• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • ABOUT CHINA
    • NEWS
    • TESTIMONIES
    • OP-EDS
    • FEATURED
    • GLOSSARY
    • CHINA PERSECUTION MAP
  • FROM THE WORLD
    • NEWS
    • OP-EDS
    • FEATURED
    • TESTIMONIES
  • INTERVIEWS
  • DOCUMENTS AND TRANSLATIONS
    • DOCUMENTS
    • THE TAI JI MEN CASE
    • TRANSLATIONS
  • EVENTS
  • ABOUT
  • EDITORIAL BOARD
  • TOPICS

Bitter Winter

A magazine on religious liberty and human rights

three friends of winter
Home / Tai Ji Men

The Chinese Ethos of Citizen Diplomacy, from Guiguzi to Tai Ji Men

05/03/2022Massimo Introvigne |

The ancient sage Guiguzi is traditionally considered the first teacher to have operated a school of diplomacy, both for government officers and common citizen. His spirit lives in the citizen diplomacy of Tai Ji Men.

by Massimo Introvigne*

*A paper presented at the webinar “Tai Ji Men: Citizen Diplomacy for Peace and Justice,” co-organized by CESNUR and Human Rights Without Frontiers on April 24, 2022, United Nations International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace.

Inauguration of the statue of Guiguzi in Nantou County, Taiwan, 2018.
Inauguration of the statue of Guiguzi in Nantou County, Taiwan, 2018.

On June 8, 2018, I was in Taiwan for the annual CESNUR conference. Conference participants took a break from their sessions to attend the unveiling of a 25-meter-tall statue of Guiguzi (鬼谷子) in Nantou County. I mention this event on April 24, the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace, because there are good chances that “diplomacy for peace” was invented by Guiguzi.

Guiguzi became of interest to me when I started studying one of Taiwan’s new religions, Weixin Shengjiao (唯心聖教), on which I have written and lectured extensively. It is a central tenet of Weixin Shengjiao that the legitimate successor of the mythical Three Chinese Ancestors was Guiguzi, identified with the Bodhisattva Wang Chan Lao Zu, and that he appeared to the founder of the movement, Grand Master Hun Yuan, mysteriously united with him, and gave to him several books of revelations.

Guiguzi, “the Sage of Ghost Valley,” is the name given to a treatise about peace and diplomacy that appeared in China towards the end of the Warring States period (453–221 BCE). The traditional narrative is that the book was authored by a sage whose name was indeed Guiguzi, who operated the first school of diplomacy in human history.

Guiguzi as represented by Hong Zicheng  (1593–1665). Credits.
Guiguzi as represented by Hong Zicheng (1593–1665). Credits.

A shrine in the Shui Lian Cave in Yunmeng Mountain, Qi County, Henan, the place where the school is said to have been located was erected in the 19th century, and is still visited by pilgrims. I also went there, in June 2017—and took several pictures.

Massimo Introvigne visiting the Guiguzi shrine in Henan, 2017.
Massimo Introvigne visiting the Guiguzi shrine in Henan, 2017.

20th-century scholars contested the traditional narrative. As Michael Broschat stated in his 1985 PhD dissertation on Guiguzi, they noted that the earlier available information about the sage “is based on statements made first, as far as we know, about one thousand years after his supposed lifetime,” and claimed that a person called Guiguzi might never have existed. The book of course existed, but it might well have been a compilation of writings by different authors.

Recently, however, scholars came to adopt different views. For instance, University of Oklahoma historian Garret Olberding maintains that “in itself this lack of information [about Guiguzi] is insufficient ground to dismiss him as fiction.”

Like many other Chinese sages, Guiguzi was deified after his death and became a god of commerce, although in the new religion Weixin Shengjiao it clearly exceeded the role of a mere trade deity and became a main god.

Regardless of whether he was a single person or the collective name of a group, Guiguzi operated what is traditionally believed to be the first school of diplomacy in human history, where pupils slept in the huts and caves we may still see in Qi County.

The author in one of the caves in the Henan school, where Guiguzi is said to have kept an immortal ox.
The author in one of the caves in the Henan school, where Guiguzi is said to have kept an immortal ox.

What Guiguzi taught is known as bai he (捭闔), which is sometimes translated as “maneuvers” but is composed by two Chinese characters meaning “open” and “shut,” also interpreted as “speak” and “remain silent.” Indeed in the Guiguzi book diplomacy is taught as a continuous combination of yin and yang, firmness and flexibility, “captivate and capture” (fei qian, 飛 箝), “resist and reconcile” (wu he, 忤合).

Although the expression “citizen diplomacy” was coined in the late 20th century, in fact some 2,200 years before the word existed Guiguzi had already established the fundamental principle that diplomacy and promoting peace between the states is not a profession, but a skill acquired through self-cultivation.

Statues of Guiguzi’s disciples in one of the caves.
Statues of Guiguzi’s disciples in one of the caves.

This has remained a fundamental principle in the Sinosphere, and—well before the name existed—East Asian religious movements have practiced “citizen diplomacy” and promoted ambitious initiatives for peace.

This is certainly the case for Dr. Hong Tao-Tze, the leader of Tai Ji Men, and his dizi (disciples). While at the cultural and peace events promoted by Tai Ji Men one can met career diplomats, the world tours for peace and love that took Dr. Hong and Tai Ji Men to more than 100 different countries are one of the most massive exercises of citizen diplomacy in the world today. Tai Ji Men dizi are not professional diplomats, yet they play a diplomatic role through friendship and culture. They know that their effectiveness is rooted in self-cultivation—just as Guiguzi said so many centuries ago.

At the same time, Tai Ji Men dizi need the classical arts taught by Guiguzi and the principle of “resist and reconcile” to defend their human rights and fight for justice in Taiwan. For many years, the two processes have been developed together within Tai Ji Men: promoting love and peace throughout the world, and at the same time protest against persecution and human rights violations in Taiwan. Citizen diplomacy for peace, and citizen diplomacy for justice, which are really not separated.

We all have a lot to learn from Tai Ji Men dizi. The reference to Guiguzi shows that perhaps they are so effective in what they do because they epitomize a millennia-old Chinese tradition, and a gift Chinese culture gave to the world.

Tagged With: Tai Ji Men, Taiwan

Massimo Introvigne
Massimo Introvigne

Massimo Introvigne (born June 14, 1955 in Rome) is an Italian sociologist of religions. He is the founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), an international network of scholars who study new religious movements. Introvigne is the author of some 70 books and more than 100 articles in the field of sociology of religion. He was the main author of the Enciclopedia delle religioni in Italia (Encyclopedia of Religions in Italy). He is a member of the editorial board for the Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion and of the executive board of University of California Press’ Nova Religio.  From January 5 to December 31, 2011, he has served as the “Representative on combating racism, xenophobia and discrimination, with a special focus on discrimination against Christians and members of other religions” of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). From 2012 to 2015 he served as chairperson of the Observatory of Religious Liberty, instituted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to monitor problems of religious liberty on a worldwide scale.

www.cesnur.org/

Related articles

  • Tai Ji Men: A Human Rights Case

    Tai Ji Men: A Human Rights Case

  • Violence Against Women and the World Prayer Day

    Violence Against Women and the World Prayer Day

  • Only By Solving the Tai Ji Men Case Taiwan Will Become Fully “Independent”

    Only By Solving the Tai Ji Men Case Taiwan Will Become Fully “Independent”

  • The Golden Chain and the World Prayer Day

    The Golden Chain and the World Prayer Day

Keep Reading

  • Solving the Tai Ji Men Case Through Tolerance
    Solving the Tai Ji Men Case Through Tolerance

    An appeal that gathered significant support asks the authorities in Taiwan to find a political solution for the 22-year-long case.

  • Durkheim, Solidarity, and the Tai Ji Men Case
    Durkheim, Solidarity, and the Tai Ji Men Case

    One of the fathers of sociology presented solidarity as the necessary cement of societies. Tai Ji Men tells us it should be based on conscience.

  • Tai Ji Men: A Symbol of Hope for Global Unity
    Tai Ji Men: A Symbol of Hope for Global Unity

    Throughout the years, the role of coalitions gathering different NGOs has become increasingly important at the United Nations. An ad hoc coalition now supports Tai Ji Men.

  • Tolerance for Tai Ji Men: An International Request
    Tolerance for Tai Ji Men: An International Request

    Tolerance is the first step towards freedom of religion or belief. It is imperative the Taiwanese government grants it to Tai Ji Men.

Primary Sidebar

Support Bitter Winter

Learn More

Follow us

Newsletter

Most Read

  • Pro-Chinese Propaganda by The World Muslim Communities Council: Uyghurs Strike Back by Gulfiye Y
  • Zhanargul Zhumatai: “Help Me, I Just Want to Leave China” by Ruth Ingram
  • L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology, and the Visual Arts. 1. The Aesthetic Mind by Massimo Introvigne
  • Stricter Rules on Private Tutoring Protect Ideology Rather than Parents by Wang Zhipeng
  • Japan Religious Donations Law. 4. The Return of Brainwashing by Massimo Introvigne
  • Hong Kong: Christian Scholar Peng Manyuan Released but Not Rehabilitated by Gladys Kwok
  • The Weaponization of the CCP’s “Zero COVID” Against Tibet by Marco Respinti
  • L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology, and the Visual Arts. 3. Art as Communication by Massimo Introvigne
  • L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology, and the Visual Arts. 4. Art and Illustration by Massimo Introvigne
  • L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology, and the Visual Arts. 5. Professionals vs. Amateurs by Massimo Introvigne

CHINA PERSECUTION MAP -SEARCH NEWS BY REGION

clickable geographical map of china, with regions

Footer

Instant Exclusive News
Instant Exclusive News

EDITORIAL BOARD

Editor-in-Chief

MASSIMO INTROVIGNE

Director-in-Charge

MARCO RESPINTI

ADDRESS

CESNUR

Via Confienza 19,

10121 Turin, Italy,

Phone: 39-011-541950

E-MAIL

We welcome submission of unpublished contributions, news, and photographs. Each submission implies the authorization for us to edit and publish texts and photographs. We reserve the right to decide which submissions are suitable for publication. Please, write to INFO@BITTERWINTER.ORG Thank you.

Newsletter

Follow us

LINKS

orlir-logo hrwf-logo cesnur-logo

Copyright © 2023 · Bitter Winter · PRIVACY POLICY· COOKIE POLICY