19. Confucius, one of the most important Chinese philosophers, was celebrated across the country for his 2, 570th birthday in September 2019. After all these years, his influence is still strong in modern times.
Unlike the abstract philosophy of Laozi, Confucian ideas about right and wrong are ways to understand and apply to daily life. "It's all about the every day. It's all about family, " Roger Ames, a Fonfucius expert at Peking University, told China Daily.
For example, many Chinese learn at an early age to "be filial to parents and respectful to brothers (入则孝, 出则悌)". Confucius believed that if everyone knows how to love their families, they will know how to love others, love their country, and love the world.
"Don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you. " is the favourite Confucius doctrine (信条) of Guo Jiulin, a professor at Dalian Minzu University. "It reminds me that if a person wants to fulfill his social ambitions(抱负), he must first be strict with himself in words and deeds," he told China Daily.
Another important Confucian idea is "he", or harmony, Sun Yiting, a student from Zhejiang University, values it. "It reminds me to calm down when I get angry," she said. "It reminds me to put myself in others' shoes. This way of thinking makes my life much happier."
Confucian ideas can even be applied to today's global problems, according to Ames.
"Confucius believed that the only way I can take my stand is by helping other people take theirs(己欲立而立人, 己欲达而达人). If my neighbour does better, I do better. That's the Confucian wisdom. This is really needed in the world today, " said Ames.
"Global warming, food and water shortages, environmental problems, international terrorism(恐怖主义). We can solve these problems only if we work together."