China 1 Essay Research Paper Part 2

China 1 Essay, Research Paper

Part 2: China

Confucianism is a “code of conduct” to live this life, and it has had a tremendous impact on how the Chinese live their lives. It has a great influence in Chinese government, education, and attitudes toward correct personal behavior and the individual duties to society. Confucius wanted to be a politician, even a Prime Minister, but he failed, and then he dedicated to preach good moral conduct. After his death he became the Chinese most influential in the history of China, and had all the honors he never had in life. The Government ordered the “worship of Confucius”, and named him the “Co-Assessor with the deities of Heaven and Earth”. His precepts and principles were incorporated into the Chinese Law in 210 BC. His way to please God or the gods was through a good conduct with your family, neighbors, and society. If you are a good person, God is going to like you. Some say that Confucianism is no religion in reality, because Confucius was a philosopher, moralist, statesman and educationist, but no religionist. They say that the thoughts and teachings of Confucius are ethical philosophy, political and educational principle, but not religious philosophy.

The essence of all his teachings may be summed up under this one word Jen . The nearest equivalent to this difficult word is social virtue. All those virtues which help to maintain social harmony and peace like benevolence, charity, magnanimity, sincerity, respectfulness, altruism, diligence, loving kindness, goodness are included in Jen. His Golden Rule is: “What you do not want done to yourself, do not do unto others”. “The injuries done to you by an enemy should be returned with a combination of love and justice”. The universal virtues are wisdom, benevolence, and fortitude. Benevolence is to love all men and knowledge is to know all men. The perfect virtue is gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness. Confucius said a virtuous man has three awes: heaven s decree, great men, saints words: When worshipping God, one must feel as if He were visibly present.

Confucius laid great stress on the cultivation of character, purity of heart and conduct. He exhorted the people to develop a good character first, which is a priceless jewel and which is the best of all virtues. The nature of man, according to Confucius, is fundamentally good inclined towards goodness. Perfection of goodness can be found in sages and saints. Every man should attempt to reach the ideal by leading a virtuous life, by possessing a very noble character, and by doing his duty unselfishly with sincerity and truthfulness. He who is endowed with a good character and divine virtue is a princely type of man. The princely man sticks to virtue, and the inferior man clings to material comfort. The princely man is just while the inferior man expects rewards and favours. The princely man is dignified, noble, magnanimous, and humble while the inferior man is mean, proud, crooked, and arrogant. In the “Great Learning” Confucius revealed the process, by which self-development is attained and by which it flows over into the common life to serve the state and bless mankind. The development, which Confucius set forth is as follows: investigation of phenomena, learning, sincerity, rectitude of purpose, self-development, family-discipline, local self-government, and universal self-government. His teaching was largely concerned with the problems of good government. He said, “The Ruler himself should be virtuous, just, honest and dutiful. A virtuous ruler is like the Pole-star which, by keeping its place, makes all other stars to evolve round it. As is the Ruler, so will be the subjects.” Confucius held that Society was made up of five relationships: Those of husband and wife, of parent and child, of elder and younger brother, or generally of elders and youngsters, of Ruler and Minister or subject, and of friend and friend. A country would be well governed when all the parties performed their parts aright in these relationships.

In China, between 1792 to 1911, domestic and foreign problems confronted the Chinese society, Chinese leaders, and the Chinese government. The long period of peace and prosperity had some adverse effects on Chinese society. There was a shortage of land, resulting from an increase in the population from 100 million to 300 million at the end of the 18th century. Decadence and corruption spread in the imperial court. There was a decline of the Manchu military spirit, and the Ch’ing military organization deteriorated. The long and illustrious reign of the emperor Ch’ien-lung was marred by the first of many serious rebellions in the Ch’ing era, the White Lotus Rebellion from 1796 to 1804. It was not put down for ten years, and China entered the 19th century rocked by revolt.

More devastating were the incursions of Western powers, which shook the foundation of the empire. The first of many Sino-Western conflicts in the 19th century was the first Opium War, fought from 1839 to 1842. It was more than a dispute over the opium trade in China. It was a contest between China as the representative of ancient Eastern civilization and Britain as the forerunner of the modern West. Free trade advocates in the West had protested against the restrictive trading system in force at Canton. They demanded free trade in China, the opening of more ports to Westerners, and th