A Behavioural Study on the Influences of Confucianism in Chinese Society

Confucius (551-479 BC) is considered to be a great philosopher and educator in Chinese society and one of the greatest scholars ever in world history. He was the founder of Confucianism, which constitutes a major part of traditional Chinese culture and made tremendous contribution to the unfolding of Chinese civilization over the centuries. In this study, the authors have presented a comprehensive outline of Confucianism and have attempted to gauge the attitude of contemporary Chinese people towards Confucian concepts, values and attributes as well as their influences on the social lives of present-day Chinese population. The Likert Scale was applied in the study to assess the attitude of the Chinese educated class belonging to the educational institutions like the universities in * Retired Additional Secretary, Bangladesh Government, Former Editor, Bangladesh Quarterly, Dhaka, Bangladesh, E-mail: hahmed1960@gmail.com ** Project Officer, Division of Confucius Institute Development, Beijing Language and Culture University, People‟s Republic of China. E-mail : paopaoazure@163.com Beijing towards Confucianism. It was found from the survey that the Confucian concepts still wield substantial influence on the social outlook of the modern-day Chinese people and these attributes are still relevant in the day to day lives of the Chinese society. Introduction to Confucius and Confucianism The ancient Chinese Philosopher Kong Fuzi or Confucius (551479 BC) is unparalleled in the history of human civilization as a focus of cultural significance, a founder of cultural institution and a model of ethical behaviour. He was surnamed Kong and his given name was Qiu; he styled himself as Zhongni. 1 He is considered to be one of the greatest thinkers and educators in Chinese history and one of the greatest scholars of all time in world history. His ideology and teachings constitute a major part of traditional Chinese culture. 2 Even today, Confucianism is widely considered to be a foundation of society, custom and culture in contemporary China. 3 Born in Zouyi in the state of Lu (in the south-east of today‟s Qufu) in a region comprising the south-eastern part of present-day Shandong province, he was alive during the decline of the Zhou dynasty (1100-256 BC) in the late „Spring and Autumn Period‟. His vision about the path to social and political harmony was founded upon the rites and institutions set in motion by the Duke of Zhou five hundred years earlier. 4 These institutions largely contributed to the emergence of the Chinese civilization. The Zhou feudal system prescribed the family relations as the basis of political loyalties. The family constituted the context within which the individual became what he or she was, and the state itself was patterned upon the model of the family. It could be gathered that Confucius spent the last years of his life in editing and completing his books, which became known as the Five Classics. These were: „Classic of Poetry‟, „Classic of History‟, „Spring and Autumn Annals‟, „Record of A behavioural study on the influences of confucianism 111 112 Philosophy and Progress Rites‟ and the „Classic of Changes‟. Four other works included „Lun-yu‟ or „Analects‟ – a representative compilation of Confucian philosophy – which recorded his life and teachings by his own disciples. It is considered by scholars to be the most reliable source regarding the doctrine of Confucius and it covers almost all his basic philosophical concepts. 5 The initial parts of this representative work contain his personal remembrances as a human being, and the later parts, particularly the last five of the twenty chapters, were probably produced when Confucius‟ main disciples started their careers as transmitters of the Confucian way, where they often spoke in their own voices. The Analects of Confucius has always been considered by the Chinese people as a classic over the past two and a half thousand years. It embodies the political ideas, ethics, and principles of education and its core value was benevolence. Confucius emphasized the ideology of benevolence (ren) on the part of rulers toward their subjects and stressed that the political rule should be backed by virtue – not by force. He was staunchly against exploitation of the oppressed people and advocated people‟s rule based on morality – not tyranny. Confucius was also a great educator and taught his disciples without discrimination, irrespective of their socio-economic background or status. It is said that Confucius taught as many as 3,000 disciples, of whom 72 became very famous. He proposed teaching students according to their aptitude and opined that one should be honest in learning and not pretend to know what he did not know. He also asked his pupils to regularly review what they learned from their studies, as new knowledge could be gained by reviewing the old knowledge. 6 Impact of Confucianism on Chinese Society It is often claimed that the Confucian theories helped crystallize the ruling ideology in the vast nation of China for over two and a half thousand years. Confucius stressed five relationships as key to a stable and harmonious society: that between the ruler and subject, between father and son, between husband and wife, between elder and younger brother, and among friends. The first four relationships were unequal, as the first person was considered superior to the second. The fifth relationship or friendship was, however, equal and based on love and mutual respect. Overall, dutifulness combined with sincerity and dedication was considered to be the pathway to social harmony. The major Confucian concepts included benevolence or humaneness, rectification of names, doctrine of the mean, the concept of superior man or exemplary person, filial piety, heaven, will, fate, proper conduct or ritual, the way or path of virtue, and using oneself to gauge others. The members of the administrative or civil service system of the traditional Chinese government since the ancient era were selected through a competitive examination, which gave the Chinese empire stability for over 2,000 years and also provided for mobility in the society. 7 Later on, it served as a model for civil service systems in many Asian and Western countries. The civil service examination system, which had its beginnings during the Sui dynasty (581-618 AD) and was fully developed during the Qing dynasty (1616-1911), was squarely founded upon the Confucian classics and their recognised commentaries. The Qin dynasty (221-207 BC) first established the Chinese bureaucratic empire by installing an administrative system. It was then adopted by the Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), who in 124 BC established an imperial university to train and test officials in the techniques of Confucian governance. 8 This system was adopted by the Sui dynasty (581-618 AD), who applied it to recruit officials in a systematic way. They also introduced appointment of central government officials at A behavioural study on the influences of confucianism 113 114 Philosophy and Progress the local level. After that, the Tang dynasty (608-907) introduced the „Jinshi‟ examination, which tested an aspiring civil servants‟ knowledge about Confucian classics for induction into higher levels of civil service. This system was gradually incorporated as the main method of recruiting civil servants, and these non-hereditary elites ultimately became known to the Western countries as „Mandarins‟ based on the Chinese dialect they used. This administrative system reached its zenith during the Song dynasty (960-1279), when public schools were set up for the masses throughout the empire and promotions were based on merit and the conduct of civil servants. The „Jinshi‟ degree on Confucianism was an essential prerequisite for reaching higher levels of bureaucracy. The Chinese civil service reached its final form during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), which was also copied by the succeeding Qing dynasty (1644-1911/12). The latter, however, abolished the examination system in 1905, and the prevailing civil service system was ultimately abolished after the overthrow of the Qing dynasty in 1911-12. 9 Confucianism is not a religion in the strictest sense. Rather, it is a practical philosophy and a guide to morality and good governance that has affected everything across China, from education, government, public outlook, private attitude, to etiquette, morality and ethics. It is a complex system of social and political values based on filial piety, kinship, loyalty and righteousness. The teachings of Confucius covered a wide range of themes – from how a true gentleman should behave in his day-to-day life to how a ruler should govern. It is a moral guide for good governance – one that values hierarchy, group orientation, respect for elders and the tradition. Confucius was interested about instilling order and harmony in a turbulent society. He opined that mankind would be in harmony with the universe if people understood their ranks in society and were taught appropriate behaviour commensurate with their ranks. In the same vein, he believed that societal order was compromised whenever individuals failed to act according to their prescribed roles. He focused on a system of interdependent relationships where the lower levels displayed obedience to the higher levels, which extended from the family to the nation. In contrast to the Western bias for individualism, collectivism is inherent in a Confucian society, where it is necessary to attune one‟s desires to the greater good of the group, and where an individual is defined by his or her relationship to the group. It is often argued that the Chinese people have been culturally conditioned by the Confucian view of looking at things in terms of collective responsibility, specifically for their families, the community and the nation at large. Confucius laid much emphasis on education and scholarship, which greatly in