Demography
China is the foremost and the
largest country in the world in the form of both territory and population. As
per the consensus of 1966, its population was 750-770 million which has
expanded up to 1 billion, etc.
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Great Wall of China
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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."
12/31/2023 08:08:00 PM
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