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The importance of family in ancient Chinese civilization
The rise and fall of dynasties in china
Social hierarchy of ancient china
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Successful Points of the Ancient Chinese Civilization
The Ancient Chinese civilization went through a series of successful social affairs as well
as a series of social disarray. Each Dynasty resulted in slightly different reforms, but it seems as
though the overall Chinese population held the same general beliefs on such things as family,
education and the civilization as a whole. I believe that these morals are what really held the
Chinese civilization together in times of conflict and political division.
FAMILY
A Chinese family was traditionally very large. It was what would be called an "extensive
family" today. The grandparents, parents, and children of one family all lived together. It was
considered a sign of good luck and happiness, if five generations lived together at one time. In
Ancient China, the family was a strict hierarchy:
father
sons (oldest to youngest)
mother
daughters (oldest to youngest)
Being the ruler in his home, the father assigned his children's careers, determined their education,
arranged their marriages, gave rewards or pun...
The caste system played a great part in religion and philosophies as well. As shown in the graphic organizer, Father>son, older brother>younger brother. This supports the evidence of a caste system in china, not as strict as the caste system in Ancient India. The caste systems were separated by power, a father being more powerful than his son, and wife. His older son will have more power over the younger son, but the father has the power to control all of his sons. This was similar to the Indian caste system. Brahmins had more power over
Looking back to explore some our most memorable early civilizations and their history of women’s roles the results may be surprising. Egypt and China civilizations were too very vital periods in shaping worldwide cultures and traditions. Both societies had values that some still stands on today as well as ones that have evolved.
China is a country that has traditionally had a clearly defined social hierarchy. The teachings of Confucius, the famous Chinese philosopher, embodied the Chinese social structure. He thought set roles and rank were vital for a society to function harmoniously. If an individual tried to deviate from their prescribed role, the country’s social order would be threatened. For centuries, China has had a citizenship comprised of 80% to 90% farmers, a small amount of specialized craftsmen, and a few elite families that controlled and drove society. Through the generations, the strictly defined roles of Confucius have died away, but his ideas of hierarchy are still ingrained in the Chinese way of thinking.
The rise and fall of dynasties is a commonly discussed characteristic of the Chinese. The Shang dynasty (1500-1050 B.C.E.) was the foundation of innovative and progressive movements with the first to achieve a working writing system, metalworking, municipalities, and chariots. They believed in sacrificing the captives, who were excluded to being slaves, to the gods and ancestors for this was thought to be an aim for going to war. The invention of writing proved to be a phenomenal improvement as they could now keep records and deliver messages to the commanders of their armies far off at war. They used the logographic system; a word is represented by a pictoral sign which made literacy a royal attribute. With the successes of this risen dynasty, history tells us it must fall so another can be born for a balance in control can be established. An empire known as the Zhou dynasty (1050-256 B.C.E.) ov...
The success in Han China can also be attributed to powerful leadership and military forces. The Han in China can be used as a term to designate a specific ethnicity
Many Chinese social changes occurred during the Han dynasty. Nuclear families became more common due to the free peasantry that developed in China. However, joint families also remained common throughout the countryside. Women in China continued to be less dominant than men in society. They were expected to be selfless, humble, diligent, and courteous. Advanced cities increasingly developed along trade routes and rivers, despite many Chinese people persistently living in rural regions. The biggest and most extravagant of these cities was Chang’an, the capital.
The early Zhou rulers set up a decentralized feudal system instead of trying to directly rule all their territories. Relatives and trusted subordinates ruled these territories and the positions became hereditary, letting them pass on the position to their sons. After a long time, loyalty grew more obscure and the lords became too powerful and no longer obeyed the king. An alliance of the Rong tribesmen killed the Zhou king and the Zhou Dynasty couldn’t get full control over its vassals again, bringing China into what is called the Warring States Period. The states fought and destroyed each other and were in constant warfare for a long period of time before finally the Qin took over.
...aused the Roman Empire to disintegrate and fragmentize into small Germanic kingdoms, around 425 -476 B.CE. However, this occurred only in the west. The Byzantine Empire remained intact, preserving Roman culture and traditions. After the Han Dynasty subsided, the Chinese endured political decentralization, but the Confucian ideologies, that were an integral part of their culture, were never abandoned.
Confucius once stated, “Study the past, if you would divine in the future.” This means that if you want to get a good idea of your future, then you should study your past. In addition, if you do not study your past then you may make the same mistakes in your future. There are multiple changes that have occurred in China throughout history that shaped the country into its current state. For example, though China was mainly secluded after the communist revolution, it has opened its doors to the rest of the world again. Of course, all of these changes have advantages and disadvantages. Lu Xun and Li Po, who are both very influential Chinese authors, would agree that there are still changes that need to be made. Although China has advanced economically, the country is declining environmentally and socially. Moreover, there is a lack of trust between the citizens of China and the Chinese government. As Confucius stated, China needs to study its history so it can avoid future mistakes. The country should look back at its Sage emperors and their ways to deemphasize political status and focus on moral status.
Historically, the Chinese have considered the family as the basic unit of society. Familial principles such as obedience, loyalty, and kinship have been cherished in all states. In premodern China, many philosophers discussed their own beliefs about family. Confucius and other philosophers defined that an exemplary family was the one in which parents cared about their children, and children obeyed their parents. The Analects of Confucius discusses filiality, a traditional obedience to parents and ancestors, as its central theme. When an individual understands the concept of filiality and practices it, he can establish his moral way of behaving. Deference to elders in a family is considered the roots for accomplishing one’s comprehensive ethics. In the Han dynasty, filial piety was a political ideal as well as a familial virtue. Thus, emphasis on this familial virtue increased significantly. Confucius argued that filial piety begins with serving one’s parents and continues with serving the emperor. Being obedient to one’s parents was a prerequisite to being loyal to the emperor. On th...
This essay gives an overview of early civilization in China and the different periods within this era. Also, it includes political and cultural pursuits of the people within this time period and the struggles of the Asian peoples and their religious beliefs and community uniqueness and differences.
A family might include anyone related by blood or by adoption such as: step parents, grandparents acting as parents, and even brothers and sisters sharing the same household. However, worldwide “the family is regarded as the most ba...
Overview of Chinese Culture, p16). China has a variety of languages, dialects and all these varieties belong to the Sino-Tibetan family of languages according to China – Languages, Culture, Customs and Etiquette, (2014). There is also the need for an individual to be affiliated with either a family, workgroup, school or even country thereby making the Chinese culture a collective society according to China – Languages, Cultures, Customs and Etiquette, (2014).
A more sociological meaning of family is; "a connection gathering which accommodate the raising of youngsters and for certain other human needs."
The definitions of a family today and a family in the past are far from similar. The definitions may have some similarities but they have changed dramatically in many more ways. 50 years ago, families had rules that were stricter and families were closer in the sense of a relationship. Although some families today are more distant from each other and have fewer rules to maintain order, there are still some that maintain the same styles of the families 50 years ago. Families have changed a lot but still have some similarities depending on their home-life.