Confucius (551-479 BC) lived at a time when a new political reality was taking shape in China. Against the backdrop of the “golden age” of the early years of the Zhou dynasty (1027-256 BC), modernity seemed to be a kingdom of chaos. Endless internecine wars and ever-increasing turmoil led Confucius to the conclusion of the need for a new moral philosophy, which would be based on the idea of the original goodness inherent in every person. Reflecting on the structure of the world and human nature, Confucius followed the ancient precepts, finding in them support for the search for truth. He tried to preserve the disappearing rituals and orders, seeing in them an ideal example of following the Ritual. Emphasizing his commitment to tradition, Confucius said: “I transmit, but I do not create; I believe in antiquity and love it.” Confucius saw the prototype of a normal social structure in good family relationships, when the elders love and care for the younger ones, and the younger ones, in turn, respond with love and devotion. A wise ruler must rule by instilling in his subjects a sense of reverence for Ritual, that is, the moral law, resorting to violence only as a last resort. Relations in the state in all respects should be similar to relations in a good family: “The ruler must be a ruler, the subject must be a subject, the father must be a father, the son must be a son.” Confucius did not like to talk about himself and described his entire life path in a few lines: “In For 15 years I turned my thoughts to teaching. At 30, I found a solid foundation. At the age of 40, I managed to free myself from doubts. At 50 years old, I knew the will of Heaven. At 60 years old, I learned to distinguish truth from lies. At 70 years old, I began to follow the call of my heart and did not violate the Ritual.” In this saying, all Confucius is the man and ideal of the tradition known as Confucianism. His path from study through knowledge of the “will of Heaven” to freely following the desires of the heart and observing the rules of behavior that he considered sacred, “heavenly”, became the moral guideline for the entire culture of China.