Today, September 28 is Confucius’s birthday. Historians believe he was born in 551 BC and was 73 years old when he died in 479. Confucius is China’s most famous philosopher and is a popular Chinese figure today. He was a philosopher whose teachings remain influential today as the basis of Confucianism, one of the oldest and largest religions in China and around the world.
His name “Confucius” is a Latin derivation from “Kong Fuzi.” his Chinese Name. He was born in the district of Zou, now known as the Qufu City in China. Every year in his hometown of Qufu City, there is the Qufu International Confucius Culture Festival. The celebration includes a worshiping ceremony and performances at both the Temple of Confucius and the Cemetery of Confucius — performances consist of ancient music and dancing.
In imperial China, in order to be an official scholar, people had to learn the Confucian classic texts called the Five Classics. According t tradition, the Five Classics were penned by Confucius. Modern scholars, however, doubt that any of the material can really be ascribed to Confucius himself.
The 6 arts that Confucius taught in school were Archery, Arithmetic, Calligraphy, Charioteering, Music and Ritual.
Aside from being a scholar, Confucius was also an educator and a politician.
China understood ‘Confucianism’ as a philosophical-political movement.
The People’s Republic of China’s Cultural revolution repressed Confucianism in China after the 1900s, saying that it hindered modernization in the country.
I think last year I had indicated I wasn’t sure why September 28 was chosen to celebrate Confucius Day… the date is, according to historians, Confucius’s birthday. The day is also observed as Teacher’s Day in China and Taiwan. In Chinese history, Confucius symbolizes the philosophy of educating all without discrimination. He never refused a student because of their class, requiring only that his students possess a desire to learn.
Seems like pretty good reason to have day named in his honor to me….
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