The Sacred Edict

Popular Culture in Late Imperial China THE SACRED EDIT

Some of the basic principles in the Sacred Edict were: be generous, obey the Emperor, cultivate peace, work hard at the tasks you have been given, and teach your children to do the same.

Emperor K’ang-hsi’s publication of the Sacred Edict was widely recognized as the most concise and authoritative statement of Confucian ideology. There were many different editions of the sacred edict published by other scholars and leaders. Sometimes they were directed at different types of congregations. Some were designed to be read out loud, some directed at the lower classes, and others had illustrations.

The Sacred Edict, in all its forms, was a moral basis for the Chinese. The government used it to keep the people under control. The teachings by Confucius were revered by all. The Exams (education system) used his teachings as their primary source of learning.

Understanding the teachings in the sacred edict, and the cultural importance it held is vital to understanding Chinese history. There is a great comparison to what modern china thought of the sacred edict, and the almost religious way it was followed in the Qing dynasty (and before then). Chiang Kai-shek 00:53, 16 October 2011 (UTC)