CONFUCIUS
             Confucius was born in 551 B.C. in a village called Tsou, which was in the country of Lu. His early ancestor was K'ung Fangshu (who was a ninth-generation ancestor of a king of Sung and the fourth-generation ancestor of Confucius). Fangshu was the father of Pohsia, and Pohsia was the father of Shuliang Ho. Ho was the father of Confucius. The ancestors of Confucius before K'ung Fangshu held no positions of importance, but K'ung Fangshu became the administrator of a county in Lu.
             Confucius's parents were married under very special circumstances. His father was over sixty-four and his mother was only seventeen years old when they got married. Ho, Confucius's father already had two wives, nine daughters, and one disabled son. Why would he want to marry such a young girl? From ancient Chinese society, people believed sons to be more important than daughters. It is because after the daughter was married, she belonged to another family and she would help the family of her husband. The daughter was also going to take a lot of dowry (trousseau) to her husband's family. It was very important to have a son who will carry on the family name, so Ho married Cheng-tsai in the hope that she would bear him a son.
             When Cheng-tsai and Ho didn't have a baby soon after they married, Cheng-tsai went to Nich'iu hill to pray for a son. That is why Confucius was called "Ch'iu" (meaning a hill). His literary name was Chungni, and his last name was K'ung. ( 'Confucius" means "K'ung the Master"). Confucius had a strange look about him when he was born. His forehead looked like an upside down cave. Ho's neighbor and friends laughed at the strange looking baby, and no one in his family could stand the ridicule except for Confucius's parents. Cheng-tsai and Confucius were driven away; and Ho died soon after they left. Ho was buried at Fangshan, in...