| Filial piety is an important part of Chinese traditional thought and culture, which used to play an important social ethics education in feudal society both politically and ethically. Although the idea of filial piety was influenced in feudal society, the thinking of "treat parents well" has been know as one of traditional virtues of the Chinese nation. Funeral customs is an important way of representing the filial piety and is bequeathed in some places at present. The paper focuses on the inspection of the traditional filial piety from the aspect of the funerary customs.The paper is divided into eight parts.The first part is the introduction of the researching value of the filial piety and the articles both domestic and abroad and the problems which want to be solved.The second part firstly makes the conclusion of the death and the view of immortal soul, and then there are the different funeral customs. To some degree, the funeral customs reflected the social thinking. Chinese' death view can be summarized as follows: the mystery of the death attitude, the ethical trend and the politicization. The mystery of the death attitude comes from the immortal soul view, which stems in primitive society. Then the nature worship and ancestor worship basing on it come next. Due to the needs of the rulers, immortal soul becomes a society's mainstream consciousness in class society, which is the premise and spiritual sustenance of the funeral customs development.The development of filial piety and the funeral customs will be discussed in third part. The funeral customs not only bases on the view of immortal soul, but also fully reflects the social thinking. It is a carrier to show and spread the thinking of the filial piety. The filial piety is one of Chinese standard traditional thoughts which based on the idea of treat parents well and diffracted lots of social ethic and political extension. The sense of filial piety was come into being with the human's development, but as a kind of political and ethical one which stemmed during the forming process of the society class. The filial and the patriarchal moral norm of filial piety were formed during Western Zhou period. The thinking of filial piety was been explained in new way during Spring and Autumn period. From Qin dynasty, the punishment of the unfilial behaviors became a convention. "Filial piety to rule the world" was practiced in Han Dynasty. Loyalty instead of the filial piety became popular in Wei Jin Northern and Southern Dynasties. Sui and Tang Dynasties, the idea of filial piety was inherited and developed. The thinking of filial piety was redefined and ossified in Song and Ming philosophy. The idea became the official learning in Yuan Dynasty. Wang Yangming gave the filial piety a very high evaluation. Then, the thinking in Later Qing Dynasty was distorted and was pounded in the Republic of China. From May Fourth, the filial piety was been completely negative in a long period time. Since Reform and Opening, people began give the idea a critical cognition.Part Four focuses on the relationship between the filial piety and the funerals.Part Five's content is the funeral customs in rural area of Suide.The main funeral in the thinking of filial piety will be analyzed in Part Six. There are six aspects which have the educational significance to the whole society: thanking to the parents, respecting the seniors, stressing the old and the young, showing sadness because of death, arranging parents' funerals properly and holding memorial ceremonies for ancestors, setting an example. However, there are some aspects should be criticized.The continuity of the funeral customs in Suide will be discussed in Part Seven.Part Eight is the conclusion which sums up the paper on the idea of filial piety and the research significance. It still has a very strong vitality today and influences the society. |
