Confucius and China

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Confucius and China
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Introduction

• Around 1027 BC, a people called the Zhou
  overthrew the Shang and established a dynasty in
  China
• To justify their abrupt rise to power, the Zhou
  leaders declared that the Shang King had been
  such a poor ruler that the gods had taken away
  their power and given it to the Zhou
• This justification is called Mandate of Heaven
• The idea that the authority to rule comes from
  heaven

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Then what???

• The Zhou dynasty lasted for 8 centuries until
  their decline
• However, their harsh rule did not leave without
  lasting consequences
• While they were in power, China had begun to move
  away from their traditional values of social
  order, harmony, and respect for authority
• What were they to do?

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Then came Confucius

• He was Chinas most influencial scholar
• He was born during that time of crisis and
  rebellion in China
• He believed that social order, harmony, and good
  government could be restored in China if society
  were organized around 5 basic relationships

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• 1. ruler and subject
• 2. father and son
• 3. husband and wife
• 4. older brother and younger brother
• 5. friend and friend

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• Three of these 5 relationships were based on
  family
• He stressed that children should practice respect
  for their parents and ancestors
• They should devote themselves to their parents
  during their lifetime and honor their memory upon
  their death

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Confucius and Government

• He wanted to reform Chinese government and teach
  them how to govern wisely
• He believed that education could transform a
  person
• He laid the groundwork for the first bureaucracy
• A government system run by people trained in
  civil service - (government employees)

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• Education became an important part in the
  advancement of a persons career

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What is Confucianism?

• It was never a religion
• It is an ethical system based on accepted
  principles of right and wrong
• It became the foundation for Chinese government
• His ideas spread throughout eastern Asia