The Three Types of Ancient Chinese Rulers - 943 Words

In ancient China, many different rulers tried to unify and rule the country using a variety of methods – Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism to name a few. Each philosophy had its own set of rules of how people should act both in public and privately. The overall goal of each philosophy was to set a standard of acceptable living that would ensure harmony and success for the society. However, each was different and thus had different results. Legalism is a philosophy emphasizing strict obedience to the legal system. It was one of the main philosophic currents during the Warring States period and when it was most prominent. The schools most famous proponent and contributor, Han Fei believed that a ruler should use the following three tools to govern his subjects: law, method, and legitimacy. The law code must be clearly written and made public. All people under the ruler were equal before the law. Laws should reward those who obey them and punish accordingly those who dare to break them. Thus it is guaranteed that actions taken are systematically predictable. In addition, the system of law, not the ruler, ran the state, a statement of rule of law. If the law is successfully enforced, even a weak ruler will be strong. Especially important is that no one can fathom the rulers motivations, and thus no one can know which behavior might help them get ahead, other than following the laws. Legitimacy is the position of the ruler, not the ruler himself or herself, that holds theShow MoreRelatedCompare and Contrast: Ancient China and Ancient India Essay664 Words   |  3 PagesAncient China and ancient India are both important and interesting ancient civilizations. They are alike and unlike in many ways. Some significant ways in which ancient India and China are similar and different are religion, art, economics, politics, and social structure. Ancient China and ancient India both consider religion to be very important. The main religions of China were Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism. The central religions in India were Hinduism and Buddhism. Both Ancient China andRead MoreCompare and Contrast Between the Ancient River Valley Civilizations704 Words   |  3 Pagescivilizations were said to be located on the three river valleys of the Tigris-Euphrates River in ancient Mesopotamia, the Nile River in ancient Egypt and the Huang He and Indus River in ancient India and China. These three river valley civilizations had many differences yet still lived common life styles. Although the civilizations are located on different continents, they share similar social, political, and economic beliefs from their intellectual developments to types of government to religious beliefsRead MoreSimilarities Between Confucius And The Great Scholar Confucius Essay874 Words   |  4 Pagesyourself in Ancient China where you are told you can o nly do things a certain way. One must look very deeply into the Ancient Chinese governments to see that it is influenced greatly by the great scholar Confucius. Do we see these influences in today’s systems of governments? Confucius had many different areas of focus but we can whittle that down to three areas. The three main areas of Confucius are all seen in some way in the Ancient Chinese governments. The first point in Confucius s three main pointsRead MoreAncient China Versus Ancient Greece Essay1008 Words   |  5 PagesAncient China Versus Ancient Greece Ancient China and Ancient Greece were two vastly different civilizations with different cultures; they shared a multitude of similar political, economic, and philosophical achievements while also inholding multiple differences. The centralized government of China differed from the independent city-states of Athens. A similarity that both civilizations held in regards to politics would be the role, or lack thereof one, that women played within their respectiveRead MoreConfucianism And The Chinese Society1257 Words   |  6 Pagesas something only relevant to ancient China that cannot be applied to modern day society. However, what these people fail to realize is that Confucianism’s roots have been so integrated into China’s society that the values have become a part of every day life. Without having to explicitly state that they are following specifics aspects of Confucianism, most Chinese people submit to them, often times unknowingly. However, Confucian values not on ly exist in the Chinese society, but also permeate intoRead MoreAncient China s Trade And Economy1445 Words   |  6 Pages Ancient China s Trade and Economy From as early as 2100 BCE to as late as 1912 CE, China lived and prospered in the period of the dynasties (Timeline of Chinese History and Dynasties). The dynastic period included successions of rulers who usually descended from the same family. After the ruler passed away, their successor took their preceder s sole-reigning position of emperor. The Xia Dynasty started the period of the dynasties in 2100 BCE. (Timeline of Chinese History and Dynasties). TheRead MoreEssay about Comparison of Ancient China and Ancient Egypt954 Words   |  4 PagesThere were four main ancient River Valley civilizations: the Fertile Crescent of Mesopotamia, the Nile River of Egypt, the Indus River of India, and the Yellow River of China. These civilizations showed specific similarities and contrasting differences. Many of these differences and similarities showed up in the three categories of the technological advances, the types of government, and the geography of the civilization. Two civilizatio ns that are very interesting to delve deeper into and studyRead More Confucius and Confucianism Essay788 Words   |  4 Pages One of the most famous people in ancient China was a wise philosopher named Confucius (circa 551-479 BC). He was a great Chinese philosopher, educator, and political figure. His teachings and proverbs are in the Analects, which is the base of many Chinese theories. He was born in the village of Zou, and the state of Lu. His father died three years after Confucius birth leaving the family in destitution, but Confucius did have a decent education. He was married at theRead MoreComparison Of Chinese Empress Wu Zetian And Cleopatra1772 Words   |  8 Pages Anthropology 1105 MW3 Research Paper October 14 2017 Compare and contrast of Ancient Female Rulers (china and egypl) In this paper I’m going to compare and contrast two ancient female rulers. My comparative analysis will examine both powerful rulers Chinese Empress Wu Zetian and Egyptian Pharaoh Cleopatra. They both ruled in many different ways, but what I found both interesting in the comparison, is that theyRead MoreChina s Largest Population On Earth1727 Words   |  7 Pageshas been a staple part of the Chinese economy and has allowed for such a spike in population growth. However, droughts, poor weather, the policies of the Communist party, and a growing population in China led to vast amounts of starvation especially in the rural areas of China during the 20hth century. Outside of the urban areas Chinese citizens numbering in the millions perished from mass starvation. The Great Chinese Famine started in 1959 and lasted for three years, leading to the deaths of