 Born in the year 551 B.C., Confucius was a great ideologist and teacher. His name is Qiu and also styled Zhongni. He was born in the Lu State in the Spring and Autumn period. He died in the year 479 B.C..
His ancestry is unknown. According to historical records, Confucius was mostly self-educated as a youth. Later he became a teacher, philosopher and political theorist, but was unable to assume a worthwhile position where he could put his theories into practice. After years of traveling, he returned home to continue teaching until his death at the age of 72. Although during his lifetime he had little influence outside his own band of disciples, Confucianism has been the dominant philosophical system in China for over 2000 years.
Confucius was a great philosopher. He created the school of Confucian thought, allowing others to learn about his own philosophy of benevolence towards others. He believed that the wealthy and powerful should show consideration for the common people. They should resist exploiting civilians in order to avoid conflicts between the ruling class and commoners. Confucius was especially opposed to tyranny and random killings. His philosophy also emphasized the importance of kindness, prudence, good manners, and righteousness. The principles of Confucianism had a great impact on Chinese feudal society, which lasted over two thousand years. As a result, Confucian teachings have permeated into modern Chinese life and culture.
Confucius was also a great educator. In a slave society, only those from noble families could go to school. Education was monopolized by the elite. Confucius changed this by opening private schools and recruiting disciples.He successfully brought education to the whole of society. It is said that Confucius advocated the pedagogic principles of “no children should be left behind”( 有教无类) and “teaching students in accordance with their aptitude” (因材施教). He asked the students to review their studies often. He said you could discover new things (truths) by studying the past. The attitude one has towards studying should also be sincere. He said “to see knowledge as knowledge and ignorance as ignorance”. One should combine studies with thoughtfulness.
It is said that in his later years Confucius edited ancient cultural books “诗书”. One particularly important book he edited was “The Spring and Autumn”, which has played an important role in preserving China’s ancient culture.
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Director: Liu Chi