Family, an ancient and mysterious word, carries the continuation of blood and witnesses the changes of history. Throughout the long history of mankind, there have been countless illustrious families who have shone on the stage of the times, whether they are proud of their power, or they dominate the world with their wealth, or they influence the world with their culture.
Let's start with the origin of the family, which originally originated from the continuation of blood relations. In ancient times, human beings were still in the primitive stage of drinking blood, and the relationship between men and women was chaotic, and there was no fixed form of marriage, so it was impossible to form a family. With the continuous progress of human society, matrilineal clan society emerged. During this period, due to the marriage system of "men living with their mothers", the mother became the center of the family, forming a matrilineal family. In the patrilineal clan society, with the development of productive forces, private property appeared, and the role of men in social production became increasingly prominent, and the marriage system of "women from their father's residence" gradually replaced "men from their mother's residence", and the patrilineal family came into being.
During the long period of feudal society, the patriarchal family played an important role in maintaining social stability. Within a large family, there may be countless small families, but they always maintain the concept of the same surname. Family interests are above all else, personal interests must be subordinated to family interests, the head of the family has absolute control over the family members, and his words and deeds represent the rise and fall of the family. In this context, many families have been passed down from generation to generation, forming a huge family power.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, with the establishment of the socialist system, the feudal patriarchal system was gradually broken, and the individual family was liberated from the shackles of the feudal family. But blood ties are still an important bond that holds families together, and many families still maintain close ties.
In modern society, the concept of family has broken through the limitations of blood and extended to a broader field. An enterprise, a party, and an association can all be called a "family". They either take common interests as a bond or pursue a common ideal, forming a close community.
Speaking of illustrious families, we have to mention the Japanese chrysanthemum family. The Chrysanthemum family, or the Japanese Imperial Family, is the only dynasty in Japanese history. According to the Nihon Shoki, the first emperor of Japan, Emperor Jimmu, ascended the throne in 660 BC and has been passed down for 126 generations without interruption. This is probably something that Qin Shi Huang could never have dreamed of. Qin Shi Huang once dreamed of eternal stability, but he never thought of the death of Qin Dynasty II. And most of the glorious dynasties in history cannot escape the cycle of rise and fall for hundreds of years, and it is a luxury to inherit them forever.
The reason why chrysanthemums have become a symbol of the Japanese imperial family stems from the unique admiration of the Japanese for chrysanthemums. In the eyes of the Japanese, chrysanthemums symbolize nobility, loyalty, and eternity. Coupled with the influence of the Japanese bushido spirit, "chrysanthemum" and "sword" have become two symbols of Japanese culture. As the American anthropologist Benedict said in his book "The Chrysanthemum and the Knife": "The chrysanthemum and the knife constitute the same painting, which seems to be incompatible, but in fact they depend on each other...... Ju itself is the embodiment of death, and the knife is undoubtedly a bridge to death, the knife becomes the tool of Ju, and Juhua is for the purpose of the knife. "Under the influence of the chrysanthemum family, Japan has developed a unique national character and cultural characteristics.
Compared with the Chrysanthemum family, the history of the Saudi family is a little "young". The House of Saud has its origins in the Arab Revolution of 1932, pioneered by Lyon Al Salman. After the victory of the revolution, the Salman family gradually took control of Saudi Arabia's political, economic, cultural and religious spheres, and became a veritable royal family.
Saudi Arabia is located on the Arabian Peninsula in southwest Asia, with rich oil resources, and is a world-famous oil producer. The oil economy has made Saudi Arabia one of the richest countries in the world, and the Saudi family, which controls the country's lifeblood, is even richer. If you talk about wealth alone, the Saudi family is probably better than the chrysanthemum family.
However, neither the Chrysanthemum family nor the Saudi family can hardly be compared with the Confucius family in China in terms of prominence and family size. Confucius, a thinker, statesman, and educator of the Spring and Autumn Period, not only had a profound influence on Chinese culture, but his ideas have become the spiritual wealth of all mankind.
The idea of "benevolence" put forward by Confucius embodies the spirit of humanism, and the "propriety" he advocated is the prototype of the modern social order and system. "Benevolence" and "propriety" have become the two cornerstones of human civilization. Confucius's ideas not only profoundly influenced the development of Chinese history, but also provided wisdom and enlightenment for the progress of world civilization.
It is precisely because of Confucius's lofty status that successive rulers have given special preferential treatment to Confucius's descendants, so that the Confucian family can continue to end. According to statistics, there are currently more than 3 million people with the surname Confucius in the world, and the vast majority of them are descendants of Confucius. In the Kong family, there is a long-standing saying: "The surname Kong is one family in the world". The genealogy has become the bond that holds this huge family together. Through the genealogy, the descendants of the Kong family can clearly find their position in the family and know their relatives and friends.
To this day, the Confucius family retains its pre-eminent position. With the continuous rise of China, the ideas of Confucius have become more and more admired by the world. "Harmony and difference", "teaching without class", "teaching according to aptitude"...... These thoughts, which shine with the light of wisdom, have become the spiritual wealth of all mankind. It is no exaggeration to say that in today's world, there is no family that can influence the development of the world with the power of thought like the Confucius family.