Ancient China and

Confucius
Philosophies

The earliest discovered written

record of China's past dates
from the Shang Dynasty in
perhaps the 13th century BC,
and takes the form of
inscriptions of divination
records on the bones or shells
of animalsthe so-called

 By the end of the 2nd millennium

BC, the Zhou Dynasty began to
emerge in the Yellow River valley,
overrunning the Shang. The Zhou
appeared to have begun their rule
under a semi-feudal system.
It was the longest lasting dynasty
and spans the period in which the
written script evolved from ancient
oracle script to the beginnings of
modern Chinese writing.

 The king of Zhou at this time invoked

the concept of the Mandate of Heaven
to legitimize his rule, a concept that
would be influential for almost every
successive dynasty.
The Zhou initially moved their capital
west to an area near modern Xi'an,
near the Yellow River, but they would
preside over a series of expansions
into the Yangtze River valley.
This would be the first of many
population migrations from north to
south in Chinese history.

-all three are

cultural
foundations, all
three are essential
to shaping Asia
-the oldest is
Confucianism
-the youngest is
Buddhism

Where was he from?

What was his background?
What was his job for much of his life?
What is ren?
What is li?
What are the 5 Relationships according to
Confucius?
What is filial piety?
What was Confucius' alternative to rule
by aristocracy?
What is the Mandate of Heaven?

 How should we describe the era in which

Confucius lived?
How should we understand Confucius
life?
What are the pros and cons of rule by
inheritance? Aristocracy? Meritocracy?
Add Confucius to TimelineXe (551-479
BCE)

Confucius
Documentary
Ques.

What was China like when

Confucius was born?
What was Confucius's ultimate
goal?
Describe Confucius's family and
how his family situation shaped
the rest of his life and his overall
teaching.

 What other early experiences

beyond his family life shaped the
teachings and beliefs of Confucius?
Be specific.
According to Confucius what is a
man's honor determined by?
How would you summarize the
overall condition of China during the
time of Confucius?

Confucius Analects

Group
Group
Group
Group

1:Gentlemen
2:Filial Piety
3:Government
4: Humanity

Re-Write the Analects

Share the analect re-writes, what

general conclusions can you say
about each of the four topics.
Would you want to live in a society
governed by the words of
Confucius? Why or Why not?
Where can you see Confucianism
alive and well within Taiwan?

Understanding Lao
Zi

Lao Zi [name means "old master"]:

Probably lived during the 5th century BCE in
China, though there is much debate about who
he was, or whether he was one person, many,
or just someone who has been attributed to a
book called the Dao de jing
Product of the chaotic era of the Zhou dynasty
[same as Confucius]
Concerned with how to control/overcome the
chaos of the same era of Confucius
Often taught alongside Confucianism

Han Fei

Born approximately 280 BCE; Died

in 233 BCE [3rd century BCE]
Member of a ruling family in the
warring states period
Originally studied under a Confucian
scholar, but abandoned these
studies because he did not believe
that these ideas would work