Power, Thoughts And Cultivation

Ancient Chinese dynasties all took cultivation seriously and valued the control and promotion of life ethics and morals. "One moral, one custom" has been the common ideals of rulers and intelligentsia all the time. In Song Dynasty, life ethics and morals recommended and supported together by national political rights represented by imperial powers and social knowledge powers represented by intelligentsia expanded from the cities to the villages step by step, radiated from center regions to the surrounding areas and from the upper strata intelligentsia to the publics through educating. On the basis of this, the life ethics identity of China have been established progressively with the folk custom cultivation traditions complemented. Imperial powers in ancient China are compounded "universal kingship" that the historical tradition, military powers, thoughts, religions and cultural and spiritual authorities superposed together. Therefore, the course that any dynasty in ancient China obtained the legitimacy and rationality of powers was quite complicated. If they would like to obtain "emperor's system ",they should not merely use military powers , but also set up a kind of new idea system and corresponding culture atmosphere. Establishing identity of the life ethics was necessary in this process. Zhao Song dynasty concerned on the "One moral, one custom" more because of the strong demands of its own power legitimacy and rationality prominently. But they should also seek the general identification of the same civilization and common ethics among the intelligentsia and common people in order to establish the authoritative and national confidence of the country fundamentally . Life ethics identity can be established progressively in Song Dynasty. There are some reasons as follows: Firstly, under the influence of culture and education policy of Song Dynasty, strengths of gentry's stratum and Zong Zu's were strengthened greatly and their impact on society were expanded gradually too. Secondly, as the social intermediary , gentry's stratum had its important mission that they should help emperors to govern country and carry on its education. Moreover, the development of art of printing and the change of thinking speech way made knowledge propagated very easily and the unprecedented acceleration of " One moral, one custom " appeared in Song Dynasty. The process of the establishment of life ethics identity can be studied from three respects. Firstly, "One moral, one custom" had been promoted in prohibition and education methods supported by officials and gentry stratum. Destroying the excessive sacrifices to the gods or the spirits, refusing the unusual activities that violated the major ethics and civil order and revitalizing the schools etc included. Secondly, gentry's stratum of Song Dynasty had great impact on the life ethics identity through cultivating. Thirdly, as unofficial system, folk custom had its function in establishing the identity of life ethics.