Conservative is oftentimes used to describe the structure in which Ancient Chinese society is built upon and what modern Chinese society thrives upon. The “desire to maintain or restore the values and institutions of the past” (Harding, 2008) is conspicuously the prevailing value in Chinese culture. Indeed, according to the “voting results of the... Supreme People's Procuratorate of China” (Song, 2013), only 8% of the population are liberal, about 54% are neither liberal nor conservative and about 38% are conservative (Song, 2013). Thus, they believe in national unity, state sovereignty, more government intervention, traditional values and wisdom, and Confucianism (Pan, 2015). It is not to say that the Chinese culture should be regarded with …show more content…
He believed that the “family provides a model for the ideal functioning of society” (New World Encyclopedia). Also, he believed there were “Five Relationships” or, five basic relationships among human beings, these were between, father and son (or parents and children), ruler and subject, husband and wife, older and younger siblings, and lastly, between friends. It is important to note that three of these key relationships are based on family, and four of these interactions are based on hierarchy (New World Encyclopedia). The value of filial piety- obedience and respect towards elders- is one of the primal conservative factors of the social system in Chinese culture, in which younger people in society had to remain obedient and respect their elders, while elders, especially fathers, held enormous power over their children (Exploring Chinese History: Confucianism). Not only that, but Confucianism preaches that a well- ordered society is one that is hierarchical and patriarchal, in that “wives must obey husbands, children submit to their fathers, [and] younger brothers defer to older brothers” (Exploring Chinese History: Confucianism). Unfortunately, in this hierarchical classification, women were discriminately placed at the bottom. It was expected of them to demonstrate undying obedience and at “no point in her life was a woman, according to the …show more content…
When implemented in their society, there is no doubt that they grasped Confucian conservative beliefs into their moral standards and practices. In their education system, they were accustomed to the idea of dedication, obedience, and loyalty, due to behavioural control and motivation; in their economic system, the local and national economic system was transformed into a conservative capitalist society run by Confucianism; and finally, in their social system, they created social order and divisions among equals, while respecting elders; all conservative values and practices of originating from Confucianism. Morally, whether this standard of living is right or wrong, is dependent on the individual and his or her moral values, but what can be stated is that Confucianism and its ideologies have shaped China into a conservative
Rome and Han China were able to unify its people socially because Rome was able to Romanize or enslave all of their conquered people. Romanization was the process were conquered people would slowly become Romans, speak Latin and granted Romans citizenship. Where as Han China used Confucianism to unify its people. Confucianism is the belief that if everyone does their job (i.e.) if you work as a farmer and you do your job as a farmer and you raise your son to become a farmer there would be peace and harmony throughout the kingdom.
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
Usually you would hear of hundreds of people being killed by terrorist attacks, airplane crashes, or war, but in Ancient China, the Great Wall of China killed hundreds of peasants in the makings through forced labor. The benefits didn't outweigh the costs because through the makings of the wall, it separated families, killed soldiers, and families/ loved ones sacrificed their lives and lifestyle.
During the period of ancient chia there were many philosophers who saw their own views upon the ways of which china was to be run. With the time there were many rulers which lead their views on china’s government and its exploits and so with these views came counterviews. There were those who saw a new way to run china for bad or for worse such as two famous philosophers named Confucius and Han Fei. Confucius wanted china to be run with peaceful yet firm rules and restrictions whereby the people of chia would act in such a way that was thought to be most moral and respectful. A quote from the analects of Confucius (Doc 1.) says “Lead the people with governmental measures and regulate them with laws and punishment, and they will avoid wrongdoing but will have no sense of honor and shame.
Ever since the Han Dynasty, Confucianism has been a cornerstone in Chinese culture. Established by the scholar Confucius, this belief system focused on achieving a "…perfect society in which all people devoted themselves to fulfilling their roles… (and) all wholeheartedly did what was expected of them." (PMEA, 32) This included all individuals knowing and enacting their responsibilities in order to create a world of harmony. During the Song, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, Confucian principles, were intertwined throughout the Chinese government, culture and everyday lives of subjects. Advancements made during this timeframe allowed Confucianism to develop and grow with the Chinese population, making this belief system a mainstay in Chinese society.
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.
However, the Confucian culture is exclusive to the contemporary political culture. In contemporary China, although socialist political culture has been widely spread and the actually implemented with the aid of the power of the state apparatus, people are still unable to completely get rid of the influence and control of traditional Confucian culture. In Confucian culture, the unity political view had the most influence, and the divine right of authority and the benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faith, combined with the Chinese characteristic of the small peasant consciousness, made socialist political system also exist some traces of traditional political culture inevitably, and a large amount of the residual traditional culture values affect the process of political development in a variety of ways (Bell, 2010). Today as you can see, the development of market economy makes profound changes taken place in people's social interest structure. Corresponding to it, while people's political consciousness is fundamentally unified under the banner of socialism and patriotism, but the concrete political tendencies such as political attitude, emotion and policy orientation appear differentiation, which
The Communist party attempted to erase the influence of Confucianism from the Chinese culture and but, over time, the Party determined that Confucianism was too heavily ingrained in the Chinese people. Confucianism had formed the backbone of the Chinese culture for over 2,000 years and determined how people dressed and in what color, size of a person's home, and which class one belonged to within Chinese society. As China has attempted to become more open to other societies the Communist Party has decided to cease fighting the influences of Confucianism and to incorporate these influences into Communist philosophy and policy.
The term “Confucianism” is often regarded as a complex mechanism of social, political, moral as well as religious beliefs that have considerable influence especially upon the civilizations belonging to the East Asian countries such as China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea along with Singapore and Vietnam. With reference to the observation made by Reid (1999), it can be viewed that a clear depiction about different principles and beliefs exists within the sphere of “Confucianism”. Therefore, the major purpose of this report is to briefly review of T. R. Reid’s book “Confucius Lives Next Door: What Leaving In The East Teaches Us About Living In the West” through concisely unfolding the experience of
In a Confucian home women were expected to demonstrate obedience their whole life. As a child, girls had no other choice but to obey their fathers; as wives, women were required to obey their husbands; and as the elderly, women were required to obey their adult sons. At no part of their life were a women free of the male dominance and superiority. The yin yang theory which followed Confucius showed that Yin represented women and Yang represented the male.
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
Instead of Confucianism, which values harmony, respect for elders, reciprocity, and relationships, he proposed Mao Zedong Thought, or Maoism. This ideology is based on Mao’s personal moral principles. According to Maoism, contradiction, not harmony, is the driving force of nature. Because of that, he claimed Chinese society needed constant revolution, or “disorder under heaven” (Schell 217) to destroy “old” society and reconstruct it even greater than before. Additionally, Maoism taught that physical strength allows the country to be strong because “only when the body is strong” can one “advance speedily in knowledge and morality and reap far reaching advantages.”
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 was born in an impoverished family. Throughout his childhood he was very eager to learn so his mother fostered that. He had several small positions in government in his home state, Lu. He was the first ever teacher/educationalist in the history of China. His teachings found in the Analects, discusses ethical modules family, politics, economy, and more. In his teachings he promotes humanness (ren), ritual propriety (li), and the developing of exemplary persons (Junzi). (Li pg. 87)