Confucius

Confucius is the 'founder' of Confucianism, hence why the philosophy is named after him. He was born in 551 BCE in the vassal state of Lu under the Zhou dynasty, modern-day Qufu, Shandong Province. The time period he was born in was known as the Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 BCE) where the Zhou saw their empire declining and constant infighting between splintered-off warlord states.

Childhood (551-532 BCE)

His father, Kong He, died as a warrior when Confucius was a young boy. His mother, Yan Zhengzai was forced to raise him in poverty. Confucius was enlightened for his age, estimated to be around 15-19 where he mastered the Six Arts (basis of education in ancient China), rites, music, archery, charioteering calligraphy and math. Because his father was a warrior/military officer, he was considered (low) aristocracy and gave him the ability to seek out scholars and ritual masters in exchange for service or reverence.

Career (532-500 BCE)

He worked various jobs in his early 20s, among bookkeeper and shepherd before he became a teacher who, one who essentially raised himself out of poverty, advocated for education for all peoples regardless of social class. He started teaching and gave his own meaning to concepts like ren, li among more things.

He also served as a government official as a magistrate, handling minor offenses and later worked his way up to Minister of Crime in Lu. He started enforcing reforms that limited corruption and fair justice, to the dismay of many corrupt Lu nobility.

Disillusion (497-484 BCE)

Now in his 50s, Confucius advised the Duke of Lu to demolish various walls built by the Three Huan clans who built them in their cities, who were defying the Duke directly. Initially, the Duke followed through but when resistance was met in Cheng, an ally of Confucius, the powerful Ji family saw Confucius' authority falter and turned on him.

According to Sima Qian, a Chinese historian, Qi sent Duke Ding 80 beautiful female dancers and fine horses as distraction (not confirmed, though suspected that the Ji family helped organize this to undermine Confucius, knowing Confucius would protest). Confucius, of course, told him not to accept, but Ji Huanzi, leader of the Ji family, advised the Duke to do so.

Confucius soon left Lu as an act of defiance and spent around 13 years travelling across various Chinese states, advising rulers on ethical governance (yet most of his teachings were ignored by those he approached) and started gathering more disciples.

Return (484-479 BCE)

Confucius spent some 13 years out of Lu and traveled various states, advising rulers on how to govern justly while gathering travelling-with-him disciples (though this was ignored by almost all rulers who were approached by him) and was sometimes faced with hostility, seeing his teachings as a threat to their power with for example the state of Chen starving out and beseiging Confucius and his disciples.

Around 68 years old, Confucius realized that no ruler was willing to listen to him and returned to the new Lu leadership, Duke Ai (or Ji Kangzi, one of Confucius' former disciples when he was a teacher) who offered him asylum. Confucius didin't re-enter the political world and instead focused on editing various classical texts like the Book of Songs and later died at 479 BCE at 72.

Though his death was not in vain, because even if no ruler during his lifetime listened to him or put his teachings into practice, it did later become central to Chinese philosophy and governance.