Seminar
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In contemporary China, the media and micro bloggers alike are debating the dwindling of moral values. Against this backdrop stand a series of cases of corruption and a refusal to help the injured and helpless. A car accident involving the eventual death of a small girl, who was ignored by passing people, and the tripling over of an elderly man, who was unable to stand up by himself, and eventually suffocated to death, caused a cry of outrage throughout the Chinese public. Any government ought to be a morally coined role model, because it indirectly influences the behavior of each of its citizen through the rule of law. As such, the Chinese government now returns to former traditional role models, such as the selfless hero Lei Feng, who is even nowadays considered to be an incarnation of humaneness.
In this interdisciplinary discussion round, the KAS|Beijing addresses the sorts of principles that are guiding actions in Chinese social, political and economic life. To what extent do ancient Chinese traditions still play a role in its current political decisions? Is the Western and Asian conception of morality the same?
This talk is part of the lecture series of KAS|Beijing in which young talented German researchers, Chinese and international experts, academics and representatives of think-tanks discuss current issues in the areas of law, economics, and cultural policies in the context of 40 years of diplomatic relations between Germany and China.