Children’s Reading Of The Classic Of Filial Piety In Ming And Qing Dynasties

“Filial Piety” is the core concept of Confucian ethics,and the Classic of Filial Piety is the only one which expounds "filial piety" systematically,therefore it has occupied an important position in Confucian literature.The "filial piety" educational viewpoints in "the Classic of Filial Piety " had made an extremely important influence to ancient China.With the formation and the development of the “Filial piety king over the world” theory during the Western Han Dynasty,the Classic of Filial Piety had became a fundamental theoretical basis for the ruling class to governing the territorial dominance,and it also had became an important institutions for the royal household to educate the public.The Classic of Filial Piety was endowed with a strong political education color.Since the Song and Yuan dynasties,with the changes of social and political structure and the education downward expansion,the education of Confucianism gradually expanded to the bottom of the society,and with the influence of the imperial examination system,the Classic of Filial Piety gradually faded from the education of intellectuals dominated and turned to be much closer and trussed the people,intellectuals and education for women.The Classic of Filial Piety had the teaching function of “filial piety”,which made it become a reading text of enlightenment education in Ming and Qing dynasties.Reading the Classic of Filial Piety was one of the most important parts for children to accept the family and social education,and it was also essential in their daily lives.As the theory to spread to the bottom of society in Ming and Qing dynasties,the readers came from different class and gender,thus promoted the process of the Confucian ethics to folk tendency.This paper cut into an angle in terms of the perspective for the reading history,which takes the "5W History Reading Theory".This theory was mentioned by Robert Darnton to discuss the places,ways and meanings when children read the Classic of Filial Piety in Ming and Qing dynasties.Children who read the Classic of Filial Piety in Ming and Qing dynastic was influenced by the imperial examination system and the academic reorientation at that time.Therefore,the reading of the Classic of Filial Piety in Ming and Qing dynasties is not as simple as a kind of reading history,but as a social and cultural history which is tightly connected to the social and cultural development during the Ming and Qing dynasties.