Religion

   Confucianism was the principle school of thought during the Han period. Confucianism could be summed up in one phrase, "Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself." Politically Confucianism advocated a government where the ruler is benevolent and subjects obedient. Confucius believed that the monarch should set the moral standards for society by setting a good example. Also, Confucius believed the education was valuable for all people, regardless of class.

   Buddhism arrived in China via missionaries who followed the Silk Road. During the long period of disunity at the end of the Han dynasty the concept of Buddhism really took hold in China. At the end of the Han dynasty the Confucian theories of human goodness seemed to have been replaced by the law of survival. Buddhist pessimism seem more in keeping with the times than Confucian optimism.