Persia, India, & China Research Essay Project

Initial Research
Source 1 Title: Central Asia and China
Source 1 Link: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/chinese-religions-and-philosophies/#:~:text=Confucianism
%2C%20Taoism%2C%20and%20Buddhism%20were,ancient%20and%20modern%20Chinese%20society
Source 1 Notes:
- Nobody is really sure about how buddhism spread into central asia, but a lot of people think it came in
through a trade route.
- Confucianism is more of a philosophy then a religion
- Confucius believed that religion was more of a relation between humans and entities
- Dominate during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.E. to 220 C.E.)
- It also focused on rituals, familial respect and obligation, worship of ancestors, and self-discipline
- Taoism is a Chinese religion that developed a bit after Confucianism, around two thousand years ago
- Taoism is mainly concerned with the spiritual elements of life
- Focuses on “Jen”
- it is not concerned about with humanistic morality
- Buddhism was founded by Gautama
- Buddhism is a philosophy that focuses on personal development and attainment of deep knowledge.
- Strive to attain Nirvana
- After its founding in India, Buddhism spread to and became popular in China in the first century C.E
- Values and ideas from Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism are still prevalent in Chinese culture today

Source 2 Title: China: Philosophy, Religion, and Science

Source 2 Link: https://go.scholastic.com/L/article/043/276/0432763-00.html?highlightTerm=religion%20AND%20in

%20AND%20ancient%20AND%20china
Source 2 Notes:
- Philosophy has played more of a role in china then religion has
- Reliable history begins with the Shang dynasty (1523–1028 B.C.), when religion rather than philosophy was
still the controlling force over the minds of people
- Departed ancestors acted as intercessors between humans and spirits
- Confucianism goes back to the personality as well as the teachings of Confucius (551–479 B.C.)
- When a person's life is rooted in jen, it is natural that he or she will be practicing the virtue of filial piety at
home and reciprocity and loyalty abroad

Source 3 Title: Buddhism in China

Source 3 Link: https://asiasociety.org/buddhism-china
Source 3 Notes:
- To help the Chinese comprehend Buddhist concepts, Buddhists borrowed ideas from Daoism
- by the sixth century, Buddhism rivaled Daoism in popularity and political influence
- One of the most popular figures in Chinese Buddhism is the Bodhisattva Guanyin

Essay Planning

Topic: Religion in Ancient China

Prompt Question: How does the topic impact life in ancient Persia, India, or China

Body Paragraph 1 topic: religious tolerance in ancient china

Important Details to include: compare and contrast of conflict is handled today
Body Paragraph 2 topic: how religions in ancient china interacted with each other
Important Details to include: names of founders
Body Paragraph 3 topic: how religion influenced rule
Important Details to include: dates to support rule

Thesis statement: Religion in Ancient China was handled very differently then it is today. There
are many different factors that play into this, but it is mostly because rulers were much more
tolerant of different religions and philosophies, and allowed other religions to exist without much
competition or threat.

Rough Draft- leave the sentence stems!

Working Title: religion in ancient china

Paragraph 1
Hook (no questions!): It’s clearly no secret that Chinese culture has worldwide influence.
Hundreds of people have Yin and Yang tattoos and several more have Chinese symbols of dignity and
harmony.
Background (talk about the time period): Have you ever thought about where these popular
designs came from? Many of them are ancient Confucianism symbols of hope, luck, and dignity. These
symbols are reminders to always treat people with love and tolerance, and these ideals are anything but
outdated.
 Thesis: I believe that religion affected life in the Han Dynasty by promoting a tolerant society
that accepted other belief systems, and is anything but dead.

Paragraph 2
Topic: Background Information
Support: Confucianism is a social philosophy taught by Confucius in the fifth and sixth centuries
B.C. Confucianism is not an organized religion, but it provides structure for living that focuses on self-
discipline, ancestor worship, and conformity. Confucius taught that people should exercise strong self-
discipline and treat others with respect and compassion.
Argument (how the research supports your topic):

Paragraph 3
Topic: religious tolerance in the Han Dynasty
Support (talk about the research): In the age of the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.E. to 220 C.E.),
Confucianism was the dominant philosophy. In contrast with the previous dynasty, the Han Dynasty was
peaceful and promoted an accepting environment. The emperor was thought of as a mediator between
divine beings and people. He was expected to act benevolent and peaceful, to bestow heaven's blessings
among his people.
Argument (how the research supports your topic): The Han Dynasty also oversaw a rise in
Taoism and Buddhism, but embraced both. They similarly built several small temples for roman deities,
which furthered the idea that they were a generally accepting society.

Paragraph 4
Topic: how confucianism is still in effect
Support (talk about the research): Although the teachings of Confucious may seem outdated, they
still affect the lives of almost 2 billion people across the globe. People all over are turning to
Confucianism in search of spiritual development they crave. The Communist Party of China has also
admently embraced modern Confucianism ideals.
Argument (how the research supports your topic): While some people embrace this, others see it
as problematic for women, and a standard that holds them back. Should people adopt these traditional
values, or reject them for their anti-female ideas?

Paragraph 5
Restate your thesis: Due to the help of Confucianism, the Han Dynasty was able to maintain a
peaceful civilization for almost four hundred years
Review your ideas: By accepting and treating all religions with grace, this dynasty was able to be
one of the most prosperous and powerful dynasties in all of China's history.
Leave the audience thinking: By accepting and treating all religions with grace, this dynasty was
able to be one of the most prosperous and powerful dynasties in all of China's history.

Final Draft
Lauren Lawson

Mrs. Jacobsen & Mrs. Tate

Humanities 9

24 October 2021

The Effect of Confucianism on the Han Dynasty

It’s no secret that Chinese culture has worldwide influence. For instance, the Yin and

Yang is an increasingly popular tattoo design that symbolizes love and peace. Have you ever

thought about where these popular designs came from? Many of them are ancient Confucianism

symbols of hope, luck, and dignity. These symbols are reminders to treat others with love and

tolerance, and these ideals are anything but outdated. Religions such as Confucianism, affected

life in the Han Dynasty by influencing leaders to promote a tolerant society that accepted other

belief systems, this culture of tolerance has continued to influence the modern world.

Confucianism is a social philosophy taught by Confucius in the fifth and sixth centuries

B.C. Confucianism is not an organized religion, but it provides structure for living that focuses

on self-discipline, ancestor worship, and conformity. Confucius taught that people should

exercise strong self-discipline and treat others with respect and compassion. He also taught that

men should be strict disciplinarians and rule their families, while women should raise children

and keep their homes. Because of these strict gender roles, women could not hold high

government positions, and this affected the way China under the Han Dynasty operated.

Confucianism strongly promoted gender roles, enforced a patriarchal society, and changed the

way that emperors ruled.

In the age of the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.E. to 220 C.E.), Confucianism was the dominant

philosophy. In contrast with the previous dynasty, the Han Dynasty was peaceful and promoted
an accepting environment. The emperor was viewed as a mediator between divine beings and

people. He was expected to act benevolently and peacefully, to bestow heaven's blessings among

his people. The Han Dynasty also oversaw a rise in Taoism and Buddhism, and embraced both.

They also built several small temples for Roman deities, which furthered the idea that they were

a generally accepting society.

Although the teachings of Confucious may seem outdated, they still affect the lives of

billions of people across the globe. People in many parts of the world are turning to

Confucianism in search of spiritual development. The Communist Party of China has also

adopted modern Confucianism ideals. While some people embrace this modern trend, others see

it as problematic for women, and a standard that holds them back. Should people adopt these

traditional values, or reject them for their anti-female ideas?

Due to the foundations of Confucianism, the Han Dynasty was able to maintain a

peaceful civilization for almost four hundred years. Acceptance and tolerance of all religions and

philosophies allowed the Han Dynasty to set a legacy of grace that continues to have a global

influence on modern culture.

Works Cited
Emily Mark. “Religion in Ancient China”. 21 April 2016,

https://www.worldhistory.org/article/891/religion-in-ancient-china/

“Chinese Religions and Philosophies”. 19 August 2019,

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/chinese-religions-and-philosophies/

Adam Augustyn. “Cultural achievements of the Han dynasty”

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Han-dynasty/Cultural-achievements-of-the-Han-dynasty

“China: Philosophy, Religion, and Science”. Scholastic GO!,

https://go.scholastic.com/L/article/043/276/0432763-00.html?highlightTerm=religion

%2520AND%2520in%2520AND%2520ancient%2520AND%2520china

Geoff Foy. “Buddhism in China”. Asia Society, https://asiasociety.org/buddhism-china

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/150325-confucius-china-asia-philosophy-

communist-party-ngbooktalk