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This is a guess but I am not sure if "Confucian" teachings is the right way to figure out modern Chinese society. Plenty of Western writers point to it to understand China but I can't help but feel like that's like pointing to George Washington to understand modern American society. Yes, history plays a role in modern society but it's not the entire picture.

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It’s more like reading about the Protestant reformation to understand the US - not directly relevant but very visible in the culture everywhere you look.

The more time I live outside my homeland, the more I agree with the idea of pointing to George Washington to understand modern American society. I don't mean America in particular, but if you want to know why different cultures think differently, the only thing you have is their intellectual history, which changes (I think) surprisingly slowly.

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