Confucianism was one of the most influential of the four Great Traditions in ancient China. However, it did not become such a big way of life until after Confucius’ death, as he only had a small number of disciples following him during his lifetime. Confucianism stressed the importance of some of the greatest virtues of life, including filial piety, Jen, Chi, Yung, and Li, as these represented devotion to the parents, benevolence, wisdom, moral courage, and ritual, and were the keys to achieving moral goodness. With Confucianism being such a popular way of life, the government was obviously influenced by it, and it was a working way to govern society. All of these aspects of Confucianism are seen in Robert Van Gulik’s novel, The Lacquer
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