Confucius Chat: Promoting Traditional Chinese Culture and Enhancing Intergenerational Communication through a Chat System

The Confucian school of thought has more than two thousand years of history. It is one of the dominant cultural underpinnings of East Asia countries, however its survival is uncertain in this age of globalization. The impact on the computer savvy young generation is especially alarming as reflected by the social problems resulted from weakening family ties in Asia. As an attempt to preserve and promote traditional Chinese culture among the young generation, and to facilitate cultural communication between the older and younger generations, a novel interactive system, Confucius Chat, is designed and developed. It uses new media to revive and model Confucian philosophy and engages users to experience traditional Chinese culture through interactive conversation with a virtual Confucius.