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China Diffusion of Values
While ideally everyone would benefit from direct study of the
Classics, this was not a realistic goal in a society composed
largely of illiterate peasants. But Confucianists had a keen
appreciation for the influence of social models and for the
socializing and teaching functions of public rituals and
ceremonies. The common people were thought to be influenced by the
examples of their rulers and officials, as well as by public
events. Vehicles of cultural transmission, such as folk songs,
popular drama, and literature and the arts, were the objects of
government and scholarly attention. Many scholars, even if they did
not hold public office, put a great deal of effort into
popularizing Confucian values by lecturing on morality, publicly
praising local examples of proper conduct, and "reforming" local
customs, such as bawdy harvest festivals. In this manner, over
hundreds of years, the values of Confucianism were diffused across
China and into scattered peasant villages and rural culture.
Data as of July 1987
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