Essays on Zhou Dynasty

As an introductive point, “The Four Books of Confucianism,” is a collection of philosophical works which greatly influenced Chinese civilization, both in the educational and spiritual realms, into the contemporary era. My most prominent observation after reading the book is that the most important aspect any individual ought to pursue is that of self-awareness, where the person seeks to know who they are. The whole idea of the book is to provide moral insights and guidelines into human nature, and this is primarily through the presentation of the apt manners and dispositions of life that a person is required ...

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Introduction China is home to the most ancient and enduring human civilization. This civilization flourished for thousands of years and have survived through many succession of rulers and dynasties. The study of China’s civilization is important in order to understand China’s contemporary society. Chinese civilization can be categorized into three broad historical periods: ancient China, Imperial China and modern China. These periods, however, only serves as an imaginary partition in order to identify a certain time in the history of China. But in reality, Chinese civilization is continuous and was never interrupted even through there ...

Abstract

Jade has been an important part of Chinese culture since Ancient times, when it was used to make various weapons and tools. The reason for this is because it is believed to have positive powers. Some of the attributes attributed to jade are purity, gentlemanliness, the ability to send one’s soul on a positive journey and to prevent misfortune from befalling a person. This is why jade was used in burial rituals, sacrifices and other religious ceremonies. Nevertheless, despite the importance of jade to the Chinese culture for many centuries only the very wealthy were permitted to own ...

These four dynasties which succeeded each other in controlling the area of central China, each made significant but slightly different contributions to Chinese unification and culture. The Shang dynasty oversaw significant advances in technology. Especially in the areas of bronze working and pottery. Various musical instruments were invented in this period and advances in astronomy led to significant observations of Mars and passing comets. The Shang dynasty was always under threat from all sides, and, although it aggressively and successfully defended its territory, it could not extend it authority over neighbouring rebellious tribes such as the \fang in ...