﻿FAR 
  EASTERN 
  CIVILIZATIONS 
  — 
  BISHOP 
  503 
  

  

  Examples 
  of 
  these 
  latter 
  traits 
  are 
  : 
  the 
  dragon-boat 
  festival, 
  espe- 
  

   cially 
  characteristic 
  of 
  southern 
  China 
  but 
  extending 
  over 
  a 
  wide 
  area 
  

   outside 
  China 
  itself 
  (Bishop, 
  1938b, 
  pp. 
  415-424); 
  the 
  tug-of-war; 
  

   ceremonial 
  swinging; 
  and 
  the 
  ritual 
  bullfight 
  (Bishop, 
  1925) 
  — 
  all 
  of 
  

   them 
  practices 
  apparently 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  promotion 
  of 
  fertility. 
  

  

  Later 
  Chinese 
  religion 
  was 
  only 
  in 
  part 
  an 
  outgrowth 
  of 
  the 
  beliefs 
  

   that 
  prevailed 
  during 
  Chou 
  times. 
  For 
  the 
  eventual 
  disappearance 
  

   of 
  the 
  feudal 
  system 
  with 
  its 
  aristocratic 
  ancestor 
  worship 
  caused 
  the 
  

   destruction 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  in 
  its 
  old 
  form 
  and 
  its 
  adoption, 
  with 
  certain 
  

   important 
  modifications, 
  by 
  the 
  Chinese 
  people 
  in 
  general. 
  Traces 
  of 
  

   the 
  old 
  aristocratic 
  religion 
  may, 
  however, 
  be 
  seen 
  even 
  today 
  in 
  the 
  

   Confucian 
  system 
  (for 
  the 
  temple 
  to 
  Confucius 
  at 
  his 
  birthplace 
  see 
  

   pi. 
  12, 
  fig. 
  1) 
  ; 
  and 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  ancient 
  beliefs 
  of 
  the 
  masses, 
  among 
  

   them 
  probably 
  survivals 
  from 
  Neolithic 
  times, 
  still 
  appear 
  in 
  modern 
  

   Taoism. 
  

  

  For 
  Confucius 
  (551-479 
  B. 
  C.) 
  was 
  himself 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  Chou 
  

   nobility 
  (though 
  claiming 
  descent 
  from 
  Shang 
  times), 
  a 
  loyal 
  subject 
  

   of 
  his 
  feudal 
  prince 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  Chou 
  king, 
  and 
  a 
  faithful 
  follower 
  

   of 
  the 
  code 
  of 
  conduct 
  of 
  his 
  own 
  social 
  class. 
  (See 
  pi. 
  9, 
  fig. 
  2 
  for 
  

   the 
  tomb 
  of 
  Confucius.) 
  During 
  several 
  centuries 
  after 
  his 
  death, 
  

   however, 
  his 
  teachings 
  exerted 
  little 
  influence; 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  until 
  

   the 
  founding 
  of 
  the 
  Han 
  Dynasty 
  (ca. 
  200 
  B. 
  C.) 
  that 
  the 
  authorities, 
  

   realizing 
  the 
  importance 
  of 
  Confucianism 
  as 
  an 
  instrument 
  of 
  state- 
  

   craft 
  and 
  a 
  means 
  of 
  controlling 
  the 
  people, 
  began 
  to 
  give 
  it 
  recognition 
  

   and 
  encouragement. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  the 
  ancient 
  Chinese 
  popular 
  beliefs 
  and 
  practices 
  

   tended 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  to 
  associate 
  themselves 
  with 
  the 
  doctrines 
  of 
  

   Laotze 
  (traditional 
  date 
  of 
  birth 
  604 
  B. 
  C). 
  That 
  philosopher, 
  of 
  

   whose 
  teachings 
  the 
  later 
  Taoist 
  system 
  is 
  in 
  part 
  the 
  product, 
  voiced 
  

   the 
  resentment 
  of 
  the 
  masses 
  against 
  the 
  arrogance, 
  tyranny, 
  and 
  

   bloodshed 
  of 
  the 
  feudal 
  princes. 
  His 
  views 
  were 
  essentially 
  demo- 
  

   cratic, 
  and 
  denied 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  petty 
  human 
  distinctions 
  and 
  ambitions. 
  

   Hence 
  the 
  very 
  ancient 
  but 
  long- 
  submerged 
  beliefs 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  classes 
  

   have 
  naturally 
  tended 
  to 
  crystallize 
  about 
  his 
  teachings. 
  

  

  Later, 
  during 
  the 
  early 
  centuries 
  of 
  the 
  Christian 
  Era, 
  Chinese 
  

   religious 
  ideas, 
  together 
  with 
  other 
  cultural 
  features, 
  spread 
  over 
  a 
  

   large 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Far 
  East. 
  Notably 
  was 
  this 
  the 
  case 
  with 
  Indo- 
  

   China, 
  Korea, 
  and 
  Japan. 
  Manchuria, 
  Mongolia, 
  and 
  Tibet 
  — 
  regions 
  

   no 
  farther 
  away 
  geographically 
  but 
  with 
  different 
  types 
  of 
  culture 
  

   patterns 
  — 
  were 
  less 
  intimately 
  affected. 
  

  

  Music. 
  — 
  Music 
  played 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  great 
  importance 
  during 
  the 
  Chou 
  

   period 
  in 
  all 
  ceremonial 
  life, 
  on 
  religious 
  occasions 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  at 
  

   banquets, 
  archery 
  contests, 
  and 
  the 
  like. 
  It 
  had 
  especially 
  religious 
  

   and 
  magical 
  connotations, 
  and 
  correct 
  tunes 
  were 
  supposed 
  to 
  frighten 
  

   away 
  evil 
  spirits 
  and 
  summon 
  beneficent 
  ones, 
  including 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  