Confucian Community of Nations?

[carlton_bach]

OTL Confucianism has remained limited almost entirely to China and Korea (though IIRC there were Confucians in Viet Nam and Mongolia, and Japan had a nominally Confucian court for a while). WI the philosophy had developed a more missionary bent? To any traditional society, the tenets are quite attractive, and I found nothing in the Lun Yu that would not translate reasonably well. Say Japan and Viet Nam become Confucian, integrating their traditional religions with the philosophy the way Korea did. From there, the faith spreads through Southeast Asia and influences the Central Asian states. If China favours Confucian states in foreign relations (admittedly, not something that would occur to a Tang or Ming emperor, but perhaps the Sung could run with it?) that might help. Could an East Asian community of nations develop around a sinicised upper class sharing Confucian values, roughly analogous to a Latinised European upper class held together by the glue of Catholic Christianity?

Might the more outward-looking attitudes of other nations (Japan, Korea and the Khmer and Hmong nations come to mind) foster more exploration in this commonwealth? Chinese settlers in Australia? Confucian Polynesian client-kings? Korean miners in California?

What's the Chinese word for 'country with really big trees and lots of gold'?

[Duncan]

Originally Posted by carlton_bach

What's the Chinese word for 'country with really big trees and lots of gold'?

One of the Chinese names used for California was "Jin shan" - "Gold mountain".

[Faeelin]

Hmm. I think it might require a bit more of a POD though, but it's interesting. Does the pacific play the role for confucians that the aegean played for greeks?

[carlton_bach]

Originally Posted by Faeelin

Hmm. I think it might require a bit more of a POD though, but it's interesting. Does the pacific play the role for confucians that the aegean played for greeks?

The Pacific is a bit big for that, but I was thinking the South China Sea and Yellow Sea, for a start. You'd need a more universalist outlook on the part of China - which could happen, and at certain times did - and a ready acceptance of Confucianism in other nations - which I see at lewast as possible. Then, what's to stop it?