Xi Jinping is trying to fuse the ideologies of Marx and Confucius

KARL MARX and Confucius may have lived 2,400 years apart, but on Chinese state television they stroll together through an ancient Chinese academy. In a sun-dappled bamboo grove, a group of student painters invite the two philosophers to be their models. As the young people paint, Marx and Confucius chat. They are impressed with China’s high-speed trains, among other things. When the portraits are revealed, the thinkers are surprised. Marx is depicted in a Tang-dynasty robe; Confucius is portrayed in a Western suit and tie. But both are delighted. “I’ve been in China for more than a hundred years,” says Marx (in Mandarin). “Actually, I have been Chinese for a long time.” Confucius chuckles, stroking his beard. Long hair looks a bit strange with the suit, he says, but it make sense to keep changing.

The scene is from “When Marx Met Confucius”, a television series created by the propaganda department in Hunan province and released in October. It is not popular. On Douban, a film website, it has received only 100 or so reviews, most of them negative (eg, “makes me sick”). But for those who can stomach it, the show is a good way to understand Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, the latest branch of the Chinese leader’s philosophy.