China's Philosophy
Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism
Confucianism
Confucianism was created by teachings that came from a man named Confucius. He wanted people to follow what the ancestors did and he believed that would cause peace throughout China. Duty was the main idea for Confucianism. Basically duty was putting others needs and the communities needs before yours. Confucius wanted government service to be open to everyone but the Aristocrats didn't agree with that. They felt this way because they didn't want to lose their power. After a while Emperors developed a new way to chose people in the government. Many people looked at Confucius as a good leader that greatly impacted China.
Daoism
Daoism like Confucianism was used to create peace throughout China. Dao means "path". Laozi thought of the first ideas for Daoism. Daoism was used to teach people how to live a good and peaceful life. People that believed in Daoism lived a very simple life. The ways of Daoism was simply so people would enjoy a happy life. In some ways Daoism is slightly different than Confucianism. But some people followed both.
Legalism
Legalism or the "School of Law" is the third and final philosophy. Hanfezi came up with the first ideas of legalism. Legalism is very different from Daoism and Confucianism, legalism was more on the evil side. Aristocrats supported legalism because they tought it was a sign of power. Legalism was very harsh and if you did a small crime the punishment was horrible.