Confucius and His Homeland

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During the Spring and Autumn Period(770-476 BC) and the Warring States Period(475-221BC), philolophy and culture developed to a peak in China. Various schools of ideas appeared and free arguments and competitions took place. They were later called “the hundred schools of thoughts.”Among them include the Confucian School represented by Confucius, Mencius, and Xunzi; the Taoist School represented by Laozi and Zhuangzi; the Mohist School represented by Mozi; the School of Legalists represented by Han Fei and Shang Yang; the School of Logicians represented by Gongsun Long and Hui Shi; the Yin-Yang School represented by Zou Yan; and the School of Political Strategists represented by Su Qin and Zhang Yi; etc. Confucius and the Confucian School had the greatest impact in Chinese history.

Confucius is a philosopher, politician, educator, and the founder of the Confucian School during the latter years of the Spring and Autumn Period. He is regarded as a world-class giant with Jesus, Socrates, Mohammed the Prophet, and Sakyamuni the Buddha. Confucius was born in the state of Lu(today’s Qufu in Shangdong Province). At the age of 30, he took in disciples to spread his doctrines and ideas. At the age of 3 1, he assumed the office of attorney generalin Lu. Later on, he resigned and toured Wei, Song, Cao, Chen, Cai, and other states withdozens of his disciples. He aimed to persuade the monarchs with his political ideas, butinvain. For fourteen years, he had drifted from place to place, undergone hardships, misunderstanding, and disappointments. He came back to his own country in his later years, mainly engaging in education and literature compilation. He compiled the Book of Songs, Shang Shu(the Ancient Book), and he edited the first chronicle history in China, Spring and Autumn.

Confucius advocated the spirit of “education for all,”aiming to spread knowledge, ideas, andmoral lessons to ordinary people’s children. His disciples exceed three thousand in number, among which 72 became outstanding including Zilu, Yan Hui, Zeng Shen, Zigong, etc. The core of the Confucian philosophy is Ren, meaning love, tolerance, honesty, integrity, and respon-sibility. The Confucian philosophy is both profound and modest. His diciples had gatheredand compiled his words and deeds into the Analects, which became the most important work among the”four classics”for the Chinese.

Although they all regard the King of Zhou as the nominal overlord, they are independent politicalentities themselves. The states not only commuted and competed with each other, but also warred and annexed against each other. People suffer from the pain of war constantly. The Spring and Autumn Period started when King Ping moved the capital east to Luoyang. The royal power began to decline from then on. The states competed for domination. Annexations were frequent and political order was shattered. At the beginning of the Spring and Autumn Period, there were more than a hundred states, famous among them include Qi, Jin, Chu, Qin, Lu, Song, Wei, Yan, Chen, Cao, Cai, Zheng, Wu, Yue, etc. The Spring and Autumn Period was named after a historic work compiled by Confucius. Confucius compiled and edited the worl Spring and Autumn by the historians of Lu. It recorded from 722 to 481 BC. It’s the earliest chronological history in China. On the surface Spring and Autumn is an objective record of history without comments, nevertheless the words conveyed appraisal and debasement, which is called the Spring and Autumn style. There are three works that interpret Spring and Autumn, and they are Zuo’s Spring and Autumn, Gongyang’s Spring and Autumn, and Guliang’s Spring and Autumn. The Spring and Autumn Period refers to the several hundred years that Confucius’ Spring and Autumn recorded. During that period of time, economy developed and culture flourished. Ideas were relatively at liberty. Schools of thoughts appeared and were actively debating. The order and etiquette of slavery were undergoing decadence. It was a time of war and chaos. Confucius aimed to restore the harmony of Western Zhou(1046-771 BC), when a rigid system of regulations and etiquettes was maintained. Confucius advocated that system and found selfish motives and lust for power of people, especially of the kings, were the major obstacles that destroyed the system. So he called for restraint of self and desire, and aimed to restore the shattered system. In order to fulfill this aim, one must engage his behavior and mind to benevolence. Confucius advocated the obedient relationship between the king and the subject, the father and the son. He claimed that governors be concerned about his people and not generate conflicts. He claimed that people obey the laws and regulations, be responsible to his job and position, and live in harmony. The core of the Confucian philosophy is”benevolence,”which is his deep understanding of humanity. The Confucian doctrine was widely spread and the Confucian school gradually formed based on the Analects. His ideas have brought profound influence and served as the main political groundwork for the ruling class and the most powerful belief system in China for two thousand years. Prime Minister Zhao Pu of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) once said that half of the Analects’ content is enough reference to abide by for a ruler to rule the country.

The kioskof imperial steles, totally 13 in number, with ss steles recording the memorial ceremonies, the mending of thetemple, and visiting ceremonies of the emperors in the following dynasties.

Confucius had become a symbol and a representation of the Chinese culture. As Western values are undergoing severe trials and the balance between humanity and material benefits is seriously threatened, the Confucian spirit and the Oriental philosophies bring hope and possibilities to the world with its tolerance, benevolence, integrity, responsibility, order, and harmony.

During his life time, Confucius never imagined that his ideas can have such a profound impact on the Chinese political, social, and cultural lives. The Emperors of the following dy-nasties all paid homage to him and bestowed great honor and privilege to him as a saint. The excessive homage appears inconsistent with the difficult life Confucius led and his qualities of modesty and diligence. Nevertheless, it helped the persistent spreading of the Confucian ideas. Qufu of Shandong is the homeland of Confucius. The Confucian temple, family seat, and woods have been recorded into the World Heritages of Cultural Relics. When you walk into Qufu, you can feel history and culture in the wind. Everything here has a taste of the Confucian spirit.

The Confucian Temple is located in the city of Qufu. The architectural structure is grand and magnificent and is the place for worshipping the saint. For 2,400 years, the worshipping of Confucius has never been interrupted. The temple is also the most ancient architecturalcluster that still exists in China. There are nine connected yards,54 gatehouses,13 kiosksof imperial steles. The most important architecture in the Confucian Temple is the Dacheng Palace, which is the main worshipping place. The palace is magnificent and fancily decorated with dragon sculptured pillars. The Confucius statue is at the central position. On both sides are statues of successors Zengzi, Yanzi, Zisi, and Mencius, and twelve major deciples. There is a square kiosk with apricot altar in front of the palace. It is said that Confucius used to teach at this spot and the giant tree was originally planted by Confucius.

The Confucian Family Seat is at the east of the Confucian Temple. It is where the offspings of Confucius have been residing and the second most grand architectural cluster in China following the Forbidden City. The Seat has an area of 246 acres and was built into three sections, the central, east, and west part. The east section is the family temple. The west section is the school. The central section is a theme architecture.

The Confucian Woods is the city of the dead for the Confucian family. It is located at the north of Qufu and has an area of 3,000 acres. The age-old trees and steles form a forest that makes visitors feel deep esteem and sublimity.