Ancient Chinese Beliefs and Values
Ancient Chinese Religion
Religion was very important as it shaped the ideas, history and people of Ancient China. The three major religions or philosophies (also known as 'the three ways') were Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism. The people were allowed to follow more than one religion, so many of the Ancient Chinese people gathered the concepts of each religion and enforced them into their daily life. |
Source 1Taoism
This symbol is commonly known as the 'Yin Yang', but is the most known concept used within Taoism. Yin Yang is two halves put together to complete each other to show that together they are balanced but split they are two uneven forces which disrupts the equivalence of the whole. Taoism is a religion that emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao. The term Tao is supposedly the force behind everything thing that exists.
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Source 2Confucianism
Confucianism is a way of life taught by Confucius in the 6th–5th century BCE. Confucius taught his followers about 'leading by example' and one of his quotes said ' do not do to others what you would not want to be done to you '. Confucius was even thought to be revolutionary, supported by the fact that Chinese emperors burned his books to stop the spread of Confucianism. However, Confucianism eventually prevailed and it is now widely practiced.
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Source 3BuddhismBuddhism is China's oldest foreign religion. Buddhism originated in India and was spread to Ancient China via travel on the Silk Road. Buddhism in China is called Mahayana Buddhism. Buddhism was first practiced in China around the 1st Century BC. Buddhism was also sometimes mixed with Taoism as translators found it hard to find terms for words used in the Buddhist teachings. As the solution for this they used Taoist terms to explain them. Buddhism is still practiced in China by monks.
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Symbolism
Symbolism was important in China as it represented the culture, history and religion of Ancient China. In Ancient China, there were many examples of Symbolism. Some examples are listed below.
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The Chinese Dragon
In Ancient China, the dragon was a symbol of power, strength, and good luck for people who are worthy of it. The Chinese used the dragon in a variety of celebrations including the Chinese new year. The dragon dance is a significant part of the new year celebrations as it is said to scare away evil spirits and bad luck.
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Chinese Characters
The Chinese language is the oldest written language in the world with at least six thousand years of history. The Chinese characters each have a special meaning and symbol and each one is uniquely different. One interesting fact about the Chinese characters is that they are written differently to how they are spoken.
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