How Did Confucius Influence The Han Dynasty

The Qin Dynasty ended with the death of Shihuangdi and was followed by the Han Dynasty after Lui Bang’s army conquered the Qin Dynasty.. The Han Dynasty is known as one of the greatest eras recognized in China. Lui Bang founded the Han dynasty in 206 BCE; it was the second dynasty of China. He started a bureaucracy founded on intellect (Gill). Confucianism was the main philosophy at this time, “confucianism deals primarily with moral conduct and ethical living and is often categorized as an ethical system. It emphasizes the earthly, not the heavenly” (What). Once paper was invented literature became very popular. This prompted Sima Olan to write the Book of History. This book contains the first record of Chinese history. Porcelain was also new at this time and became a very popular (Western).

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.

Confucianism is often characterized as a system of social and ethical philosophy rather than a religion.The structure of Confucian social philosophy is very well thought out and organized. The study of Confucian classics during the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD) gave birth to the social system designed in accordance with the Confucius theories.It social structure consistis of Scholars, who known to hold the society together, at the top. Peasants, Farmers, and Workers were next. Confucianism placed a great value on the product of food and work, therefore peasants and servants were respected some for doing work. Merchants were considered to be one step above parasites, and were the lowest in the caste system Merchants didn’t create anything, just bought and sold from one place to another, therefore they were not respected whatsoever. Islamic societies were divided into many clans, but also possessed a caste system. Their caste system consisted of priests on the top, then warriors and muslim rulers, then skilled traders and merchants, then Unskilled workers, and lastly outcasts and

Confucius created the doctrine that 300 years after his death became a permanent impulse of social life in China, established rules of behaviour not only in the state, but also the family as a social unit.1

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

China was greatly influenced by Confucian beliefs, especially during the Han Dynasty. Confucianists believe the key to harmony is good morals throughout society and the acceptance and respect of unequal relationships. Chinese Confucianists thought that society would run smoothly, as long as each person completed their respective tasks. Tang Emperor Wu stated that Buddhism allowed monks and nuns to not do their part in society, and therefore Buddhism needed to be eradicated from Chinese society (Document 6). Emperor Wu’s point of view does not reflect the viewpoint of the lower classes, especially Buddhist supporters, because he is an emperor who lives a lavish life. Emperor Wu fully supports Confucianism and has been educated using Confucian beliefs throughout his life, which further influences his negative opinion on Buddhism expressed in the proclamation. The unequal relationships between ruler and subject, or father and son, were present throughout Chinese society and were important to the success of the empire. Han Yu, a Confucian scholar, explained that the Buddha did not conform to Chinese laws or understand the unequal relationships present in Chinese culture, in order to convince the population that Buddhism does not belong in China (Document 4). The intended audience of the statement by Han Yu is the Chinese upper class in order to prevent further conversion and acceptance of Buddhism. Confucianism was most popular among the upper classes, due to the extensive education the wealthy received based on Confucianism. Negative responses were common among the Chinese population due to the many differences between Buddhist and Confucian

Traditions & Encounters: Chapter 8, page 185: “Confucius emphasized personal qualities like ren, li, and xiao because he believed that individuals who possessed those traits would gain influence in the larger society...only through enlightened leadership by morally strong individuals was there any hope for the restoration of political and social order in China” This quote demonstrates the main three principles that Confucianism was based upon are what Confucius believed would better society. These principles would create a stronger government, leading to better policies, and a stronger sense of unity in the people.

Confucius is one of the first Chinese thinkers who addressed the conflict of political and social order. he was a strong willed man who often did not get along with others. He never realized his ambition to become a powerful minister. Confucius attracted numerous disciples who aspired to political careers. His thought was fundamentally moral, ethical, and political in character. He had his disciples study works of poetry and history made during the Zhou dynasty. He examined the book of Songs, book of History, the Book of Rites, and other works with his students. Literary works of the Zhou dynasty became the core texts of the traditional Chinese education because of Confucius’s influence. There were specific Confucian values indluding ren, li, and xiao. Individuals with ren were courteous, respectful, loyal, and diligent. He said ren is much needed for government

The religion of Confucianism begins, of course, with Confucius whose Chinese name was Kong Qui and who lived from 551 B.C. to 479 B.C. Surprisingly Confucius was merely a low level government worker. He did not exactly view himself as the founder of a school of thought. Regardless, Confucianism is the most influential belief system in Chinese culture. It provides the rules which govern the social behavior of the individual. The basic teachings of Confucius are grounded in the Five Constant Virtues: humanity, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faithfulness. Confucius went on to define five basic human relations and

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 founded by the first Chinese thinker to address both the political and social order of things straightforwardly and self- consciously. Kong Fuzi, or Confucius in English, lived from 551-479 B.C.E., but his teachings did not reach their full potential during the his life of an educator and political advisor born into an aristocratic family. Confucius gathered many disciples to spread his beliefs that were rooted in moral, ethical, and political character. He didn’t address questions about religion because he believed they were above the human moral intelligence capacity, nor those regarding obscure, complicated philosophical questions because they would not help solve the problems of China. Confucius did not really even care about the state, but he did believe

Confucius created a system of thinking called Confucianism. If only one word could be used to summarize the Chinese way of life for the last two thousand years, that word would be Confucian. No other person has had as great an effect on the life and thought of the Chinese people as Confucius. He is the most adored person in Chinese history. Confucius claimed no greatness, instead he looked to a past time that he saw as the golden age. He told one of his disciples, "I transmit but I do not create. I am sincerely fond of the ancient. I would compare myself to Old P'eng who was fond of talking about the good old days." Confucius was a transmitter of the wisdom of the past. From his study of Chinese tradition, he gathered the

Before the communist revolution in China, its’ society was based upon Confucian thought and practices. A main concept of his was that the family was a fundamental unit of society. Although this was similar to communist values, it was quite different. Confucius saw it to be ideal if family had hierarchy, with men superior over women, as well as elderly over the young. Society was very patriarchal during this era, as much as it was in many different parts of the world. However, it took a turn when the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) arose in the midst of the Guomindang (Chinese Nationalist Party) to take power with Mao Zedong guiding

Chinese philosophy is dominated by a set of so-called Confucian values. These values, inherent in Chinese thought, were pushed forward by Confucius himself during his life time in an effort to propose a better, guided way of leadership. While Confucian values stress the naturally good nature of man, they stand in direct opposition to the writings of Han Feizi, a legalist philosopher under the first emperor of China. For the Legalists, the nature of man must be stressed as evil, and combatted under that assumption. Han Feizi and Confucius take two different stances regarding man’s true nature, and in these differing stances propose varying guidelines for how a state and its leader should act. Confucianism, under the belief of limited action,