The Rise of Confucianism: Migration, Competition, and Cultural Formation in Historical China

Abstract

As a culture, Confucianism had already emerged in China in the 5th century BC, but it was not until the 12th century AD that it became truly popular. We argue that an exogenous political shock was needed to elevate the popularity of Confucianism and it came in the form of Jurchen’s defeat of the Northern Song dynasty in 1127. This event triggered a massive migratory movement of five million people from the north to the south, unwittingly intensifying the competition for resources between the migrants and the natives. To compete effectively, family loyalty and group solidarity were key personal attributes. Confucianism endorsed these attributes in individuals regardless of their origin. By applying a difference-indifferences analysis to a panel of 292 Chinese prefectures for the period from 220 BC to 1820 AD, indeed we find that the Confucian ethos, using chaste women and genealogy records as proxies, was significantly stronger in prefectures populated by more migrants.