Download CONCEPTUALIZING THE CHINESE DIVINE CULTURE

第五屆台菲學術交流研討會: 數位人文與
文化研究
2012 Fifth Taiwan-Philippines Academic Conference:
Digital Humanities and Cultural Studies
Conceptualize the Chinese Divine Culture
Dr. Hsiu-Ching Lin
Dr. Hung-Hwei Liu
Abstract
Traditional Chinese culture has been heralded as a gift from the divine since the
ancient times. It has been passed from generation to generation for its glorious five
thousand years. Traditional Chinese culture can be roughly divined into divine culture
before 2,500 years ago and cultivation culture in the second half of 5,000 years. Three
main faiths: Confucianism, Tao School and Buddhism have constituted the Chinese
Divine culture and influenced every aspect of Chinese people’s core values, attitudes
and behaviors. Traditional Chinese culture teaches people to care for others, society
and respect the nature, and follow the rule of Heaven. The culture believes that good
begets rewards and evil is punished. The more gives away, the more rewards. Hence,
doing good is encouraged. In this research, the concept of Chinese cultivation culture
is framed and truthfulness, compassion as well as tolerance are conceptualized as the
essential of Chinese Divine culture. The Chinese Divine culture encourages personal
moral behaviors and influences personal core values and drives human beings’ ethical
attitudes.
Keywords: Divine Culture, Chinese Divine Culture, Traditional Chinese culture,
Cultivation Culture, Ethics, Morality
Dr. Hsiu-Ching Lin and Dr. Hung-Hwei Liu
5,000 Years of Civilization: Traditional Chinese Culture
Chinese Divine culture, also recognized as traditional Chinese culture and
Chinese cultivation culture, has its roots in Chinese society for thousands of years. It
has influenced every Chinese's core value and form their attitudes and behaviors and
has spawned a rich and profound system of values. Chinese divine culture can be
referred to the "Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors （三皇五帝）" period before
2,500 years ago. The Chinese cultivation culture encompassing the teachings of
Confucianism （儒）, Taoism （道） and Buddhism （釋）. Confucianism advocates
ethics and five cardinal virtues; Tao school values heavenly will and follows the
spirits of truthfulness. Buddha school insists compassion.
Chinese culture laid the foundation for all of mankind's culture, ways of
thinking, and ways of behaving, and it was God that systematically created all of it (Li,
2007/4/7). In Western art history, the earliest paintings were discovered in church (Lee,
2008a:48), while the oldest song which can be dated back to approximately 1,400 B.C.
contains a hymn to the moon God's wife (Kilmer, Crocker and Brown, 1976). In the
history of Eastern art, the subjects of sculpture and paintings in earlier times were the
high Deities (Lee, 2008a:48). Dance and music were the gifts from the Divine (Wang,
2011:44). It could be said that arts, performing arts and music in ancient China were,
originally, humans’ honor and gratitude to the high Deities (Lee, 2008a:48; Wang,
2011:44).
Divinely Inspired Culture
Since antiquity, Chinese culture has been heralded as a gift from the Divine
(Cheng, 2012:1). In ancient times, China had been regarded as the “Celestial Empire
（天國）” or “Divine Land （神洲）,” namely empire of heaven where the Divine and
mortal once coexisted. In ancient Chinese legends, there were deities who passed on
to humans essential elements of culture. Chinese culture is thus known as “divinely
inspired.”
The Classic of Mountains and Seas (third century B.C. to second century A.D.,
《山海經》) and Huai Nan Zi （
《淮南子》
）, two famous Chinese ancient treasures,
describe the natural holism and records of the Divine and humankind co-existence
stories. Pangu Deity created the heaven and the earth （盤古開天） and Nuwa Deity
created humanity （女媧造人）. After that, Cangjie Deity created the Chinese characters
（倉頡造字）; Shennong identified of hundreds of medicinal herbs and imparted
agriculture （神農氏教人醫療與農耕）; Fuxi’s taught humanity how to fish, hunt as
well as farm （伏羲氏教人漁獵畜牧）, and Suiren revealed the use of fire （燧人氏
發明火） (Epoch Group, 2005:120). During this period of time, these celestial beings
with supernormal abilities kept passing on essential cultural forms and skills to
humankind.
In ancient books such as A Biography of Immortals （《神仙傳》）, Dan Jing （《丹
經》）, Tao Zang （《道藏》）, or Xingming Guizhi （《性命圭旨》）, we can always read
Conceptualize the Chinese Divine Culture
“levitation in broad daylight （白日飛升）” which means that a person can levitate in
broad daylight (Lee, 2000:328). They were celestial beings. According to the Classic
of Mountains and Seas, the daughter of Yellow Emperor （also called “The Huangdi,”
or 黃帝 or 軒轅黃帝）, Ba （魃） was a drought deity who had helped her father with
her mighty power of fire to repel the invasion from tyrannical Chiyou（蚩尤）(Chang,
2001/12/14).
Many of Chinese people’s greatest achievements in science and the humanities
were ascribed to the Deities. It has also left behind countless literary classics,
historical documents, cultural relics, and national records reflecting its immense scope
(Shen Yun Performing Arts, 2012). Chinese Divine culture has created a splendid
civilization.
China's literal meaning is Middle Kingdom（中原）which espouses the thought
that the world is formed in which China is the center. When the history began, the
highest Deities incarnated to the human world and became emperors and executive
officials. The emperors were then referred to the sons of Heaven (天子) and born to
govern the nation. Through various dynasties, the belief of the Heaven and Divine had
been transmitted to a rich and abundant culture to the Chinese.
“The Chinese concept of ‘dynasty’ is different from that of ‘country,’ just as the
concept of ‘emperor’ is different from that of ‘king’ as found in other countries.
‘Dynasty’ stands for a period of mankind’s history, and there is a big difference
between ‘emperor’ and ‘king.’ An emperor is the lord of the imperial court, the king
of kings; under him are kings. So long as a country was under imperial rule, its
king would have been appointed as such by an edict from the emperor, with even the
successor of that king having to be designated by the emperor to be legitimate. This
owes to the fact that China was the portal through which the different heavenly
kingdoms descended to earth to become human; it was the main court to which they
came to establish karmic ties in and to govern (quoted from Lee, 2011/7/16:21).
Cultivation Culture
Yellow Emperor was the first emperor of Chinese history over five thousand
years ago. He had devoted himself entirely to the cultivation of the Tao, and was said
to have supernormal power and wisdom. Yellow Emperor owned the ability of
levitation in broad （成而登天） (Hsu, 2012/1/20), according to the Yellow Emperor's
Classic of Internal Medicine （《黃帝內經》）. During his lifetime, Yellow Emperor had
asked for cultivation advice from seventy-two celestial beings and the most
well-known was asking the Tao from Celestial Guang Cheng Zi （廣成子） who
informed him the importance of morality and ethical values (Ou-Yang, 2009/1/7). The
Yellow Emperor also taught his subjects how to live in accordance with the heavenly
Way.
During Yellow Emperor’s reign, a series of inventions were made, such as
animal-drawn vehicles, silkworm rearing, spinning, weaving, and medicine. The
Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine laid the foundation for the traditional
Dr. Hsiu-Ching Lin and Dr. Hung-Hwei Liu
Chinese medicine. This classic was a verbal record of discussions between the Yellow
Emperor and his ministers. The Yellow Emperor also taught his people how to
cultivate crops in accordance with the calendar he had calculated according to nature.
He had ruled ancient China for a long period of time and the country had enjoyed a
powerful force, stable politics, and progressive culture (Cultural China, 2007).
There had been many different schools that taught cultivation practices
throughout the history of China and great numbers of historical figures who
contributed to shaping the Chinese culture were practitioners of cultivation. Three
main faiths — Tao school, Confucianism and Buddha school which became
complementary beliefs in Chinese society have influenced Chinese values. These
beliefs brought the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) to the peak of its glory and
prosperity (Epoch Group, 2005:120).
The Chronology of Three Main Beliefs in China
When Shakyamuni’s（釋迦摩尼佛）Buddhism was introduced to China in A.D.
67, Chinese people combined Buddhist religious concepts with Taoist yin yang theory
and placed them under the framework of Confucianism which has formed the bedrock
of Chinese civilization. Therefore, taking away these teachings, there would be no
Chinese culture. That is how essential teaching of cultivation practice（修心） is true
Chinese culture.
Tao School
According to the Taoism, “the Will of Heaven” (or heavenly Way, Way of the
Universe,天意) dominating every single physical occurrence. In Chinese history,
emperors of each dynasty in Chinese history cared for their people, respected the land
(society), and follow the will of Heaven (environment). It is deeply believed that the
more one gives, the more individual will be rewarded tangibly (like making more
money) or intangibly (like reputation). The relationship between “give” and “gain”
was dominated by heavenly Will. When an individual is doing good, it will finally
bring about good results.
The ancient Chinese people honored and respected Heaven’s Will. They
believed that when one is attuned to the Will of Heaven, one can understand human
Conceptualize the Chinese Divine Culture
affairs and act righteously, because the Will of Heaven governs the universe as well as
nature and allows people to understand the ever-evolving human society and the rules
that govern mankind’s existence. Based on that, they deduced that the principles of
moral conduct should harmonize with Heaven and Nature. Following Heaven’s Way
will prevent one from deviating from the righteous path (Clear Wisdom, 2009/7/3).
This is normally regarded as the teachings of Tao（道）.
Taoism was systemized by the sage Lao Zi（老子） in his book Tao Te Ching
（《道德經》） two thousand and five hundred years ago and expounded on the
mysterious Way of the Universe.
Taoist regards Nature as an immense being, like a Divine being. Human bodies
have internal organs, blood and blood vessels; while Nature owns lakes, rivers,
mountains, and oceans which can also work as a system and circulate like human
body (Chi, 2012:38). According to traditional Chinese medicine, energy channels （脈）
are the conduits of qi （氣）which comprise an intricate network for energy circulation
within human body (Lee, 2000:389). In Chinese culture, qi is believed to be “vital
energy.” It is an active principle forming part of any living thing. Nature, in this
regard, has its energy channels circulating in the universe as well. The Taoist hereby
declares wisdom of unity of Heaven and humanity（or “oneness of man and Heaven”
or 天人合一）which has coursed through the veins of Chinese culture and represents
Chinese cosmology.
The way to achieve oneness of man and Heaven according to Tao School is
through cultivation practice, a generic term for the practice of mind and body
transcendence. That is to connect energy channels between human beings and Nature
and finally let human beings accept the “signals” or “messages” from Nature, feel the
Nature, communicate with Nature, and eventually return to Nature (Chi, 2012:38).
Lao Zi, therefore, advocated, “Man should follow the land, the land should follow
Heaven, Heaven should follow the Tao, and the Tao should follow Natural （人法地、
地法天、天法道、道法自然）.” Human beings' life and wealth are predestinated by
Nature （生死有命、富貴在天）.
The universe is a perpetual process of rotation, according to Taoism. Emperors
always observed astronomical phenomena in order to make a precise prediction about
the future and social change. Taoists believe that the change of human society is
substantially linked as well as associated with the change of astronomical phenomena,
and the change of astronomical phenomena has been predestinated and prearranged
by Nature (Chi, 2012:103). Based on the astronomical phenomena observation results,
Taoist followers would modify or improve their attitudes and behaviors closer to
Nature.
According to the ancient Chinese historical records, Shi Chi（also called Records
of the Grand Historian or 《史紀》）and Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Governance
(also called Zi Zhi Tong Jian or 《資治通鑑》, a vast chronological general history
encyclopaedia), both natural and man-made disasters are always caused by the
declining human moral and ethics. In the history of China, it is very easy to discern
that when a dynasty was from diminish to collapse or the emperor had been
dissolutely wicked, there would be a lot of natural or man-made disasters emerging.
Dr. Hsiu-Ching Lin and Dr. Hung-Hwei Liu
At this moment, the emperor would follow the will of Heaven, validate his ablution,
take care of his people and grant amnesty of the political exiles and dissents which
evidenced the morals of a ruler were connected to the Heaven (Xiao, 2008/6/18).
Confucianism
Confucianism forms a moral code and core value for individual, family, and
governance conduct. The teachings of Confucius (551 B.C. – 479 B.C.) were the
guiding principles for nearly every dynasty. Confucius had three thousand disciples in
his life, while among them there were seventy-two worthies. All his sayings and
lectures were collected and edited by his followers as a classic named Analects of
Confucius（LunYu or《論語》）. Analects of Confucius is the representative work of
Confucianism and continues to have a heavy influence on the philosophy and moral
values of Chinese people and later other East Asian as well. Anyone who wished to
become an official had to pass civil-service examinations that comprehensively tested
his understanding of the Confucian classics and their moral code. For almost two
thousand years, the Analects of Confucius had been the fundamental course of study
for any Chinese scholar.
Confucius considered morality a matter of primary importance, as reflected in his saying: A
cultivated person aims at truth, not at food. Confucius thought morality was the loftiest of pursuits, so
that people with lofty ideas and personalities might endure hardship, and even sacrifice their lives
(Zhang and Li, 1999). This can be concluded as characteristics of tolerance. Timeless principles of five
cardinal virtues which has been highlighted in Confucian teaching create the gravitational core for
loyalty. Therefore, China is regarded as "a land of refined decorum and courtesies（禮儀之邦）."
In the Chinese cultivation culture, one’s moral quality determines his
achievement of skill and expertise. Cultivation of moral character becomes a
prerequisite in any form of work. Through cultivation, one’s behavior and
performance will be authentic and will not easily be changed by fame or personal
interest.
Ethics is moral relating to the principles of right and wrong and is determined
by how one’s behavior measures up to society’s standards across cultures (Paquibut,
2011:14-15). Ethics applies to all and cannot be changed or dominated by a small
group of people. Moral standards must be applied to all in the service of the common
good (Paquibut, 2011:16). However, the moral standard in today’s society has already
changed and becomes distorted (Lee, 2000:16).
It had been recognized in society that “what is extracted from the society is
returned to the society”（取之於社會，用之於社會） and “no loss, no gain” principles.
Business would not pursue profit maximization, but adopt the “acceptable and
reasonable” profit. Businessmen followed the traditional culture disciplines to put
business ethics prior to profit-making. Products made and services delivered were to
serve others and the society as a whole.
Five Cardinal Virtues
Five cardinal virtues （五常）represent benevolence, righteousness, propriety,
Conceptualize the Chinese Divine Culture
wisdom and faithfulness （仁、義、禮、智、信）. They are the teachings of
Confucianism and have constituted the ethical cultural framework in traditional
Chinese culture. The five cardinal virtues are regarded as the principles to maintain
social order in nearly every dynasty in China.
In Chapter 11 of Book IV: Le Jin （里仁篇） in Analects of Confucius,
Confucius said, “Gentleman thinks of virtue; petty man thinks of profit. Gentleman
thinks of the heavenly Way; petty man thinks of favors which he may receive （君子
懷德，小人懷土。君子懷刑，小人懷惠）.” In Chapter 15: Wei Ling Gong of Analects of
Confucius, Confucius said, “Do not do to others what you would not like yourself （己
所不欲，勿施於人。
《論語》衛靈公第十五）.”
When governing a state, the ruler has to convince his people by virtues and
goodness. Confucian value of five cardinal virtues emphasizes morality and altruism
which are different from individualism lying at the core of North American and
Western European culture (Fan, 2010:135; Haley and Tan, 2004; Yum, 1988:79).
Researches claim that Confucianism is a compelling ethics since it requires
individuals and organizations to make a positive contribution to society and demands
moral leadership. The Confucian virtues provide a moral autonomy basis which is
critical to organizational success (Romar, 2002:119). Since the 1970s, increasing
scholarly works regard Confucian tradition as a constitute part of the East Asian
economic dynamics and its effective management pattern (Fan, 2010:136; Zhang and
Li, 1999).
Buddha School
Buddhism was founded by Shakyamuni two thousand and five hundred years
ago in ancient India. At that time, after Shakyamuni had unlocked and enlightened, he
recalled what he had cultivated before, and he spread it to save people.
In his discipline, no matter how many tens of thousands of sutras have been written,
there are actually just three words, “Precept, Concentration, Wisdom,” and these
are the features of his discipline. “Precept” was about making a person get rid of all
the desires ordinary people have, forcefully making him do away with his desire to
get things, cutting himself off from everything in the secular world, and so on. So he
would free himself of all attachments, there was even nothing in his mind, and
naturally he could enter into concentration. They complement each other. After he’d
entered into concentration, he would need to sit in meditation and really do
cultivation, and cultivate upwards relying on his power of concentration. So this is
the true cultivation part of that discipline. They don’t teach anything related to
techniques, and they don’t transform their innate bodies— they only cultivate the
gong that determines levels. So he would single-mindedly cultivate his character,
since a person who doesn’t cultivate longevity doesn’t care much about evolving
gong. At the same time, while he was in concentration he would strengthen his power
of concentration, endure hardships in meditation, and shed his karma. “Wisdom”
refers to Enlightenment, and coming to have great wisdom. He would see the truth of
the universe, see the reality of every dimension in the universe, his great divine
Dr. Hsiu-Ching Lin and Dr. Hung-Hwei Liu
powers would be majestically displayed, and his Wisdom and Enlightenment would
be unlocked, which is also called being “Unlocked” (quoted from Lee, 2003:47).
In A.D. 67, Buddhism reached China from ancient India. Its focus on personal
salvation and meditation had a profound effect on the Chinese culture, lasting until
today (Lin, 2012/1/19). According to Buddhism, “a person’s master soul doesn’t
perish, so it’s possible in your social dealings before this lifetime that you owed
someone, or took advantage of someone, or did some bad things. So your creditors
will go after you. In Buddhism they have a belief: a person’s life is karmic retribution.
If you’re in debt with someone he’ll go after you for payback, and if he takes too
much from you he’ll end up giving it back to you next time. If a son isn’t good to his
parents they’ll switch roles next time. This is how the retribution goes round and
round (Lee, 2003:112-113).” Therefore, “good and evil have their consequences. This
means that whoever does something bad must pay for it. Good deeds lead to favorable
returns, while evil ones lead to negative ones. The goal is to settle things (Lee,
2011/8/29:7).” For thousands of years, the Buddhist followers in China believed that
“doing good is rewarded and doing evil is punished (Lee, 2003:115).” Therefore,
Buddhists are compassionate and philanthropic to ordinary people in order not to
generate karmic.
Shakyamuni admonished the disciples against “five principle poisons
(attachment, aversion, jealousy, arrogance, and ignorance, 貪、嗔、癡、慢、疑)” because
these five principle poisons are the roots causing all disasters. Nowadays, the
misleading values of humankind have already caused attachment, aversion, jealousy,
arrogance, and ignorance to the extreme (Tian, 2012/1/24). In Chinese, the meaning
of compassion refers to “Shan（善）.” When a person does a good deed, he will seek
no monetary compensation. Because he believes that he will receive virtue （德） and
attain rewards from an otherworldly realm. Buddhists emphasize cultivating Shan.
Cultivation of Shan can develop a heart of great, benevolent compassion, and once
this heart of great compassion comes out one will see that all sentient beings are
suffering, the Buddha School thus develops an aspiration to offer salvation to all
beings (Lee, 2000:17). The meaning of compassion is broader than philanthropy since
it doesn’t confine itself to giving money to the charities or help people in need.
Conclusion
The universal values of what is good and what is evil haven't changed (Lee,
2008b:54). One of the major missions of academia is to contribute in-time knowledge,
insights and thinking in the field of human beings’ benefits and major ethical issues
(Ling, 2011:5). Reviving the Divine culture is vital for individual and society
especially in such an era of moral decline and moral values distorted in human
development.
After the Yellow Emperor, many emperors throughout over twenty dynasties in
Chinese history were Buddhism or Taoism cultivators, the most famous included Chin
Shi Huang （秦始皇, all his life had been searching for elixir for immortality）,
Emperor Wu of Han （漢武帝, Taoist）, Emperor Wu of Liang （梁武帝, Buddhist）,
Emperor Tang Xuan Zong （唐玄宗, Buddhist and Taoist）, Emperor Song Hwei Zong
（宋徽宗, Taoist）, Emperor Yong Le of Ming Dynasty （明永樂皇帝, Taoist）, and
Emperor Shun Zhi of Qing Dynasty （清順治皇帝, Buddhist）.
Conceptualize the Chinese Divine Culture
Under the influence of these faiths, Chinese culture has spawned a rich and
profound system of values. The concepts of truthfulness, unity of heaven and
humanity, ethics, five cardinal virtues and compassion are all products of these three
beliefs’ teachings. Traditional Chinese way of life has been tied with these disciplines.
That is the traditional Chinese cultural that teaches people to value intangible virtues
over physical wealth. Then, a person who would seek no monetary compensation
when doing a good deed was said to receive virtue and attain rewards from an
otherworldly realm (Lee, 2002: 145-160).
The Core Values of Three Faiths in Chinese Culture
Taoism established the unity of Heaven and humanity as both are governed by
the same process— Nature, which is systemic and predictable. Taoist ideas put
Chinese culture in truthful setting on a cosmological basis (Agalgatti and Krishna,
2007:103). Therefore, the Tao School believes in the cultivation of truthfulness to
nurture one’s nature; one should tell the truth, do things truthfully, become a truthful
person, return to the original, true self, and in the end, become a true person through
cultivation (Lee, 2000:17). Confucianism provides the system of external pressure to
keep the behavior of individual regulated within five cardinal virtues and value
system of society which can be identified as ethics and tolerance. At the same time,
Buddhism supplies traditional Chinese culture in its faith with its doctrines of karma.
It creates a desire for moral life to get deliverance and emancipation from the cycle of
birth and death. Therefore, people will have good deeds (Agalgatti and Krishna,
2007:105). Hence, the Buddha School emphasis cultivating compassion. Because the
cultivation of compassion can generate great, benevolent compassion, and when
compassion develops one will find all beings suffering, the Buddha School thus
develops an aspiration to offer salvation to all beings (Lee, 2000:17).
Massive Destruction of Chinese Culture
Dr. Hsiu-Ching Lin and Dr. Hung-Hwei Liu
Unfortunately, traditional Chinese culture had been substantially destroyed by
the May Fourth Movement （五四運動） from 1915 to 1921, totally cut off by the
Cultural Revolution（文化大革命）(from 1960s to 1970s) and the Chinese Communist
Party till now in China.
The May Fourth Movement, also called New Culture Movement, was an
anti-Chinese cultural and anti-imperialist movement. This movement articulated the
contempt for traditional Chinese culture by intellectuals and blamed for the dramatic
and rapid fall of China into a subordinate international position. These demonstrations
resorted to the Western science and democracy and complained that traditional
cultural values prevented China from matching the industrial and military
development of Japan and the West (Asia for Educators, 2009).
Then, the CCP destroys all traditional Chinese morals and virtues intentionally
and captivates materialistic and atheist ideology. The communist regime has a
substantial negative relation with religious beliefs (Barro and McCleary, 2003:20).
The traditional culture is regarded as superstition and then systematically eradicated
(Barro and McCleary, 2003:4; Epoch Group, 2005:24-27).
In the past 60 years under the CCP rule, the foundations of traditional Chinese
culture have been largely lost and destroyed. Atheism was forced upon society, and
socialism ascribed as the people’s new religion. As the Japan-based Yomiuri News
once reported, during the period from 1949 to 1951, two million people were killed
for their spiritual practice (Epoch Group, 2005:182). As a result, the traditional
Chinese Culture, the orthodox culture in China has disappeared. Furthermore, the
Chinese Communist regime has even created an institutional and structural barrier to
traditional Chinese culture (Zang, 2011:2). Traditional Chinese culture has been
ruined and wrecked by the CCP over this short period of a few decades, it has been
continually negating China's ancient culture and trampling underfoot China's ancient
civilization (Li, 2007/4/7).
Quality of people is more important than quality of armament
Ku Hong-Ming （辜鴻銘, 1857-1928） was a famous and influential scholar in
China. His book The Spirit of the Chinese People （《春秋大義》） explored the value
Conceptualize the Chinese Divine Culture
of civilization as the soul of what type of humanity (Ku, 1915:1). It is well-known in
Chinese history that the most outstanding persons are those who, first and foremost,
are of upright moral character. These people are not easily affected by outside
pressure or by fame and profit.
Good governance is the roadbed of “Economic Miracles”: the Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty is considered as a golden age in Chinese history, a time when
China was the largest and strongest nation in the world. Its territory was far bigger
than current China and the palace was five times as big as Forbidden City in Beijing.
It was a period when Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism continued to develop to
their peak of popularity. The teachings of these three schools helped to regulate
people’s conduct and permeated all aspects of society. Namely, during the Tang
Dynasty, the entire society was able to maintain a high moral standard and Emperor
Tang Taizong （唐太宗）reached the highest peak.
During Tang Taizong’s governance, he appointed virtuous and capable people to
important positions, and were able to accept suggestions and even criticism from their
appointees. Although supreme as an emperor, Tang Taizong was humble, respectful,
and tolerant. He even promoted in rank those who had opposed him. Tang Taizong
had always been diligent and had lofty goals. Thus, he was a great statesman, a role
model for future emperors and always being referred to a successful management case
(Zhi, 2009/8/31).
Taizong had governed Tang dynasty by strictly following the faithfulness and
integrity disciplines. He said that only government officers held the same heart with
people, maintained high moral standard, and treated each other with faithfulness and
integrity could achieve prosperous state (Tang, 2012/4/24).
The golden apex of the Tang Dynasty refers to the time (over 80 years) between
the reign of Emperor Taizong and the reign of Emperor Xuanzong （唐玄宗）. During
this period of time, China enjoyed an ethical political system, high moral standard
society and flourished in all aspects including trade, society, literature, and the arts
(Zhi, 2009/8/31). At night, people did not need to close their outer doors; on the road,
nobody pocketed anything lost by others. Tang poetry was regarded as the peak of
literature. The Tang Dynasty can be summarized as having an open and broad mind,
combining the quintessence from all.
In 1988, seventy-four Nobel Prize laureates made the assertion in Paris. They
claimed that if human beings want to live in peace and prosperity in the 21st century,
they must seek the wisdom of traditional Chinese culture (Zhang and Li, 1999). Three
main faiths— Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism which became complementary
beliefs in Chinese society have influenced every aspect of life in Chinese communities.
Way of life follows the Taoism, Confucian and Buddhist disciplines which are
truthfulness, compassion and tolerance
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