1.1B: Chinese Cultural Traditions

unity

AP Theme

Cultural Developments and Interactions

Learning Objective 1B

Explain the effects of Chinese cultural traditions on East Asia over time.

Historical Development 1

Confucianism was the dominant philosophical system in China.

Historical Development 2

Taoism and Buddhism were complementary philosophical systems to Confucianism.

Historical Development 3

Buddhism developed diverse practices as it diffused from India into East Asia.

Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist belief systems all shaped China.

Confucian beliefs were the most important belief system in China. They affected everything from gender relationships to social status.

While Confucianism focused on conforming to society, Taoism focused on escaping society and social expectations to find balance and inner peace.

Buddhism changed as it moved along Asian trade routes. Chinese Buddhists largely practiced Mahayana Buddhism, which was similar to Taoist beliefs that were already in China before the arrival of Buddhism.

Contents

Three Beliefs Systems Shaped Chinese Society

Main idea

Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist belief systems all shaped China.

Over thousands of years, China has developed a rich tradition of cultural beliefs. Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism referred to as “the three teachings,” are the three belief systems that have had the most significant impact on China’s development.

  • Confucianism and Taoism are native to China.
  • Buddhism arrived from India and diffused into China along Silk Road trade routes.
  • People in China often blend their traditions and beliefs. A person might practice certain beliefs and rituals from the different belief systems.

Confucianism: The Guiding Philosophy of China

Main idea

Confucian beliefs were the most important belief system in China. They affected everything from gender relationships to social status.

Confucianism is a collection of ideas attributed to Confucius, who lived during the fifth century. Confucianism seeks to explain the best way to structure society to achieve social harmony.

  • Confucianism emphasizes mercy, social order, and fulfilling one’s social duties.
  • The family and community always come before the individual.
  • There is a strong emphasis on obedience to authority and conforming to social expectations.
!AP exam alert!

Understanding Confucian beliefs and how those beliefs impacted China is a must-know for the AP exam.

Confucianism valued filial piety

Confucius emphasized the importance of filial piety. To be “filial” meant to respect those above them in the social order, especially parents. Below are the five primary (most important) social relationships:

The Confucian social hierarchy

Confucian beliefs influenced the traditional Chinese social system. Unlike in the modern world, wealth was not the most important factor in determining social status.

Emperors and empresses were the undisputed leaders of China, and the lesser elite groups recognized and rarely challenged their complete authority.

This group often had more wealth than most in traditional China, but they were not wealthier than the land-owning aristocracy. Their social status came from their knowledge of Confucian texts and jobs within the governing bureaucracy.

This group gained power and wealth from owning large pieces of land on which many peasant farmers worked.

While often some of the poorest in Chinese society, Confucianism considered these groups “productive” because they grew the food that fed China and produced the goods that China needed.

Merchants often had enormous wealth but a lower social status than agricultural peasants. This lack of social status resulted from the Confucian belief that merchants were unproductive because they did not make or create anything themselves but profited off the labor of others. However, because some merchants acquired great wealth and commerce created tax revenue, Chinese leaders often encouraged merchant activity.

Confucian China was highly patriarchal

Key term: patriarchy

A society where men hold all or nearly all power.  

Many cultures throughout history have been patriarchal, including China. Confucianism always placed women in a subordinate position to men. Neo-Confucianism (new Confucianism) in the Song dynasty intensified patriarchy in China.

  • Men expected women to remain subservient and obedient to the men in their life: first to their father, then to their husband, and finally to their son in widowhood.
  • Patriarchal restrictions changed based on women’s class. Lower-class women had to work and had fewer restrictions on their interactions and movement.
  • A set of moral principles, “the Three Obediences” and “the Four Virtues,” outlined proper behavior for women in China. These texts defined feminine virtue as being a good mother and wife.

Foot binding: Foot binding was a powerful example of Chinese patriarchy increasing during the Song dynasty.

  • The foot-binding process involved tightly wrapping young girls’ feet, often breaking their bones.
  • Foot binding was associated with Confucian images of female beauty by keeping women humble, meek, and unable to move outside the home.
  • Foot binding began within the upper classes before becoming increasingly widespread amongst less elite social groups. Among the lower classes, especially agricultural workers, women’s feet were not bound because women needed to work to help support their families.

Some protections for women: Despite patriarchal restrictions, the Confucian belief was that women should be respected, despite their perceived inferiority to men. Women in the Song dynasty gained some basic rights that earlier women in China lacked: 

  • The right to own and control property
  • Inherit property from their families
  • To manage deceased husbands’ affairs
  • Elite women began receiving basic education.

Taoism in China: The Second Great Teaching

Main idea

While Confucianism focused on conforming to society, Taoism focused on escaping society and social expectations to find balance and inner peace.

Taoism is another of China’s major belief systems. Like Confucianism, Taoism is native to China.

Taoist beliefs

Taoism emphasizes the following:

  • Individuals should find balance in their lives by escaping society and social duties and living in harmony with the natural world.
  • Individuals must discover the Tao (the way) on their terms, and that social norms and expectations cannot define an individual’s Tao.
  • Accepting oneself and not obsessing about life’s contradictions.

Comparison to Confucian beliefs: This belief contrasts with the Confucian idea that social rules and expectations and individuals’ adherence to them are essential features of a harmonious society. Like Confucianism, Taoism started more as a philosophy than a religion. Though, over the years, some branches of Taoism have taken on religious elements.

Buddhism in China: The Third Great Teaching

Main idea

Buddhism changed as it moved along Asian trade routes. Chinese Buddhists largely practiced Mahayana Buddhism, which was similar to Taoist beliefs that were already in China before the arrival of Buddhism.

Followers of the ideas of Siddhartha Gautama founded Buddhism in the late sixth century BCE. Buddhism emphasized the importance of ending suffering and breaking the cycle of reincarnation by achieving enlightenment. To help achieve those goals, Buddha outlined the middle path: finding balance in life by eliminating wants and desires to prevent excessive suffering.

Buddhism changed as it moved along trade networks

Followers of the ideas of Siddhartha Gautama founded Buddhism in the late sixth century BCE. Buddhism emphasized the importance of ending suffering and breaking the cycle of reincarnation by achieving enlightenment. To help achieve those goals, Buddha outlined the middle path: finding balance in life by eliminating wants and desires to prevent excessive suffering.

!AP exam alert!

Buddhism is a significant historical commonality that connects southern, eastern, and southeastern regions of Asia. Understanding how Buddhism spread and its impacts in Asia is a must-know for the AP exam. 

Buddhism changed as it moved along trade networks

Buddhist merchants and monks spread Buddhism along Central, East, and Southeast Asia trade routes. As Buddhism diffused, it adopted new beliefs and practices.

  • Theravada Buddhism: This was the original form of Buddhism. Followers of Theravada practice view Buddha as a teacher, not a god. Theravada Buddhists believed that to achieve nirvana and enlightenment, one needed to withdraw from society and live entirely devoted to reflection and meditation. This Buddhism requires a great deal of devotion.
  • Mahayana Buddhism: One of the most successful branches of Buddhism is Mahayana Buddhism, the most practiced form of modern Buddhism. In Mahayana practice, Buddha became a semi-divine being who could help people achieve enlightenment. This practice also transformed Buddhism into a religion of salvation (like Christianity and Islam) that contained various types of heaven and hell. Mahayana Buddhism also developed Bodhisattvas (teachers and guides) who are spiritually enlightened people (on earth) that help others on their path to enlightenment.
  • Tibetan Buddhism: Originated in Tibet, this version of Buddhism contains a holy teacher and supreme leader, the Dali-lama, who leads Tibetan Buddhists spiritually.

Chinese Buddhism

Most Chinese Buddhists follow Mahayana Buddhism. Chinese Buddhism largely views Buddha as a teacher and semi-divine being to whom one can pray for help on earth and salvation after death. Chinese Buddhism is closely related to Taoism. Chinese Buddhist imagery commonly places images of Buddha next to depictions of Taoist spiritual elements.

Some rejected Buddhism in China: As Buddhism became more popular in China, many Confucian scholars rejected Buddhist beliefs for being foreign and not Chinese. They argued that the Chinese government should not tolerate Buddhism. Some went as far as to advocate the outlawing of Buddhist practices.