Social Conditions of His Time

Abstract

While Zhu Xi developed complex philosophical theories, his ultimate objective was the moral transformation of society. This chapter concerns his directives and exhortations to people in his jurisdiction, promulgated during his stints as a local official, as well as in his letters to disciples and friends addressing concrete issues in family relations, and in his funerary biographies (especially for women), where he exhibited considerable flexibility and accommodation to social custom. Zhu’s official directives include general admonishments to behave well and be diligent in agriculture, as well as specific warnings about officials cheating commoners, illegal family division, and unorthodox religious practices. Many of the texts in this chapter deal with family issues. Like his writings on society, Zhu’s writings on families were largely prescriptive: families needed to be properly “regulated” and interactions among family members guided by ritual.