Chinese Civilization Prompt 1: Pick two passages about education and explain what makes them "Confucian" or "Neo-Confucian."

Zhu Xia's Neo-Confucianism Program which is labeled "Preface to the Family Rituals" both exhibit the qualities that are found in the writings and teachings of Confucius. Confucianism is the philosophical and ethical system of belief based upon the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius which is then applied to daily life, including education and religion. The core belief of Confucianism was humanism which is the belief that human beings can change, adapt, and grow. No one's identity or personality is concrete and anyone can learn from their mistakes and change. People are asked to make decisions using reason, logic, and critical thinking. In the section "Preface to the Family Rituals," the authors explore how one man, Zhu Xi, believed in adapting Confucianism to the modern period by actually redefining the social structure of China. In this man's life, daily interactions with family and those he...

Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism is also discussed in the book in the section "Cheng Duanmeng: a Primer of Human Nature and Principle." In this section, it is explained how Cheng Duanmeng who was an associate of Zhu Xi helped to cultivate the concept of educational importance in the new China. Instead of the archaic principles regarding education as something privileged to members of nobility and the upper classes, these men insisted that education be available to everyone so that anyone could become a successful member of Chinese society. This is one of the aspects of Neo-Confucianism that is so important, the adaptation of old ideas and taking them into the modern period and to the psychology of the current population.
Prompt 2: What are Hu Chih's goals for himself? What steps does he take to reach these goals, and how does he evaluate his progress?

Hu Chih exemplifies Confucian principles because…