Mural guide
Families welcome elders and returning relatives beside a flowering courtyard, while neighbors share a basket of food.
Ritual bronzes, ancestral vessels and seals: how objects carried rite, order and the bonds between people
Cultivating virtue and managing the home: the ethical foundation and enduring warmth of human relations in Chinese letters.
Values
With Five Constants as the cornerstone and Five Relations as the network, decoding the inherent order and warmth etched into the genetic lineage of Huaxia.
BenevolenceZhou dynasty to presentThe Confucian virtue of loving others, from Confucius answering Fan Chi on ren to Zhu Xi making ren head of the Five Constants.
RighteousnessZhou dynasty to presentThe Confucian moral rule that puts righteousness above profit, even above life.
RitualsZhou dynasty to presentRitual rules: the Duke of Zhou's rites by tradition, Confucius on ritual as righteousness in practice, and the Han Book of Rites.
WisdomZhou dynasty to presentThinking that adapts and conduct that stays upright, from Confucius on wisdom to the Huainanzi's "wisdom round, conduct square".
TrustZhou dynasty to presentThe rule of keeping one's word, verifiably, in personal conduct and social life.
Filial PietyZhou dynasty to presentMutual care between old and young: Western Zhou filial offerings, the Classic of Filial Piety, and Han selection for filial piety.
LoyaltyZhou dynasty to presentLoyalty from Confucius's "serve the ruler with loyalty" to Lu You's "though lowly, I never forget my worry for the country".
MarriageZhou dynasty to presentThe ethics of husband and wife: the Book of Songs' "I hold your hand", Zhuangzi's stranded fish and the six wedding rites.
KinshipZhou dynasty to presentTies among brothers, sisters and clan: the ode Changdi on brothers, and Fan Zhongyan's charitable estate for his kin.
ReciprocityZhou dynasty to presentGive and take among friends and neighbours: "ritual values reciprocity" and the Buddhist yinyuan that grew into yuanfen.