The Classical Cultures Of China Vs. China

In ancient civilization, two important aspects that caused the civilizations to flourish or diminish were their political systems and their cultures. Many empires along with India and China were thriving during the time period of their existence. This allowed for ideas to be spread and trade to prosper. The connection between China in East Asia and India in South Asia allowed for the spread of religion, technology, and goods. Therefore, there were many similarities between the two empires, but they also contrasted in many ways. During the classical period the Han Dynasty in China and the Mauryan and Gupta Dynasties were similar culturally because women had few rights in both empires and they both made universities that were devoted to education. In addition, China and India both had strong emperors who were at the top of the social hierarchy. Despite the similarities, they differ culturally with the different advances in technology, and with the China focusing on a philosophy rather than a religion in India. They differed politically due to the different ways of trading and that China had a centralized government and India had a decentralized government.

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.

Under Emperor Wu, Confucian way of thinking eventually became the pillars of the foundation of the Han Dynasty, and transformed Confucius into an uncrowned monarch from the traditional humble teacher that he was. As the official doctrine of the empire the Emperor was held to honor tradition, respecting the lessons of history, and had a responsibility to heaven. They embraced the Zhou based mentality on mandate of heaven to justify their rule and officials used that also to explain natural disasters and famine in the region when the emperor lost his contract with heaven, and paved way for a new ruler to take the throne. Also due to the dense population of the region, Emperor Wu was able to established a university to properly train and educate

Confucianism and Legalism are philosophies that are influential in ancient China. Although the two philosophies both work to make people good in behavior, they have many differences including the beliefs, purposes, and the influences toward how people act. Confucius, the philosopher of Confucianism, and Hanfei and Shang Yang, the philosophers of Legalism, believed in different ways to make people good in behavior. Confucius believed that people are naturally good and should work on improving to know what is right and what is wrong. In addition, he felt that people should respect their families and ancestors and get along well with them.

• 551-478 BCE: Confucius lived his life devoted to teaching o He traveled through China preaching his ideas of political virtue and good government o He believed in a divine order and saw himself as a spokesman for Chinese tradition o He thought if people could be taught to emphasize personal virtue then a solid political life would naturally result o List of virtues stressed respect for one’s social superiors o According to him moderation in behavior, veneration of custom and ritual, and a love of wisdom should characterize the leaders of society at all levels • Confucianism- a system of ethics, “ do unto others as your status and theirs dictate”, and a plea for loyalty to the community • Confucian doctrine was recorded in a book called the Analects and was revived under the Han emperors • Confucian learning along with traditional literary works was incorporated into the training of aspiring bureaucrats • Problems Confucius set out to fix were approached through an emphasis on individual virtuous behavior, both by the ruler and the ruled • He built into his own system the links among many levels of authority that came to characterize larger Chinese politics at their best • It also emphasized personal restraint and the careful socialization of

The three main philosophies of China helped shape early Chinese civilization; Mandate of Heaven, Confucianism, and Legalism. The Mandate of Heaven was a belief that the Emperor was sufficiently virtuous to rule. This explained the legitimacy of rulers. Confucianism was a philosophy created by Confucius, hoping it would lead to a more stable state in the society. As a philosophy believed longest, Confucianism provided basic foundation for moral, social, and politic norm for Chinese society. Legalism, developed by Han Fei, intended to bring strength and unity of the nation by emphasizing strong punishments and reward, tradition, and family. Legalism introduced clear laws and bureaucratic government. Overall, between the time period from 221 BCE to 618CE, change was shown in Legalism over time, while continuity was shown in Confucianism and Mandate of Heaven.

Confucianism, a system of societal and ethical philosophies, was founded on the principles of social rituals (li), and humanism (ren) during a time of social upheaval in the early Zhou Dynasty (476 BCE - 221 BCE). Opposing the commonly practiced Legalist mindset of strict law and statecraft, practitioners of Confucianism attempted to embody an ethical core of Chinese societal behaviors that would root a stable social order. Establishing cultural patterns of behavior and religious rituals that were to be personified through generations of human wisdom, an era of “civilized society” had begun. Thus the success of Confucianism was, and still is, directly contributed to its strong foundations in socio-ethical teachings.

The country that i hope to one day teach in is China. throughout my research on the many cities within the country it is clear that the need for a strong commitment to the development of cultural understanding within the classroom context is in high demand and necessary. Every culture has its values, morals customs and traditions and they should be respected as such. On the surface -level, cultural differences between westerners and the Chinese seem mostly visual. Food and eating habits probably being the most popular when comparing the two, with food being such an important part of our everyday life. To start, An obvious difference between the China and western countries about food is the utensils used to eat with. In China people favor the use of chopsticks, while in the west a fork and knife are preferred. the Chinese usually eat communally and share their dishes with others, while westerners typically enjoy individual servings. the most common staple foods along with their preparation techniques also differ between China and the West. In western dishes, fish dishes are served absolutely free of bones. In Chinese meals, fish are typically sold whole and removing the bones while eating is regarded as a normal part of the meal process. There is also the difference in style of dress, with China being the more conservative culture. Of course this may slightly vary within larger cities that today are more modernized, but within the history of the Chinese civilization,

China adopted three schools of thought regarding the nature of human beings and the universe. One particular area was called Confucianism which was developed by the Chinese first teacher known as Confucius. He felt that a rebirth needed to take place in an effort to create a more stable society. Prior to Confucius taking over, there was a great deal of violence and moral decay happening that Confucius was determined to change. Because Confucius was able to spread the word of Confucianism, the majority of the teachings in schools were based on his principles and became an integral part of the Chinese culture.

The beginning of Confucianism began in Ancient China, started by the ancient philosopher Confucius, who was born in 551 B.C.E., “was a brilliant teacher, viewing education not merely as the accumulation of knowledge but as a means of self-transformation” (Yao 14). Confucius’s teachings centered around “personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice and sincerity” (Yao 28). He began his teachings during the Qin Dynasty, and following the defeat of the Chu and the collapse of the Qin Dynasties, the Han Dynasty was victorious and utilized his teachings into a system known as “Confucianism”. After the dissolution of the Han Dynasty, the ideologies of Buddhism and Taoism were introduced and proceeded to govern most of intellectual life in China. Confucianism would not become a popular ideology till late during the rule of the Tang Dynasty, but with its reemergence came many new

Kung Fu Tzu, also known as Confucius, was an iconic figure in the Chinese history. He was a teacher, a philosopher, and also the founder of Confucianism. Confucius’ philosophies, on the other hand, would became well known as Confucianism. Confucianism can be considered as an ancient Chinese philosophy as well as a popular religion in the Chinese history. It is known to be a way of life taught by Confucius. Although being transformed over a long period of time, Confucianism is still the source of values and the social code of the Chinese. It not only has a great influence to the Chinese history both spiritually and politically, its influence also extends to many Asian countries. For a long period of time, Confucianism was just part of the thousands ethical and political philosophies that were used in the Chinese government. However, its significance in China skyrocketed later in the Han dynasty (200 BC to 200 AD) because of its popularity and it was also being declared as the standard of moral which people should try to follow. As a result, Confucianism became an influential and an integral part in the Chinese society.

Confucianism is based upon Benevolence, or Ren. Ren was the belief of loving people, specifically parents or one’s country. Filial piety was very important, and children were taught it as a law. Confucianism also called for people in the ruling class to love and cooperate with each other. Under Confucius rule, people were expected to be honest and loyal to those above them, and forgiving and pardoning to those beneath their rank. Caring for others extended into many different moral codes and laws. People are valued above all things, and all people have purpose. From the lowest slave to the Emperor, everyone is worth something. The spirit of Harmony, or Benevolence, is the most important virtue of Confucianism. Beginning in the Tang Dynasty,

The fundamental assumption upon which Confucianism operates is that human beings are generally good. Confucian influence on Chinese society is both a full range of deep-seated, at the moment the legal aspects of the body, that is, the process of traditional Confucian law, since the Western Han Dynasty, "deposed hundreds, Only Confucianism", "Ceremony into law "Confucianism has become the law of the bud, after the Northern and Southern Dynasties development and improvement to the Sui and Tang dynasties" TangLuShuYi "was promulgated, marking the completion of a comprehensive combination of etiquette, Confucianism became the orthodox ideology of feudal law the Chinese legal history into a phase of a landmark. Since then both followed the same dynasty, and later had a profound legal feudal tradition and extensive influence. Today, we still find the shadow from the real life of these effects (Chen, 2007, pp.689).

During the Eastern Zhou era, ideas were furnished to “promote harmony and stability” (Judge, Langdon 80). This allowed the ethical philosophy in China, especially Confucianism, to be produced. It was absorbed into Buddhism and Daoism, and helped sustain the culture in times of political trouble. Confucianism stresses “humane conduct, civility, and relationships” (Judge, Langdon 81). Human conduct meaning sympathy, civility meaning courtesy, and the relationships that Judge and Langdon talk about are mainly to one’s parents, leaders, and ancestors (81). Confucius stresses in Analects that this is the Moral Way and that it could “return Chinese society to a state of harmony and justice” (Andrea & Overfield 93). Although Confucianism was not written down during its founder’s life, the immediate followers were able to write down his teachings and produce them to their emperors. This held their rulers and officials to “high moral standardards, promoting good governance and discouraged

Confucius once said, “If you strive for virtue, you will be free of evil.” In the simplest of terms, it could be said that Confucianism ultimately strives for virtue and order. Confucius’ contemplative way of addressing virtuous living may establish Confucianism as more of a philosophy than a religion. Specifically, it is “a moral philosophy with ethics at its core.” It is based on hierarchical relationships, and it focuses on superiority or inferiority within said relationships. One major facet of its practice is its integration into Chinese government and culture. Because of the religion’s close ties to government and state identity, it is also closely tied to the guidance of human behavior. Improper human behavior is the greatest evil, in that it fails to promote order in society. Confucianism approaches evil in such a way that minimizes its roots and consequences while maximizing the role of sole human responsibility, that which is contrary to the Christian perspective.