The challenge of academic writing for Chinese students within ...

Confucianism: one saw Confucianism as an outdated political ideology, with no modern
value or significance; the other praised Confucian ethical values as ‗a motivating force for
personal integration, social-communal participation and moral leadership‘; Nonetheless Wu
(1987) points out the modernity and progressivism of many of Confucian educational
teachings.
Daoism
Daoism, the second major school of Chinese traditional philosophy, was founded by the
legendary figure Laozi (6 th or 4 th cent. B.C.), and developed by Zhuangzi (between 399 –
295 B.C.) (Chan, 1973). Although sharing the philosophical foundation of the Yijing with
Confucianism, Daoism articulates a considerably contrasting ideology. So much so that these
two philosophical schools are seen as competing with each other and developing in opposite
directions. Nevertheless the division of philosophical territory of these two schools makes
them more ‗complementary‘ than ‗competitive‘ (Fu, 1997, p.553). The complementariness
between a Daoist life of withdrawal and the Confucian life of action is manifested in the
understanding that when one is on official service, one should be a Confucian while in
retirement, one should then be a Daoist (Lee, 2000). Chinese traditions, compared with
emphasis of Western Philosophies on the dichotomy between different ideas, embrace the
duality between two different contrasting ideals. So it is explicable that Chinese people tend
to find a balance in life striving to be both a Confucian and a Daoist. The two most famous
texts of Daoist philosophy are the Daodejing (Classic of the Way and its Virtue) and the
Zhuangzi.
Daoism rejects the Confucian ideas that social order and human relations are regulated by the
ethical value of benevolence (ren), righteousness (yi), and propriety (li). In contrast Daoism
believes in regulating human actions in the Way, or Dao of the universe or nature. The notion
of the Dao is the central doctrine of Daoism. According to the Daoist ideology, the Dao is the
beginning and ending of all things; the Dao, law of nature is what human action should
follow. Dao is understood as ‗Origin or Mother of the Ten Thousand Things, as ‗Principle‘,
as ‗Function‘, as ‗Virtue‘, and as ‗Technique‘ (Fu, 1997). From Daoist perspectives, Dao
presents the way of life in its ‗simplicity‘, ‗spontaneity‘, ‗tranquillity‘, ‗weakness‘,
‗effortlessness‘ and non-action (Fu, 1997; Chan, 1973).
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