Closing keynote - On the Confucian Communist Comeback in Contemporary China

Closing reception and keynote - On the Confucian Communist Comeback in Contemporary China

Date: Fri Oct 20 2023

Time: 18:00 -21:00(British Summer Time)

Location: Strand, London, WC2R 2LS

Few Chinese intellectuals and political reformers turned to Confucianism and Communism for political inspiration at the end of the twentieth century. But the traditions have mounted remarkable comebacks in mainland China. What explains the return of Confucianism and Communism? And what are the implications for Chinese academia and the political system?

Join us for an engaging and thought-provoking closing keynote on the Confucian Communist Comeback in Contemporary China. Drawing on his new book, The Dean of Shandong (Princeton, 2023) -- "an inside view of Chinese academia and what it reveals about China's political system" that was selected as the FT's Best Summer Book in 2023 -- Daniel A. Bell will attempt to answer these questions.

Daniel Bell will be in conversation with Astrid Nordin, Lau Chair of Chinese International Relations, King's College London. This event will be followed by a drinks reception.

Daniel A. Bell (貝淡寧) is Professor, Chair of Political Theory with the Faculty of Law at the University of Hong Kong. He served as Dean of the School of Political Science and Public Administration at Shandong University (Qingdao) from 2017 to 2022.

Astrid Nordin holds the Lau Chair of Chinese International Relations in the Lau China Institute. She is also Senior Fellow of the Institute for Social Futures, and Associate Research Fellow at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs.