Ancient chinese civilization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Ancient chinese civilization - Essay Example From the novel The Three Kingdoms, we see that the Chinese society around that period greatly valued loyalty as a strong virtue that bounded together two or more people who had the same ambitions and mission. Loyalty was so important during this age such that there were vows which were cited either in secrecy or at a very serene place. The first instance when loyalty was displayed was when the three brothers came together in fraternity to bind themselves in a code of honor that greatly guided their future actions and also kept them strong even when they were on the brink of dying. The oath was a very important symbol of unity and loyalty to one another as their words suggested i.e. â€Å"we three Lui Pei, Kuan Yu and Chang Fei, though of separate birth, now bind ourselves in brotherhood, combining our strength and purpose to relive the present crisis (Lo Kuan-Chung & Moss Roberts, page 9)†. Loyalty was basically what the leadership in China was based on. Every leader throughout the novel, the three kingdoms, demanded that of all their subjects as there was always an imminent attack on them by those who were dissatisfied by the leadership. We see those loyal to the throne being treated well and showered with gifts so that they continue being loyal and expose those they suspected of disloyalty. Disloyalty was a serious offence not tolerable in the Chinese society during this period and any slight sign of disloyalty normally led to nothing less than execution. This punishment as if not severe enough, would be followed by the execution of the ‘traitor’s’ whole house hold. There are many cases where this was evident, for instance in the case where Ts’ao Ts’ao realized of the plot to kill him, he first apprehended Ping and tortured him for days. Thereafter he went on to arrest the other six conspirators, including Tung Cheng. They were all executed together with their household (women and children alike) bringing the