The University of West Los Angeles China Society Questions answer following questions use the note I upload as references only and min 500 words 1. Rituals

The University of West Los Angeles China Society Questions answer following questions use the note I upload as references only and min 500 words 1. Rituals are always associated traditions. Even in a modern society like the U.S., people follow rituals that have existed for generations. Can you think of some examples that have deep meanings in our society but would probably not work in Chinese society?2. Confucius believed that family was the model for the whole society. In this sense, the government was like the father figure and people like the children, binding by a reciprocal rights and obligation relationship. Do you think this is a workable proposition? What type of government will it be if according to Confucian ideals? Confucius and Confucianism
1. About 2,500 years ago, a man was born to a once aristocratic family in East China. During his
life time, the man endeavored to carry forward the old tradition in a chaotic environment and
open up a new horizon in a dark age. By the time he died at the age of seventy-three, his
teachings had spread throughout the state and beyond. His disciples and students compared
him to the sun and moon, while his rivals considered him a man “who does not work with his
arms and legs and who cannot tell the differences between grains” But there was one thing that
neither side at the time knew that Chinese culture and that of East Asia, would be forever linked
with his name, and that the tradition he tried to transmit would rank with the greatest in the
world. This tradition is known in the West as “Confucianism” and in China as “Ru 儒” Jia
(Doctrine of Ru scholars). Confucius is a Latinised form of the Chinese name Kong Fuzi 孔夫子,
Master Kong, hence, his doctrines became Confucianism.
Confucius was born and lived in the Spring and Autumn period of the Zhou dynasty (551-479
BCE). It was a chaotic period with a crumbling central government and many mini-states
competing with one another for land and property. The country suffered constant wars.
Although Confucius was born into an old aristocratic family, by the time of his birth, the family
was already in decline. His father died when he was only three. The death led to the further
decline of the family. He was brought up and properly educated by his mother. Little in Chinese
historical records is said about his own family, nothing about his wife. But, we know that he
lived a very ordinary life, not even once had a position of any significant responsibility or
influence. His gifts were obviously those of a born philosopher and teacher. According to his
own self-portrait, he is not an originator of anything but someone tries to bring back the way of
antiquity. He wanted to alleviate the human misery all around him.
A few hundred years later, when Sima Qian, the greatest Chinese historian, wrote a biography of
Confucius, he said: “The world has known innumerable princes and worthies who enjoyed fame
and honor in their days but were forgotten after death, while Confucius, a commoner, has been
looked up to by scholars for ten generations and more…all in China who study the Six Arts take
the master as their final authority. Well is he called the Supreme Sage.”
2. Some most important doctrines of Confucianism are recorded in Analects—a book of his
conversational teachings in plain language, compiled by his followers after his death. Some
scholars think the secret of the success of Confucianism, which is the dominant ethical and
belief system in China and East Asia, is that doctrines are based on common senses and
explained in plain language. Illiterate people can understand. It reaches to everyone through
family, the most important social structure. There is no need for priesthood, temples, organized
institution and etc.
Analects opens with this sentence: “Is it not a pleasure, having learned something, to try it out
at due intervals?’ (The Analects, I.1) To Confucius, self-cultivation and learning is the center
piece of being a human.
3. According to Confucian understanding, the world is sustained by, and structured around the
three powers of the universe. These three powers work together in an organic cosmos so that
““Heaven, Earth and humans are the origin of all things. Heaven generates them, earth nourish
them and human perfect them.” The three dimensions of the universe share the same nature,
and their relationship is characterized by harmony rather than opposition or confrontation. The
Book of Change presents them as three modes of the same Way:
The Way of Heaven is called yin and yang; the Way of Earth is called yielding and firm
and the Way of humans is called humaneness and righteousness. Central to the
Confucian Way is the principle of “天人合一“ tianren heyi: the harmonious oneness of
Heaven and humanity. Humans are made on the pattern of Heaven. For instance, head is
round, correlating to Heaven that is believed to be round, foot is rectangular, correlating
to the square earth; body is believed to be composed of 366 pieces of bone, correlating
to the number of days in a year, the four limbs to four seasons, five inner organs to five
elements.
Confucians place tremendous faith and responsibility on humanity and believe that it is not only
possible but it is a duty for mankind to behave morally and to do the right things to form a
harmonious society. This is part of the organic universe. In this way, the perfection of human
virtues has acquired a spiritual nature. Therefore, even Confucianism is not a religion but it is a
spiritual belief system.
4~6. The proverb is profoundly sociological. It recognizes an individual not as a solitary being
but a basic social unit. An individual is never a lone “self” but in a role defined by relations with
others: a father, a son, a daughter, a friend, a citizen and more. Actions of an individual affect
the welfare of the group. The Confucian ethic world places individual in the center of a web of
social groups. So, morality is not derived from God but from the relationship you have with
others and the judgment of others on how good you are a member of group. Confucianism
requires a tremendous sense of responsibility from individual.
It is an important conceptual cycle from individual to family to community to country and to the
world. So, you, me and everyone else, is the start of this ethical order. We will be judged by our
action towards others. It begins with your most important relations—your family. In sociology,
we call it the primary group–people you have intimate and emotional bonds with. It makes
sense that the first test should be your actions towards your family—your parents, siblings, your
husband or wife, your children, your grandparents and your other relatives. If everyone in family
does their duty, each family will be in harmony; if every family does its duty, each community
will be at peace; if every community does its duty, the country will be at peace and so on.
7. “Grand Harmony” is what Confucians see as the ultimate goal of the world. Harmony (和 he)
came from its old origin of 龢. The left part of the word represents a music instrument, so
harmony means “harmonizing multi-tones.” From music, harmony is extended to mean an
orderly combination of different elements, by which a new unity comes into being. Harmony is
to produce, to transform and to grow. Harmony is necessary for the peaceful life of individuals,
the family and the state. Harmonizing different elements is to produce and transform to
something better.
According to Confucianism, solution to personal conflicts should be first tested and applied in
the family, which is the cornerstone of order and peace in the world. “If only everyone loved his
parents and treated his elders with difference, the whole world would be at peace.” For those
who are of the ruling class, their virtues in family affairs are even more significant. Confucius
would see all the personal scandals of the Washington DC as reflection of chaos and decline of
the country. The next relation is between oneself and others. Harmony is the result of an
appropriate accommodation of one’s own desires to the needs of others. The third one is the
relation between the state and its people. In a Confucian context, a state is nothing more than
an enlarged form of family and the relations between the ruler and the subjects, and those who
govern and those who are governed are like the relations between parents and their children.
In order to achieve harmonious relations in all these circumstances, Confucians promote three
important virtues.
8. The first ethic principle is Ren. It can be translated as “benevolence,” “compassion” and
“humaneness.” The left component of the character is for “a human being,” and the right
component is for numeral number of 2. So, why was the character constructed in this way? Why
does virtue have to be about two human beings coming into contact with one another? Again,
for Confucians, virtues and moralities all have to be defined in social setting, to be judged by
your actions towards others.
9. The second important virtue is filial piety 孝. The character depicts a little boy (子) supporting
an old person with a cane (老)。 It is defined as devotion to one’s parents and family members.
Family relationships in the Confucian classics are threefold, that is, between parents and
children, between a husband and his wife, and between elder and younger siblings. Of these
three relations the first and the foremost is that between parents and children, in which the
primary responsibility for family harmony is laid on the children. It is assumed that parents
should first be loving and responsible parents. The tension between different generations is
reduced through the respect, reverence and service that the younger pays or provides to the
elder. So, harmony in family is this reciprocal relationship, in which senior members of the
family do their duty to care for the young and in return the young pay respect and devotion.
Filial piety nurtures a deep emotional and obligation bond between parents and children. If one
wants to look at the relation sociologically, it functions as a guarantee for stable family structure
as a reproduction unit, an economic unity, a safety net and cultural continuity.
Then, filial piety is also a virtue that should be applied to other social relations:
“Few of those who are filial sons and respectful brothers will show disrespect to
superiors, and there has never been a man who is respectful to superiors and yet creates
disorder. A superior man is devoted to the fundamental. When the root is firmly
established, the moral law will grow. Filial piety and brotherly respect are the root of
humanity.”
If superiors (those with authority) and inferiors (those without authority) can be like
father and son in a family, bonded together with the principle of filial piety, then the
society will be in harmony. Those who govern care for those who are governed, in
return, those who are governed serve and obey.
10. Confucianism is a tradition of ritual/propriety (lijiao 礼教: ritual teachings). This principle of
Confucian virtue is often being regarded as expression of Confucian religiosity. The old style
character (see the slide) for ritual originally means “display divination vessels.” Sacrifice rituals
to the Heaven and to ancestors were the first set of rituals studied and refined by Confucian
scholars. These rituals were practiced in a distance past before Confucius’ time but he insisted
to continue performing them because they had other functions than simply praying to gods and
ancestors.
Later, of course, ritualized performances in social setting were developed and elaborated as an
th
important component of Confucianism. Like in this woodcarving from 17 century illustrated
how people should greet each other by different social relations. Can you guess which set is
between a teacher and a student? 
The photo shows the modern day Japanese learning to ritual greetings.
Confucians regard rituals as a vehicle by which virtue and the meaning of life are manifested. It
has religious, social and psychological dimensions and its meaning extends from ritual to
propriety, from civil laws to codified customs, and from moral rules to internalized senses for
thinking, feeling and acting.
Religious: rituals by which humans communicate with spiritual powers. (Think about rituals in
religious ceremonies)
Social: the web of ritual gives everyone a special position in family, community and society, that
enables one to assess what one should or should not to in a particular circumstance and to
formulate one’s words and actions accordingly. (Think about the rituals at your family
Christmas Dinner table)
Psychological: similar to the harmony in music, following rules is an enjoyable experience,
enable all feelings and emotions to be harmonized and expressed in proper measure. (Think
about memorial service for the deceased)
11. Let us put Confucian virtues in a sociological perspective. Social norms provide guidance for
our behaviors. When a mother warns a child “to behave,” she is saying there is a rule and you
are not going to break it. Li—rituals are meaningful rules regulating behaviors. They serve to
reduce ego, to make you selfless. When you participate in rituals, it does two things to you:
1. Your submission to something bigger and larger than yourself;
2. It links to the past because rituals have history.
These two things are all ego reduction and biding oneself to others.
12. In Confucian world, none of us are alone. A strong sense of belonging to human race,
belong to family, group and community, is essential to Confucianism. Society is an organic
whole, just like the universe. In the Confucian tradition, human relatedness is the primary given.
Human beings exist in a social context. They learn from one another, they interact with one
another. To practice “Ren” is to practice the so-called “Golden rule”: “So in everything, do to
others what you would have them do to you.”
13. Confucius identified five cardinal relationships that encompassed all the human relations in
society. Each of the relationships can be seen to deal with some particular sets of reciprocal
obligations between superior and inferior. We do need to understand that Confucius did not
use the words of superior and inferior exactly. However, he did not see any set of relationship as
an equal one either. They are certainly hierarchical. The best translation is probably
“benefactors and beneficiaries.” In relationships, there is always one side that bears the duty to
initiate good behaviors. In these five cardinal relationships, it is the emperor, the father, the
husband, the elder sibling, and the senior friend who bear the responsibility as superiors to
behave well first in order to win the respect and obedience of the other side.
When we are young, we are mostly beneficiaries in debt of our parents and others. This
changes when our parents get old and we grow up. The role of benefactors and beneficiaries
reverses.
14. So, how can we learn to be a human? Confucius suggested two words: learn (xue 学）and
teach (jiao 教).
He believed that human nature is good and must have desire to learn, or to be socialized in
sociological term. He also believed that to teach is by setting examples. “Do it yourself is the
best teaching (以身为教).” We practice xue and jiao, both the role of student and teacher, all
the time through our life.

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