The Research On Family Instruction Of The Han Dynasty

This thesis starts out to establish Family Instruction of the Han Dynasty as the object of the research by way of a longitudial pursuit of the development and changes which happened to this literature form. Based on different time intervals, this thesis endeavors to make a full representtation of the original historical state, which is the witness and background of the value ideas and characteristics of the people in the mentioned stage, and elaborate discussion will be made about the prevailing conception towards decorum and custom, ranks and honours, female education to boil down on the self-examination on Han family instruction. Meantime, a horizontal summary is to be made of different declination and concrete recount of the contemporary people. There are three parts in the thesis, which include the leading word, the chief composition and the conclusion.The first part mainly introduces the present situation of the research in family instructions, hence reveals the necessity and important significance of this research, and makes clear that this thesis establishes itself on a historical Longitudinal point of view to research into the development of rational knowledge of reality and civilization, with an introduction of the researching method.The chief composition is divided into three chapters. The first is the study and discussion of family instrouctions, putting bounds to the definition of Family Iinstructions—which are the instruction or expectation from the elder members of a family to the younger, from husband to wife, or from brothers (sisters) to the younger ones and had more or less exserted effects on the behaviour and determination of the younger family members. They are the reflection of the standard and experience in the life-long journey in the world by the elder members, the carrier of moral principles, and the social and cultural product of particuliar historical stage. Therefore, those literature or documents concerning the above mentined content, benificial to the stability of the family tradition are all included in this sort. The forms may vary into imperial edict, inscription, letters home and wills giving directions of funerals, or orders which contain expectaion to or have potential affects on the decendents. On the basis of former achievements of research and investigation, the thesis has made more complete gathering and classification of materials and sorted them carefully. By way of centered discussion about the flourishing of Family Instructions in Han Dynasty, the conclusion is drawn that, the serious social environment and the diversification and specification of old and well-known families are external factors in parallel with internal factors—such as stylistic forms in Han Dynasty—providing material carrier for the parpularization and spreading of the family instructions. The second chapter is a discussion of the cultural change, concentrating on conceptions of rites, ranks and honours, and the female education. Thrift is the main line permeating through rituals. But in the former period of West Han Dynasty, it appeard only as "economical", abandoning all rites to avoid generous funerals causing harmfulneess to life; yet in the earlier stage of East Han Dynast, it mainly showed as an advocation of enlightenment education; in the latter and last part of East Han Dynasty, it began to lay more and more emphasis on the purpose of keeping people within limits of ceremony and systems. Conceptions on ranks and honours witnessed the change from the co-existence of expounding one's idea's in writing and making contributions to the country, to that of adimiring contributions to the country and official position most of all; and then boiling down to expounding in writing and cultivating moral integrity, yet ignoring official and governmental position at all. This shows the process that the attitudes of the scholars-officials of Han towards the political power varied from co-operation, to approval, and then becoming more and more extranged; educational concepts on women proceeded from attention on instilling moral integrity and morality and justice as a rebellion against the traditinal educational concepts of motherhood and wifehood in the middle age of East Han to that of a signal return to the traditional rutine after the education on moral and justice attained its summit in the last stage of East Han Dynasty. The third chapter is a self-examination of Han Family instructions, and a horizontal summary of characteristics is given. On the whole the instructor's intervention into the cultivation of the younger's moral quality and handling of houshold affairs are embodied with obvious implication of enlightment and education. The values intend to a declination of common customs. The reasons can be the Han governers ruled with filial duty, and the there was a trend of thought among social folks who conferred more to the care of life. In addition, the serious social condition also contirbuted more to this. But as for the practical effect, the concepts of being educated to be a sage are still deeply rooted in the scholar-officials blood and mind.The last part is a lookback and summary of the research of the thesis, pointing out the significance of this investigation, and draws a corresponding conclusion. Of course a statement of the remaining problems and shortcomings is made at the same time to give hints to relative researches in future.