Confucius' family name was Kung, his given name, Chiu, and his style, or chosen name, Chung-ni. He was born during the Spring and Autumn era in 551 B.C.. in the city of Tzouyi of the state of Lu (in modern day Chufu, Shantung Province) and died in 479 B.C. at the age of 73. Since Confucius was a contemporary of Socrates, Aristotle and Sakyamuni, it is said that the East and the West both had great sages during that time.

Confucius was only three years old when his father passed away, and was raised with great hardship by his widowed mother. At the age of fifteen he began to study, and later served for three months as the Minister of Justice in the state of Lu, during which time the streets were so safe that no one barred their doors. During his time in office, he learned the ceremonies of the nobility and read extensively from the court library.

When the crisis of the Spring and Autumn Period began, rites and music practically disappeared from court life. Confucius resigned from his office in order to travel to the various states, leading a life of hardship with the single hope of resolving the problems of society. Ultimately he was unsuccessful, the power of one man unable to stop the overwhelming chaos of the time. In his later life, Confucius re-directed his energies to ordering the classics: editing the Book of Odes, collating the Book of Rites and Book of Music, extolling the Book of Changes, and revising the Spring and Autumn Annals. Of all his efforts, the Spring and Autumn Annals had the most enduring influence due to its grave and selfless tone which unsettled the disloyal officials and generals of the age.

Confucius' attitude toward learning was grounded in an untiring quest for knowledge and an unflagging love of teaching. Central to his thought is the tenet of " Acting Benevolently," and his philosophy of educating all without discrimination and teaching according to the abilities of students is apparent in the many stories written about him in the Confucian Analects. After Confucius died, his theories were carried on by his students, especially Mencius during the Warring States Period, as well as by future rulers, notably the Han dynasty Emperor Wu-ti who strictly applied Confucius' ideals concerning the development of character and peaceful rule of the nation.

---