poems

Wisdom of Confucius

Chinees Letters on Glass

Confucius lived during a time not unlike our own, around 500 BC, when the Zhou Dynasty, emerging from its peaceful and productive Spring and Autumn Period, entered its Warring States Period.

During that time, as Zhou authority waned, smaller states within its control began to re-position themselves, to exercise dominance over neighboring states.

Confucius, a mid-level bureaucrat, doing what he could to promote the peace, compiled and published volumes of historical poems and annals, preserving the knowledge and wisdom of earlier dynasties.

Eventually, his efforts helped unify the warring states, allowing the Chinese people to share a common ancient heritage — to create a new, more inclusive culture.