The Advanced Institute of Confucian Studies at Shandong University unveiled a list of the 10 major trends, issues and arguments of the past two years in the sphere of Confucian studies at the eighth World Confucian Conference on Sept 20. These hot topics are:

1. The revitalization of traditional Chinese culture becoming a national strategy

2. The theory of political meritocracy launched by foreign scholars as an alternative to democracy in the governance of a country

3. The Chinese traditional ritual system returning to modern life

4. Confucian ethics bringing a second enlightenment to the West

5. A comparison of Eastern and Western methodologies in Confucian studies

6. The emergence of diverse schools of Confucian studies

7. A discussion of whether Confucianism helped dictatorships in ancient China

8. A discussion about the roots of Confucian classics

9. Emerging studies of how to integrate knowledge and theories with practice

10. Studies of the relations between Confucianism and Marxism

(China Daily 09/25/2017 page12)