From Newsweek (link):
China’s official buzzword these days is “harmony.” Whether the audience is Chinese or foreign, rich or poor, Beijing’s leaders are spreading the message: can’t we all just get along? After becoming president in 2003, Hu Jintao made the pursuit of a “harmonious society” his personal mantra. Last week Prime Minister Wen Jiabao echoed the same sentiment before the current session of China’s Parliament; the gathering has focused on improving health care and education for the rural poor, who have increasingly been left behind by China’s economic boom. Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing has got into the act, too, trying to market the message abroad. “The Chinese nation has always pursued a life in harmony with other nations, despite differences,” he said recently. What few of China’s top leaders acknowledge out loud, however, is that Hu’s slogan actually harks back to a famous”and ancient”Chinese personality: Confucius.
