Study On The Documents Of Family Instructions Of Tang Dynasty

Study on the Documents of Family Instructions of Tang DynastyFamily instructions are a very important component of Chinese traditional culture.They are unique cultural phenomena with a long history and a generation-to-generation succession in China.They have shed influence on people's recognition and behavior.This paper,based on the results of previous researches, probes into family instructions of the Tang Dynasty,by employing methods of documentation and case study.The author thinks that that the traditional family instructions had reached a mature stage in.Tang Dynasty because its rulers attached great importance on and took great measures in developing Confucianism,improved imperial examination system,and raised female's social position.Under the mentioned impetus,the family instructions had an unprecedented development during this period of history.New forms of family instructions appeared,including Emperor's Instructions,Prince Instructions,Scholar-officials Instructions,and "Good" Instructions among the ordinary people.These instructions had heterogeneity, especially outstanding in their system.The Emperor's,The Family's,and The Women's reached a summit and laid a solid foundation for their later development. The instructions of Tang Dynasty helped the rulers to unite the nation by passing on federal ruling awareness and spreading Confucianism.On the other hand,we can see clearly that,due to historical reasons,these instructions also hindered social development,restrained individualism,and limited personal value orientation. However,these deficiencies cannot deny the significant functions of Tang Dynasty Instructions in history.Some brilliant parts are still positive in keeping a social stability and development.This paper is divided into five chapters.Chapter one is an introduction briefly stating the significance of choosing the topic,demarcating "home","family", "instructions",and "family instructions" to help readers understand the implications of the family instructions and the historical periods to which they belonged.Besides, this chapter explains concisely five developing stages of the instructions by tracing their routes to illustrate their historical importance.From an introduction of the present researchers,particularly investigating into academic papers and books of the Tang Dynasty Family Instructions,the paper tries to help readers develop a better understanding of the current research in this field.From the special treats of researching targets and methods,the paper clarifies that a good study on the documents lies in the specific research and analysis of those instruction works.Only by doing so can we reflect their historical integrity and further discuss their characteristics.Chapter two explains the reasons that the instructions entered a maturing stage in Tang Dynasty.The needs of the rulers were the basic motivation. Their intense attention to the family instructions made the documents fully developed. The rulers held in esteem Confucianism in social ideology,extended and bettered imperial examination system,helping intellectuals from poverty families to be able to squeeze into higher class,which,in turn,reinforced the federal ruling.The rulers also raised the social position of women.Many documents regularizing female speech and behavior appeared in accordance and developed quickly.The improvement of paper making and printing skills accelerated spreading and development of the family instructions and made this period of time a hotbed of the instructions inclining to their maturity.Chapter three is the focus of this paper.It analyzes the identities of the instructors and the forms of the instructions,studying the Tang Dynasty Instructions in a 360-degree way.In this part,the author classifies all instructions into the Emperor's,the Scholar-officials,the folk's,the Women's,and the Poetic Style's. There are over 50 kinds of instruction works and 3 types of single passages discussed from the perspectives of the writers,the content and the pervasive influence.The paper focuses on the meaning of the works and takes the passages as supplementary, attaches the same importance of the anonymous books and existing books,discusses documents,and researches contents as well.These are three characteristics which make this paper different from other previous researches.The author collects substantial materials related to Tang Family Instructions and divides them according to the identities of the instructors.Followed is a spreading history about each classification.This way of arrangement will help readers to have a glimpse of its reins and spreading,which will create a chance for them to gain an integral understanding of the instructions.Chapter four concludes the characteristics of The Tang Dynasty Family Instructions.During this period of time,influenced by current politics, economy,military views,culture and diplomacy,the instructions developed quickly. This can be seen from the prolific appearance of large number of books of instructions, from the appearance of family punishment,called "jiafa" in Chinese,and from the appearance of The Emperor's that was based on an origin of ancient times,of historical development,and of being systematized by Tangtaizong.The numerous book instructions of female had become another feature during this period.Because of the imperial examination system,passing the exams in the hopes of winning an official rank had been the main topic.The instructions were very popular by going out of the family,entering the society,and being influential so that there were endless imitators.Chapter five exemplifies the historical significance and limits of the Tang Family Instructions.The instructions reflected the rulers' ideology,conveyed their requirements,and reinforced their control over people.In order to defend their domination,the rulers broke the family status and recruited intellectuals who might serve them better.Because the questions of the exams were previously prepared the rulers expected the examinees to accept the contents and rebuild their thoughts to satisfy the superior needs.During that period of time,on one hand,China experienced one body of family-country,the family instructions certainly concluded requirements of the rulers.On the other hand,there was a family affiliation in the instructions.The instructed were easily subscribed to the family education.This unique way of educating successfully reconciled the relation between the ruler and the ruled, alleviating the conflicts between the two,too.The instructions helped to spread and develop Confucianism.The complicated ideas and difficult words were simplified with popular language and easily mastered and accepted by the people.However, there were some limits in the instructions.Because the contents must be beneficial to the rulers,the instructions blocked the social progress.Because the Tang Instructions proclaimed a belief of "being worldly-wise and play safe",golden mean checked individuality and killed creativity,which was definitely unhelpful to complete personal development.And because the spreading of the imperial examination system, there were many topics in the instructions about pursuing success and wealth,which diverged individual value orientation and seduced temptations to life view.In short,the study of the Tang Dynasty Family Instructions offers us a chance to interpret and understand the documents.If we can draw positive and valuable points from the instructions,we will be able to serve our society better.The author acknowledges that the study is just a try,hoping it to be able to open a door for more people who are interested in this field to dig the treasure to contribute our commitment and devotion to the traditional culture of our mother land.