Sun Dawei: Drawing Nourishment from Traditional Chinese Thoughts on Clean Governance
General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that studying our nation's history of anti-corruption and promotion of integrity, understanding ancient Chinese integrity culture, and investigating the successes and failures of anti-corruption efforts throughout our history can provide profound inspiration and help us apply historical wisdom to advance the construction of anti-corruption and integrity-building. To strengthen the construction of a culture of integrity in the New Era, we must attach great importance to excavating and drawing lessons from the thoughts on clean governance within fine traditional Chinese culture. The thoughts on clean governance in fine traditional Chinese culture are broad, profound, and long-standing, encompassing key concepts such as impartiality-integrity (公廉), diligence-integrity (勤廉), loyalty-integrity (忠廉), filial-integrity (孝廉), and pure-integrity (清廉). These five conceptual strands provide systemic nourishment for the construction of a culture of integrity in the New Era from the dimensions of power operations, fulfillment of duties, political loyalty, family ethics, and internal self-cultivation. Although they possess certain historical limitations, their essence has traversed the long river of history and continues to shine with the light of truth today.
The Thought of Impartiality-Integrity (Gonglian)
The representative figure of impartiality-integrity thought was Cao Duan, a politician, Neo-Confucian philosopher (理学家) [1], and educator of the early Ming Dynasty. Throughout his life, Cao Duan practiced impartiality and integrity, a principle that permeated his self-cultivation, family management, teaching, and political career. Cao Duan proposed the important thesis: "Is it not impartiality and integrity! With impartiality, the people dare not be disrespectful; with integrity, the officials dare not be deceptive." This was later expanded and perfected by Nian Fu, the Governor of Shandong, forming the thirty-six-character "Official Motto" (《官箴》): "Officials do not fear my severity but fear my integrity; the people do not submit to my ability but submit to my impartiality. With impartiality, the people dare not be disrespectful; with integrity, the officials dare not be deceptive. Impartiality begets clarity (公生明), integrity begets authority (廉生威) [2]."
Cao Duan’s thought on impartiality-integrity emphasizes the attribute of justice in the operation of power, primarily reflected in works such as The Collected Works of Cao Duan. In this thought, "impartiality" (公) and "integrity" (廉) are like two wings of a single body; if one is missing, the operation of power will inevitably lose its rectitude. First, "impartiality" is the foundation of "integrity." Integrity without the foundation of impartiality is merely superficial; such "honest" individuals are often actually those fishing for fame and compliments. Second, "integrity" is the soul of "impartiality." Without the soul of integrity, impartiality becomes an empty shell—for a person lacking integrity, their so-called "impartiality" is either an expedient tactic to win people's hearts or a camouflaged excuse to cover up private desires.
Currently, a small number of Party members and cadres use the pretext of strictly following procedures to raise thresholds and "extort or obstruct" (吃拿卡要) [3]; this appears compliant but is actually partial. There are also a few Party members and cadres who are themselves improper and have a distorted view of performance [4], seriously damaging the credibility of the Party and the government. The thought of impartiality-integrity inspires us: Party members and cadres must hold the bottom line of integrity, but more importantly, they must act with a public-spirited heart, supporting integrity through impartiality and guaranteeing impartiality through integrity.
The Thought of Diligence-Integrity (Qinlian)
The representative figure of diligence-integrity thought was Kuang Zhong, a famous upright official of the Ming Dynasty. Kuang Zhong’s life was a vivid portrayal of diligence and integrity. During his tenure as the Prefect of Suzhou, he severely punished corruption, rectified officialdom, reduced taxes, allowed the people to recuperate, built water conservancy projects, encouraged farming and sericulture, established "Agricultural Relief Granaries" to provide aid to famine victims, overturned wrongful convictions, struck at the powerful and predatory, established prefectural schools, and valued talent. He eventually died at his post from overwork, truly achieving "exhausting oneself for the country and the people" (鞠躬尽瘁) [5]. Kuang Zhong is as famous as Bao Zheng and Hai Rui [6], and all are hailed by the people as "Clear Skies" (青天) [7].
Kuang Zhong’s thought on diligence-integrity focuses on the practical requirements of fulfilling one's duties, primarily reflected in works such as The Collected Works of Prefect Kuang. In this thought, there is no priority between "diligence" (勤) and "integrity" (廉); the two support each other in a dialectical unity. First, "diligence" is the guarantee of "integrity." Without diligent governance, clean governance cannot be truly realized. If one only seeks a reputation for integrity but is lazy and negligent in governance (懒政怠政), it is ultimately the interests of the masses that suffer. True integrity inevitably requires officials to be diligent in their duties and give their full effort. Second, "integrity" is the direction of "diligence." Without clean governance, diligent governance loses its correct value orientation. Even if one is diligent, if greed exists in the heart, one will inevitably act with private motives, and "diligence" will degenerate into "diligence for private gain," running counter to the essence of diligence for the people.
Currently, a small number of Party members and cadres exhibit the phenomenon of "preferring to do nothing in order to avoid trouble," a form of lazy and negligent governance. There are also a small number of cadres who have excessive "diligence" but insufficient "integrity," crossing the "red line" of discipline during their endeavors. The thought of diligence-integrity inspires us: Party members and cadres must not only be clean and upright and hold the bottom line but also be diligent, pragmatic, and proactive in their responsibilities, truly achieving excellence in both diligence and integrity.
The Thought of Loyalty-Integrity (Zhonglian)
The representative figure of loyalty-integrity thought was Zhen Dexiu, a Neo-Confucian philosopher, politician, and man of letters of the Southern Song Dynasty. Zhen Dexiu devoted his life to spreading Neo-Confucianism, inheriting and developing the teachings of Zhu Xi, and founding the "Xishan Zhen School."
Zhen Dexiu’s thought on loyalty-integrity focuses on the loyal essence of one's political stance, primarily reflected in works such as Extended Meaning of the Great Learning (《大学衍义》) [8]. Zhen Dexiu directly linked "loyalty" (忠) and "integrity" (廉), believing that "a loyal minister must be honest, and an honest man must be loyal; a treacherous minister must be greedy, and a greedy man must be treacherous." He supported this with specific historical events: Zhuge Liang [9] was completely loyal to the state of Shu Han, and before his death, he reported that his only family property was "800 mulberry trees and 15 hectares of thin land in Chengdu," proving that "loyal ministers must be honest." Conversely, the Tang Dynasty Chancellor Yuan Zai abused power for bribes and lived in extreme luxury; when his home was searched, 800 dan [10] of black pepper were discovered, proving that "treacherous ministers must be greedy." In this thought, the "loyalty" spoken of by Zhen Dexiu was primarily directed toward the feudal monarch and bears a specific historical stamp. However, the law he revealed—that "loyalty and integrity are highly correlated"—has an inspirational significance that transcends time. Today, "loyalty" and "integrity" are also complementary. Loyalty is the political prerequisite for integrity; it is difficult for a Party member or cadre who is disloyal to the Party to truly achieve integrity and self-discipline. Integrity is the concrete manifestation of loyalty; a Party member or cadre with integrity problems cannot be said to be truly loyal to the Party.
Currently, a small number of Party members and cadres say one thing and do another, complying in public while opposing in private, acting as "double-dealers" and "two-faced people" (两面人) [11], being disloyal to the Party and dishonest with the organization. Such phenomena profoundly demonstrate that the rupture between "loyalty" and "integrity" inevitably leads to political degeneration. The thought of loyalty-integrity inspires us: Party members and cadres must unify their absolute loyalty to the Party and the people with integrity and self-discipline within the actual work of fulfilling their duties.
The Thought of Filial-Integrity (Xiaolian)
The representative figure of filial-integrity thought was Huang Tingjian, a man of letters, thinker, and calligrapher of the Northern Song Dynasty. Throughout his life, Huang Tingjian insisted on establishing himself through filial piety and governing through integrity. The moving story of him "washing his mother's bedpan" (涤亲溺器) was included by later generations in the "Twenty-four Filial Exemplars" and passed down as a classic of traditional filial piety. As an official, he was concerned with the suffering of the people’s livelihoods. He once wrote the "Inscription on the Admonition Stone" (《戒石铭》) as a self-warning: "Your salary is the people's fat and the people's grease. The common people are easy to maltreat, but high heaven is hard to deceive." He was also known as "Huang the Clear Sky."
Huang Tingjian’s thought on filial-integrity focuses on the emotional foundation of family ethics, primarily reflected in works such as The Collected Writings of Mr. Huang of Yuzhang. In this thought, "filial piety" (孝) is the root of "integrity," and "integrity" is the extension of "filial piety." If a person can be filial to their parents and respectful to their elders, they possess a basic sense of gratitude and responsibility. When this emotion is extended to society, it generates compassion for the suffering of the masses and awe for one's duties. Conversely, if one is corrupt and violates the law as an official, not only do they bring shame upon themselves, but they also bring disgrace to their parents and clan; this is the height of unfilial behavior. Therefore, the ancients placed "filial piety" and "integrity" together [12], precisely because they perceived that only those who can fulfill filial piety at home can maintain integrity when entering public service. Filial piety is the emotional foundation of integrity, and integrity is the political manifestation of filial piety.
Currently, a small number of Party members and cadres have poor "family conduct" (家风) and lax family education, engaging in "one family, two systems" (一家两制) [13], resulting in "nepotistic corruption," "princeling corruption" (衙内腐败), and clan-style corruption. The thought of filial-integrity inspires us: Party members and cadres should start with filial piety and respect for the elderly, take the lead in maintaining a clean household, and cultivate a sense of gratitude and responsibility in their relatives and children, extending these virtues into governance to achieve integrity for the public and service to the people.
The Thought of Pure-Integrity (Qinglian)
The representative figure of pure-integrity thought was Zhou Dunyi, a man of letters and Neo-Confucian philosopher of the Northern Song Dynasty. Zhou Dunyi was the founding father of Song Neo-Confucianism. He lived a life indifferent to fame and wealth, not admiring honor or profit, but devoting himself to scholarship and expressing his ambition through writing. His famous line, "emerging from the mud but remaining unstained, washed by the clear ripples but not being seductive," uses the lotus as a metaphor for a person, symbolizing the noble character of a Junzi (君子; exemplary person) who does not join in the foulness of the crowd nor pride themselves on their aloofness.
Zhou Dunyi’s thought on pure-integrity focuses on the realm of conscious internal self-cultivation, primarily reflected in works such as On the Love of the Lotus (《爱莲说》). In this thought, "purity" (清) refers to a state of moral cultivation that transcends utilitarian calculations; "integrity" (廉) is the external behavioral norm and practical requirement. Without "purity," there is no "integrity." Only by nourishing the heart with "purity" and perfecting one's own morality can one achieve "integrity" at the level of behavior and practice. At the same time, "integrity," as the concrete externalization of "purity," is also indispensable. If one remains only at the internal level of "purity," "integrity" becomes a "castle in the air" that cannot be put into practice.
Currently, although a small number of Party members and cadres can achieve "not daring to be corrupt" under high-pressure deterrence and "not being able to be corrupt" under institutional constraints, they have not yet truly formed the moral consciousness of "not wanting to be corrupt." Once supervision weakens or institutional loopholes appear, there remains a risk of violating discipline and the law. The thought of pure-integrity inspires us: Strengthening the construction of a culture of integrity in the New Era must rely not only on high-pressure deterrence and the "cage of institutions" but also on the internal moral consciousness of Party members and cadres, continuously sublimating from the realms of "not daring" and "not being able" to the realm of "not wanting."
Cao Duan’s thought on impartiality-integrity, Kuang Zhong’s thought on diligence-integrity, Zhen Dexiu’s thought on loyalty-integrity, Huang Tingjian’s thought on filial-integrity, and Zhou Dunyi’s thought on pure-integrity, along with the noble words and deeds of numerous upright officials, together constitute the magnificent tapestry of fine traditional Chinese integrity culture. They provide rich resources of wisdom and abundant historical nourishment for the construction of a culture of integrity in the New Era. To strengthen the construction of a culture of integrity in the New Era, we must educate and guide the broad masses of Party members and cadres to focus on inheriting the "integrity gene," continuing the spiritual lineage, and constantly enhancing their ideological and behavioral consciousness in practicing clean governance, clean use of power, clean self-cultivation, and clean family management.
(The author is the Deputy Secretary-General of the China Integrity Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)
Source: Henan Daily (May 29, 2026) Editor: Huihui