‘Confucian’ Values and Practices in Han China

Categorization of the ideas and writings of a number of thinkers under the general terms of Confucianism, Daoism and Legalism, however useful in the formation or description of the Chinese tradition, may often be anachronistic or invalid and is perhaps to be regarded as outmoded. Considerable doubt attends an assumption that Han China was characterized as ‘Confucian’ with the implication of an acknowledged set of ideas or system of thought and practice that regulated public life. While elemen..