Analysis On The Values Of Confucian Scholars In The Period Between Two Han Dynasties

Since the predominance of the Confucianism in the Western Han Dynasty, the status of Confucian scholars in the society rose gradually.They strove hardly for a successful political career and attempted to carry out reforms on the basis of Confucianism theory. However,the ancien regime of Han Dynasty could not meet their political requirements .Besides,the spotty political situation was incompatible with Confucian ideal,either. For the purpose of maintaining their own benefits and authority,the ruling class rejected a series of measures proposed by Confucians against severe social crisis in the last stage of the Western Han Dynasty ,including family slave-limiting,cultivated land-limiting,recommending talented person , etal. Not until the rise of the old Text during the last stage of Han Dynasty did the Confucians seemingly find their new political expectations.The Confucians reposed their trust in WangMang and took sides with him via"glorifying his moral integrity and sending FuMing(the prophetic signs of imperial power) to him",with which WangMang successfully made himself emperor.Then he began a series of programs for reforming the system and"strictly following the old Text at each step".However,his political action was not exactly consistent with Confucians'political ideal,and moreover,WangMang did not open the door to political career for them ,either.WangMang's new reform finally turned out to be a failure,which caused terrible social turmoil and resulted in the emergence of the yearning trend of thought for renaissance of the society under the leadership of Liu family. Disappointed at the current political situation,some Confucians dwell in their native place in seclusion,but more of them made a move to local power who claimed to assist in the renaissance of Han Dynasty. Having a personal experience of social unrests and changes during the period between the Western Han Dynasty and Eastern Han Dynasty,LiuXiu had a clear understanding of the political and social power of the Confucian scholars. After ascending the throne,he vigorously seeked support from Confucians by advocating"value the Confucianism","the mild style of leadership";on the other hand,he tried to restrict the academic development of Confucianism via promulgating official version of TuChen(a kind of prophecy or augury )and the study of Confucian classics.Moreover,he efficiently subjected the Confucians to its rule via strong measures of bureaucratization,which means, to be exact,making laws to circumscribe the statements and actions of the Confucians .This persuaded Confucians to focus on their official duties rather than comment on the current politics. Utilitarian values henceforward caused greater clamour among the Confucians.