The Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee

Confucianism is one of the oldest and most influential Chinese philosophies attributed to the philosopher-teacher Kong Fuzi (or Master Fuzi), who lived in the 6th century BCE. Some of its main concepts are showing filial piety, maintaining strict social order and rituals, fostering benevolence, doing good, and ruling through example. In the Confucian worldview, the ideal person is a gentleman (or superior person) who acts in accordance with Confucian ideas: he respects his superiors, does his best to help and benefit other people, protects those below him, and maintains the important rituals, like making periodic sacrifices to his ancestors.

The Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee is not explicitly about Confucianism—the word is not even mentioned in the text. However, akin to how the values and ideas of Western cultures are innately based a Christian worldview, Chinese life and society until the 20th century were governed by Confucian ideas or versions thereof. In this way the novel is a case study of Confucian ideals and the titular character is an example of an ideal gentlemen—not because of his social status but because of his attitude toward his work and everyone around him. His primary concern is restoring balance by making sure justice is achieved where there is a crime.