Chapter 7, Section 3
Pages 176-179
Standards 7.3.3 & 7.3.6
Objective/Goals for learning:
 To learn that Confucianism underwent changes
and influenced Chinese government.
 Also, that scholar-officials ran China’s
government during the Song dynasty.
If you were there…
 You are a student in China in 1184. Night
has fallen, but you cannot sleep.
Tomorrow you have a test. It will be, you
know, the most important test of your
entire life. You have studied for it, not for
days or weeks or even months– but for
years. As you toss and turn, you think
about how your entire life will be
determined by how well you do on this
one test.
 How could a single test be so important?
The Different Religions of China
 Buddhism
 Confucianism
 Neo-Confucianism
 Daoism/Taoism
Confucianism
Key Facts/
Info
Daoism/
Taoism
Buddhism
NeoConfucianism
Confucianism
 Confucianism is based on the teachings of
Confucius.
 Lived 1,500 years before the Song dynasty.
 His ideas had a dramatic effect on the Song
government.
Confucian Ideas
 His teachings focused on ethics
 What are ethics? Proper behavior
 Said that people should conduct their lives
according to two basic principles:
1. ren = concern for others
2. li = appropriate behavior
Confucian Ideas (cont.)
 Confucius argued that society would function
best if everyone followed ren and li.
 Confucius believed in order and that everyone
has a role to play in society.
The Influence of
Confucianism
 Ideas of Confucius were spread by his followers
after he died.
 Were not widely accepted.
 Became popular during the Han dynasty &
became the official state philosophy.
The Influence of Confucianism
(cont.)
 Lost power during the Period of Disunion
because people were unhappy and turned to
which religion?
 Buddhism
 Lost more power as time went on.
Neo-Confucianism
 Late in the Tang dynasty, Chinese historians &
scholars became interested in Confucianism
again
 Became “trendy”
Neo-Confucianism (cont.)
 During and after the Song dynasty a new
philosophy called Neo-Confucianism developed.
 It was based on ideas of Confucianism
 Similar because it focused on proper behavior
 Also emphasized spiritual matters
Neo-Confucianism (cont.)
 Became very popular during the Song dynasty
 Its ideas became official government teachings
after the Song dynasty.
Scholar-Officials
 The Song dynasty worked to improve the
governmental system
 Reformed the bureaucracy
 Gov. workers had to pass a civil service
examination in order to work for the gov.
 Exam had to do with Confucian ideas
 Very difficult!
 People spent YEARS studying for them!
Scholar-Officials (cont.)
 Passing the tests meant life as a scholar-official
 Elite members of society & highly respected
 Performed many important jobs in gov.
 Widely admired for their knowledge & ethics
 Why were the tests so difficult?
Checking for Understanding!
Confucianism
NeoConfucianism
Government
bureaucracy