Speaking in 1980, the 86-year old William Hung 洪業 (1893–1980) gave voice to one of the main views of Confucianism among twentieth century Chinese intellectuals:
以前中國的考試制度目的是為政府培育順從聽話的官吏，雖然孟子說“天視自我民視、天聽自我民聽”這些好聽的話，但一般來說中國的政府不是為人民的，所以皇帝政權一定得推翻，要建立一個民主的政府。
The goal of the Chinese examination system of the past was for the government to breed compliant, obedient officials. Even though Mencius said "through our people, Heaven sees; through our people, Heaven hears" and other such fine-sounding things, China's governments did not normally act for the people, and so it was inevitable that Imperial power would be overthrown and a democratic government established.
Quoted in Susan Chan Egan 陳毓賢, Hóng Yè zhuàn洪業傳 [biography of William Hung], (Taipei: Linking Books [Liánjīng] 聯經, 1992), p. 264.