How Did Classical China Change Its Style Of Government

During the Han Dynasty and later at the end of the Tang Dynasty during the classical/post-classical periods, the Chinese bureaucrat was the one came into power. Those bureaucrats who rose to power during the Han Dynasty, brought with them the philosophy of Confucianism. Although Confucianism was an ethical set of beliefs based on mutual respect, it was ultimately not very tolerant of anything that may challenge the authority and power of a Confucian bureaucrat. Confucianists had a tolerable relationship with Daoism, despite hostilities occurring from time to time. This happened because Confucian Scholars were against these views of Daoist thinking, especially as it pertained to Daoism’s support of mysteries and magic, however, they saw no real reason to challenge the influence it had.

during the Zhou Dynasty, China was experiencing a great deal of political turmoil. A major part of this era was called the Period of the Warring States. It was a time when there were numerous wars that occurred due to the conflict that existed between seven states. (Watkins, 2013) These warring states were the Han, Wu, Zhao, Chu, Qi, Yan and Jin. According to Jerry H. Bentley and Herbert F. Ziegler of the book Traditions and Encounters, “This period forced some people to reflect on the nature of society, and the roles of humans beings within society.” The authors continued saying that it forced others to “identify principles that would restore political and social order.” (Bentley & Ziegler, 2011) The principles of Confucianism were established and followed in order to help the citizens of China to live and govern their communities more efficiently. Through Confucianism, Confucius helped legitimize China’s rule and bring about order in the mist of turmoil. The effects of Confucius’ principles are still seen and felt today in many aspects of modern day Chinese society. Veritably, there were points throughout Chinese history where Confucianism affected almost every aspect of life in China. Confucius has impacted the development of Chinese thought and culture in various ways from education to politics, to familial relationships.

The Qing empire ruled China with Confucianism as the main imperial system used until the very end. However, the beginning of Qing downfall result of the exam system became corrupted and filled with bribery. Instead of the fair examination on the knowledge of Confucianism, the wealthy use their power to get their ways, result in not the most qualified politicians. Additionally, it shows the lack of Confucius value in the Qing system. On the other hand, bureaucracy meant to improve the lives of the wealthy not the poor. Also, the money was given to the people with power and wealth, not to infrastructure.

At first, Confucianism was unsuccessful and Confucius, during his lifetime only managed to collect a few followers. After his death, however, his followers passed on the Confucian tradition. It survived, with a few changes, to the Han dynasty (221 BC) and became established as China 's official philosophy. From then it was firmly well established in Chinese culture, and its values can still be seen today. The Five Classics of Confucianism were works from the Zhou Dynasty, which preceded the Warring States Period. They were collected and edited by members of the original Confucian school. After Confucianism became the official state philosophy, one had to know the philosophy well in order to gain the coveted position of government official.

The transition from the Qin Dynasty to the Han Dynasty brought about many changes in ideology. The Han Dynasty’s rise to power brought with it the rise of Confucianism, and this gave the people of China more rights and freedom compared to their life under the Qin Dynasty. Confucian principles emphasized loyalty, respect for superiority, education, and the welfare of a group over the individual. Comparing Han China to Qin China, Lu Jia said, “When the people only feared the laws, they could not know rites and rightness.” The emphasis of Confucianism in Han China led to the construction of schools to offer more widespread education. This embedded a philosophy within the Chinese people that revolved around Ren and Yi, ideas

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).

Han China and Imperial Rome used ideologies to shape their society. In Han China, Confucianism was used as a basis to control its bureaucrats and citizens. This ideology, created by Confucius, encouraged moral and cultural unity. It encouraged respect towards authority, and set guidelines for how an individual should act towards people above their social class and people below their social class. Han rulers created one of the first civil service tests, requiring applicants to have an understanding of Confucianism and other early writings to become a bureaucrat. This resulted in a

Culture effected government in China from 500 BCE to 500 CE because the balance of belief systems employed in the different dynasties brought stability. The Qin Dynasty was most strongly influenced by Legalism, which believed in using force to create stability. The Han dynasty adopted Confucianism, which adopted the belief of fulfilling your role in order to create stability. Despite the fact that Confucianism and Legalism affected government in the Han and Qin dynasties, Daoism did not influence government and instead believed in natural order being the governing force. They felt that this would create balance between the government and their culture.

The Han Dynasty controlled their empire through Confucianism. One of the emperor’s, Han Wudi, established an Imperial University. Confucianism was the official course of study. If you wanted to become part of the government you had to have “graduated” from the University. Any person from an social

Also, during this time the Han Dynasty would propose a civil service examination system. This allowed candidates to prove their capability through an examination to ensure they are fit for the position, rather than being chosen out of bias. Confucianism had a big effect on China and allowed for growth and improvement within the

He strictly enforced laws code with harsh punishments as well as rewards. The austere rules secured imperial peace but did not last very long. Confucianism took over, dominated in the successive Han dynasty. Confucius promoted education, leading to a meritocrat government in which governors had to pass the civil service exam, rather than aristocracy where the ruling position passed down from fathers to their sons. Confucianism also taught people to obey and venerated the superior or the emperor.

Confucianism originated from Kong Fuzi a Chinese philosopher around 551-479 BCE. It was practice by the whole Chinese community. The religion was accepted because, “Confucianism offers humanistic moral and ethical guidance for behavior and proper relationships, primarily that of monarch and subject, father and son, husband and wife, elder brother and younger brother, and friend with friend” (World History). Confucius inforces orders to the Chinese society making sure they stay active and carry out their individual roles. Especially, the rulers, Confucius promotes that emperors/rulers should act virtuously.

In the Han Dynasty, government officials had to pass an exam on confucianism. In order to become a government official,they had to pass this exam. By doing this, “Officials who had passed the examination shared a similar intellectual background and had a s similar set of values based on confucianism. They were gentlemen as well as officials. ”(A Brief history of Chinese and Japanese Civilizations-page 208. 2006).

The knowledge one could gain by abiding by Confucianism was the key to gaining power within the Qing Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty had abided under the Confucian ideal of the civil service exam, where the most intelligent and virtuous men could be choosing to govern the nation. Depending on the level of the exam, men could gain positions ranging from county magistrates to high ranking court officials. Within the civil service exam, everything was a meritocracy.

Adler, Joseph A. "Confucianism in China Today." 14 Apr. 2011. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. .