How did neo-confucianism serve as a response to buddhism and daoism?

Neo-Confucianism was the revival of Confucianism in the Song Dynasty (Confucianism was discredited for a while after the fall of the Han Dynasty). Neo-Confucianism incorporated certain aspects of both Buddhism and Daoism into its philosophy.

Communicating with the dead was common, it wasn’t seen as bizarre or weird,” explains murch. “it’s hard to imagine that now, we look at that and think, ‘why are you opening the gates of hell? ’