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Abstract

From the initial outbreak in Wuhan to December 2022, China maintained a zero-COVID policy to control the pandemic. This article examines the policy persistence through a Confucian lens, focusing on three cultural indicators derived from a combination of the open public value account and Hofstede’s national culture dimensions. China’s high long-term orientation index prioritized people’s lives and health over short-term economic impacts, while its elevated power distance and strong collectivism supported paternalistic governance and societal compliance. These cultural factors suggest that Confucian values provided a degree of moral legitimacy to the strict containment measures, reinforcing the policy’s endurance. The study constructs a theoretical framework of Confucianism’s open public value account and links it to three national culture indicators, offering a foundation for comparative cross-cultural research. However, further exploration is needed into Confucianism’s modern transformation within China’s governance modernization.

Keywords

China COVID-19 open public value account Confucianism national culture

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Why did China persist with a zero-COVID policy? A cultural interpretation of Confucianism

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