Discussion Filial Piety

I haven't seen this incident so far, except for in Chu Wang Fei. I was told CWF had some real stuff and some fluff.

Question: In Ancient China were families censored, or have a mark against them if they didn't have filial piety?

I know the culture is to respect family and take care of the elderly. I honestly thought it was a choice and not because they would have marks against them.

Follow up: If it is true that it was required, when did it change and become a choice?

 

They like get exiled and stuff, they like won't be able to get proper jobs. Even if the said elder doesn't deserve filial piety.

 

It is very very strict. Even today, it is only slightly relaxed.

 

Yeah.. Sometimes they take it to extreme levels. If you marry a chinese person, you have to take care of their parents or that person will just take your baby and run off with the parents. I really feel bad for the fella

 

for now there was news article about china government passed law people must take care their parents on respond so many people tend not care about their parents on old age~ dunno how accurate that news~

 

Most of the filial piety stuff comes from Confucius. To oversimplify it Confucius thought that the easiest way to govern people was to use peer pressure to make them follow a moral code.
Works pretty well if you agree with a moral code somebody else came up with in an entirely different era.

 

Filial piety in some degree is probably pretty common just about everywhere. But the way it's shown in some chinese novels is probably taking it as extreme as it can go without being members in some sects.

But if they don't show any, it'll atleast be a social blacklist, and while not officially endorsed, those can ruin just about anyone.

On a cynical note, you could argue that as a country simply put they have no ability to get enough social workers to care for all their elderly / don't care enough about them, so they instead made it a 'family' thing which leaves all the costs, duties and responsibilities with the families.

 

Filial Piety and Confucian Law in Ancient and Medieval China (academic article on historical legal cases that were judged by filial piety)

 

This clears up a lot, but then adds so many questions.. I just can't form them right now.

Thank you all for answering and helping me understand!

 

Filial piety is important sure. However, respecting one's mother-in-law is another story.