Confucius\u2019s hometown, Qufu, knows how to market its most famous native son. Visitors to the city in eastern China\u2019s Shandong province can savor Confucian cuisine, worship at a Confucius temple and follow the family tree of the Kong clan, which claims an unbroken lineage going back some 80 generations to the Great Sage himself. The tourist boom has only intensified as China\u2019s communist leadership embraces homegrown traditions once derided as feudal relics by the party\u2019s revolutionary elders.<\/p>\n
Now, the presence of a Christian church near Confucius central is sparking debate as to whether the ancient philosopher \u201d\u201d or, more accurately, his descendants \u201d\u201d can handle an influx of Western spirituality in a nation yearning for fulfillment. In an online article published late this month, a prominent Confucian scholar protested the expansion of an existing church less than 2 miles from Qufu\u2019s main Confucian temple and kickstarted a campaign against it. Such a church \u201ctowering over\u201d\u009d the Confucian sanctuary, wrote Zeng Zhenyu, would stir up \u201cintense controversy.\u201d\u009d Sure enough, a torrent of digital discourse has ensued in China, with scholars and laymen alike parsing the ancient ideology\u2019s stance towards a diversity of faiths.<\/p>\n