IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/acbsfi/v13y2003i1p41-68.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The influences of Confucianism, Feng Shui and Buddhism in Chinese accounting history

Author

Listed:
  • Simon Gao
  • Morrison Handley-Schachler

Abstract

This paper attempts to examine the influences of Confucianism, Feng Shui and Buddhism on the evolution of Chinese accounting before recent accounting reforms commencing in the 1980s. Chinese cultural variables (e.g. Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, etc.) have been widely utilized in studying Chinese accounting systems, the accounting profession and the evolution of Chinese accounting techniques. However, the literature has not taken into account the traditional Chinese Feng Shui belief, which was broadly considered as the most important part of Chinese traditional culture. There is much evidence to show that Chinese accounting development was not only influenced by Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, but also by the prevalence of Feng Shui belief in ancient China over thousands of years. This paper first discusses the concepts of culture and describes Confucianism, Feng Shui and Buddhism in China, and then examines the influences of Confucianism, Feng Shui and Buddhism on the evolution of Chinese accounting. The influences discussed are those on bookkeeping methods, accounting information, accounting profession/accountants, regulating and standardizing accounting practice, government accounting and private-sector accounting respectively. This paper also identifies some areas for future research in Chinese accounting history and culture.

Suggested Citation

  • Simon Gao & Morrison Handley-Schachler, 2003. "The influences of Confucianism, Feng Shui and Buddhism in Chinese accounting history," Accounting History Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(1), pages 41-68.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:acbsfi:v:13:y:2003:i:1:p:41-68
    DOI: 10.1080/09585200210164566d
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09585200210164566d
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/09585200210164566d?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Graham, Lynford E. & Li, Chunyan, 1997. "Cultural and economic influences on current accounting standards in the People's Republic of China," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 247-278.
    2. Chow, Chee W. & Shields, Michael D. & Wu, Anne, 1999. "The importance of national culture in the design of and preference for management controls for multi-national operations," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 24(5-6), pages 441-461, July.
    3. Chen, Min, 1994. "Sun Tzu's strategic thinking and contemporary business," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 42-48.
    4. Hines, Ruth D., 1992. "Accounting: Filling the negative space," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 17(3-4), pages 313-341.
    5. Xu-dong Ji, 2003. "Concepts of cost and profit in Chinese agricultural treatises: with special reference to Shengshi Nongshu and Pu Nongshu in the seventeenth century," Accounting History Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(1), pages 69-81.
    6. Jaggi, Bikki & Low, Pek Yee, 2000. "Impact of Culture, Market Forces, and Legal System on Financial Disclosures," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 495-519, 010.
    7. Belkaoui, Ahmed, 1983. "Economic, political, and civil indicators and reporting and disclosure adequacy: Empirical investigation," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 2(3), pages 207-219.
    8. Fu, P, 1971. "Governmental Accounting In China During Chou Dynasty (1122 Bc-256 Bc)," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 9(1), pages 40-51.
    9. Erwin Waldmann, 2000. "Teaching ethics in accounting: a discussion of cross-cultural factors with a focus on Confucian and Western philosophy," Accounting Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(1), pages 23-35.
    10. Maxwell Aiken & Wei Lu, 1998. "The Evolution of Bookkeeping in China: Integrating Historical Trends with Western Influences," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 34(1), pages 140-162, March.
    11. Harrison, Graeme L. & McKinnon, Jill L., 1986. "Culture and accounting change: A new perspective on corporate reporting regulation and accounting policy formulation," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 11(3), pages 233-252, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Marina Lymar’ Pavlovna & Марина Лымарь Павловна, 2018. "Предпосылки конвергенции национальных учетных систем России и Китая // The Preconditions for the Convergence of the National Accounting Systems of Russia and China," Учет. Анализ. Аудит // Accounting. Analysis. Auditing, ФГОБУВО "Финансовый университет при Правительстве Российской Федерации" // Financial University under The Government of Russian Federation, vol. 5(1), pages 88-97.
    2. Woo, Chi-Keung & Horowitz, Ira & Luk, Stephen & Lai, Aaron, 2008. "Willingness to pay and nuanced cultural cues: Evidence from Hong Kong's license-plate auction market," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 35-53, February.
    3. Robert Bloom & John Solotko, 2003. "The foundation of Confucianism in Chinese and Japanese accounting," Accounting History Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(1), pages 27-40.
    4. Jenny Jing Wang & Corinne Cortese, 2021. "Tracing dual entry beyond the Eurocentric boundary," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 61(4), pages 5051-5071, December.
    5. Hoskin, Keith & Macve, Richard, 2012. "Contesting the indigenous development of “Chinese double-entry bookkeeping” and its significance in China’s economic institutions and business organization before c.1850," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 42583, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    6. Malcolm Anderson, 2004. "Accounting history publications 2003," Accounting History Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(2), pages 209-215.
    7. Göthlich, Stephan E., 2007. "Zur Ideengeschichte von Buchführung, Kostenrechung und Controlling vor dem Hintergrund ihres historischen Kontexts," Manuskripte aus den Instituten für Betriebswirtschaftslehre der Universität Kiel 617, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Institut für Betriebswirtschaftslehre.
    8. Silvia Rossetti & Roberto Verona, 2017. "International Differences in IFRS Policy Choice and the Persistence of Accounting Classification: The Case of China," International Journal of Business and Management, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 12(2), pages 1-27, January.
    9. Roberta Provasi, 2013. "L?evoluzione contabile in Cina. Origini e confronti con il metodo partiduplistico italiano," CONTABILIT? E CULTURA AZIENDALE, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2013(1), pages 91-115.
    10. George Lan & Zhenzhong Ma & JianAn Cao & He Zhang, 2009. "A Comparison of Personal Values of Chinese Accounting Practitioners and Students," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 88(1), pages 59-76, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Silvia Rossetti & Roberto Verona, 2017. "International Differences in IFRS Policy Choice and the Persistence of Accounting Classification: The Case of China," International Journal of Business and Management, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 12(2), pages 1-27, January.
    2. Archambault, Jeffrey J. & Archambault, Marie E., 2003. "A multinational test of determinants of corporate disclosure," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 173-194.
    3. Jenny Jing Wang & Corinne Cortese, 2021. "Tracing dual entry beyond the Eurocentric boundary," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 61(4), pages 5051-5071, December.
    4. Nurunnabi, Mohammad, 2014. "‘Does accounting regulation matter?’: An experience of international financial reporting standards implementation in an emerging country," Research in Accounting Regulation, Elsevier, vol. 26(2), pages 230-238.
    5. Chanchani, Shalin & Willett, Roger, 2004. "An empirical assessment of Gray's accounting value constructs," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 125-154.
    6. Abhijit Roy & Santanu Kumar Ghosh, 2019. "Determinants of Corporate Environmental Disclosure from an Asian Perspective," IIM Kozhikode Society & Management Review, , vol. 8(2), pages 171-189, July.
    7. Chan, K. Hung & Lew, Albert Y. & Tong, Marian Yew Jen Wu, 2001. "Accounting and management controls in the classical Chinese novel: A Dream of the Red Mansions," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 311-327, September.
    8. Visani, Franco & Di Lascio, F. Marta L. & Gardini, Silvia, 2020. "The impact of institutional and cultural factors on the use of non-GAAP financial measures. International evidence from the oil and gas industry," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 40(C).
    9. Williams, S. Mitchell, 2004. "An international investigation of associations between societal variables and the amount of disclosure on information technology and communication problems: The case of Y2K," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 71-92.
    10. Henri, Jean-Francois, 2006. "Organizational culture and performance measurement systems," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 77-103, January.
    11. Ashraf, Junaid & Ghani, WaQar I., 2005. "Accounting development in Pakistan," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 175-201.
    12. Wijayana, Singgih & Gray, Sidney J., 2018. "Capital market consequences of cultural influences on earnings: The case of cross-listed firms in the U.S. stock market," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 134-147.
    13. Hoskin, Keith & Macve, Richard, 2012. "Contesting the indigenous development of “Chinese double-entry bookkeeping” and its significance in China’s economic institutions and business organization before c.1850," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 42583, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    14. Assenso-Okofo, Oheneba & Ali, Muhammad Jahangir & Ahmed, Kamran, 2011. "The Development of Accounting and Reporting in Ghana," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 46(4), pages 459-480.
    15. Mara Del Baldo & Adriana Tiron-Tudor & Widad Atena Faragalla, 2018. "Women’s Role in the Accounting Profession: A Comparative Study between Italy and Romania," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-23, December.
    16. Roberta Provasi, 2013. "L?evoluzione contabile in Cina. Origini e confronti con il metodo partiduplistico italiano," CONTABILIT? E CULTURA AZIENDALE, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2013(1), pages 91-115.
    17. Dong, Minyue & Stettler, Alfred, 2011. "Estimating firm-level and country-level effects in cross-sectional analyses: An application of hierarchical modeling in corporate disclosure studies," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 46(3), pages 271-303, September.
    18. Utz Schäffer & Matthias D. Mahlendorf & Jochen Rehring, 2014. "Does the Interactive Use of Headquarter Performance Measurement Systems in Foreign Subsidiaries Endanger the Potential to Profit from Local Relationships?," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 24(1), pages 21-38, March.
    19. Garcia-Meca, Emma & Martinez, Isabel, 2007. "The use of intellectual capital information in investment decisions: An empirical study using analyst reports," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 42(1), pages 57-81.
    20. Céline Michaïlesco, 1996. "L'internationalisation comme variable de la divulgation d'informations comptables," Post-Print halshs-00540573, HAL.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:acbsfi:v:13:y:2003:i:1:p:41-68. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/RABF21 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.