The impact of Confucius on the development of Chinese thought and cultureConfucianism has been part of Chinese culture for more than a thousand years. Many who have studied Confucianism would say that it is not a religion. It is best described as a philosophy or moral code. The philosophy of Confucianism comes mainly from the speeches and writings of Confucius, a great Chinese thinker and educator. He believed that humanity, ritual, neutrality, virtue, education and culture were the basis of human behavior. Additionally, Confucius believed that this philosophy was the best way for people to behave and interact with others in society. Confucius (551-479 BCE), the Chinese social philosopher was best known for creating one of the world's oldest philosophies, Confusianism. It ensured the stability of the Chinese imperial system for more than two thousand years and constituted China's official philosophy. (136 BCE-1991). (Huang, 2013) Although it has many followers, it is not a religion. According to Judith A. Berling, author of the book Focus on Asian Studies, "it was built on ancient religious foundations intended to establish the social values, institutions, and transcendent ideals of traditional Chinese society." (Berling, 2013) Confucius was born in 551 BC in Lu, China. Interestingly, the name Confucius was given to him by Jesuit missionaries years later. He was a very intelligent child and loved to learn. He married at the age of 19 and by age 35 he was working as a minor civil servant. However, after realizing that he would never reach a higher position, he left Lu, hoping to find a position that would give him the government position he desired. He traveled for 10 years in northern China, but the position he wanted eluded him. After returning to... middle of article......tp://afe.easia.columbia.edu/cosmos/irc/classics.htmBerling, J,A. (2013). Confucianism. Retrieved from http://asiasociety.org/countries/religions-philosophies/confucianism?page=0.1 Bentley, JH, Ziegler, HF (2011). Traditions & encounters (Vol. 1). (5th ed.). [Custom edition for UMUC]. New York, NY: McGraw Hill. Clasquin-Johnson, M. (2009). Confucianism: the gentleman's way. Retrieved from http://cnx.org/content/m23189/latest/ Huang, Y. (2013). The return of Confucianism to China: legitimacy and reign of the Chinese Communist Party. Fudan Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 6(1),33-61.McArthur, M. (2012). Confucius: a king without a throne. Open road media. New York, NY: Pegusus Books Watkins, T. (2013). The Warring States period of ancient China: 480 BCE to 221 BCE. Retrieved from http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/warringstates.htm