Jiaohua and Self-Refashioning in Chinese Individualsʼ Confucian Learning

This chapter examines the shifting connotations of a traditional Chinese keyword – jiaohua (education for transformation) – in the contemporary Chinese grassroots Confucian revival. It first concentrates on the field of Confucian dujing (classics reading) education, exploring how individuals educate themselves and others through the technique of reading the classics. It then investigates how jiaohua is applied to moral self-refashioning among the broader population beyond the dujing education community (e.g., businesspeople and government staff). This chapter is concluded with a discussion on the implications of jiaohua discourse for present-day China’s general social and moral landscape.