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Title |
Praise and Ridicule: Immortalization and Desecration of the image of Confucius in Taiwan during Japanese colonial period |
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Author |
Lin, Yi-Heng |
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Assistang Professor, Department of Chinese Literature and Application, Fo Guang University |
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Abstract |
In Pre-modern Eastern Asia, the canon seemed to be challenged. Taiwan in Japanese colonial period, the image of Confucius had been challenged, too. Japanese as the colonizer attempted to assimilate Taiwanese to expand their national policy through sharpening the interpretation of Confucius. Therefore, many people challenged Confucius by the writings of joke, trying to establish multiple interpretation of Confucius. Their purpose is to examine the thought of Confucius whether it fixed the new rea or not. That is also the initial reason of the debate between Confucianism and Moism. In the praise and sarcasm of Confucius, it illustrated that Confucius had been knocked off his pedestal. In the meantime, it illuminated that Confucianism still remained the core concept in Taiwan and Japan. In this changing era, the followers of Confucius made effort to find the new position for Confucius. |
