Good Confucianism book (pdf) - Department of Physics

From the Han to the Tang Dynasties, 220–907 CE 155Day or Memorial Day ceremonies are often set up, and paid for, by governments.Fallen soldiers are prayed for using the liturgy and terms of whateverthe dominant religion is, or has been, in that country. In imperial China,the emperor followed Confucian rituals in matters of marriage and funerals,and in the sacrifices he alone carried out to Heaven and to Earth. The governmentbuilt and maintained Confucian temples; the government decidedon titles for Confucius and his followers. Imperial governments talked likeConfucians – no surprise, given the bureaucrats had all been trained in theclassics. For example, they referred to neighboring Korea as a “ youngerbrother. ” Throughout their laws and decrees, imperial Chinese governmentsacknowledged their responsibility to care for the people.Confucianism outside of ChinaKoreaAs early as the fourth century CE, Koreans began to study Confucianclassics and establish academies for their study, but Confucianism did nothave a huge impact on government and culture until the Choson dynasty(1396 – 1910). Early in the Choson dynasty, Confucianism became the statecult. 18 This was specifically the Confucianism of Zhu Xi (see chapter 11 ).Korean scholars worked on, refined, and developed the School of Principle.During the 1500s, Korean scholars took part in famous debates over howone might interpret the ancient Confucian texts in light of Zhu Xi ’ s thought.Throughout all of these debates and the development of schools of Zhu Xi ’ sthought, there was a common call for reform: reform of society and theeconomy so that Korea might become more like a Confucian ideal state. 19Throughout the 1400s and 1500s Korean scholars refined and developedNeo - Confucian thought (see chapter 11 ) in more sophisticated ways thancould be found elsewhere. The Koreans used a civil service examinationsystem, but as Korean society differed from China ’ s only the sons of certainlineages from elite families could sit for these examinations. When the Mingdynasty in China fell to the Manchus in 1644, the Koreans proclaimedthemselves, with some justification, the only state in East Asia that followedorthodox Confucianism.Imperial patronage of the Confucian tradition ended with the fall of theChoson dynasty in 1910 as Korea was swallowed by Japan. In moderntimes, there are still venerable institutions, such as the College of ConfucianStudies, part of Songgyun - gwan University, where the Confucian traditionis still studied. When members of the Korean National Classical MusicInstitute visited Taiwan in 1967, their renditions and understanding ofclassical music were of such antiquity and of such a high standard that