The Way of Confucius

Confucius is one of the most famous of the ancient Chinese philosophers. Confucius lived from 551 to 479 BC. He believed that Chinese culture had peaked during the height of the Zhou dynasty. During their reign, the Zhou rulers adhered to a set of practices referred to as the "li", also called rites or rituals. These rites governed all aspects of Chinese culture. The rites told everything, from the way huge political ceremonies should be conducted, to what is the proper way to respond to the receiving of a gift.

During Confucius' life, the role of the Zhou kings was reduced to mere figureheads and many of the rites had been lost, forgotten, or reduced to a lesser role. Confucius decided that he was to revive the practice of the rites and show others back to the way of the "dao", or the "way of heaven". In an effort to accomplish this, Confucius would not only strive to strictly follow the rites himself, he would dedicate his life to teaching and spreading them to others as well.

The teachings of Confucius cover a wide variety of topics, as they were meant to govern all aspects of one's life. Some of the most important aspects of the rites taught by Confucius regard family relations, desirable traits of character, proper ways of governing, and aspects of "ren" or "true humaneness" or "humanity". While some of his teachings are ideas specific to his time and culture, such as the proper colors to be worn by nobility, other teachings such as family relations and virtue of character are just as valuable to today's society as it was for his own.

One of the most important aspects of life for Confucius was family life and relationships. Many of his teachings are therefore related to such topics. The main points of Confucius' teaching regarding family life have to do with filial obligations and respect among