Dong Zhongshu’s Benevolence Thought And Its Political Significance

The main problem discussed in this paper is the connotation of Dong Zhongshu’s benevolence thought and how it is combined with politics.As we know,Dong Zhongshu’s goal was to find a way to govern the Han Dynasty,namely policy of benevolence,which required him to prove to the emperor that Confucian benevolent governance could solve the social problems facing the Han Dynasty.Based on pre-Qin Confucianism,Dong Zhongshu finally proved the practical feasibility of combining benevolence and politics by interpreting the text of the Spring and Autumn Annals and integrating the essence of hundreds of schools of thought.The introduction discusses the purpose and significance of the topic.This section mainly discussed why Dong Zhongshu is committed to the combination of benevolence and politics and what kind of discourse system Dong Zhongshu put forward this proposition.The Western Han Dynasty society was faced with a series of social and diplomatic problems and urgently needed to establish a new social order.Dong Zhongshu put forward a series of ideal solutions to the practical problems of the Han Dynasty with the theory of policy of benevolence and tried to prove that benevolent governance was the most suitable solution for the Han Dynasty.The first chapter discusses the historical background and academic origin of Dong Zhongshu’s benevolence thought.The historical background was divided into three parts: the contradiction between the ideological trend of ‘opposing Qin Dynasty’ and the reality of ‘Han Dynasty inheriting Qin Dynasty system’,the legitimacy of Han Dynasty rule and the political destiny of Confucianism in the early Han Dynasty.The academic origin was the theory of benevolent government of Confucianism in pre-Qin Dynasty,and the inheritance of the Ram the Spring and Autumn Annals.The second chapter discusses Dong Zhongshu’s thoughts of benevolence.Dong Zhongshu especially distinguishes between benevolence and righteousness.The object of benevolence is others,while the object of righteousness is self.He values the usefulness of ‘The benevolent loves others’ in maintaining social stability.Therefore,benevolence and righteousness had the function of regulating interpersonal relations,and thus benevolence and righteousness,as morality,became the law that could govern the country,namely ‘law of benevolence and righteousness ’.Finally,this chapter discusses the feasibility of the combination of benevolence and politics from the two parts: the heavenly basis and the historical basis.The third chapter discusses the implementation of Dong Zhongshu’s benevolence thought in political measures.In domestic affairs,he advocated moral education with ‘education as the main task’.He believed that the ruler should play the role of leader and make the people consciously good through education.In foreign affairs,he advocated that ‘the holy king should take good care of ethnic minorities’.This was an idea that advocates the integration of the Han ethnic group and ethnic minorities.He believed that a true king should take care of the world.The emperor realized the ideal of ‘great unity’ by rehabilitating the minorities.Dong Zhongshu’s benevolence thought was closely combined with the reality of the Han Dynasty and had a profound influence on the social consciousness of the Han Dynasty and its subsequent period.