Why is Confucius still revered today over 2500 yea
Why is Confucius still revered today, over 2,500 years after his death?
Confucius was a Chinese philosopher who lived in the 6th century BC. He was born in Qufu, Shandong Province and his real name was Kong Qiu. His teachings are known as Confucianism and they have had a profound impact on East Asian thought and culture.
Confucius' teachings focused on personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice, and sincerity. He believed that these values could be realized through education and self-cultivation. His ideas emphasized the importance of ren (benevolence), yi (righteousness), li (etiquette), zhong (loyalty), xiao (filial piety) and xin (integrity).
Confucius traveled throughout China teaching his ideas to anyone who would listen. He attracted many followers but he never established a formal school or organized a sect around himself. After his death in 479 BC at the age of 73 or 70 depending on which source you believe, his followers compiled Analects - sayings attributed to him - into books called Lun Yu.
One interesting aspect of Confucianism is its influence on Chinese art and literature during its spread across Asia from Japan to Korea to Vietnam with Buddhist monks being key agents for this diffusion.
Despite being dead for millennia Confucius remains an important figure in modern China where he is revered as one of China's greatest cultural heroes alongside Lao Tzu founder of Taoism another influential philosophical tradition also originating from ancient China.
The reverence given to Confucius can be seen in many ways including naming streets after him building temples dedicated to him incorporating elements like "Li" which refers both to rituals ceremonies etiquette customs moral principles all interrelated concepts central to Confuci
