1. Eastern Zhou

2. Two Periods Spring & Autumn Period Warring States Period (720-480 BC)
Many states vying for control – all claiming the Mandate of Heaven – but none could unify China until the Qin at the end of the Warring States Period
Some took the title of king even though the Zhou king was still on the throne
The Zhou continued as kings because none of the regional states were powerful enough to take over completely
They all fought one another but there was a “balance of power”
Main function of kings during this time was to conduct religious rituals in the name of the Chinese people
By the end of the Spring & Autumn period, big states started to gobble up the small ones
By the time of the Warring States period, there were only 7 states: Zhao, Wei, Han, Qin, Qi. Yan and Chu
Military advisors emerged – Sunzi wrote Art of War describing battle tactics – he thought head to head troop combat was stupid – military commanders should gather info about enemy and strike at his weakest point; emphasized cunning and deceit (tricking enemy into thinking you were doing one thing, and then do the opposite).
Evolution of class of “shi” travelling from city to city offering wise advice to any ruler who would listen => golden age of Chinese philosophy

3. One Hundred Schools
Confucianism, Mohism, Daoism and Legalism were the major schools
Others incl. the Yin-Yang School, Eclectics, School of Logicians, Political Strategists, Military Strategists, Novelists, etc.
A number of renowned philosophers in Chinese history were from this period, including Confucius, Mencius, Mo-tse, Chuang Tzu and Han Fei.

4. Confucius (孔子)
孔丘 lived from BC – from Shandong, then state of Lu
His father died when he was young
His mother insured he got a good education – studying “six arts” music, calligraphy, math, archery, chariot riding and rituals
Wanted to find a way to solve practical problems of his time – chaos of warring states
He said that order could be restored if people followed basic rules of virtue (li)
He saw the family as giving the best model of how society as a whole should operate
Respect for parents was the most important virtue for Confucius
He thought that if everyone knew their place in the family, society would function properly
A ruler should be a gentleman (君子) - he should be humble
He traveled from state to state and tried to persuade leaders to follow his guidelines
But leaders didn’t want to hear from him; they thought his ideas were not practical
After 13 years of traveling he went back to Lu and became a full time teacher
He taught by asking questions and waiting for his students to figure out the answers
He always praised his students and never punished them like most teachers at that time
He believed nobility should be based on merit not birth; the highest officials should be the best qualified
Confucius regarded himself as a failure
After he died, his followers collected his ideas in a book called the 论语 (Conversations) aka Analects – mostly sayings

5. Mencius (孟子) Mengzi lived about 200 yrs. after Confucius
He also wrote some important books
He thought that peace would return when the leaders of the warring states accepted Confucian social ideals
He though intellectuals (scholars) should rank at the top of the social pyramid; they should rule
Farmers and other manual laborers should be ruled
He thought artisans and merchants were just parasites and shouldn’t be included in the social order
He wrote the people have a duty to overthrow a ruler if he lacked virtue

6. Laozi (老子) Laozi just means “old master”
Lived 500’s BC (older than Confucius but they overlapped) – although many people question whether he is real
He supposedly wrote the Daodejing (道德经）
Very brief – only 5,000 characters – a collection of sayings and poems – but one of the most important books in China
Started the philosophy of Daoism
Basic idea – don’t try to go against nature; best to blend into nature; go with the flow
The best ruler does as little as possible; he just sets a good example of humility and accepts things the way they are; works in background and doesn’t try to take credit
Many Daoists withdrew to live as hermits in the forests or mountains

7. Zhuangzi (庄子) Zhuangzi lived about 200 years after Laozi
He wrote the second great book of Daoist, called Zhuangzi
His book had all kings of short parables involving animals
Story of the tree
A man complained that a large tree was useless because its branches are crooked and can’t be used for lumber
Zhuangzi said the tree does have use since its branches offer shade in hot weather
The tree is only useless if you try to make something other than what nature intended
Same with people – know you inner nature and strengths; don’t try to be someone you’re not; that will only make you unhappy
Story of the tortoise shell
An official of the state of Chu asked Zhangzi if he wanted a job as the court
He looked at the muddy river for a while, then he said:
I’ve heard that the prince capture a rare turtle and dried it out to keep its valuable shell
Do you think the turtle would prefer to be alive in the mud or dead in the palace?
The office said “of course, he’d rather be alive in the mud”
Zhuangzi said “I, too, prefer the mud. Goodbye.”
The Sorrow of Drumming on the Basin
When Zhuang Zi's wife died, his friend went to offer his condolences.
He saw Zhuang Zi sitting on the ground, drumming on a basin an happily singing.
His friend was shocked. Your wife just died; she took care of you and raised your children. How can you sing?
Zhuang Zi answered, “When she died, of course I was grieved. But I realized that originally she did not exist. Then she had a shape and life, and then she died. That was just like the changing of the four seasons. If I weep and wail, that shows that I do not understand the rules of nature.”

8. Muo-zi (墨子)
Mozi wrote a book called Mozi put together by his students from his lectures (the followers are called Moists; the school is called Moism)
Moism is best known for the concept of universal love => equal love for all, not just family members and rulers
This was in conflict with Confucius who said you should have greater love for parents than random strangers.
Moists also thought human nature was inherently good
He felt that the practice of giving important government posts to relatives regardless of skill was the root of poverty in society; as long as a person was capable for the task, he should be hired and promoted regardless of blood relations; if an officer were incapable, even if he were a close relative of the ruler, he ought to be fired.
At the time of Mozi, Chinese rulers and the wealthy citizens had the practice of extravagant burial rituals; much wealth was buried with the dead, and ritualistic mourning could be as extreme as walking on a stick hunchback for three years in a posture of mourning; during such lengthy funerals, people are not able to attend to agriculture or care for their families, leading to poverty; Mozi spoke against such practices.

9. Han Fei (Legalists) Hanfei People are bad by nature
Only a strong government with strict laws and harsh punishments can keep order
Leaders should act mysteriously – don’t let people know your mind or get too close

10. Coming Soon! Qin Dynasty