Confucianism In Ancient China

He had revolutionary ideas about new relationships and government, different from many things that the Chinese people had ever seen. Another major belief system in Classical China was Legalism, which was technically a branch of Confucianism, and was surprisingly extremely popular (Carr). Legalism was very strict and built a code of law. The laws were generally harsh and discriminatory to women. Confucianism was the more popular and long lasting of the two. Daoism was also a notable belief system in the Classical Chinese time period. A possibly fictional philosopher and thinker named Lao Tzu created it. Daoism is partially a philosophy, but partially a religious faith just like most belief systems in this time. Daoists were much like present-day hippies due to their firm belief in the spirit world. Much like Confucianism and Legalism, this new idea was absolutely revolutionary and the Chinese loved it. They believed that respectfulness to the forces in everyday life and respectfulness to ancestors was the secret to being happy and free. While Confucianism argued that order was the only way for true peace, Daoist thought that ancestral veneration was the way for peace (Carr). These religious

Confucianism has been a part of Chinese culture for over a thousand years. Many who have studied Confucianism would say that it is not a religion. It is better described as a philosophy or moral code. The philosophy of Confucianism comes mainly from the speeches and writings of Confucius, a great Chinese thinker and educator. He believed that Humanity, Rite, Neutrality, Virtue, Education, and Cultivation were the basis of human behavior. In addition, Confucius felt that this philosophy was the best way for people to behave and interact with others in society.

She objected that many families taught their sons to read, but not their daughters and would go on to become an advocate of the education of women. The Admonitions for Women became one of the most commonly used texts for the education of Chinese women (McKay et al, p. 166).

Confucianism is based upon the teaching of the Chinese philosopher Confucius. This idea focuses on bettering people and the society, educating people to be

The Tang was a very aristocratic society that is known for being the “Golden Age” in Chinese history, with some of the greatest developments in the society occurring, (CD Benn, 2002). The dynasty made the unheard-of move of allowing women to sit for the Imperial examination and serve as government officials, with women enjoying the unprecedented power in politics (CD Benn, 2002). Charles Benn’s book, “China’s Golden Age: Everyday Life in the Tang dynasty”, is a secondary source in the form of a book, published in 2002. He is a professor studying Chinese history, in particular, the Tang dynasty, and in his publication, details the lives of Chinese people in this dynasty. Women had much more freedom than seen in any dynasty before it and it gave women a voice and saw women with almost as equal rights in society, with women finally being able to enjoy the privilege of education and marriage

Confucianism had a positive impact on China because it increased social stability. Confucianism is a philosophy which focused on everyday problems and the relationships between people. It’s main goal was to restore peace, harmony and social order. Confucius is the creator of Confucianism believed that societies like China had lost touch traditions and morals so he made the concept “filial piety” which stressed “respect for ones parents, elders, and ancestors… bring a good name to ones parents and ancestors… he believed that if everyone respected, their family, was obedient, and worked hard to bring honor to their families name”. (Document 1).

Nevertheless, hundreds of years later, when China became a large unified country, its emperor started to promote Confucius’s ideas nationwide and even integrated them into 科举 to select government officials, who were all supposed to master

As Wang Yuankang mentions in his book, Harmony and War, “Although the emperor…… held the ultimate decision power, as historian Charled O. Hucker observes, ‘the civil service dominated government to an unprecedented degree.’” There was a tight relationship between the civil service and the military force. At one point, the civil service was strong and powerful enough to control the military in Ming. The officials of the civil service were selected by civil service examinations system based on Confucianism. Emperor Hongwu recognized the value and great influence of Confucianism in Ming governance, “in 1369, he ordered the establishment of Confucian schools in every prefecture and country.” Also, “in 1381, the Ming court engaged in mass production of Confucian classics (the Four Books and the Five Classics) and distributed them to every county school in the country to be used for preparation for the civil service exams.” The civil service examinations took place triennially, and all of the questions were from the Confucian classics, The Four Books, The Five Classics, and Chinese

The Han’s adopted the legalist government structure and allowed for some of the land to be transferred back to deposed kings. While its power rose, the Han’s began to require their subjects revert to the teachings of Confucius and developed the Imperial Academy. The academy’s focus was to teach students the teachings and Confucius and its popularity spread over the next century to include thousands of students. Ban Zhao came to teach at the academy. She was known for teaching about the role of women, both in the home and society. Parents of young girls sought to send their children to her school and when women took power, they sought out Ban as a member of their staff or a mentor. Ban was highly regarded by both men and women and her teaching continued to be taught for centuries after her death. The invention of paper was also a huge achievement at that same time and spread drastically over the next several hundred years, through China, Asia, into the Middle East and

Confucian culture, also known as Confucianism, was founded by Confucius during the Spring and Autumn Period, which was developed gradually after the Han Dynasty with benevolence as the core. Since the Han Dynasty, Confucianism was the official ideology and the basis of mainstream ideology in the vast majority of historical periods of China, and it also influenced many southeast Asian countries in history. After a variety of shocks, Confucianism was still the core values of China's social public, and represented the Chinese culture and national tradition in the world (Littlejohn, 2010). In the contemporary society, the Confucian culture in China increasingly spread, at the

Classical China, between 100 C.E to 600 C.E. continued the philosophy of Confucianism, but it changed its style of government which began with a dynasty before falling apart into many kingdoms, and Daoism became more popular amongst the people. One trait that continued in Classical China was its philosophy of Confucianism. Confucius taught that one’s position in society should be based on skill, not their lineage. The Han dynasty’s leadership was based on his teaching so they created a civil service exam to permit citizens to ascend the social ladder. Confucianism sustained after the fall of the Han dynasty through Shu Han’s emperor, Liu Bei, a man who believed in Confucian Morales and values.

Women in Ancient China during the Han Dynasty and Tang Dynasty lived in oppressed lives. Society perceived them as inferior to their husbands and parents-in-law. Their role in the family were to be housewives taking care of their family and maintaining the household chores. They were always under the instructions of their husbands and parents-in-law in they were treated like servants. They also had no control in their personal decisions because they were not allowed to decide who they were going to marry and what they wanted to do in their careers. Parents of daughters would also force their daughters to foot-binding because it would attract potential wealthy husbands. This paper argues that although the Han Dynasty and Tang Dynasty were known as the golden periods for China, nevertheless, it was overlooked by historians that women during the time were victims of gender inequality because they lived with no control over their personal lives and were expected to be submissive to their husbands.

Lessons for Women is a book of conduct written during the Han Dynasty by Ban Zhao (C. 45-120) to advise the women of her family on the proper conduct of a wife. Ancient China around this time was a Confucian state in which the society was control by the belief in order and harmony. The book contains seven chapters that talks about: humility, husband and wife, respect and caution, womanly qualifications, wholehearted devotion, implicit obedience, and harmony with younger brothers- and sisters- in law. This work of literature reflects on how a proper women was to behave obediently to the husband, by being devoted and respectful to avoid humility to herself, her parents and her clan. It gives the readers an idea of the power that men had over women during this time period and the exceptions for both roles of husband and wife. Lessons of women informs the readers that women during the Han Dynasty had no control over their own lives and the philosophy of Confucian had a huge influence on the society’s everyday life. Ban Zhao emphasizes the importance of distinctions between men and women, and their separate natures.

Confucianism is regarded as one of the primary religions that have profoundly influenced Chinese beliefs and ideologies. While Kongzi, or Confucius, is the founder of Confucianism, he is not the only philosopher who has contributed to such a significant impact on China. Similarly, the Analects of Confucius is not the single text that represents Confucianism. In fact, during different time periods throughout the history, there are a number of eminent representatives of Confucian thoughts, such as Mengzi and Xunzi. Because Confucianism aims at eliminating chaos and maintaining order in a harmonious society , they all agree that the guidance and education of virtuous Confucian pioneers are of extreme importance to achieve this

Confucianism was first developed in China by Confucius. In 551 BCE, Confucius was born in Qufu, state of Lu and died in 479 BCE. He was influential to East Asia and his teachings taught others about the five main principles. Confucius is a philosopher who believed