Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty implemented the principle of "overthrowing a hundred schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone", which was not only a management policy, but also a concept of governance, which not only consolidated the rule of the Han dynasty, but also shaped the entire Chinese political and cultural tradition.
First of all, it was a personal factor, because when he was young, Emperor Wu was deeply influenced by his uncle Tian Wei and his teacher Wang Zang, and longed for Confucianism. For the enterprising Emperor Wu, according to Dong Zhongshu's interpretation, he emphasized great unification and advocated that the monarch should be ordered by heaven, which was conducive to the centralization of power. Therefore, Confucianism just met the ambition of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
Stills from Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty
Second, Confucianism is tailored to the needs of the times. The Mohists' love and non-aggression have long lost the market, the rule of law of the Legalists is equated with tyranny, and the rule of inaction of Taoism is gradually becoming ineffective. The Han Dynasty's seventy years of recuperation and political laxity led to the local princes sitting on the throne, the powerful annexed land, the rich merchants took advantage of the plunder, and the Xiongnu constituted a border trouble. Confucianism emphasizes benevolence, righteousness, loyalty and filial piety, loyalty to the monarch and patriotism, which is just a good way to save the world. Therefore, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty honored Confucianism to correct the evils of the times.
After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty came into power, he adopted Dong Zhongshu's suggestion, deposed the hundred schools, and respected Confucianism alone. So, how did Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty promote Confucianism?
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty adopted Dong Zhongshu's suggestion to set up Taixue in Beijing, set up doctors of the Five Classics, and studied Confucian poetry, calligraphy, rites, Yi, and Spring and Autumn (at that time, the Book of Music had been lost), and the doctors of other thinkers were all dismissed, so that Confucianism monopolized the status of official learning.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty
Subsequently, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty adopted Gongsun Hong's suggestion and made Taixue a place for cultivating talents and selecting officials. Fifty outstanding young people were selected from the locality, known as the disciples of the doctors, and they studied the Five Classics under the doctors. Disciples take the exam once a year, and those who can pass more than one pass and have excellent grades can serve as Langzhong, nominally a palace guard, but in fact an official waiting for errands. As for those with inferior grades, they were appointed as subordinate officials of the county warden, and they were trained in the local area. In other words, Confucian knowledge became the threshold for entering officialdom.
In addition, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty adopted Dong Zhongshu's suggestion and implemented inspection, ordering the county to recommend one filial son and one honest official every year, and he was promoted to the central government. In other words, Confucian moral standards become another threshold for entering officialdom.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty reused Confucianism to show respect for Confucianism. Gongsun Hongwei became a model. First, Gongsun Hong came from a humble background, served as a prison official, studied at 40, and was recommended for studying the Spring and Autumn Period; second, Gongsun Hong was to worship the prime minister first and then the marquis, which seemed to be a technical problem of order, but it broke the convention of first worshipping the marquis and then the prime minister.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty promoted the policy of exclusive respect for Confucianism, listed Confucianism as official orthodoxy, and used this as a standard to select talents to enter the officialdom, so as to break the situation of the long-term control of the government by the meritorious aristocratic group. However, this effect was not immediate, and it took time to nurture Confucian talent, and it also took time for Confucian officials to fill entire government posts.
This is the difference between Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and Qin Shi Huang, he had the patience to wait for the results, and after a long time, Confucianism became the mainstream of officialdom, and the government was composed of Confucian intellectuals, forming a government of scholars.
In other words, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was a Confucian ruler who only used Confucianism as a governing tool. Whether you agree or not is a matter of opinion, and it is difficult to have an objective answer. From another point of view, to what extent should we respect Confucianism? If Confucianism becomes the only official school, will it already be self-respecting? Is it a blessing for the country to rigidly regard Confucianism as an official? And whether our inner political convictions and utilitarian means of ruling are mutually exclusive? These questions are all worthy of our serious consideration.