In China, especially ancient China, the people lived by certain guidelines. A man by the name of K'ung Fu Tzu (or better known as Confucius) started Confucianism in order to teach China the right ethics and morals, as well as teaching the political leaders how to exercise proper control of the people. Confucius spent most of his adult life until his death at age 72, teaching his principles to those who would listen. He gathered a small amount of students (disciples) that would solely study Confucius' teachings.
A list of some Confucius teachings are:
- Li: includes rituals, propriety (proper behavior), etiquette, etc.
- Hsiao: love within the family: Love of parents for their children and of children for their parents.
- Yi: righteousness
- Xin: honesty and trustworthiness
- Jen: benevolence, humaneness towards others; the highest Confucian virtue!
- Chung: loyalty to the state
There are many schools of Confucianism that still exist today. In fact, the six schools are: Han-Confucianism, Neo-Confucianism, Contemporary Neo-Confucianism, Korean Confucianism, Japanese Confucianism, and Singapore Confucianism.
