The Spread of Confucianism: Slow and Steady Really Does Win the Race

Though Confucius passed away at the age of 72 in 479 BCE, his teachings would spread far and wide for the next few thousands of years. In the wake of his death, Confucius’s disciples decided to gather their revered teacher’s writings and compiled them into The Analects of Confucius; many today consider the book and its teachings to be the most influential work in Chinese history.

This influence however, would not be initially felt in the early years of Confucianism. Though ardent disciples sustained Confucian teachings for the next century, the infant movement fell under persecution with the ascendancy of the Qin dynasty to the throne.  For the next 14 years, Qin rulers burned sacred texts and massacred Confucian scholars in an effort to promote legalism, a rivaling Chinese school of thought.

Thankfully, Confucianism survived to the beginning of the Han dynasty in 206 BCE. With the Han dynasty, Confucianism gained national prominence. Beginning with Han Emperor Dong Zhongshu, Confucianism became a stabilizing, omnipresent force in Chinese society. As China continued to expand under Han rule, so did the influence of Confucianism. In the 3^rd Century, the Han dynasty began to push Chinese borders and invaded Vietnam and Korea, introducing Confucian-based bureaucracies as they conquered the lands. These countries continued to practice Confucianism long after Han rule. In the 3^rd century, Japan adopted Confucianism from nearby Korea, and in 604 CE, began to incorporate Confucian principles into Japanese government with the implementation of the 17 Article Constitution.

Although Confucianism would lose much of its popularity with the birth of communist China in the 20^th century, today, it continues to be an influential movement in Asia with approximately 6 million Confucians residing primarily in East Asian countries such as South Korea, Japan, and Thailand. The movement has yet to gain prominence outside of this realm however. Only 26,000 more Confucians are spread throughout the whole of North America and only few thousand more can be found throughout the rest of the world. Nevertheless, Confucianism has been a powerful force in Asian society and may continue to spread its influence in the years ahead.

A map depicting the current geographic spread of Confucianism around through out the world. Note however that practicing Confucianists can be found in North America and Africa but in dwindling numbers.