Index 251
