Thanks to Dong Zhongshu of the Western Han Dynasty, the status of Confucianism began to flourish unprecedentedly in ancient times, and the reason why Confucianism could have such a high status in ancient times was because it was respected and supported by the emperor. So, since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, why did he want to promote Confucian education? In fact, the reason is very simple, because the Confucian ideas of "divine right of kings" and "self-determination of the mandate of heaven" have put a mysterious cloak on the existence of the emperor, and this cloak has played the role of fooling the people. It is under such vigorous propaganda that the monarch can also play a leading role in spirit.
It has to be said that Confucian education and feudal imperial power are mutually perfect. The former laid the spiritual foundation for the latter, and the latter could, on this basis, promote Confucian education more vigorously. From this point of view, Dong Zhongshu is really a remarkable figure, because since his beginning, Confucian education has been pushed to a new height.
In the Qing Dynasty, although the rulers were the Ai xinjue Luo family, although they were from Guanwai, they also adopted the method of "han to han". After all, from previous experience, only by truly integrating into the Han nationality can we better rule the Han nationality, for example, the Northern Wei Dynasty, which implemented Han rule at that time, lasted much longer than the Yuan Dynasty that did not implement Han rule. The basis for the implementation of Han rule was to begin to study Confucian education. From this point of view, the significance of Confucian education to the ancient feudal dynasty is too important.
And how obvious was the Qing Dynasty's emphasis on Confucianism? This can be seen from the attitude of the Rulers of the Qing Dynasty towards the descendants of Confucius. A descendant of Confucius named Kong Shangren, a native of Qufu, Shandong, was a famous poet and opera writer during the Qing Dynasty. In 1699 AD, after more than ten years of painstaking creation of the legendary drama "Peach Blossom Fan", it was completed. As soon as this book came out, it could be said that Luoyang paper was expensive and loved by the broad masses of the people, and Kong Shangren became one of the most popular opera writers at that time.
It's just a pity that "Cheng also Xiao He defeated Xiao He", for Kong Shangren, this "Peach Blossom Fan" is his "Xiao He". He became famous for this book, and because of this book, he was almost cursed by the Nine Tribes! Why would a book have such a big impact on Kong Shangren? It turned out that "Peach Blossom Fan" was a work expressing the pain of subjugation, and the content of the book was suspected of being anti-Qing and restoration! For such a thing, the Qing Dynasty was naturally intolerable and laissez-faire. After several investigations, the Qing Dynasty identified the author of the book, Kong Shangren.
And for such people who dare to write "anti-books", the Qing Dynasty naturally cannot be spared. Therefore, the officials of the imperial court reported to the emperor and decided to sentence him to a heavy sentence of the Nine Tribes. When Kangxi saw this recital, his face instantly changed drastically, because in his opinion: Kong Shangren, as the sixty-fourth generation descendant of Confucius, when he went to Qufu to worship Confucius, he was still the tour guide he gave himself, how could such a person with a special status be severely punished for the crime of rebellion? If Kong Shang was punished with such a heavy punishment, how should he face the students of the world in the future? You must know that Confucius is a saint known to the world!
Therefore, in the end, Kong Shangren was not sentenced to the Nine Tribes, but was only removed from his official position. However, because of Kong Shangren's involvement, the officials who had appreciated the book at that time were also dismissed. From here, we can see how much protection the identity of Confucius's descendants has given him! If it were not for the status of a descendant of Confucius, then Kong Shangren might not have been alive a long time ago.
However, although Kong Shangren escaped death, his life was not as good as before. In Kong Shangren's view, if his own talent cannot be implemented, is it not the greatest punishment for himself? Therefore, Kong Shangren has been depressed since then. Within a few years, Kong Shangren died of depression. Although the identity of Confucius's descendants provided some convenience to Kong Shangren, it failed to protect him smoothly to the end. It can only be said that Confucianism is indeed important to rulers, but only because Confucianism has a protective effect on imperial rule!