Confucianism is an ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius (Kng Fz,

or K'ung-fu-tzu, lit. "Master Kong", 551479 BCE). Confucianism originated as an "ethical-sociopolitical teaching" during the Spring and Autumn Period, but later developed metaphysical and cosmological elements in the Han Dynasty. Following the official abandonment of Legalism in China after the Qin Dynasty, Confucianism became the official state ideology of the Han. Nonetheless, since the Han period onward, most Chinese emperors used a mix of Legalism and Confucianism as their ruling doctrine, often with the latter embellishing the former. In other words, Confucian values were used to sugarcoat the harsh Legalist ideas that underlie the Imperial system. The disintegration of the Han in the second century CE opened the way for the spiritual and otherworldly doctrines of Buddhism and Daoism to dominate intellectual life at that time. Confucianism was made to stop the fall of Chinese society. After the Zhou Dynasty fell, people cared only for themselves and did not have any respect for others. Confucianism became a social order for China, teaching that social relationships are the most important. People slowly started to believe in it, because they wanted to have peace, but they had to care for themselves too. As a result, Confucianism brought the people love, harmony, and respect for one another. A Confucian revival began during the Tang dynasty. In the late Tang, Confucianism absorbed some aspects of Buddhism and Daoism and was reformulated (Neo-Confucianism). This reinvigorated form was adopted as the basis of the imperial exams and the core philosophy of the scholar official class in the Song dynasty. Neo-Confucianism turned into sometimes rigid orthodoxy over the following centuries. In popular practice, however, the three doctrines of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism were often melded together. The abolition of the examination system in 1905 marked the end of official Confucianism. The New Culture intellectuals of the early twentieth century blamed Confucianism for China's weaknesses. They searched for imported doctrines to replace it, such as the "Three Principles of the People" with the establishment of the Republic of China, and then Communism under the People's Republic of China. In the late twentieth century, some people credited Confucianism with the rise of the East Asian economy and revived both in the People's Republic and abroad. The core of Confucianism is humanism, or what the philosopher Herbert Fingarette calls "the secular as sacred". Confucianism focuses on the practical, especially the importance of the family, and not a belief in gods or the afterlife. Confucianism broadly speaking does not exalt faithfulness to divine will or higher law. This stance rests on the belief that human beings are teachable, improvable and perfectible through personal and communal endeavor especially self-cultivation and self-creation. Confucian thought focuses on the cultivation of virtue and maintenance of ethics. Some of the basic Confucian ethical concepts and practices include ren, yi, and li. Ren is an obligation of altruism and humaneness for other individuals. Yi is the upholding of righteousness and the moral disposition to do good. Li is a system of norms and propriety that determines how a person should properly act in everyday life. Confucianism holds one in contempt, either passively or actively, for the failure of upholding the cardinal moral values of ren and yi. Confucianism was started in Ch'u-fu, Confucius's birthplace. Today, Confucianism is spread all the way around the world, but is still more pronounced in China.

Birth: The T'ai-shen (spirit of the fetus) protects the expectant woman and deals harshly with anyone who harasses the mother to be. A special procedure is followed when the placenta is disposed of. The mother is given a special diet and is allowed rest for a month after delivery. The mother's family of origin supplies all the items required by the baby on the first, fourth and twelfth monthly anniversary of the birth. Reaching maturity: This life passage is no longer being celebrated, except in traditional families. It takes the form of a group meal in which the young adult is served chicken. Marriage: This is performed in six stages: Proposal: The couples exchange the eight characters: the year, month, day and hour of each of their births. If any unpropitious event occurs within the bride-to-be's family during the next three days, then the woman is believed to have rejected the proposal. Engagement: after the wedding day is chosen, the bride announces the wedding with invitations and a gift of cookies made in the shape of the moon. Dowry: This is carried to the groom's home in a solemn procession. The bride-price is then sent to the bride by the groom's parents. Gifts by the groom to the bride, equal in value to the dowry, are sent to her. Procession: The groom visits the bride's home and brings her back to his place, with much fanfare. Marriage and Reception: The couples recite their vows, toast each other with wine, and then take center stage at a banquet. Morning after: The bride serves breakfast to the groom's parents, who then reciprocate. Death: At death, the relatives cry out aloud to inform the neighbors. The family starts mourning and puts on clothes made of a course material. The corpse is washed and placed in a coffin. Mourners bring incense and money to offset the cost of the funeral. Food and significant objects of the deceased are placed into the coffin. A Buddhist or Taoist priest (or even a Christian minister) performs the burial ritual. Friends and family follow the coffin to the cemetery, along with a willow branch which symbolizes the soul of the person who has died. The latter is carried back to the family altar where it is used to "install" the spirit of the deceased. Liturgies are performed on the 7th, 9th, 49th day after the burial and on the first and third anniversaries of the death.

Taoism (modernly: Daoism) is a philosophical and religious tradition that emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao. The term Tao means "way", "path" or "principle", and can also be found in Chinese philosophies and religions other than Taoism. In Taoism, however, Tao denotes something that is both the source and the driving force behind everything that exists. It is ultimately ineffable: "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao." The keystone work of literature in Taoism is the Tao Te Ching, a compact and ambiguous book containing teachings attributed to Laozi (pinyin: Loz; WadeGiles: Lao Tzu). Together with the writings of Zhuangzi, these texts build the philosophical foundation of Taoism. This philosophical Taoism, individualistic by nature, is not institutionalized. Institutionalized forms, however, evolved over time in the shape of a number of different schools, often integrating beliefs and practices that even predated the keystone texts as, for example, the theories of the School of Naturalists, which synthesized the concepts of yin and yang and the Five Elements. Taoist schools traditionally feature reverence for Laozi, immortals or ancestors, along with a variety of divination and exorcism rituals, and practices for achieving ecstasy, longevity or immortality. Taoist propriety and ethics may vary depending on the particular school, but in general tends to emphasize wu-wei (action through non-action), "naturalness", simplicity, spontaneity, and the Three Treasures: compassion, moderation, and humility. Taoism has had profound influence on Chinese culture in the course of the centuries, and clerics of institutionalized. Taoism usually take care to note distinction between their ritual tradition and the customs and practices found in Chinese folk religion as these distinctions sometimes appear blurred. Chinese alchemy (especially neidan), Chinese astrology, Chan (Zen) Buddhism, several martial arts, Traditional Chinese medicine, feng shui, and many styles of qigong have been intertwined with Taoism throughout history. Beyond China, Taoism also had influence on surrounding societies in Asia. After Laozi and Zhuangzi the literature of Taoism grew steadily and used to be compiled in form of a canon the Daozang, which was at times published at the behest of the emperor. Throughout Chinese history, Taoism was several times nominated as state religion. After the 17th century, however, it fell much from favor. Like all other religious activity, Taoism was suppressed in the first decades of the People's Republic of China (and even persecuted during the Cultural Revolution), but continued to be practiced in Taiwan. Today, it is one of five religions recognized in the PRC, and although it does not travel readily from its Asian roots, claims adherents in a number of societies.

Purity: Taoist texts teach the importance of keeping the body pure in order to ensure spiritual health. To remain pure a person should avoid certain activities and foods. Greed, lust, pride and dishonesty are examples of things that should be avoided. Meditation: Meditation is important to many Taoists. Complex meditation rituals are practiced in various temples. A vital use of meditation is to create mental stillness and enhance mindfulness. This can give a person the mental space to know the Tao directly. The heart of Taoist practice, and includes not only sitting meditation, but also various forms of standing, moving and sleeping meditation; as well as the breathing and visualization practices of Internal Alchemy, and the spirit-travel practices of Mystical Taoism. Breathing: Breath is the most easily perceived form of ch'i, and there are many Taoist breathing exercises. Taoist breathing exercises are called Qui Gong (qigong). Energy flow: The flow of life energy - ch'i - within the body can be enhanced, regulated and harmonized by various forms of exercise, meditation, and techniques such as acupuncture and moxibustion. Martial arts: Tai Chi (taiji) originally derived from Taoist exercises created by Chang San-Feng (Zhang Sanfeng) (1127-1279 CE). Modern forms of Tai Chi are more likely to be secular exercises than Taoist practices. Diet: Classical Taoist teaching recommends abstaining from alcohol, meat, beans and grains. The practice of Baibai: Offering incense to the altar - is central to ceremonial forms of Taoism. Body Cultivation: One thing that makes Taoism rather unique among the world's spiritual traditions is the strong emphasis it places on physical health. Body cultivation practices such as taiji and qigong are used to create a strong and flexible bodymind, which can then function as a radiant clear "temple" through which spirit/qi/life-force can flow and emanate. Chanting & Invocations: Similar to Buddhist or Hindu mantras, Taoist invocations are used to invite the energy of particular Deities into the ritual space of a formal Taoist temple, the "temple" of a practitioner's body, or a beautiful natural setting. And the chanting of scriptures is an important component of ceremonial Taoist practice.

Confucius (born 551 BC, died 478 BC) was an important Chinese educator and philosopher. His original name was Kong Qiu or Zhong Ni. As a child, he was eager to learn about everything, and was very interested in rituals. Once he grew up, he worked as a state official who handled farms and cattle. Then he became a teacher. Confucius lived in a time when many states were fighting wars in China. This period was called the Spring and Autumn period of the Zhou Dynasty. Confucius did not like this and wanted to bring order back to society. His teachings later inspired a cult of veneration. Confucianism became the state religion of China, but he was denounced as a class-exploiter during the Cultural Revolution (1966 76). Like Socrates, Confucius sometimes did not answer philosophical questions himself. Instead he wanted people to think hard about problems and to learn from others, especially from history. Confucius also thought that people should get power because they were good and skilled, and not just because they came from powerful families.

Lao Tzu was one of the most famous Chinese philosophers. Not much is known of the details of his life, and some have thought he was not a real person. He was the author of a book called Tao Te Ching, The Way of Life, a work of about 81 stories with a consistent theme or moral. According to this book, Tao ("the Way") does not change and it is the universal truth. His Taoism has been enormously influential in China. Lao Tzu is also known as the main source of Taoism (or Daoism). His name translates as "Old Master" in English. Some of his teachings: Existence is beyond the power of words to define. The way to do is to be. A leader is best when people barely know that he exists... when his work is done they will say, "we did it all by ourselves". Handle a large kingdom with as gentle a touch as if you were cooking small fish. The biggest problem in the world could have been solved when it was small.

Countries who practices Confucianism: China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Korea, Japan and Vietnam, as well as various territories settled predominantly by Chinese people, such as Singapore Countries who practices Taoism: Regions populated by Chinese people: mainland China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, and various Chinese Diaspora communities. There are also small numbers of Taoists in the Western world. Practices: Practices: