Confucian Thought In Contemporary China: 　Trends & Circumstance 　 　当代中国儒学思想之现状与趋向研究 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in 　the Graduate School of The Ohio State University 　 　 　By 　 　David J. Young 　 　Graduate Program in East Asian Languages and Literatures 　 　 　 　 　 　The Ohio State University 　 　2012 　 　 　Master’s Examination Committee: 　 　Galal Walker, Xiaobin Jian, Jianqi Wang Advisor 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　Copyright by 　 　David J. Young 　 　2012 　 　i 　 　Abstract 　 　 　 　Since the early 1980s, China has been experiencing a moderate Confucian revival. 　This has been evident in various aspects of society such as best selling books & 　television programs on Confucianism, various academic movements to popularize 　the Confucian classics, and the burgeoning “traditional learning craze” (guo xue re国　学热) among others. This study is an attempt to provide a prefatory analysis of 　Confucian thought in contemporary Chin