The Influence of Confucianism, Legalism, and Buddhism on Chinese Empires and Society The history of the ancient China is filled with explorations and reforms of the most suitable, effective, and adaptable state ideology for different empires and the society ruled. Up till Tang dynasty, since the early emperors themselves had little idea what would be ideal and what would not, different ideologies were endorsed in a much experimental way, among which three major ideologies played important roles in shaping the Chinese empires that advocated them and affecting the values and behaviors of the society under the rule of these empires. These three ideologies are Legalism, Confucianism, and Buddhism, and were adopted by Qin, Han, and Tang dynasty
Due to ideological control from the chinese revolution, people are nearly brainwashed to agree with the government. Weiwei is aware of it and writes in order to rebel against his culture, debunking them of their
During the Period of the Warring States, three schools of thoughts emerged. Because of the chaos and confusion of this period many individuals searched principles that would restore the political order. It is then that Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism emerged and provided a deep influence on Political and Chinese traditions. Rulers from several region states adopted elements of the Legalist program. The Qin state in western China soon dominated its neighbors and enacted a centralized imperial rule throughout China.
It seems as if the main idea was to not stress yourself and be content with what you were supposed to be. This religion was only really known by Chinese government officials and strong believers in Laozi until modern China. Each government has a set of principles to live by and the religion of choice usually set the parameters on the government and gave the officials a set of standards to live and govern
Similar to Confucius, Laozi also sought out a solution to create harmony in a world full of chaos and fragmentation. But Laozi found the solution through Daosim. The three ideas, the Dao, wuwei and yin and yang, are three key concepts in Daoism that leads to the harmony that Laozi strived for. These ideas, although created hundreds of years ago, still deeply influence Chinese thinking and culture
Similarities and Differences between Confucianism and Daoism Doaism and Confucianism are the top two ancient styles of living in China, where they both originated in 550 B.C.E (before common era). I believe that Daoism and Confucianism are both the top religions/styles of living in Ancient China, while they have some similarities they are much more different than they are similar. Both are not only ways of living but, they are a way of life. Confucianism is the belief in setting good examples for other people to follow. They are based off of the five key relationships of the ancient chinese society.
Legalism stressed the importance of law and order above all other matters. Many of the doctrines and beliefs of Legalism were formed from the ideas of Han Fei, who was actually the disciple of the Confucian philosopher Xun Zi. Xun Zi had lost faith in the Confucian belief in the inherent good of man after seeing the constant political and social turmoil of his time. He and his disciples took the realization of man’s true nature to heart and decided that there needed to be something to control the rampant self interest of man, and they decided that the way would be through a system of laws. While Confucians believe that the nature of man is inherently good, Legalists believe that the nature of man is very susceptible to bad intentions.
Confucianism was unusual because it was the belief that emperors were above all, scholars were second, then farmers, merchants, and lastly slaves and women. This is different from the typical social structure that started with emperors first as well, but followed with merchants then scholars and farmers and again, slaves last. This unique social hierarchy could have been another contributing factor to the length of the Zhou
These trends throughout the post-WWI era define the growing associations between China and the revolution forces of Ho Hi Minh that would eventually result in the expulsion of the Japanese and French colonies in Vietnam. These factors define the close ties between Chinese military and ideological support, which would ultimately lay the foundation for the
Lao Tzu to some is considered to be either a Chinese hippy or the first libertarian. (Fresco) Confucius, on the other hand, was generally dedicated to establishing the educated and the philosophically minds of the people of China. Confucius taught about strict order by respecting the relationship in life, such as the self and authority. As previously stated, Lao Tzu was the complete opposite. The Tao Te Ching is filled with examples of how Lao Tzu thought life should be lived.
By using Confucianism, Shotoku ended the wars between the clans and "allowed the moral emperor to decide the disputes"(Shotoku). Furthermore, the seventh rule in the article states that, “The Ministers and functionaries should make decorous behavior leading principles.... If the superiors do not behave with decorum the inferiors are disorderly. " This idea comes from the Chinese Confucian philosophy which states that if people are controlled with punishments they will have no sense of shame, but if they are governed by, “means of virtue,” they will gain their own sense of
Another reason is because they resided in China. So where do they come from? The Hmong people go back to ancient China during the “Three Warring States.” The word Hmong comes from a group of tribes forming together meaning “Freedom People.” The tribes were known as Juili.
Tao in Chinese philosophy translates to “the way”, meaning the correct way to live life and moral duties. Many Chinese texts mention how humans are to become one with the Tao, which is a another great lifetime accomplishment. “Tao, the supreme intelligence, and though constant investigation and understanding around him manifest the nature a power of Tao , a universal way that is sought after like an agenda. Tao is another major part of the Confucian belief that “emphasizes the relative nature of all things in the balance of yin and yang” obtaining balance between good and bad. People tend to have way much more yang than yin so the philosophy of Taoism tends to focus on it more on balancing.
One of the difference between the Qin and the Han dynasty is that Qin dynasty practiced Legalism and the Han dynasty practiced Confucianism. For the Han dynasty, in Document 3, states that they had a exam system of giving opportunities for everyone across the dynasty who has outstanding moral and learning to have a chance to have a role in the government, which shows that the Han dynasty emperor gave more opportunities to the commoners. For the Qin in Document 2, says that the people follow the rules, and there are no trouble because the people understand what happens when they do not follow the rules, which leads to punishments. Which shows that the Qin dynasty had strict rules for people to just obey for the government and have no say. Taking
In history, a number of certain people have indeed chosen their conscience over the government, and their choices have helped change the government in a better way. It is appropriate to go against the government as long as there are no intentions of harming any person. In the first place, it is appropriate to go against the government because the government should