East Asian Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

East Asian Studies - Essay Example Confusian teachings often concentrated on the development of the intellect rather than innovation and this ensured that many Chinese chose to remain in an almost static state (Confucious 13). Because of the influence of Confucianism, it became the norm for many of the Chinese people to want their lives to remain the same. The system of government of the land did not change because despite there having been many dynasties which ruled China from the ancient to the modern period. One will find that despite these numerous dynastic changes, none of the administarative rituals nor the system of governance was significantly changes to encourage the growth of the society (Holcombe 6). The elite consisting of the imperial family and the nobility, remained the same and it is these who competely dominated all matters of importance in the society. It was in the interests of these individuals to ensure that everything remained the same because it is the established system which ensured that their power was secure (He and Warren 272). It is possible that it is the elite which fostered the static nature of Chinese society since it allowed them to remain dominant while at the same time keeping the lower classes of the society subservient to their interests. The other reason why China was not able to achieve a powerful status on the global state which would have spurred its modernisation was its aversion to matters concerning the military. The Chinese society frowned upon the development of the military because the latter was considered to be a cause of instability rather than a guarantor of security (Ebrey 478; Paludan 136). Consequently, the military was extremely underfunded and its main role in the society was essentially ceremonial. It is possible that aversion to the military was based on the history of the nation where at the end of certain dynasties, the