Confucius

Confucius was a sage. A sage is a very wise man. Confucius was not well known when he was alive, but today he is the most remembered person from ancient China. Confucius was born in 551BC, in a period of Chinese history known as the Age of Warring States. China was divided into many small kingdoms. The kings fought one another and were often cruel to the people they ruled. Confucius advised many leaders that neither peace nor justice were not possible without good government, and that good government was possible only when there were good leaders.

Confucius was concerned with how people treat one another. He said, "What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others." Confucius stressed that any person, rich or poor, could become superior. The Chinese word jen refers to the kindness and love each person should have for all others and for nature. Confucius believed that the person who develops jen becomes superior. Confucius taught that government officials should not use family connections to get their positions. The officials should instead earn their jobs through education and talent. Many years after Confucius died, China set up an examination system. Students had to show they read and wrote well. They also had to demonstrate their knowledge of Confucius and his philosophy.

Confucius believed that society functions best if everyone respected laws and behaved according to their position. He taught that parents were superior to children, men superior to women, and rulers superior to subjects. Confucius said, "Let the ruler rule as he should and the minister be a minister as he should. Let the father act as the father should and the son act as the son should."

Despite his obscure life, Confucius left an amazing legacy. A legacy is something handed down from the past. Confucius never wrote down his philosophy, but he made an enormous impact on many people. His students compiled a book known as the Analects after Confucius died. The Analects became the model for official and personal behavior for many Chinese people. Many governments tried to suppress the teachings of Confucius, but his philosophy remains an important part of Chinese culture to this day.

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