Overview:

Confucianism was originated in western China and formed in 500 B.C.E. It was a
practice of many gods and the leader was Confucious. It is sometimes viewed as
philosophy rather than a religion. The main principle of the religion is to have a
good character. It is viewed as a optimistic view of human nature. It did not perform
any special rituals for this religion.
Origins:

Confucianism- Western Chian

Confucianism

Founders of Confucianism:
Confucianism was found in China by Master Kong in 551- 479BC (Confucius by Jesuit
missionaries)

Sacred Texts:
Sacred Texts were created by Chu His (1130- 1200 CE).

Lun Yu (Analects of Confucius) The most revered sacred scripture in the

Confucian tradiiton.
Chung Yung (Doctrine of the Mean) It is the most mystical in nature among
the texts of the Confucian Canon, talking about the rituals and relationships
of Heaven and Earth.
Meng Tzu (Mencius) A philisopher who, like Confucius, traveled from state to
state conversing with the government rulers.
Ta Hsueh (Great Learning) It was written by Confuciuss grandson or one of
his disciples.
The Core Beliefs of the confuisianisms:

There is no natural order in the universe

Each person has a place in society which reflects position in universe
Education is very imporatnt
Confucianism impacted Ancient China by:

Bringing stability into a country which had been effected in many ways
Creating a school; young boys that went to school and were educated by the
Confucianism way became scholars
Society was stable and had a good economy, many people viewed it as a
perfect society
Timeline:

1045-771 B.C.E. Western Zhou

1043 B.C.E. Duke of Zhou (Zhou Gong Dan) becomes the Regent to the King of Zhou
771-256 B.C.E. Eastern Zhou Dynasty
722-476 B.C.E. Spring and Autumn Period
551 B.C.E. Confucius is born in Qufu
549 B.C.E. Confucius father dies
535 B.C.E. Confucius mother dies
533 B.C.E. Confucius got married and appointed the manager of the state of Lus
granary (grain was used as money then)

532 B.C.E. Birth of Confucius son, named Li. Confucius appointed the state of Lus
Husbandry Manager.
522 B.C.E. Confucius starts his own private school
518 B.C.E. Legendary meeting between Confucius and Lao-Tzu (founder of Taoism)
501 B.C.E. Confucius is appointed the Chief Magistrate (Mayor) of Zhongdu
500 B.C.E. Confucius is appointed the Minister of Justice for the Kingdom of Lu
497 B.C.E. Confucius leaves the state of Lu and heads to Wei to try to promote his
ideas
484 B.C.E. Confucius returns home to Qufu in Lu and focuses on teaching
479 B.C.E. Confucius dies
221-206 B.C.E. Qin Dynasty Emperor orders the burning of Confucian texts and kills
many Confucian scholars. Qin Shi Huang Di favored Legalism.
206 B.C.E.-220 C.E. Han Dynasty honors Confucian ideals. Civil Service Examination
system is introduced. Local officials would select candidates to take part in
examination system of the Confucian Classics.
220-280 C.E. Three Kingdoms Period. Imperial officials were responsible for
assessing the quality talents recommended by the officials.
500s C.E. Confucianism introduced to Japan by Paekche kingdom from Korea.
581-618 C.E. Sui Dynasty. Emperor Yang divides the examinations into categories of
local talents.
604 C.E. Japans Prince Shotoku introduces 17 Article Constitution with moral
commandments largely based on the Analects of Confucius.
958 C.E. King Gwangjong of the Goryeo Kingdom in Korea establishes a national civil
service exam based on Confucianism.

960-1279 C.E. Song Dynasty. Most civil servants were appointed to their positions
based on their passing of the Civil Service Exams. Still, most came from wealthy
families since they could afford tutors/schooling.
992 C.E .Korean Goryeo King Seongjong establishes the Gukjagam school for
Confucian classics.
1100s C.E. Neo-Confucianism (Zhu Xi interpretation) introduced to Japan (known in
Japan as Shushigaku)
1271-1368 C.E. Yuan Dynasty. Civil Service Examination system abolished at the
beginning of the dynasty. It was restored in in 1315 by Emporer Renzong.
1368-1644 C.E. Ming Dynasty. Civil Service Examination system thrived.
1392 C.E. Yangban (Confucian scholar class) thrives under the Joseon Dynasty of
Korea.
1603 C.E. Japan Shogun Tokugawa leyasu establishes bureaucratic government
based on Neo-Confucianism principles.
1644-1905 C.E. Qing Dynasty. Civil Service Examination system thrived until
it was discontinued by the throne.
Spread of Growth
The Burning of the Books and Burying of the Scholars resulted in the destruction of
large numbers of books, and very probably some Confucian texts. Nonetheless,
Confucianism survived this suppression, some say because a scholar hid the texts in
the walls of his house.
After the Qin, the new Han Dynasty approved of Confucian doctrine and sponsored
Confucian scholars, eventually making Confucianism the official state philosophy
(see Emperor Wu of Han). Study of the Confucian classics became the basis of the
government examination system and the core of the educational curriculum.
Temples of Confucius were established throughout the land to propagate the state
cult of Confucius. No serious attempt to replace Confucianism arose until the May
4th Movement in the 20th century, although there were Emperors who gave
increased favor to Daoism or Buddhism.
Beginning in the Tang Dynasty, but especially during the Song Dynasty, the NeoConfucians sought to bring renewed vigor to Confucianism. Zhu Xi, Wang Yangming
and the other Neo-Confucians gave Confucianism a more thorough system of
metaphysics and distilled a more clearly codified value structure from the ideas of
Confucius and his early disciples.

After its reformulation as Neo-Confucianism, both Korea and Japan adopted

Confucianism as their state philosophies. Korea during the Yi Dynasty has been
described as a "Confucian state."
In the 1960s, Confucianism was attacked during the Cultural Revolution in the
People's Republic of China. It was seen as the crux of the old feudal system and an
obstacle to China's modernization. It is, however, arguable that Confucianism
influenced Chinese society even during the Cultural Revolution, and its influence is
still strong in modern-day mainland China. Both interest in and debate about
Confucianism have surged.
In the modern world, there are many signs of Confucianism's influence. Many
sources, including the Baltimore Sun (U.S.), have called Singapore the modern
world's "only Confucian state." However, it is doubtful that Singapore is truly a
thoroughgoing Confucian state because Singapore is a multicultural society in which
only a portion of the society is committed specifically to Confucian ideals. The
actual influence of Confucianism on South Korea, however, is still very great. The
Asian values debate of the 1990s stems in large part from the question of the role of
Confucian social approaches in modern societies, especially economic development.
Modern movements such as New Confucianism seek to find new inspiration from the
thought system of Confucius and his followers.

Map:

Bibliograghy
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"Confucius and Confucianism." (2005): n. pag. Web.
"Impacts on Society." Ancient China: Confucianism. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2015.
"Exploring Chinese History :: Culture :: Philosophy :: Confucianism."Exploring Chinese History ::
Culture :: Philosophy :: Confucianism. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2015.
"Review: Women and Confucian Cultures in Premodern China, Korea, and Japan." Asian Affairs 31.2
(2004): 124-25. Web