If China adopted Taoism as orthodox thinking, it might have a profound impact on Chinese history and culture. Taoism originated from the Spring and Autumn Period of China, and its founder was Lao Tzu. Taoism advocated the pursuit of the way of nature. It believed that all things in the world followed the laws of nature, and human beings should follow the laws of nature to achieve the goal of living in harmony. If China adopted Taoism as orthodox thinking, it might emphasize that people should remain humble, tolerant, and respectful of the existence of nature and the universe. This thought may have influenced the ethics, morality, and politics of ancient China and promoted the development of Chinese civilization. Taoism also had a profound influence on Chinese culture and art. For example, Chinese paintings and calligraphy usually emphasized the symbolic meaning of nature and the universe to express people's pursuit and reverence for the beauty of nature. If China adopted Taoism as the orthodox ideology, it might leave a deep mark on Chinese culture and art. However, there were also some disputes and criticisms about Taoism. For example, the emphasis on individual freedom and the idea of governing by inaction might conflict with the values of modern society. Therefore, China's acceptance of Taoism as orthodox thinking may also bring some challenges and controversy.
There was no Hongjun in orthodox Taoism. In Taoism, Hongjun was one of the celestial beings in Buddhism, described as the creator and protector of the universe. Although Hongjun existed in Taoism, he was not a real person, but a mythical figure.
There was no such thing as the seven fairies or the Weaver Girl in orthodox Taoism. In Taoism, the Weaver Girl was a mythical figure who was believed to be the daughter of the Emperor of Heaven. In mythology, she was the Goddess of Weaving and was worshipped as the God of Weaving. However, the Weaver Girl also played a very important role in Chinese culture. She was considered a beautiful, intelligent and hardworking goddess. In many traditional stories, she was portrayed as a woman with mysterious powers.
Confucianism became the orthodox ideology of China's feudal culture for more than 2,000 years because of many reasons. In addition to the core values of Confucianism such as benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faith, there were also moral concepts and life attitudes emphasized by Confucianism such as "learning and learning from time to time" and "worrying about the world before the world's happiness". Although Mohism, Taoism, Legalism, etc. also had a certain influence, the core values they emphasized were not exactly the same as Confucianism, so they could not become the orthodox thoughts of China's more than 2,000 years of feudal culture.
There were many orthodox mythological novels in China. Some of the famous works included Journey to the West, Dream of the Red Chamber, Water Margins, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and so on. These novels were all classics of Chinese literature. They told many myths, legends and historical stories that were widely spread and influenced the inheritance and development of Chinese culture.
The main political ideologies of ancient China included: Confucius (551 - 479 B.C.): The founder of Confucianism proposed important ideas such as benevolence and propriety. Mencius (372 - 289 B.C.): One of the important representatives of the Confucian school put forward important ideas such as "the theory of good nature" and "the three cardinal guides and five constant virtues". 3. Xunzi (313 - 169 B.C.): One of the important representatives of Confucianism put forward important ideas such as "evil nature" and "etiquette". 4. Lao Tzu (571 - 471 B.C.): The founder of the Taoist school proposed important ideas such as "Tao" and "Wuwei". Mozi (469 - 376 B.C.): The founder of the Mohist school put forward important ideas such as "universal love" and "non-attack". 6 Han Feizi (246 - 202 B.C.): The founder of Legalism put forward important ideas such as Legalism and the rule of law. 7 Li Si (246 - 210 B.C.): One of the important representatives of the Legalism school put forward important ideas such as "Legalism" and "Dharma". 8 Wang Anshi (1021 - 1086): Northern Song Dynasty philosopher, politician, reformist proposed "new law","reform" and other important ideas. The thoughts of these representatives had a profound impact on the politics, culture, philosophy and other fields of ancient China.
Liang Qichao was an important statesman, ideologist and teacher in the modern history of China. He had a profound influence on China's ideology. Liang Qichao advocated freedom of thought and speech against feudal ideas and the shackles of the old culture. He advocated the "spirit of speculation" to encourage people to think independently and create, and put forward the slogan of "abolish the imperial examination and implement democracy" to promote the process of China's thought liberation. Liang Qichao advocated education to save the nation and believed that education was an important means to cultivate talents and promote social progress. He put forward the idea of "education for the public" and advocated that education should be included in the national plan to promote universal education and improve the cultural quality and social status of the people. Liang Qichao's contribution to the liberation of Chinese thought was also reflected in his criticism and sublating of Chinese traditional culture. He advocated inheriting and carrying forward the excellent traditional culture, but at the same time, he also recognized the shortcomings of traditional culture and put forward the idea of "New Culture Movement", which promoted the development of China's New Culture Movement. Liang Qichao was a pioneer and an important representative of China's ideology. His thoughts and actions had a profound impact on China's modern history.
In ancient China, the second peak of the development of ideology and culture referred to the Renaissance period (about the end of the 14th century to the beginning of the 16th century). During this period, Europe experienced the religious reform and enlightenment, and the influence of these ideas gradually spread to East Asia, causing major changes in ancient Chinese ideology and culture. During the Renaissance, many new ideas and theories were put forward, such as "Humanism","Rationally","Natural Law", etc., which had a profound impact on the ancient Chinese ideology and culture.
In China, Taoism and Buddhism both originated earlier, but the origin of Buddhism was about a century earlier than Taoism. Buddhism originated in India in the 6th century B.C. while Taoism originated in China in the 27th century B.C.
I recommend the novel "Heavenly Emperor of Taoism" to you. It's similar to "The Wind Reaches the World" and is a Xianxia novel, but it's more inclined to the Taoist tradition. It tells the story of the protagonist rebuilding the Taoist legal system and becoming the Heavenly Emperor to rule the eight wastelands, six directions, nine heavens and ten lands. I hope you like this fairy's recommendation. Muah ~😗
Ancient Chinese Taoism and Confucian literature were two completely different ideologies, although they were related in some ways. Taoism emphasized the harmony between nature and the universe. It believed that people should conform to nature and follow the laws to achieve inner peace and rule by inaction. Confucianism, on the other hand, emphasized the social nature and responsibility of human beings. It believed that human beings should strive to learn moral norms and contribute to society to achieve harmony between individuals and society. In terms of literature, the representative works of Taoism and Confucianism were also very different. The representative works of Taoism included Tao Te Ching and Chuang Tzu. These works were mainly about philosophy and moral thinking, emphasizing inner peace and governing by inaction. The representative works of Confucianism, such as The Analects of Confucius and Mencius, were about politics and education. They emphasized the social nature and responsibility of human beings and advocated etiquette, enlightenment, and moral education. Although there are great differences between Taoist and Confucian literature, their thoughts have a profound influence on Chinese culture and together form an important part of Chinese traditional culture.