Confucianism in Ancient Chinese Civilization, Essay Example

Introduction

Confucianism describes a Chinese social and ethical philosophy that was established on ancient religious foundation. The philosophy seeks to set up the social institutions, values while at the same time aiming to go beyond the ideals of traditional Chinese society.  Confucianism was an integral part of the social fabric in China[1].  However, as it entered a new era in the 20th century and interacted with new cultures, it changed or lost perspective. This essay shows that as the philosophy entered a new era, diffused and interacted with new cultures, it increasingly changed perspective and scope of Chinese traditions and rituals to the point of decline.

Invention

Confucianism was developed from the teachings of a Chinese Philosopher called Confucius K’ung. The philosophy gained prominence because of its ethical-sociopolitical teaching. However, it was not intended to be a new religion. Rather, it was aimed to interpret and recreate the unknown religion of the Zhou Dynasty, which was believed to be incapable of wiping out the ills or social upheavals during the era. Confucius believed that the answer to wiping out societal ills did not lie in statecraft or strict law, rather it lay in Zhou rituals or religion[2]. Confucius interpreted these as cultural patterns of behavior and rituals that evolved through human wisdom. These embodied the ethical essence of Chinese society. Confucius used the idea of “ritual” to describe the actions that transcend the traditional religious ceremonies and sacrifices to “social ritual” such as acceptable code of conduct and courtesies. Confucianism was, therefore, established on the premise that traditional and acceptable rituals are the foundation of human civilization[3].

Diffusion, changes and Declines

Diffusion of Confucianism refers to the spread of the philosophy to different countries and cultures. Diffusion, however, contributed largely to the change and subsequent decline of the philosophy. Historically, the countries where the philosophy was diffused entail Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Mainland China, Macau and Hong Kong. Diffusion greatly contributed to the demise of the philosophy. The philosophy changed with the coming of a new era and as it interacted with new people[4].

Chinese political elites adopted new ideologies aimed at offsetting damages done by previous regimes. To keep the Chinese unified, the political elites changed Confucianism to be a nationalistic ideology. However, since it was viewed to trigger secessionist movements, it was seen to threaten the Mao leadership. It lost favor with the government, leading to its decline.

A change in perception on Confucianism inspired a change of its focus, which contributed to its decline. Some Chinese intellectuals compared China’s economic growth and modernization and that of other countries such as Lu Xun Japan and the United States and concluded that Confucianism was a fundamental reason for China’s failure[5]. Changing the philosophy to integrate modernism contributed to its demise[6].

New eras also signified changing the scope of Confucianism, which led to the imminent decline. Its influence declined during the 19th century. This coincided with the 1911 end of Qing Dynasty, which marked the end of an era for the Chinese philosophy[7]. Additionally, new Chinese era under Mao Tse-tung also contributed to decline of the philosophy. China under Mao was committed to subtraction of Confucian influence. Mao perceived the philosophy as an ideology that belong to the manipulative class and that its ideology of social harmony contravened Marxist tenets. The situation worsened during the Cultural Revolution, when an army of Red Guards stormed and destroyed Confucius’s birthplace and grave[8].

Interaction with other cultures heralded the decline of the philosophy. As the philosophy interacted with Western ideologies, such as capitalism and Marxism, its traditional values and rituals either became less practiced or changed perspective. On the other hand, an anti-Confucian fervor arose. The fervency reached its peak during China’s Cultural Evolution in 1960s during the era of Chinese Communist Party (CCP)[9]. The party adopted modernity approaches influenced by foreign cultures. In the 1970s, Deng Xiaping opened up the country to foreign investors and cultures, which saw the dominance of capitalist ideas over Confucianism.

China’s path-breaking economic reforms transformed the lives and diversity of urban population, which endangered the traditional rituals of Confucianism. As Chinese cities grew between the 1970 and 1990, millions of people who practiced Confucianism migrated to urban places, where they met other cultures. They became more concerned about their economic welfare than practicing the traditional rituals, which formed the basis of the philosophy[10]. This did contribute to the philosophy’s decline.

Increased interactions, due to trade, also contributed to the change in the rituals. In the 19th century, the Qing Dynasty faced serious challenges from British Opium Wars. The Treaty of Nanjing after the war in 1843 made Hong Kong be a colony of Britain, which opened up China’s ports to more Western missionaries and traders who introduced new religious and ethical perspectives that overwhelmed the preeminence of Confucianism[11].

Conclusion

As the philosophy entered a new era, diffused and interacted with new cultures, it increasingly changed to the point of decline. A change in perception on Confucianism by political elites and scholars inspired a change in its focus. A new era also signified changing the scope of Confucianism.  Interaction with other cultures also heralded a change in the rituals. Lastly, China’s economic reforms and increased interactions due to trade also contributed to the changes. Overall, the changes happened in the new era after the Qing Dynasty and contributed to the decline of Confucianism.

Bibliography

Brockmann, Hilke, Jan Delhey, Christian Welzel and Hao Yuan. The China Puzzle: Falling Happiness in a Rising Economy. Journal of Happiness Studies (2008): 1-13

Mitte, Rana. A Bitter Revolution: China’s Struggle with the Modern World. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005).

Ren, Chao. 2011. Wei Yuan and the Chinese Totalistic Iconoclasm: The Demise of Confucianism in Matter and in Form. (Bloomington: Illinois Wesleyan University, 2011).

Rowe, William. China’s Last Empire: The Great Qing (Cambridge, Mass: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2009).

[1] Chao Ren, Wei Yuan and the Chinese Totalistic Iconoclasm: The Demise of Confucianism in Matter and in Form. (Bloomington: Illinois Wesleyan University, 2011)

[2] William Rowe. China’s Last Empire: The Great Qing (Cambridge, Mass: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2009).

[3] Rana Mitte, A Bitter Revolution: China’s Struggle with the Modern World (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005)

[4] William Rowe, China’s Last Empire: The Great Qing (Cambridge, Mass: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2009).

[5] Hilke Brockmann, Jan Delhey, Christian Welzel and Hao Yuan. “The China Puzzle: Falling Happiness in a Rising Economy.” Journal of Happiness Studies (2008): 1-13

[6] William Rowe, China’s Last Empire: The Great Qing (Cambridge, Mass: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2009).

[7] Ibid

[8] Rana Mitte, A Bitter Revolution: China’s Struggle with the Modern World (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005)

[9] Ibid

[10] Chao Ren, Wei Yuan and the Chinese Totalistic Iconoclasm: The Demise of Confucianism in Matter and in Form. (Bloomington: Illinois Wesleyan University, 2011)

[11] Rana Mitte, A Bitter Revolution: China’s Struggle with the Modern World (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005)