Chinas Crisis essays

China's Crisis essays According to Keith Schoppa, China was everything under Heaven (tianxia), by definition self-sufficient, and therefore needing nothing from outside (Schoppa 46). In order to maintain this self-sufficiency, the emperors of China established certain illustrations that depicted how a community should preserve their peaceful ways. The Kangxi and Yongzheng emperors considered Confucianism as their true religion and looked down upon other religions, such as Buddhism, which they called heretical. In the eyes of the Kangxi and Yongzheng emperor, to be perfectly loyal to the Ruler and to fulfill filial duty to the utmost is the whole duty of man and the means of obtaining the blessing of heaven... but simply mind your own business... if none of you believe in heretical sects, they will not have to wait to be driven out but will become extinct naturally (Cheng and Lestz 68). Their idea was to keep to yourself, and life will go accordingly and smoothly. Even for such a perfect society, pro blems can erupt. Because Chinas emperors relied on their Confucian ways of stability, gradual changes that mostly dealt with religion in society critically affected the Qing Dynastys future. As with any other country, change is inevitable. In Qian Yongs article on popular religion (Cheng and Lestz 128-131), his notes illustrated the, scorn felt by the literati for folk religion and heterodox festivals... and the impulse felt by the elite to rein in the wild and unrestrained behavior of untutored peasants, villagers, and city dwellers. To the elite, the practice of folk religion such as the gathering had the possibility of disrupting many aspects of the society such as causing fires, fights, gambling, and overall damaging social customs. Those who lived this way were not abiding by Confucius ways, and was thus an unfamiliar way of life. ...