The classic Chinese conception of “Junzi” (gentleman) was born well before  Confucius, but was enriched by Confucius and his teachings into the ideal Chinese personality and quality—self-discipline, benevolence, and commitment. After the descendents of Confucius took Quzhou as their new home in the Southern Song era, Confucianism thrived and rose to be the most important contributor to the moral outlook of the locals, eventually becoming the ideological root of the city. The legacy of “Master Kong” permeates every cell of the city, forever inspiring its administrative strategy and social life.

Before the arrival of the Confucian culture in Quzhou, Quzhounese were known for their bellicose nature, partly because of the city’s geographical location.

Confucius thought that rites, or rituals (li)—encompassing and expressing proper human conduct in all spheres of life—could steady a man as well as the society. This was also what his descendents preached in Quzhou. The result was the public’s enlightenment that was never achieved before. The long list of outstanding educators and local officials includes Kong Zhao and his son Kong Hao. Kong Yuanlong, the 50th-generation descendant of Confucius, fulfilled his duties at the Keshan Academy well into his 90s. Role models from the Kong family also include Kong Yanluan, the 65th-generation descendant of Confucius, and Kong Yutian, the 67th-generation descendant, who won the locals’ hearts for his philanthropic deeds.

Confucius believed that education and reflection led to virtue, and that those who aspired to command others must cultivate discipline and moral authority in themselves. Confucius broke with tradition in his belief that all human beings could benefit from education. He espoused lifelong learning “for the sake of the self”, meaning self-knowledge and self-improvement.

“Shuyuan” (academy of classical learning) was once a special institution playing an important role in education in China and South east Asia. In China, its history dates back to the Han dynasty. “Shuyuan” reached its heyday in Southern Song, with the number six times more than in the Northern Song years. The number of “shuyuan” based in Quzhou topped 20, with Keshan and Qingxian enjoying a fine reputation in the country.

Originally called Meiyan Lecture Room and founded by Mao Jian at the dynastic turn of Northern Song and Southern Song, Keshan Academy is the most famous academy of classical learning in Quzhou. Zhu Xi (1130-1200), a great Confucian scholar, philosopher and educator, contributed to the fame of the academy by his frequent visits as a lecturer. In its heyday, the academy drew in as many as 3,000 disciples, and master scholars such as Xu Lin, Ma Duanlin, and Kong Yuanlong. Focusing on moral education, the academy produced a galaxy of men of erudition and vision. Statistics show Quzhou generated 1,013 “jinshi” (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination in the old times of China) in the period from Southern Song to Qing.

Confucius was emboldened to think that he could set things right in the world. As stated in The Analects, Confucius believed that social harmony would naturally follow from the proper ordering of individuals in relation to one another, with the family unit as the basic building block of society. He therefore stressed the cultivation of personal qualities such as benevolence, reciprocity, and filial piety as essential to the formation of well-educated, conscientious individuals who would benefit society through public service.

Located in Kecheng, Quzhou, Zhou Xiong’s Temple was first built in the Southern Song Dynasty in memory of Zhou Xiong for the man’s filial piety. Legend has it that Zhou Xiong is the incarnation of the God of wind and rain. Zhou Xiong died at the age of only 24 because he prayed for a shorter life of his own so that his mother could have a longer one.

Filial piety is an important part of the subconsciousness of people in Quzhou. The city has produced a good many filial models such as Yu Jing in the Ming times and Liu Xing’e in modern days. Behind the social harmony of Quzhou is the filial awareness of Quzhounese passed down from Confucius and his followers.

The essence of Confucianism not only became the cultural spine of Quzhou. It also penetrates into other dimensions of the city’s social and business life, as noticeably shown by the city’s connection with the businesspeople from Anhui.

Quzhou borders southern Anhui province, where shrewd businesspeople thrived on tea, salt and other specialties of Quzhou and eventually settled down in Quzhou. Zheng Heyang was a perfect illustration of the community that is reputed as the “Confucian businessmen”. The salt dealer from Anhui became a celebrity in Quzhou not only for his success in the salt business but also for his learned and refined charisma. Zheng Heyang was just one of the many Anhui businessmen choosing to make Quzhou their home not just for entrepreneurial purposes. They chose to stay because of the local social habits and culture they easily identified with.

Indeed, the teaching of Confucius is a thread running through the history of Quzhou business community, collectively known as the “Longyou businessmen”, who cut a figure in the Wanli years of the Ming dynasty by outsmarting their counterparts from Anhui and Shanxi. In Quzhou, gentlemen and businessmen are two in one, which is a subversion of the stereotypical definition of “businessman”. The good days of “Longyou businessmen” have long gone, but the perception drawn from its Confucian source has far-reaching implications.

In 2011, the local government launched the “Beautiful Quzhounese” campaign to celebrate the power of ethics in modern social undertakings and encourage the locals to contribute to the city’s moral construction.

“Beautiful Quzhounese” is essentially about taking actions, as has been proved by the kindness, integrity, and responsibility of all people who call Quzhou their home and have proven how a city can be glorified by a noble heart.  

After settling down in its adopted home in Quzhou, Confucian culture blossomed in the new soil into a splendid flower that nurtured generations of men of noble character in the following millennia and a unique cultural character was fostered in Quzhou in the process. Today, the city’s devotion to preserving and propagating Confucius’ precepts is breathing new blood into the teachings at a crucial time of social and cultural transformation.