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A Confucian revival began during the Tang dynasty of 618-907. In the late Tang, Confucianism developed in response to Buddhism and Taoism and was reformulated as Neo-Confucianism. This reinvigorated form was adopted as the basis of the imperial exams and the core philosophy of the scholar official class in the Song dynasty (960-1297). The abolition of the examination system in 1905 marked the end of official Confucianism. The New Culture intellectuals of the early twentieth century blamed Confucianism for China's weaknesses. They searched for new doctrines to replace Confucian teachings. Some of these new ideologies included the "Three Principles of the People" with the establishment of the Republic of China, and then Maoism under the Socialist Republic of China. In the late twentieth century, some people credited Confucianism with the rise of the East Asian economy and it enjoyed a rise in popularity both in China and abroad.
With particular emphasis on the importance of the family and social harmony, rather than on an otherworldly soteriology [id est a doctrine of salvation], the core of Confucianism is humanistic. According to Herbert Fingarette's concept of "the secular as sacred", Confucianism regards the ordinary activities of human life ... and especially in human relationships as a manifestation of the sacred, because they are the expression of our moral nature (xìng 性?•?), which has a transcendent anchorage in Heaven (tiāan 天?V) and a proper respect of the gods (sh易?).
Traditionally, cultures and countries in the East Asian cultural sphere are strongly influenced by Confucianism, including mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, as well as various territories settled predominantly by Chinese people, such as Singapore. In the 20th century Confucianism's influence was reduced greatly. More recently, there have been talks of a "Confucian Revival" in the academic and the scholarly community and there has been a grassroots proliferation of various types of Confucian churches. In late 2015 some Confucian leaders formally established a national Holy Confucian Church
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