Similarities Between Song Ming And Qing Dynasties

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.

For example, the Analects of government, sage, virtue, and manners give a sense of teachings and positive philosophies to follow in order to become a good ruler and obtaining and giving respect. While the Classics and ideals of popper conduct, political peace, moral power, love and ideal humanity help to reinforce the Analects by giving an ideology of a humanism. As Confucian gives words of wisdom of establish a community who should act only when necessary, use knowledge for the benefit of all, and to live in peace in order to developed a stronger culture. Confucius gives the Chinese people a focus on the cultivation of virtue and maintenance of ethics, creating a community of righteousness and moral disposition to do good and how one should act in a community. Overall, Confucianism is a source of values, the social code of the Chinese, and a substance of

They want to emphasize individual virtuous behavior, both by the ruler and the ruled as well as highly recommending obedience and respect, “people should know their place, even under bad rulers.” Even the Han emperors decided to implement Confucius ideas after looking at their doctrine called The Analects. The book shows Confucian political value and social order which states that the aristocrats and the educated are of the highest degree, and then comes farmers, and finally, the merchants. Although both Confucianism and Legalism call for governmental hierarchy, Confucianism possessed an optimistic view of human potential while Legalists believe that a powerful government is necessary along with a carefully devised law rewarding for good deeds and punishing for bad

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

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

Husbands owed their wives support, and wives owed their husbands obedience. Above all, rulers had to set good examples. If a king ruled for the common good, his subjects would respect him and society would prosper. Confucius believed that if each person did his or her duty, society as a whole would do well. He also urged people to be good and to seek

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

The family structure of the Ming and Qing dynasty revolved entirely around the concept of Filial Piety. Filial Piety, had a focal point aimed at the relationship between the father and the duties of his children to him. The father was the leader of the house who in turn passed this position to his eldest son. Furthermore, it was the sole responsibility of the children to take care of his or her parents as they grew old in age. Over time these family lines grew and became known as clans. Not only did the clans take care of one another, the also had many members from various ranks within the hierarchy of society. When a member of the clan climbed the ranks in society, it brought great promise and or wealth to the entire clan. However, women

Firstly, Confucianism prized the rule of men over the rule of law; that is to promote harmony in the people over the interest of a ruler. If a ruler has appropriate personal conduct the government will be effective without needing to issue order. However, the ruler do not have the correct conducts, his orders will not be obeyed.

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 and Daoism are two influential schools of thoughts that have existed in ancient China around the 6th century BCE. The former, led by the politician and philosopher Confucius, proposed that humans live in society according to a set of predefined rules and that they transform society through political action. Whereas the latter, led by the philosopher Lao-Tzu, promoted the idea of inaction; people should go with the flow instead of taking action to control their lives and dominate their surroundings. Although, at first glance Daoism and Confucianism seem to be two opposing philosophies, a more in depth analysis of two of their key ideas –filial piety and education—reveals that they do share some similarities.

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

Confucianism has easily been influential in the development of the Chinese state through history. In fact, the core ideals of Confucianism have evolved. Despite the harsh repression of Confucianism by Marxist revolutionaries during the second half of the twentieth century, Confucian values continues to be influential in Chinese society and recently, Confucian political philosophy has resurfaced again. In addition, the political ideas and social ethics of Confucianism can provide the basis for a new, functional form of government in China. Confucianism can be a viable political philosophy for China in the twenty first century because many intellectuals have turned to Confucianism to make sense of such social

Confucius wanted mutual respect among people, and he believed that people could get along if they followed rules of good behavior. Confucius envisioned a government that was based on virtue and goodness, not laws or punishment. Although Confucius envisioned that a government should be based upon these things, Confucius also taught to be strict and precise, and he taught that people should be laborious in their works. When Tsze-lu asked him about the government, Confucius replied by stating that one should work hard at what they do and to not tire of it. When Chung-kung asked him about the government, Confucius says, “Employ first the services of your various officers, pardon small faults, and raise to office men of virtue and talents.” (The