More than any other scholar in China, Confucius laid down his ethic and educational thinking followed by more people for more generations than one can even conceive. No matter what religion, such as Buddhism and Taoism, no matter what form of governments since Han Dynasty, the Chinese can in some way be shown to have Confucian elements, including other East Asian civilizations, such as Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, etc. As a common person, Confucius was not a religious leader nor did he claim any special divine status. He was born in 551 B.C. i ....