The Family Education between King Wu and Ji Dan in the Ancient Chinese Book: Remnants of Zhou Documents

Abstract

Although there are research outputs in historical studies of family pattern, family life, and family in the society, family education is still an under researched area in the field of Chinese historical studies. The Remnants of Zhou Documents being one of the transmitted collections of historical documents has long been ignored by scholars in China even though it covers valuable information of ancient China including family education. By studying the speeches and dialogues between King Wu and his younger brother Ji Dan, we know that the royal family education is a two-way process in which both family seniors and juniors have the responsibility to teach each other to keep the Heaven's mandate and practise filial piety not to bring blame to their family seniors and ancestors. The contents of this royal family education are mainly related to ruling strategies and personal conducts that can please the people or Heaven. This kind of performance legitimacy based on virtuous ruling can be a justification for the Zhou leaders to take over the sovereignty of Shang but also provides an excuse for the other families to replace the Jis. This high expectation of "performance legitimacy” to some extent is an impossible mission for most people. The records of family education in the Remnants of Zhou Documents are valuable new primary materials for researching into this long ignored area.