Openness of the Sreal Tang
1 min readThe Analects(Lunyu) begins with the Confucian edict:”Is it not a pleasure to meet friends from afar?””Afar”implies different ways of life and philosophies. Confucius’ attitude shows that the Chinese have always highly respected friends from a long way off and aspired to learn from them.
At the same time, there existed the wish to present a good image to outsiders. There is another useful quotation from The Analects:”Magistrate Zigao of the Ye County asked about governance. Confucius replied,’ Good governance makes one’s neighbors happy and attracts people from faraway places to come and learn from you.'”
The prosperous Tang Dynasty (618-907) best exemplified the open and inclusive spirit of Chinese culture as advocated by Confucius. Instead of denial or confrontation, the Tang, from the reign of Emperor Taizong(r.627-649)onwards, tolerated and absorbed elements from all cultures that it came into contact with, leading to prosperity in all aspects of social life.
