Kami Xiang

Professor Lori Bedell

CAS 137H

16 November 2020

Paradigm Shift of Confucianism

Confucianism is the traditional Chinese thought, which affect the thinking mode

of Chinese for thousands year. In ancient time, Confucianism was act as the fundamental

principle for setting political theories, family obligations, and social responsibilities.

However, In the modern society of China, it seems that Confucianism become more and

more trivial. Therefore, my goal in this paper is to discusses how does the concept for

Confucianism shift for centuries.

To achieve this goal, I will elaborate this shift from the three most significant

Confucianism ideas: Humaneness, Rite, and Filial piety.

Humaneness

What Confucianism used to advocate is that "one should see nothing improper, hear

nothing improper, say nothing improper, do nothing improper.” government should

manage the society’s affairs by mercy instead of punishment.

During the Western Han period, which is around 205 BCE, the emperor at time adopt

Confucianism’s idea, which barely give punishment to people who made mistakes, no

matter how serious the problem was. For instance, at that time, various cases for rape,

physical abuse and murder were prosecuted in court. Women, although usually having
fewer rights by custom, were allowed to level civil and criminal charges against men.

(Hulsewé (1986), pp. 523–530; Hinsch (2002), p. 82.) While suspects were jailed,

convicted criminals were never imprisoned. Instead, punishments were commonly

monetary fines, periods of forced hard labor for convicts, and the penalty of death by

beheading. (Hulsewé (1986), pp. 532–535.) Early Han punishments of torturous

mutilation were borrowed from Qin law. A series of reforms abolished mutilation

punishments with progressively less-severe beatings by the bastinado. (Hulsewé (1986),

pp. 531–533).

However, this kind of humaneness does not bring many benefits to this dynasty, people

were growing bolder to disregard the law, because they will not gat any terrible

punishment. In the end of this period, the palace eunuchs increasingly involved

themselves in court politics, engaging in violent power struggles between the

various consort clans of the empresses and empress’s dowager, causing the Han's

ultimate downfall.

After the downfall of the Western Han period, the new emperor combines the idea of

humanness and cruel torture, and no longer believes that "one should see nothing

improper, hear nothing improper, say nothing improper, do nothing improper.”

With the emerging of harsh punishment, like death penalty, for the people who

committed serious crime, and light punishment, like dissuasion or monetary penalty for

people who make a comparatively small mistake, The idea of Confucianism shifted from

that time. Nowadays, a mature punishment system has been invented, government will no

longer manage the country only with “humanness”.

Confucianism advocated the wearing of ceremonial caps, embroidered robes, and

patterned silks, or fasting clothes and mourning clothes in order to making possible for

humans to cultivate the underlying order of nature. The most famous one should be the

Grand Ceremony of Worship of Confucius, which is a ceremony to worship Confucius,

who was one of the most important teachers, politicians and philosophers of Chinese

history. The ceremony is held to commemorate the legacy of Confucius and get bless

from Confucius’ sprit.

In ancient China, the ceremony is very tedious and cumbersome. The first step is named

“Welcome the Spirt”. This is the reverentially welcome for the decent of Confucius’

sprit. People hold Lenten, umbrella, and sunshades to complete this welcome ceremony

After the welcome ceremony, it comes to the Three Presentations. In the first

presentation, people other than the chief person will present yellow silk cloth, and wine

bowl. In the second and third presentation, wine and candles will be presented on the

incense table. Moreover, fruit and meat are also needed to be presented on the incense

table. (KiyoshiStudio 2012) These are the sacrifice for this ceremony. Ancient Chinese

believe that Confucius will see these foods from the sky and eat them in a way that

people cannot see by their naked eyes, and he will protect them from disasters and illness.

After the Three Presentation. It comes to the Eight Square Formation Dance. This dance

pay tribute to the confusion ideologies of teaching without social class discrimination and

teaching students in accordance with their attitude. During this dance, people were

holding the pheasant tail feather, which was considered as the most beautiful thing

according to the Chinese ancient customs. Therefore, it’s taken for showing the highest
respect to Confucius. Moreover, people will set a large bell at the Eastside, and a large

drum at the west side. The arrangement of this setting represents matin bell and vesper

drum, because ancient Chinese will toll bell during Sunrise and beat the drum during

sunset. (KiyoshiStudio 2012) These instruments will play together for accompaniment

during the dance.

However, the Grand Ceremony of Worship of Confucius was banned for several decades

during the twentieth century because of the Cultural Revolution, which is the revolution

of 1911. During that period, political propaganda was launched against Confucianism,

denouncing the tenets of the philosophy as inferior. After several decades, these

campaigns are no longer exist. (CCSC 2014)

The Revolution of 1911 also known as the Xinhai Revolution, which was the first

revolution to overthrow a monarchy completely and attempt to establish a republic to

spread democratic ideas throughout China. (The Rise of China and the Capitalist World

Order. 91) That was entirely opposite with Confucianism’s proposition, because all the

opinions hold by Confucianism were based on feudal monarchy. Thus, Confucianism was

no longer been considered as the dominant ideology, or the standard of behavior. Instead,

the hierarch at that time took Confucianism as an evil thought and prohibit all activities

about it. Although in 2004, the Grand Ceremony of Worship of Confucius was allowed to

be held officially in Shandong Qufu City again, but at this time, it’s only act as the

exhibition of ancient Chinese culture, people are no longer devote in this ceremony like

before.
Filial piety

Filial Piety is a virtue of respect for one's parents and ancestors, and of the hierarchies

within society: father–son, elder–junior and male–female. but many of these hierarchies

are censured by modern society.

From the Han Dynasty onward, the practice of mourning rites came to be seen as the

cornerstone of filial piety and was strictly practiced and enforced. This was a period of

unrest, and the state promoted the practice of long-term mourning to reestablish their

authority. People were expected to take leave for a mourning period of two years after

their parents died. During these times, people cannot get marriage, or find a job. All the

things they could do is going to countryside and do some farm work.

Moreover, according to the traditional texts, filial piety consists of physical care, love,

service, respect and obedience. (See Kwan (2000, p. 24), Yee (2006) and Sung (2009a,

p. 187).Children should attempt not to bring disgrace upon their parents. (Cong 2004,

p. 159) Confucian texts give details on how filial piety should be practiced. Respect is

envisioned by detailed manners such as the way children salute their parents, speak to

them (words and tone used) or enter and leave the room in which their parents are, as

well as seating arrangements and gifts. Care means making sure parents are comfortable

in every single way: this involves food, accommodation, clothes, hygiene, and basically

to have them "see and hear pleasurable things", in Confucius' words, (Sung 2001, pp. 15–

6.) and to have them live without worry. (Kwan 2000, p. 25.) Filial Piety was also seen as

the basis for an orderly society, together with loyalty of the ministers toward the ruler,

and servitude of the wife toward the husband. (Kutcher 2006, p. 13.)
However, With the emerging of modern science, parents realize that children, especially

teenagers, will have a period of rebelling, it is normal that they will not obey every

instruction from their parents. Compelling their children to be obedient will make

situation become worse. Moreover, with the increase in the educational attainment of

parents, they realize that it’s also important to respect children’s idea even though they

are at a young age. The concept of “all men are created equal” has been popularized

instead of Filial Piety. With the emerging of the idea of feminism, more and more woman

realized that they are independent individuals who should never be the appurtenant for

man. They have the right to chasing their dream job or live the life they want, instead of

being a house cleaner or serve the tea for man.

Conclusion:

The role of Confucianism in our life have changed a lot in the aspects like

Humaneness, Rite, and Filial piety. With the development in science, people in modern

society will no longer believe that the dead people will fly to the sky and protect us from

illness or punish us if we done something bad. Even though we sincerely sacrifice for

their death, they will never know that. With the development of our society, woman will

never act as the appurtenant by their husband and obey every instruction from her

husband. Children will also don’t need to satisfy every request from their parents, and

they are also entitled to argue with their parents for the mistakes that adults made.

Moreover, tedious rites were abolished, and people will not kill innocent animals for

sacrifice. They will save the time for rites and do something more meaningful instead.

Comprehensive legislation and penalties system had been issued; government will never
manage the country only through mercy. I believe that should be how the Confucianism

shifts for centuries.

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Cambridge History of China: Volume I: the Ch'in and Han Empires, 221 B.C. – A.D.
220, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 520–544

Kiyoshistudi(2012) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUKmUFJAPtM

https://www.slideshare.net/reach/confucianism-the-influences-and-change

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