Abstract
Hong Kong's citizenship education reflects both Western liberal civic values and the Chinese Mainland's collectivist duty-oriented perspectives. Since the 2020s, national identity education in Hong Kong has increasingly aligned with the Chinese Mainland, reflecting a stronger policy emphasis on Chinese identity formation. This study examines the applicability, challenges, and potential contributions of Confucian education as citizenship education in Hong Kong, and its role in ongoing and future citizenship education reform, from a theoretical perspective in this unique socio-political context. Using a semi-systematic literature review, this study analyses 68 academic publications and policy documents from Hong Kong and Greater China. It develops a comparative theoretical framework that incorporates Western models of thin and thick citizenship, Confucian concepts of liberal and illiberal Confucianism, and Junzi and Tianxia citizenship. The findings suggest that both historical traditions and current policy developments provide a basis for strengthening Confucian-related citizenship education in Hong Kong. Nevertheless, Confucianism’s emphasis on hierarchical order and limited attention to individual aspirations may limit its acceptance among some Hong Kong youth. The study proposes integrating Confucian moral values with service learning as a pedagogical strategy to cultivate good citizens with civic engagement experience, while highlighting the need for further empirical research to evaluate its effectiveness.
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Reference: Su, Q. (2026). Confucian education as citizenship education in Hong Kong: A semi-systematic
review.
Asia Pacific Journal of Education and Society, 14(2), Article 5.
https://doi.org/10.20897/apjes/19321
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Asia Pacific Journal of Education and Society. 2026;14(2), 5.
https://doi.org/10.20897/apjes/19321
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Reference: Su, Qibang. "Confucian education as citizenship education in Hong Kong: A semi-systematic
review".
Asia Pacific Journal of Education and Society 2026 14 no. 2 (2026): 5.
https://doi.org/10.20897/apjes/19321
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Reference: Su, Q. (2026). Confucian education as citizenship education in Hong Kong: A semi-systematic
review.
Asia Pacific Journal of Education and Society, 14(2), 5.
https://doi.org/10.20897/apjes/19321
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In-text citation: (Su, 2026)
Reference: Su, Qibang "Confucian education as citizenship education in Hong Kong: A semi-systematic
review".
Asia Pacific Journal of Education and Society, vol. 14, no. 2, 2026, 5.
https://doi.org/10.20897/apjes/19321
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In-text citation: (1), (2), (3), etc.
Reference: Su Q. Confucian education as citizenship education in Hong Kong: A semi-systematic
review. Asia Pacific Journal of Education and Society. 2026;14(2):5.
https://doi.org/10.20897/apjes/19321