Confucius

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His teachings may be found in the Analects of Confucius, a collection of "brief aphoristic fragments," which was compiled many years after his death. His teachings form the foundation of much of subsequent Chinese speculation on the education and comportment of the ideal man, how such an individual should lead his life and interact with others, and the forms of society and government in which he should participate.

Name

Michele Ruggieri, and other Jesuits after him, while translating Chinese books into Western languages, translated his name "Kong fu zi" as Confucius. This Latinised form has since been commonly used in Western countries.

"Fu zi" means teacher. Since it was disrespectful to call the teacher by name according to Chinese culture, he is known as just "Master Kong", or Confucius, even in modern days. The character 'fu' is optional; in modern Chinese he is more often called Kong Zi. His actual name was Kong Qiu. Kong is a common family name in China. However, to express something like, "the Teacher who assists the wise to their attainment". He is also commonly known as "the Model Teacher" in Chinese.

Personal life and family

According to tradition, Confucius was born in 551 B.C., Spring and Autumn Period, at the beginning of the Hundred Schools of Thought philosophical movement. Confucius was born in or near the city of Qufu, in the Chinese State of Lu (now part of Shandong Province). Early accounts say that he was born into a poor but noble family that had fallen on hard times.

As a child, Confucius was said to have enjoyed putting ritual vases on the sacrifice table. He married a young girl named Qi Quan at nineteen and she had their first child Kong Li when he was twenty. Confucius is reported to have worked as a shepherd, cowherd, clerk and book-keeper. When Confucius was twenty-three, his mother died and he entered three years of mourning.

He is said to have risen to the position of Justice Minister in Lu at fifty-three. Later, he left both his post and the state of Lu. According to tradition, after Confucius's resignation, he began a long journey around the small kingdoms of northeast and central China, including the states of Wei, Song, Chen and Cai. At the courts of these states, he expounded his political beliefs but did not see them implemented.

When he was 68 years old, Confucius returned home and spent his last years teaching disciples and transmitting the old wisdom via a set of texts titled the Five Classics. He died at the age of 73.

Teachings

In the Analects, Confucius presents himself as a "transmitter who invented nothing". He put the greatest emphasis on the importance of study, and it is the Chinese character for study (or learning) that opens the text. In this respect, he is seen by Chinese people as the Greatest Master. Far from trying to build a systematic theory of life and society or establish a formalism of rites, he wanted his disciples to think deeply for themselves and relentlessly study the outside world, mostly through the old scriptures and by relating the moral problems of the present to past political events (like the Annals) or past expressions of feelings by common people and reflective members of the elite (preserved in the poems of the Book of Odes.

One of the deepest teachings of Confucius may have been the superiority of personal exemplification over explicit rules of behavior. Because his moral teachings emphasise self-cultivation, emulation of moral exemplars, and the attainment of skilled judgment rather than knowledge of rules, Confucius's ethics may be considered a type of virtue ethics. His teachings rarely rely on reasoned argument, and ethical ideals and methods are conveyed more indirectly, through allusions, innuendo, and even tautology. This is why his teachings need to be examined and put into proper context in order to be understood.

Confucius's teachings were later turned into a very elaborate set of rules and practices by his numerous disciples and followers who organised his teachings into the Analects. In the centuries after his death, Mencius and Xun Zi both composed important teachings elaborating in different ways on the fundamental ideas associated with Confucius. In time, these writings, together with the Analects and other core texts came to constitute the philosophical corpus known in the West as Confucianism.

Philosophy

Confucius' principles gained wide acceptance primarily because of their basis in common Chinese tradition and belief. He championed strong familial loyalty, ancestor worship, respect of elders by their children (and, according to later interpreters, of husbands by their wives), and the family as a basis for an ideal government. He expressed the well-known principle, "Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself" (similar to the Golden Rule). He also looked nostalgically upon earlier days, and urged the Chinese, particularly those with political power, to model themselves on earlier examples. "The superior man seeks for it in himself. The petty man seeks for it in others".

Because no texts survive that are demonstrably authored by Confucius, and the ideas associated with him most closely were elaborated in writings that accrued over the period between his death and the foundation of the first Chinese empire in 221 B.C., many scholars are very cautious about attributing specific assertions to Confucius himself.

Politics

Confucius' political thought is based upon his ethical thought. He argues that the best government is one that rules through "rites" and people's natural morality, rather than by using bribery and coercion. He explained that this is one of the most important analects: "If the people be led by laws, and uniformity sought to be given them by punishments, they will try to avoid the punishment, but have no sense of shame. If they be led by virtue, and uniformity sought to be given them by the rules of propriety, they will have the sense of shame, and moreover will become good." (Translated by James Legge 'The Great Learning'), This "sense of shame" is an internalisation of duty, where the punishment precedes the evil action, instead of following it in the form of laws as in Legalism.

Memorial ceremony of Confucius

The Chinese have a tradition of holding spectacular memorial ceremonies of Confucius every year, using ceremonies that supposedly derived from Zhou Li as recorded by Confucius, on the date of Confucius' birth. In Taiwan, where the Nationalist Party (Kuomingtang) strongly promoted Confucian beliefs in ethics and behavior, the tradition of memorial ceremony of Confucius is supported by the government and has continued without interruption. While not a national holiday, it does appear on all printed calendars, much as Father's Day does in the West.

Influence

In Asia

Confucius's works, words are studied by many scholars in many other Asian countries, such as Korea, Japan, Vietnam, etc. And many of those countries still hold the traditional memorial ceremony every year.

In Europe

The works of Confucius were translated into European languages through the agency of Jesuit scholars stationed in China. It is thought that such works had considerable importance on European thinkers of the period, particularly among the Deists and other philosophical groups of the Enlightenment who were interested by the integration of the system of morality of Confucius into Western civilization.

Confucius Highlights

Confucius Highlights Related

Confucius attraction highlights

• Kong Family Mansion
• Confucius Temple
• Confucius Cemetery
• Confucius Temple
• Gaomiao Temple at Zhongwei

Confucius FAQ & Travelers's Tips

1. What kinds of people do Chinese people think are gracious or nidering?
2. What's the best moral can a Chinese have?
3. What's the most important aspect of most Chinese people's lives?
4. Do Chinese people believe in God?
5. Are there any thoughts or feelings on issue that Chinese share with the west?
6. Why are Chinese people called the 'Descendants of the Dragon'?
7. How do Chinese people like their own culture?
8. How did Chinese people's value change?
9. What's Chinese people's life style?

1. What kinds of people do Chinese people think are gracious or nidering?

   In ancient China, loyalty and filial piety were used to define weather one was a good person or not. In China nowadays, they are still the standards for judging a person.

   • Loyalty: Loyalty evolved as devotion for one's family, gene-group and friends. Loyalty comes most naturally amongst small groups or tribes where the prospect of the whole casting out the individual seems like the ultimate, unthinkable rejection. Loyalty to tribes evolved from the evolutionary tactic that there is a greater chance of survival and procreation if animals form packs/tribes.
     
     In a feudal society, centered on personal bonds of mutual obligation, accounting for precise degrees of protection and fellowship can prove difficult. Loyalty in these circumstances can become a matter of extremes: alternative groups may exist, but lack of mobility will enter a personal sense of loyalty.
     
     The rise of states (and later nation states) meant the harnessing of the 'loyalty' concept to foster allegiance to the sovereign or established government of ones country, also personal devotion and reverence to the sovereign and royal family.
     
     Wars of religion and their intermingling with wars of states have seen loyalty used in religious senses too, involving faithful support of a chosen or traditional set of beliefs or of sports representatives. And in modern times marketing has postulated loyalties to abstract concepts such as the brand. Customer churn has become the opposite of loyalty, just as high treason once stood as the opposite of the same idea. Compare loyalty card.
     
     Loyalty is also seen in business in a variety of ways. As governments have grown in size and scope, some people are more loyal to a company rather than to a country. As corporation complexity has grown, people have shifted their loyalties to individuals rather than companies. As those individuals move between companies, they often take other people with them. Stock options are one method devised to keep people loyal to a company.
     
     
   • In Confucian thought, filial piety is one of the virtues to be cultivated: a love and respect for one's parents and ancestors.
     
     In somewhat general terms, filial piety means to take care of one's parents; not be rebellious; show love, respect and support; display courtesy; ensure male heirs, uphold fraternity among brothers; wisely advise one's parents; conceal their mistakes (though some schools advocate pointing out and correcting their mistakes); display sorrow for their sickness and death; and carry out sacrifices after their death.
     
     Filial piety is considered the first virtue in Chinese culture, and it is the main concern of a large number of stories. One of the more famous one is The Twenty-four Filial Exemplars. This story depicts how children exercised their filial piety in the past. While China has always had a diversity of religious beliefs, filial piety has been common to almost all of them; for example, Historian Hugh D. R. Baker calls respect for the family the only element common to almost all Chinese believers. These traditions were sometimes enforced by law; during parts of the Han Dynasty, for example, and those who neglected ancestor worship could even be subject to corporal punishment.
     
     
   People define bad people in different ways. When someone does something and one person was angry about, another person might think he is actually a good person and doing the right thing? Then what kinds of people do Chinese think are bad?

   Someone doing something bad doesn't mean he is bad. Being bad depends on the inner world of a person, and what's the purpose of being bad? A poor good person might steal to feed his family; while a bad person can do all the kind things just to achieve his evil plan. How do Chinese people define being bad?

   • One character is for sure, which is betrayal. Contrast to loyalty, Betrayal is a form of deception or dismissal of prior presumptions, breaking or violation of a presumptive social contract (trust, or confidence) that produces moral and psychological conflict within a relationship amongst individuals, between organizations or between individuals and organizations. Often betrayal is the act of supporting a rival group, or it is a complete break from previously decided upon or presumed norms by one party from the others.

   • In ancient China, disrespecting the emperor was also considered as a big crime and disgraces. The emperor was the supreme power of ruling the whole country. Showing disrespect to the emperor equaled to showing the same thing to the country. People could be executed for showing disrespect to the emperor. Now there is no more emperor, but respect to the elderly, to women and child is still needed in this society. The elderly, women and child are the weak group and they deserve to be respected.

2. What's the best moral can a Chinese have?

   You might wonder why Buddha always has a smiley face. That's because they have reached the highest level of moral, which is 'beneficence'.
   
   Traditionally understood as the 'first principle'of morality, the dictum'do good and avoid evil' lends some moral content to this principle. The principle of beneficence is a 'middle principle' insofar as it is partially dependent for its content on how one defines the concepts of the good and goodness. As a middle principle, beneficence is not a specific moral rule and cannot by itself tell us what concrete actions constitute doing good and avoiding evil.
   
   The Principle of Nonmaleficence, commonly translated as first, 'do no harm' is often considered to be a corollary to the principle of beneficence. In this respect, it shares the same characteristics of beneficence considered as a middle principle. Considered in its own right, nonmaleficence is sometimes interpreted to imply that if one cannot do good without also causing harm, then one should not act at all (in that particular circumstance). The difficulty with this rigorist interpretation, however, is that it makes action almost impossible in a world where even the best actions may have some harmful results. The principle of double effect offers a more reasonable method of analysis for those conflict situations where avoiding harm would require no action, including actions that may be both morally good and necessary for achieving the good. It is important to note that, while nonmaleficence refers to doing no harm, nonmalevolence refers to not intending or willing harm. It may be helpful to think of nonmaleficence not simply as 'doing no harm', but as 'doing no evil' which is closer to its etymological roots.




3. What's the most important aspect of most Chinese people's lives?

   Just like a saying that goes like this: east and west, home is best. Family is always the number one thing a Chinese would think when asked about the most important aspect of their life. Some would say money, because without money, one can't do anything. Yet, money is just a substance that can satisfy one's material need. After one is satisfied with all these material need, a higher lever of desire will come up for sure, which is the need to be accompanied. During festivals, Chinese people take every chance to go back home and unite with their family. Whenever one is happy or sad, they will share with their family first, or at least make sure they will share it with family. Family is always a Chinese's support, and is always where a Chinese belong to.




4. Do Chinese people believe in God?

   Most Chinese are antitheists. Sometimes you might hear people say something about God, but it doesn't really mean they believe in it.

   There are some Chinese Christians in China who believe in God, but the number of the Chinese Christians only takes up a small portion.



5. Are there any thoughts or feelings on issue that Chinese share with the west?

   With the development of China, more and more western thoughts are cramming into Chinese people's heads. Common thoughts shared by both Chinese and westerners are becoming more and more.

   The first thing to mention is privacy. In western countries, everyone deserve the rights to have some privacy even a 3-year-old child. Children usually demand a room of their own when they turn to 14. More and more Chinese now demand privacy too. Mother reading her little daughter's diary is no longer acceptable, and father going into his son's room without knocking is considered as rude.

   The second thing to mention is the aware of protecting animals. China is famous for its cuisines, yet a lot of animals, even endangered animals, are killed and be cooked into a yummy dish on people's dinning table. Chinese people no longer, like most westerners would think, 'eat everything'. Killing precious animals is against the law, and only pork, beef, chicken, mutton, etc. can be cooked as meals.

6. Why are Chinese people called the 'Descendants of the Dragon'?

   Dragons are commonly symbols of good luck/health in some parts of Asia, and are also sometimes worshipped. Asian dragons are considered as mythical rulers of weather, specifically rain and water, and are usually depicted as the guardians of flaming pearls.
   
   In China, as well as in Japan and Korea, the Azure Dragon is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellation, representing spring (season), the element of Wood and the east. A Yellow dragon with five claws on each foot, on the other hand, symbolizes imperial authority in China, and indirectly the Chinese people as well. Chinese people often use the term 'Descendants of the Dragon' as a sign of ethnic identity.




7. How do Chinese people like their own culture?

   Proud of their own culture, Chinese people like to spread their culture to all over the world. However, due to the closed country during the Qing Dynasty when the emperor ordered to close up the country and severed all the diplomatic relations with foreign countries, a lot of tradition was descended and now conflicts with the new generations.

   For example, parents still seem to have the supreme power to decide what their children should or should not do, on the perspective of life style, marriage, even career; younger Chinese demand more privacy while their parents still like to treat them like babies. Chinese people now are under a condition when the transition of new and old generation is taking place. People in the new generation will still be proud of their own culture and meanwhile, carry a western way of thinking.



8. How did Chinese people's value change?

   The marketing economy influenced Chinese's cultural ideas at following aspects:

   • It weakened Chinese people's emphasizes on family and pushed them to enter society. And the conception to conform to elders began to weaken.

   • Chinasmarketing economy was still among the primary stage, which caused Chinese people to pursue material profits blindly, so the parochial idea to make money in illegal ways became more and more popular.

   In 90's, Chinese people's social needs, value goals, and behavior orientations have all been changed.

   • Social needs
     
     Material desires other than basic needs increased; Needs for occupation and income insurance increased; Needs for independence and freedom, for fairness and equality emerged and developed rapidly.

   • Value Goals
     
     Making money has become more and more Chinese people's main life goal. In the eyes of the Chinese people who hold this kind of life goal, how much property (money) one owned is considered as one of the indexes judging people's social status and evaluating whether people make success or not, even is considered as an important happiness resource.

   • Behavior Orientations

     The idea about self-others relationship has been changed from 'only for others not for self at all' to 'Unless for yourself, you will stand condemned by God'. More and more people tend to value asking from society, instead of devoting themselves to society as before.
   
   

9. What's Chinese people's life style?

   Generally speaking, the Chinese people live a life distinct from other peoples in that they pursue such qualities as conformity to nature, harmony, and plain living as opposed to conquest of nature, individuality and material luxury. A pretty flower or a full moon can mean a lot of things for Chinese people, depending on the circumstances.
   
   In connection with their ethics, the Chinese people's lifestyle is characterized by two considerations: Harmony between humans and nature, and harmony among humans.
   
   This preoccupation with nature permeates all aspects of the Chinese people's life. For example, even on an outing, the Chinese people seek to integrate themselves into nature. In springtime, they admire the new-grown greenery in the summer, they appreciate the lotus in the autumn, they climb up a hill for a view of the golden season; and in the winter, they feast their eyes on the first snow.
   
   Festivals occupy an important position in the Chinese's life. Although they offer sacrifices to gods on festivals, the gods are actually of secondary importance. Interpersonal harmony, in contrast, is of primary importance. The most important of all the festivals, of course, is the 'spring festival'. And even on this day, the offerings are intended for people to consume, and the gods are believed to raise no objection to this.
   
   Chinese Culture is omnipresent. Qin (a Chinese stringed instrument somewhat like zither), qi (Chinese chess or go), shu (calligraphy) and hua (painting) are the four most popular traditional forms of entertainment. The point is not how good you can get; rather, it is the mood and atmosphere these activities build up for the player. It is a tempering of the character. There is a dao (literally, way or path; norm, principle for everything. Playing Chinese chess or go, for example, is not just for winning. In the processing of playing, one can learn the art of self-composure and the spirit of detachment to fame and gain.
   
   Another major element in the ordinary life of the Chinese is staying good health. Qigong is the most popular form of exercise by coordinating breathing and other physical as well as mental conditions, qigong reflects the traditional thinking of integrating humans into the universe. In connection with qigong, most people can play some taijiquan or some other 'kung-fu' Chinese martial arts aim primarily at strengthening the body and cultivating the mind. It is a means of making friends not enemies.