Demography
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| Great Wall of China |
Geographical Features
China's culture and civilization are as old as it is the widest country. There is one mountainous peak which is more than 24 thousand feet high that is one the highest peaks in the world. On the contrary hand, there is a region in the north-west that is the lowest in the world. It is 505 feet lowest than the sea level and is known as lower Turfan.
The Great Wall
The Great Wall of China passes through the Northern provinces. It is 1500 miles long. It passes through mountains, plains, deserts, and valleys. It was constructed 2000 years ago. It was of great significant importance at that time. It defended the Chinese against the invaders from the northern regions who used to invade other areas, plunder heinously, and slaughter the people mercilessly.
All these ruthless practices came to an end and a long-lasting peace was restored due to the Wall of China. Of course, it has lost its previous grandeur. However, it proves to be a hallmark of splendor, vision, and architectural skills of its inventors.
Science and Knowledge
The Chinese for the ancient times have been marvelous in the field of scientific inventions and discoveries. These are the evidence of the fact that the knowledge kindles use to lit in China even when the majority of countries were smugly ignorant and vagabond.
1. These were Chinese who invented how to utilize coal as a fire.
2. During the 4th century AD, China acquired expertise in the knowledge of melting Iron.
3. Their experts discovered the volume of the dents on the surface of the Sun in 28 BC.
4. In 132 AD, they invented an instrument that can predict earthquakes and the intensity of its epic center.
5. The Chinese experts discovered the elements of gunpowder. During this time, gunpowder was not used to destroy humans. It was used to manufacture firecrackers that were detonated to expel the negative evils.
6. During the 2nd century AD, the Chinese invented the paper industry which started to manufacture it by using tree skins and retired clothes. This industry was a cause to revolutionize the expansion of science and knowledge. Later on, the books were started to be published in blocs after 500 years of the invention of the paper.
7. In the 10th century AD, the books not only in China but also in Korea and Japan started to be published in large numbers. With the expansion of Buddhism in China, the engineering and art development of China expanded.
Given the Multidimensional features of China, the Chinese established not only religions but also music in a great effort. There are further characteristics that reveal how China is rich from ancient times.
Economy
Although the Chinese researchers, scholars, and scientists contributed tremendously to the scientific discoveries and industrial inventories yet the Chinese public economy used to depend largely on agriculture. They lagged in agricultural methods which can be taken into account as follows:
1. Their agricultural methods were ancient.
2. Their agricultural instruments were also outdated. 3. They cultivate wheat, Milo, and rice. 4. They feed live-stock.
5. They utilize their milk and meat as food.
6. They liked the meat of pigs and dogs particularly. 7. Arrow and bow were considered as the best weapons of the Chinese. 8. They fought against the enemy in war through these weapons and hunted animals in peace.
Politics
The politics of ancient China can be observed as follows:
1. The crown was an inheritance in the Royal family.
2. After the death of the King, they didn’t make the son of the king a new king. Instead, they selected his brother as king.
3. The prime responsibility of the king was to command the armed forces.
4. The religious ritual and other customs were also performed by the King.
5. In this regard, an educated cohort of monks used to assist him.
6. The said monks used to be expert in astrology who used to assist the King in the performance of religious rituals.
7. The Calendar the Chinese used was not based on Sun consideration but was based on the Moon. The said monks were assigned the responsibility of preparing a moon based calendar.
Society
The Chinese society can be considered as follows:
1. A family was the first entity of Chinese society.
2. In ordinary public, only one marriage used to take place whereas there were many wives in the Harems of kings and aristocrats. There was no restriction on the multi-marriage for them.
3. In the High Families, the women were enjoying honor and respect.
4. Slavery was a custom.
5. The Chinese society was divided into many segments and classes.
Religion
The condition of religion in China can be considered as follows:
1. In the Shang Family, the Chinese used to worship different natural entities including land, river, winds, and directions such as east and west.
2. The Chinese used to sacrifice animals for them. Usually, the meat of animals was burnt. Alcohol was also a sacrifice.
3. Though Shang was civilized yet they had a culture of sacrificing humans at the slaughter of their gods. Prisoners were sacrificed for this purpose. Military adventures were dispatched to capture non-Chinese for the performing sacrifice for their gods.
4. They worshiped only those gods whom they believed to be gods of rain, growing good corps, and defeating enemies in war.
5. The name of their gods was Shang-T II who was responsible for doing all the said above chores. There is no proof that the religion in China was to advocate ethics and spirituality. Nonetheless, it was associated with human prosperity and betterment much like the religions in Neinwa and Babul. On the other hand, their worshipers used to expect only from them to ensure their prosperity rather than to impart them education of ethics and piousness.
6. Chinese used to worship the demons of natural entities. They believed that the spirits of their ancestors were able to give financial betterment for their upcoming generations. To please their gods, the Chinese considered it necessary to prepare meals and cooking. Chinese also merge their precious possessions along with their dead ones.
Confucius China
In 551 BC, a wise man was born in China who was renowned as Confucius. He came off a small feudalistic state, namely Lu. He used to wonder in china for a purpose that he might find a ruler who would pursue the ethos he had established and also would make it mandatory for people to follow. Although he with failures regarding his mission died in 479 BC yet his teachings had such impacts that even after 2000 years of his death, peoples in China follow him regularly. He was neither prophet nor a philosophy. However, his teachings consisted of ethics and pious principles that till the Chinese revolution in 1911 AD, the Chinese public used to worship him.
There is a little difference between Buddhism and Confucius which can be taken into account as follows:
Human is alive and Buddhism does not deliver to the life.
Buddhism is tacit upon the ethical principles. It does not require its adherents to follow such principles that may beatify both aspects of humans’ life.
Confucius Background
Confucius came off a middle class. He was born when his father had grown old who was a gentle soldier namely K, Ung. His family was not rich. Instead of poverty, people used to respect this family. When he was 21 years old, he started to attract his friends to his institute were taking admission was available only for the rich but the poor can also take admission in it.
His simple and comprehensible teachings tempted people to follow it and within a little time, he became renewed. At the age of 50, he got a job at the court of Duke of Lu. But the job was quieted when a band of actresses made the Duke morally corrupt in a concert.
Confucius believed that he could not propagate his ideologies while staying at the court. The duke will neither follow nor tempt people to follow the Confucius teachings. He then reached to every state’s ruler but could not find a ruler who can establish the said above ideologies. At last, he returned to his homeland and died at the age of 72 years.
His Ruling Thoughts
1. According to him, a state is a natural institution whose main responsibility is to ensure society's prosperity and individual growth. He maintains that the state is to serve humans. A human is not to serve the state.
2. Morally, good character emphasizing sympathy with friends, good behavior, cooperation, and sympathetic sentiments starts from home and takes a shape of a friends circle at the end.
3. Among human relations, the following five relations are of significant importance: ruler and subject, 2) father and son, 3) older brother and younger, 4) husband and wife, 5) friends and friends.
4. He emphasizes the need for a fact that the human should become first a mark of pride in his clan and tribe and then should assert the same at the international community level.
Mencius
The best representative of Confucius was born 100 years after the demise of Confucius and was namely Mencius. He believed in the good nature of humans.
2. He stressed the need of prospering the dormant qualities of a human.
3. He was an advocate of making the material life of humans better.
Confucianism Established in China
After he died, his followers who were occupying high positions in the governments and bureaucracy taught his teachings enormously and were cause to establish in every corner of China. For the last 2000 years, the dogmas of Confucius including worshiping the forefathers and king are a matter of console for the followers of Confucius. The governmental dynasties that lasted for long period asserted to establish the said above dogmas.
Alterations in Confucius
Over time, several alterations intruded into Confucianism. Thus, Confucius was taken as a god and he had been worshiped onward. By dint of the said above dogma, many strong and justice-loving governments prevailed in China. However, the cruel rulers started to exploit the subject who raised voices against the oppression and tyrannies of governments and kings.
Wiseman before Confucius
Confucius was not a sole man who was born in China. Nonetheless, it is narrated that in 666 BC, a woman started to sing the songs of glorification in the time of the Chu dynasty. She got pregnant when she saw that a star was falling from the sky.
After 62 years, she gave birth to a boy who had white ears and could talk easily. He was known as Lao-tzu who got futile from the exploitative rulers of that time. At the age of 160 years, he had a ride on a yolk cart and started to travel towards the west. At a place on the Yellow River, a guard who understood that a Wise-man was leaving the world requested to the wise man to stop and let him write his thoughts. At that time, Lao-tzu wrote a book containing 5000 characters. This manuscript is considered as the first commandment for the Taos religion.
Confucianism and Prominent Feature
The Chinese have a unique feature that is unprecedented in the world. No nation can match with the Chinese in this regard. Chinese follow many religions at a time. If they accept Buddhism, they don't need to denounce Confucius or Taoism first and then to accept the new religion. They can follow the whole three religions jointly. Accordingly, they follow the teachings of religion everywhere they consider it useful for routinely matters.
According to the World Library of the Magazine Life, a Chinese follows the teachings of Confucianism when he has a high position, he accepts the principles of Taoism when he is deposed from the said position and he seeks shelter under the shadow of Buddhism when grows older."
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