the kongdan foundation

In Chinese traditional history, it is said that the descendants of the four families of Confucius, Mencius, Yan Hui, and Zeng Zi, were essential in making Confucianism the structure of Chinese history for more than twenty-five hundred years.

Dan with daughter Katie and students at Zeng Zhi Temple

What made Mencius, Yan Hui, and Zeng Zi, so important was that their writings later became the crux of the examination system in the Song dynasty that determined how one was to advance in Confucian culture and Chinese history.

It was the school in Qufu founded for their descendants that I taught at while living in Qufu from September 2010 to July 2013. The picture to the left was taken around 1900 at the school. It remained a school for the descendants until the revolution in China in 1912 when the school was opened to the public. I was teaching here in 2012 a hundred years later.

Because of upcoming plans to return to China and Tibet in a few weeks (May-June 2017), I wanted to highlight a very important figure in Chinese history, Mencius. My plans changed and I did not go to Tibet until October 2018.

I attended the wedding of one of my students in Zoucheng, the birthplace of Mencius on this trip to China. A city I have visited many times in the past.

Mencius was born in the State of Zou, now a county level city of Zoucheng in Shandong province, about eighteen miles south of Qufu, Confucius birthplace.

He was an itinerant Chinese philosopher and sage and one of the principal interpreters of Confucianism. The picture to the left is of one of my students at the gate of the Mencius Temple I took during a visit in the Spring of 2013. He was said to be a pupil of Confucius’ grandson, Zisi.

Like Confucius, according to legend, Mencius traveled throughout China for forty years to offer advice to rulers for reform. During the Warring States period (403–221 BC), he served as an official and scholar at the Jixia Academy in the State of Qi (1046 BC to 221 BC) from 319 to 312 BC. He expressed his filial devotion when he took three years leave of absence from his official duties for Qi to mourn his mother’s death.

Disappointed at his failure to effect changes in his contemporary world, he retired from public life. What is most amazing to me, is that this Temple (park), dedicated to his memory and contribution was not constructed for more than a thousand years after his death.

Below is a picture of a Yuan Dynasty turtle with a stele honoring Mencius I took during one of my visits.

Mencius’s interpretation of Confucianism has generally been considered the orthodox version by subsequent Chinese philosophers, especially by the Neo-Confucians of the Song Dynasty. Mencius’s disciples included a large number of feudal lords, and he was actually more influential than Confucius had been. 

The Mencius (also spelled Mengzi or Meng-tzu), a book of his conversations with kings of the time, is one of the Four Books that Zhu Xi grouped as the core of orthodox Neo-Confucian thought.

In contrast to the sayings of Confucius, which are short and self-contained, the Mencius consists of long dialogues, including arguments, with extensive prose. Mencius believed that if a ruler were a man of virtue, then people would aspire to that same kind of virtuous life, and further, would enjoy their days more fully in being governed justly.

Mencius emphasized the significance of the common citizens in the state. While Confucianism generally regards rulers highly, he argued that it is acceptable for the subjects to overthrow or even kill a ruler who ignores the people’s needs and rules harshly. This is because a ruler who does not rule justly is no longer a true ruler. Speaking of the overthrow of King Zhou of Shang, Mencius said, “I have merely heard of killing a villain Zhou, but I have not heard of murdering [him as] the ruler.”

Three photos from my visit to the Mencius Temple in Zoucheng.

This saying should not be taken as an instigation to violence against authorities but as an application of Confucian philosophy to society. The picture above is of me sitting in the Academy at the Temple in Zoucheng. Confucianism requires a clarification of what may be reasonably expected in any given relationship. All relationships should be beneficial, but each has its own principle or inner logic.

A King, or Ruler, must justify his position by acting benevolently before he can expect reciprocation from the people. In this view, a King is like a steward.

The entrance to Nisson Hill south of Qufu

Although Confucius admired Kings of great accomplishment, Mencius is clarifying the proper hierarchy of human society.

Although a King has presumably higher status than a commoner, he is actually subordinate to the masses of people and the resources of society. Otherwise, there would be an implied disregard of the potential of human society heading into the future. A ruler (implied here is the emperor who rules as a mandate from Heaven) is significant that governs only for what one gives, not for what one takes.

To the right is a photo taken in October 1999 during our first visit to Qufu in the “Confucius cave” on Nishon Hill. Traditionally this cave is where Confucius was born. In the cave are from left to right myself, daughter Katie, my mother Faye, and my wife Marie. A few years later this was roped off and people were unable to enter the cave. We stopped in Qufu on our way to adopt our daughter Emily in Urumqi.

Mencius was considered the “second sage” second only to Confucius mainly due to his promotion of Confucian study and teaching exemplified by the Academy of Nishon Hill south of Qufu that was adjacent to the cave in which Confucius was said to be born. His primary contribution was his development of Confucius’ ideological structure that would later be known as the Doctrines of Confucius and Mencius.

His Policy of Benevolence and development of a system for ideological education would be followed for ways to rule the nation and has had a profound effect of Chinese society up until today. His own book Meng zi was regarded as required reading and essential for scholars who might by chosen by the government for a job and an essential element of the examination system that was to be put in place in early China. I

Next was addition of Zeng Zi and Yan Hui from Qufu, who was Confucius favorite disciple. All three have temples built in their hometowns to honor their contributions to the development of Confucianism.

Zeng Zi is believed to be the author of the Daxue (“Great Learning”). In this classic, which became a part of the Liji (“Collection of Rituals”) and one of the Four Books during the Song dynasty, he discussed the great importance of the Confucian virtues zhong (“loyalty”) and shu (“deference”).

I have visited all three in attempted to gain further understanding as to their influence on Chinese history.

The entrance to the Temple of Zeng Zi

I traveled to Jiaxiang to visit the Temple of Zeng Zi to have lunch at the home of one of my students and his family who lived there who was a class monitor at Jining University. (I taught at both Jining University and Qufu school next to the Confucius Temple).

Three of the “four families” (Mencius, Yan Hui, and Zeng Zi), the fourth being the descendants of Confucius became famous in Chinese history.

An Edict of Temur Khan granting protection to the temple, in Chinese and Mongol in 1307.

The Temple of Yan Hui, Yan Temple, is a temple in Qufu, dedicated to Yan Hui (521-490 BC), the favorite disciple of Confucius. 

Fusheng Hall, the main sanctuary of the Temple of Yan Hui

The temple is located within the historic walled city of Qufu, the hometown of Confucius in Shandong Province. The temple is just south of the northern gates of the city wall.

The Temple is across the street from the Bell Tower on Gulou Street where I lived.  I walked by almost every day.