How Communism Twisted Ancient Chinese Wisdom

It’s a shameful anniversary: October 1, 1949 is the date the People’s Republic of China was founded.

Ever since, a country steeped in a tradition of philosophical wisdom has been put through the torture chamber — literally and figuratively — of communism. It raises the question: how did communism take root?

The answer lies in the lack of balance between the two components of that tradition: Taoism and Confucianism — and a deliberate bastardization of the latter.

For more detail, we spoke to two Chinese women who have seen the horrors of the PRC up close and personal.

Habi Zhang studied at Pepperdine University and is currently a doctoral student in political science at Purdue University. Her dissertation will argue that Confucianism laid the intellectual and psychological foundation of Chinese totalitarianism.

Li Schoolland is a prominent figure in the liberty movement whose passion is to share her life stories to educate about the evils of communism and planned economies. See her speak in person at LibertyCon 2022: this month in Miami! libertycon.com

CHAPTERS:
0:00 Yin and yang
1:12 The Seizure of Confucianism
2:17 Who Was Confucius?
3:05 Confucius’s Ideal Society
4:24 The Great Trick Ever Pulled
5:20 The Great (Murderous) Leap Forward & Beyond
6:40 The Modern Chinese State
7:26 Our Question for You
8:04 Lao Tsu’s Wu-Wei
9:34 Lying Flat: A Grassroots Movement
10:20 The Government’s Top Priority
10:55 China’s Future