Conflicting Relationship between Filial Piety and Loyalty in China's History

Our exploration into cases of conflicts between filial piety to parents and loyalty to the state/ruler illustrates that relative priorities shifted significantly over time and changing historical circumstances. Confucius clearly declared the greater importance of one's responsibility to one's parents. Moreover, Mencius made a stronger case that even the sage-king Shun would abandon his throne and country to save his father even if the father had committed murder. Both philosophers regarded personal cultivation of family values to be the foundation of a good society and political order. The Classic of Filial Piety (Xiaojing) later offered more complex and relatively balanced relationships between filiality and loyalty. The historical novel, Three Kingdoms (Sanguo yanyi), proclaimed that when filial piety and loyalty to the ruler were in conflict, it was duty to the ruler that had the greater and more fundamental claim.