The Impact of Confucianism on the Culture of the Chinese People - Term Paper Example

The impact of Confucianism on the culture of the Chinese people Confucianism is often considered a system of ethical and social philosophy and not religion. Confucianism was not only a way of life for the people in china but also part of the social fabric in china. Some people have avoided associating Confucianism with relation arguing that the approach did not present after life teaching and confusion deities. The founder of Confucianism supported rituals. More essential however is that the Confucian tradition played a big role in shaping the moral thought and social relationships. The paper seeks to identify and explain the impact of Confucianism on the culture of the Chinese people. By understanding the effect of Confucianism on the culture of the people in china, we will be able to identify how the people in china think and relate with one another as compared to the western culture (Rainey, 100). Confucianism was developed on religion foundation with asn intention of establishing social values, transcendent and institutional ideas in the culture of the people in china. Master Kong was the founder of Confucianism. He however did not intent to develop a new religion but to revive and interpret the kind of religion presented by Zhou dynasty. Confucianism is either viewed as religion or philosophy. The approach encompasses humanism and neither slights nor denied heaven. The approach has impacted on the political nature and the spiritual life of many Chinese people (Zhang & Schwartz, 50). Confucius teaching has been followed by the people in china for many years. Its influence has been extended to neighboring regions like Japan, Korea and Vietnam. Confucianism has greatly influenced the way of life and the culture of the Chinese people. Most of the teaching of Confucius are still upheld and practiced in china to date. During the recent Olympics that was held in china, in the year 2008, a quote from Confucius was used when kicking off the ceremony (Rainey, 120). A performance was also presented by the Chinese community dressed in Confucius discipline. All these show the impact of his teaching on the culture of the people in china. Even though most of the temples in the china have been named after him, western people perceive it as not being a religion. There are no priests, god, churches or shrines and no one in china has been associated with the name Confucianist. He was more of a philosopher than a statesmanship. He lived during a period that china experienced a lot of conflicts and chaos. The question that existed at that time was to find better way of putting the government in order and prevent suffering of the Chinese people (Zhang & Schwartz, 100). Confucianism is thereby a political, social and ethical system that is based on kinship, filial piety, righteousness and loyalty. The founders teaching targeted the behavior of an individual and the government at large. His teaching directs on how a ruler should rule and how a good person should behave in day to day life. He proposed a government that values group orientation, hierarchy, tradition and respect for age. The system was associated on morality that is practical in nature. His teachings focused on bringing harmony and order in the society. He believed that conflict cud subside if people are aware of their ranks and respect it. He cautioned people to observe their roles in the society since conflicts only emerge in cases where the people failed to respect their roles. He advocated for respect to the old and the people in power. This kind of respect is still being upheld by the Chinese to date. The practice has lived among the Chinese people. Chinese people have always respected the authority being the government and the old and also at the level of the family. His teaching focused on developing trust and respect among friends and the family at large. He believed that by fulfilling the traditional roles moral behavior will be enhanced. His teachings promoted respect among the people living in the society. Confucius ethics is egalitarian though quite different from the western perspective. Western sense advocate for equality among the people in the society but according to Confucius some people in the society are above the others even though equality can coexist among the people in the same rank. The teaching has existed in the Chinese culture in the today world with the people respecting hierarchy than their western counterparts (Rainey, 100). Americans for example are more egalitarian and value people despite their social economic status. Chinese culture is however conservative and hierarchy are respected in various levels of the society. The Confucianism culture permits people to act according to their ranks and not how they feel. The approach is however different in the western senses. The western culture permits individual expression. Saying something wrong to the people in rule could cost someone’s life in those days (Zhang & Schwartz, 60). Confucian society encourages collectivism. Unlike western culture that emphasize on individualism than group membership, from an early stage of life, Confucianism encourage group working together for the better of the society. The relationship of an individual in the society was vital for the progress in the society. The Chinese have been influenced by this culture for millennia. They have been conditioned culturally to suppress personal needs and encourage collective responsibility to the family, community, clan and the nation. However, the culture of the people in china has continued to be influenced by the western culture. Individualism is coming in to replace the collectivism that has been part of the Chinese culture for many years (Zhang & Schwartz, 50). Confucianism emphasized on the family more so the extended family as a social organization in the society. The parent was to be respected by the children. The respect was to be extended to other members of the extended family and later to the society at large. The success or shame of an individual was always associated with the family. In the Chinese society the upbringing of the child belonged to the whole family including the grandparents. It is still a practice to date. Grandparent most often may advice the grandchild in cases where they feel, they ought to be corrected. The practice is however different in western countries with the parents being the only members of the family concerned with correction of their child’s behavior. The other influence of the teaching of Confucius on the culture of the Chinese people focused on scholarships and education. The fact is Chinese students spent more hours in the classroom than their counterparts in other parts of the world. Confucius emphasized on scholarship (Zhang & Schwartz, 50). The system lead to the creation of examination criteria to help in assessment of the learners though great emphasis was based on memorization of the content rather creativity. The powerful and the rich however could find their way in the Chinese society due to influence and the money they had. The practice has continued since the current regime, with rich people taking their children to best universities despite their performance in the examination. The influence of Confucianism is still intense in the current Chinese society. It has affected the way people relate with each other, the way the government operate and how respect among the old in the society is of essence. Perhaps as a way to counter the influence of the western culture on the Chinese people, the government has moved ahead to fund the establishment of the Confucius institution around the world to offer resources and classes on the culture and Chinese language. Work cited Rainey, Lee Dian. Confucius and Confucianism: the essentials. John Wiley & Sons, 2010. Zhang, Tong, and Barry Schwartz. "Confucius and the cultural revolution: a study in collective memory." International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society 11.2 (1997): 189-212. Read More