My 2nd paper for the
Asian Civilisations Museum Volunteer Guide / Docent training. I just love the museum, and was very happy to sign up (and was accepted) into the
Volunteer Guide / Docent training program. The last recruitment was 5 years ago!
Thanks to this program (and this particular topic that was assigned to me), it finally gave me an opportunity to read up on Confucianism - which, I am embarrassed to say, that I have never seriously read about. It is interesting and revealing to me, to know that filial piety (孝), actually stems from Confucius idea of humanity (仁), that every ruler should possess, and practice.
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Stone Funeral Stele, Six Dynasties 六朝 = 三国, 晉朝, 南北朝 (265-581)
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| Photo credit: ACM A-Z Guide |
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Gallery Talk 2C: China
Question: Discuss Confucius’s take on Filial Piety. Refer to the Funeral Stele in the Confucianism/Ancestor Worship section, and tell the story shown.
Background:
To understand Confucius’s take on filial piety, one must first understand the life-long aspirations of Confucius, whose beliefs deeply shaped Chinese culture. Confucius was born around 550 BC, during the Spring, Autumn and Warring States period, where there was much political instability. Alliances were made and broken among the many different regions. Confucius spent his life preaching the virtue of “ren”, or humanity, to the rulers of the warring states. He believed that rulers should treat their subjects as parents should treat their children, and he used the idea of filial piety to illustrate the idea to the rulers.
On the other hand, filial piety, in its most basic sense, means the care and concern shown from children towards parents. Confucians was trying to find a universal example that everyone could understand, in terms of personal relationships. And everyone has parents. It is fair and just to treat our parents with love and care, just like they have treated us. Thus, filial piety is just like the Golden Rule: “treat others the way you would like to be treated”. The idea of filial piety has endured through the years, mostly in terms of the simplest form – the direct repayment of the unconditional love we received from our parents.
Artifact: Funerary Stele Illustrating Filial Piety, Six Dynasties, 220-589
One can see the virtue of filial piety from this funerary stele, probably part of a stone sarcophagus, from the Six Dynasties period from 220 to 600 CE, just after the Han dynasty. The Han imperial government has declared Confucianism as the official ideology, and filial piety was one of the most important virtues.
There are four major scenes on this stele – the first scene bearing the story of Guo Ju from the Eastern Han dynasty. Guo Ju lived with his wife, mother, and son. The family was very poor and often does not have enough to eat, and Guo Ju’s mother often endured hunger to save food for her grandson. Guo Ju decided to make this drastic decision to bury his son, so that his mother will have enough to eat. One night, Guo Ju began digging a hole to bury his sleeping son, held by his weeping wife. Surprisingly, he found a pot of gold, bestowed upon him by the Heavens, at the site where he was digging the hole. The pot of gold came with the following note: “This pot of gold, to reward filial son, Guo Ju”. This scene is depicted on the left of one part of the stele. On the right hand side, separated by a tree, is the happy ending from this story, with Guo Ju kneeling before his mother, who is holding the pot of gold, with the son and wife looks on. The story of Gu Juo is a common theme in funerary art during the Six Dynasty, and reflected the importance of filial piety in the Confucius value systems since the Han dynasty.
Other scenes in this stele include: 1) a man, riding a horse led by a groom, with two servants flanking him with sunshades; 2) a well-dressed man sitting in a canopied seat, with a feast in front of him, and; 3) four female attendants holding a fan or a lotus in their hands. These scenes could indicate the good life held by the owner of this tomb, but on the other hand, these scenes could also suggest the afterlife opulence bestowed upon the deceased by his decedents. Moreover, these funeral art scenes were carved on stone, which has a permanent quality that could imply immortality. In conclusion, the funeral stele was used as a monument to memorise a person’s identity, while at the same time, it also provided an opportunity for the commissioner of the stele to display important Confucius virtues, such as filial piety.
References:
Asian Civilisations Museum A-Z Guide (2006) Singapore: Asian Civilisations Museum.
Asian Civilisations Museum Lectern Notes. Gallery 6 – China.
Ding, Wangdao (1997). Understanding Confucius. China: Chinese Literature Press.
Wong, Dorothy (2004). Chinese Steles : Pre-Buddhist and Buddhist Use of a Symbolic Form. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
Zhou, Kuijie (2005). A Basic Confucius: An Introduction to the Wisdom and Advice of China’s Greatest Sage. USA: Long River Press.
陈永明 (2009). 原来孔子 So that’s Confucius. Hong Kong: Chung Hwa Books.
陈中伟 (2004). 孝的故事 The Story of Filial Piety. Singapore: Asiapac Books Pet Ltd.
