Confucianism
China's oldest and greatest philosopher, Kong Zi, known in the West by his Latinized name Confucius , was an obscure and unsuccessful scholar. Born in 551 BC, during the so-called Warring States Period, he lived in an age of petty kingdoms where life was blighted by constant war, feuding and social disharmony. Confucius simply saw that society was something that could be improved if individuals behaved properly. Harking back to an earlier, mythic age of peace and social virtues, he preached adherence to ritual and propriety as the supreme answer to the horrifying disorder of the world as he found it. During his lifetime he wandered from court to court attempting to teach rulers a better way to rule, though, like his contemporary Socrates far away in Greece, he was largely ignored by men in power. In the centuries after his death, however, Confucianism, as reflected in the Analects , a collection of writings on his life and sayings compiled by disciples, became the most influential and fundamental of Chinese philosophies. Never a religion in the sense of postulating a higher deity, Confucianism is rather a set of moral and social values designed to bring the ways of citizens and governments into harmony with each other, and with their ancestors. Through proper training in the scholarly classics and rigid adherence to the rules of propriety, including ancestor-worship, the superior man could attain a level of moral righteousness which would, in turn, assure a stable and righteous social order. As a political theory Confucianism called for the "wisest sage" , the one whose moral sense was most refined, to be ruler. With a good ruler, one who practised the virtuous ways of his ancestors and was exemplary in terms of the five Confucian virtues (benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness), the world and society would naturally be in order. Force, the ultimate sanction, would be unnecessary. As Confucius said: Just as the ruler genuinely desires the good, the people will be good. The virtue of the ruler may be compared to the wind and that of the common people to the grass. The grass under the force of the wind cannot but bend. Gods play no part in this structure - man is capable of perfection in his own right, given a superior ruler whose virtues are mirrored in the behaviour of his subjects. Instead of God, five hierarchical relationships are the prerequisites for a well-ordered society, and given proper performance of the duties entailed in these, society should be "at ease with itself". The five relationships outline a strict structure of duty and obedience to authority: ruler to ruled; son to father; younger brother to older, wife to husband and, the only equal relationship, friend to friend. The intention is to create order and stability through rule by a moral elite, though in practice adherence to the unbending hierarchy of these relationships as well as to the precepts of filial piety has justified a form of totalitarian rule throughout Chinese history. The supreme virtue of the well-cultivated man and woman was always obedience . From the time of the Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) onwards, Confucianism became institutionalized as a system of government which was to prevail in China for two thousand years. With it, and with the notion of the scholar-official as the ideal administrator, came the notorious Chinese bureaucracy . Men would study half their lives in order to pass the imperial examinations and attain a government commission. These examinations were rigid tests of the scholar's knowledge of the Confucian classics. Right up until the beginning of the twentieth century, power in China was wielded through a bureaucracy steeped in the classics of rites and rituals written five hundred years before Christ. The Confucian ideal ruler, of course, never quite emerged (the emperor was not expected to sit the exams) and the scholar-officials often deteriorated into corrupt bureaucrats and exploitative landlords. Furthermore, the Confucian ideals of submission to authority would not seem to have much of a shelf-life at the end of the twentieth century. On the other hand, with its emphasis on community and social cohesion , Confucianism has played an enormous role in keeping China free of the bigotry and religious fanaticism that have been bringing war to Europe for two thousand years. And today it is clear that Confucius does still have a role to play, not least in his new encarnation as the embodiment of the much trumpeted "Asian values" , namely, the non-confrontational (and undemocratic) system of government. On the grass-roots level, too, old practices such as ancestor-worship within the family are making a comeback. Now that the latest foreign religion of Marxism has been thoroughly discredited, it appears that Confucianism is simply reoccupying its rightful position.
Voyageinchina.comAdam Yin says "Chinese Visa Application
The following information is FOR YOUR REFERENCE ONLY, Please contact Chinese embassy or consulate general in your country or region for accurate and detailed information.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
According to the Law of the People's Republic of China Concerning the Administration of Foreigners Entering and Leaving the Country, foreign tourists must apply for visas at China's foreign affairs offices, consulates or other organizations authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A group of five tourists or more can apply for a group tourist visa. This is usually handled by a travel agency organizing groups. People coming to China from countries which have visa agreements with China (such as agreements which exempt tourist groups from visas) are treated in accordance with these agreements.
If anyone wants to go to Tibet for a visit you can apply for a visa only with the consent of the Tourism Administration of the Tibet Autonomous Region or any one of its foreign representative offices. A passport is required for visa application, the passport shall be valid for at least 6 months beyond the duration of the tour.
A Brief Introduction to Chinese Visa
Chinese visa is a permit issued to a foreigner by the Chinese visa authorities for entry into, exit from or transit through the Chinese territory. The Chinese visa authorities may issue a Diplomatic, Courtesy, Service or Ordinary Visa to a foreigner according to his/her identity, purpose of visit to China and passport type.
The Ordinary Visa consists of eight sub-categories, which are respectively marked with Chinese phonetic letters L, F, Z, X, C, G, D, J-1and J-2.
L Visa: Issued to an applicant who comes to China for tourist purposes, family visiting or other personal affairs.
F Visa: Issued to an applicant who is invited to China for visit, research, lecture, business, scientific-technological and culture exchanges or short-term advanced studies or intern practice for a period of no more than six months.
Z Visa: Issued to an applicant who is to take up a post or employment in China, and their accompanying family members.
X Visa: Issued to an applicant who comes to China for the purpose of study, advanced studies or intern practice for a period over six months.
C Visa: Issued to crewmembers on international aviation, navigation and land transportation missions and family members accompanying them.
G Visa: Issued to those who transit through China.
D Visa: Issued to applicant who is to reside permanently in China.
J-1 Visa: Issued to foreign resident correspondents in China.
J-2 Visa: Issued to foreign correspondents on temporary interview missions in China.
Validity of Visa: normally speaking, a visa is valid for 3 months from the date of issuance (date of application) and on any day within this period, the visa holder may enter China.
Duration of Stay Specified in the Visa: normally speaking, a visa holder may stay in China for 1 month which counts from the date of his/her entrance into China. To stay longer, you need to specify your request in your application form and itˇŻll be subject to the permission of the consul in charge.
Overseas Chinese Visa Authorities, include Chinese embassies, consulates, visa offices, and the consular department of the office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China. If a foreigner intends to enter into, exit from or transit through the Chinese territory, he shall apply to the above-mentioned Chinese visa authorities for a Chinese visa. For further information, please consult the nearest Chinese visa authorities.
5)Important Notes:
According to the relevant international law, any sovereign state has the exclusive rights to decide whether or not to allow the foreigners to enter its territory, and accordingly to issue visa, reject visa application and cancel an issued visa according to its national law without providing the reasons.
With its valid Chinese passport, a Chinese citizen can enter China without a visa.
" www.voyageinchina.comAdam Yin says "Emerald Tour Ltd., a registered inbound travel operator in China. providing high quality destination management services for exceptional value including: China tour packages; Shanghai, Beijing City tours; hotel reservation; and MICE service in China.
www.voyageinchina.com" a nice guide in Guilin Chinajade leo says "Do you want to pay a visit to China before 2008 Olympic Game, Do you hear about Guilin Yangshuo where has the reputation of having the most beautiful landscape under heaven. It is a dream place for many tourists who want to see the real natural landscape and touch the countryside life.
Hilltops pop up from nowhere like trees in the forest and they are shaped like buns, camels, fishes, saw-teeth, horses, etc. It is a city you must visit or you will miss those beautiful landscape there. Rivers flow around like green silk ribbons while the hills reveal themselves as jade hair-pins. Guilin embraces great landscapes like green hills, clear waters, pretty rocks and fantastic caves.
I am from Guilin, a licensed tour guide for Guilin area. A grauate from Guangxi Teacher's University, I have had more than 2 years of travel service experience in Guilin.
A tour guide with a warm heart and sincerity, I am offering tourists visiting Guilin with uptodate information and a tour guide service. You can bank on my knowledge of Guilin and my earned reputation as a reliable tour guide in the region.
Activities available:
1. Airport pick-up service
2. Photoshoot Guide
3. Ancient town tour
4. Business tour guidelines
5. Flight ticket & Hotel room reservation
6. Accompanying services to other cities of China
7. Buying houses in Guilin and Yangshuo
8. Faming Activities and Stay in farmers' houses
9. Hot Balloon
10. Li river cruise tour. Cormorant fish, fantastic caves
11. Longsheng dragon's backbone rice terraces
12. Marvelous ethnic shows, local souvenirs market and market day of town
13. Climbing the highest mountain to see the panoramic view
14. Bamboo boat rafting, white water drifting as well as taking mud bath in water cave
15. Hiking, Riding bicycle to old villages to see real farmers life and talk with them
16. Learning to cook Chinese food, Learning Chinese Qigong and Taiji
Any special requests will be considered
If you want to tour China but fail to pay a visit to Guilin, it is equal to having not toured China! If want to get the best experience out of Guilin please contact us and we will make sure you have a once in a life time experience.
Address: No. 16, Lijiang Road, Guilin, China.
Tel: 86-773-5617058 Mobile number: 86-13086737586
Email: jadeleo66@yahoo.com www.guilinprivatetours.com
" Amy style sidecar motorcycles in shanghai chinajohnson says "here has some chinese amy style sidecars
for sale for more information please email
wildwolfsidecar@yahoo.com
mobile number
13524051655
" vintage 750cc sidecar motorcycles in shanggai china the replica of BMWjohnson says "Johnson sidecar has some customzied pla style vintage sidecar motorcycles in songjiang shanghai china for sale
when you purchase sidecar johnson sidecar helps you to get the registation (the number plate)
you can also rent a sidecar during the holiday when you are in china
with good price and top quality here
more information please
email sidecarshanghai@yahoo.com
skype johnsonsidecar
mobile +8613661904350" travel by ride sidecar motorbikesjohnson says "Johnson Sidecar offers you the highest cj 750 sidecar restoration available in China . Ride
with confidence on a Vintage
CJ 750 sidecar from sidecar shanghai. Owning a highest quality Vintage People's Liberation
Army CJ 750 Sidecar is dream of many people!!!
we have all the spare parts for changjiang sidecar in stock in shanghai china
more information
we also have some changjiang sidecars for rent here. rent a sidecar when you are
traveling in shanghai china
please email sidecarshanghai@yahoo.com
website www.sidecar-shanghai.com
mobile 13661904350
" Explore China On Line (Video and Stills)David Mundstock says "My film "The Last Emperor’s Home Video” offers visits to China’s best known places, including the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Beijing’s Summer Palace, the Grand Canal, Xian, beautiful Guilin, Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, plus Hong Kong.
“The Last Emperor’s Home Video” can be seen on the web, if you have a high speed internet connection.
This is a free, non-commercial, streaming video on the Windows Media Player. No ads and no strings attached. I still sell absolutely nothing.
The gallery of still photos from China can be viewed with any modem.
There are over 30 of my other amateur travel videos on-line covering all seven continents. Visit Japan, Italy, England, Antarctica, Bali, Hawaii, Russia, Peru, Mayan Pyramids, Egypt, Greece, or Turkey; see whales, penguins, or polar bears.
The planet is yours, including my Home Page giant galaxy of still pictures.
To watch a video or view the stills, please ask a search engine for:
Intrepid Berkeley Explorer"
Your Tip for China
Help other backpackers! Write your own guides and backpacking tips to China - they will appear instantly on this page - Please only write a tip/guide to China - visit the main China forum to ask a question!
Please do not post links to your site here (they won't work) - please use the China webguide section below! Thanks.
|
