Father Son Relationship In Ancient China

China has long had an overarching reach into many cultures due to the sheer land mass and population that it contains. This alone makes it hard for a country to fail because it is such a power house, possessing both industrial and technical strength that would propel innovation, or so one would think. Instead, a lack of innovation is seen throughout time in regards to weaponry, crop growing, and governmental advance. The opportunities for advancement to modernity were somewhat in reach for the Chinese, but were built upon a foundation comparable to that of quick sand, where all ventures did not come to fruition because of the unstable ideology they were built upon. The foundational piece of family, as introduced by Confucius, highlighted

This control made for more malleable people and allowed the state to control the people. With this control, innovation became stunted because the people were sticking to their assigned roles in the combine that Chinese society had created. Confucius, being an influential scholar in the 5th and 6th centuries, defined five relationships that show the reciprocity in the world and exemplify the bonds that society relies on. One of these relationships is the father and son relationship, and is mentioned many times by Confucius. In one of the Confucian analects, Confucius states, “Among those who are filial toward their parents and fraternal toward their brothers, those who are inclined to offend against their superiors are few indeed. Among those who are disinclined to offend against their superiors, there have never been any who are yet inclined to create disorder” (De Bary). Confucius is saying that those who are surrounded by filial bonds and live lives that reflect those bonds, are not going to cause a major upheaval. Essentially these people will stay obedient, and therefore will not be pushing modernity on China. As printed in The Cambridge Illustrated History of China, “[Confucius’] ideal world thus was one where conventions governed actions and hierarchical differentiation resulted in harmonious co-ordination” (Ebrey 42). Harmonious

The culture aspect has been at a standstill essentially since its introduction to China, and it has produced the long living China that is now on display. The family aspect of China set up the social culture in the home, which then spilled over into other aspects of China, such as their hierarchical government system. This idea of social order was seen in the foot binding practice that made women more suited to find a husband, furthering the legitimacy of the Confucian relationships. Lastly, it is seen how the intellectual few rule over the physical multitudes and how this idea of social order has sustained China in its cultural practices for over a millennium. The longevity of this country is something to truly marvel at, yet also to disparage, because it is the main source of the lack of cultural