化 境 神 似

JUDICIOUS QUOTATION and bold annotation can make practically any text convey practically any meaning. Those of you reading along with the periodic installments of New China: A Future History have come across Liang Qichao's innovative ideas about the true meaning behind the works attributed to Confucius. This was not the first time the sage was remolded to fit an unlikely role, and it would not be the last.

In 1974 Confucius was pressed into service by one faction in the government. His role this time was the mortal enemy of the State, standing in for a rival who could not be attacked by name. The image to the right is a poster from that era urging citizens to "Fight the People's War of Criticizing Lin and Confucius." Stefan Landsberger's outstanding collection of Chinese propaganda posters is the source, and he gives a nice overview of the anti-Lin / anti-Confucius campaign (more than I can say here due to filtering [as originally posted on a mainland server)).

So with Confucius playing the villain in the public eye, justifications naturally needed to be found amongst his works for the anti-progressive, anti-revolutionary positions he was accused of. Here's a one-line understatement with a footnote from Hong Zicheng's Contemporary Chinese Literature:

"文革"期间，则实行一种"自我封闭"的文化政策，并根据现实政治需要，对传统文化的某些部分，采取奇特的实用主义的阐释策略。
注："文革"中对待鲁迅的著作，对待《水浒》、《红楼梦》等名著，以及开展的"评法批儒"的活动，都是典型的例子。如1974年，有著名的古籍出版社中华书局（北京）出版的《〈论语〉批注》，对《论语》"学而第一"的阐释是："......'学而时习之，不亦说乎'，是叫他的门徒专心致志地学习礼、乐、《诗》、《书》，把自己训练成复辟奴隶制的帮凶。'有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎'，是要他们拉拢来自远方的反革命党羽，扩大反革命组织。'人不知，而不愠，不亦君子乎'，是说不要怨恨执政者不任用自己，要善于搞韬晦之计，耐心等待有利时机到来，大干一场。"见该书第2页。（洪子诚，《中国当代文学史》。北京：北京大学出版社，1999，第238页。）

During the CR, a self-imposed policy of cultural isolation was enacted, and in response to the political needs of the time, there were some peculiar positions taken in the utilitarian explication of certain parts of traditional culture.
Footnote: The treatment of Lu Xun's works, famous novels such as The Water Margin and Dream of Red Mansiona, and the campaign to criticize the legalists and Confucians during the CR are typical examples. In 1974, for instance, the noted classics publisher China Books issued The Annotated Analects, and explained the beginning of the first chapter like so: "...'Is it not pleasant to learn with constant perseverance and application?' tells his disciples to study rites, music, the Odes, and the Documents wholeheartedly, to train themselves into gang members working for those wanting to restore the slave masters. 'Is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters?' is telling them to gather together all of their counter-revolutionary henchmen from far and wide so as to expand their counter-revolutionary organization. 'Is he not a gentleman who, when he does not know, is not angry?' says not to become angry at those in power when they do not give you an appointment, but rather to become skilled in not revealing your motive, waiting patiently, so that when the opportunity arrives you can take it all in one fell swoop."

At least Confucius is allowed to speak for himself before his words get twisted. The late-Qing satiric novelist Lǐ Bóyuán (李伯元), in the post-revolutionary printings of A Short History Of Modern Times 《文明小史》, does not fare so well.

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