During the Eastern Zhou era (770-256 B.C.E), a numerous number of Chinese noble struggled for supremacy. These Chinese nobles acted as independent warriors in their own realm and imposed their own way of ruling. Consequently, the Chinese sense of unity and central authority ceased and the Zhou dynasty ended. The fall of the Zhou dynasty led to chaos, which lasted for about two centuries. The duration of anarchy was called the “Warring States Period” (403-221 B.C.E). During this period, the chaos of political instability and constant warfare divided China. Yet as conflict divided China, commerce formed new connections and intellectual revolution occurred. Many intellectual thinkers arose amidst the intense turmoil following the collapse of
…show more content…
This learning process contributed to character building ofConfucius. Hedescribed his own lifetime, “At fifteen, my heart was set upon learning; at thirty, I had become established; at forty, I was no longer perplexed; at fifty, I knew what is ordained by Heaven; at sixty, I obeyed; at seventy, I could follow my heart’s desires without transgressing the line (2:4).” In innumerable ways, he was a revolutionary teacher. He put great emphasis on learning because he believed that education could shorten the gap on differences among all human beings who, “by nature close together; through practice set them apart (17:2).” He spent many years of his lifetime travelling from a feudal state to another to gain audience for his ideas, but he was never awarded with a high post. Confucius felt that besides learning skills such as writing, music and mathematics, students should also learn to be virtuous to achieve moral character and live a life of harmony. Convinced that he had failed to halt what he believed makes a unified, stable and enduring Chinese society, he died at the age of seventy-two. He died without knowing the impact his ideas and his example as a teacher would have for centuries to come. Despite of this, Confucius’ followers achieved high positions of responsibility and became teachers themselves, disseminating his ideas throughout East Asia. Confucius’ teachings were compiled into a book called the Analects. Throughout the imperial period, it became a necessity to have an extensive knowledge of the fundamental texts of Confucianism in order to pass civil service selection examinations. As a result, Confucian Classics became the core curriculum for all educational levels during this period. In addition, a display of Confucius’ writings and Confucius statue was prominent among people’s
This learning process contributed to character building ofConfucius. Hedescribed his own lifetime, “At fifteen, my heart was set upon learning; at thirty, I had become established; at forty, I was no longer perplexed; at fifty, I knew what is ordained by Heaven; at sixty, I obeyed; at seventy, I could follow my heart’s desires without transgressing the line (2:4).” In innumerable ways, he was a revolutionary teacher. He put great emphasis on learning because he believed that education could shorten the gap on differences among all human beings who, “by nature close together; through practice set them apart (17:2).” He spent many years of his lifetime travelling from a feudal state to another to gain audience for his ideas, but he was never awarded with a high post. Confucius felt that besides learning skills such as writing, music and mathematics, students should also learn to be virtuous to achieve moral character and live a life of harmony. Convinced that he had failed to halt what he believed makes a unified, stable and enduring Chinese society, he died at the age of seventy-two. He died without knowing the impact his ideas and his example as a teacher would have for centuries to come. Despite of this, Confucius’ followers achieved high positions of responsibility and became teachers themselves, disseminating his ideas throughout East Asia. Confucius’ teachings were compiled into a book called the Analects. Throughout the imperial period, it became a necessity to have an extensive knowledge of the fundamental texts of Confucianism in order to pass civil service selection examinations. As a result, Confucian Classics became the core curriculum for all educational levels during this period. In addition, a display of Confucius’ writings and Confucius statue was prominent among people’s