What stands for freedom in China traditional culture?

In China's traditional culture, the concept of freedom has not been widely discussed and developed like western liberalism. The core of China's traditional culture is Confucianism. Confucian concepts such as "golden mean" and "harmony between man and nature" emphasize harmony, balance and nature, but they do not directly involve the concept of freedom.

However, there are some ideas and concepts related to freedom in China traditional culture, which are mainly embodied in Taoism, Mohism, Legalism and other schools.

Laozi, a representative of Taoism, put forward the idea of "Taoism is natural", and advocated that people should conform to and respect nature and reach a realm of natural freedom. Mohism emphasizes individual freedom and independence, and advocates that people should get rid of all kinds of constraints and restrictions and pursue freedom and justice. Legalists believe that human behavior should be restricted and bound by law, and real freedom can only be realized under the framework of law.

In addition, some concepts and ideas in China's traditional culture also have an indirect impact on freedom. For example, the principle of "don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you" embodies respect for others and free choice. At the same time, China's ancient literary works, such as The Book of Songs and Li Sao, also expressed people's pursuit of freedom and individual value.

In a word, although the concept and value of freedom are not systematically discussed in China's traditional culture as in western liberalism, there are still some ideas and concepts related to freedom. These ideas and concepts play an important role in the culture of China, influencing the way of thinking and behavior of China people.