The Management Thought of Legalists in Ancient China

Faist thought was formed in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, when China's slavery had already begun to disintegrate, and was in a period of historical change from a slave society to a feudal society. The rapid development of productive forces contributed to the disintegration of the slave economy, and along with the superstructure of the "rule of manners and music" and the advancement of productive forces as well as the development of the feudal economy, the emerging landlord class gradually formed the idea of the "rule of law". The idea of "rule of law" of the emerging landowning class gradually took shape, and they advocated breaking the traditional "rule of etiquette" and opposed the slavery system of hierarchical privileges of the Shih Ching Shih Lu (世卿世禄).

The feudal lords, while establishing their own states, were open to reforms and innovations to improve their overall strength. With the successful implementation of the Shang Yang reforms in the state of Qin, the legalist ideology of the Spring and Autumn Period began to make its debut. But with the national unification of the Liu Han Dynasty, in order to advocate cultivation and learn from the Qin Dynasty's demise of the previous lesson. Except for Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, the successive kings still preferred to promote Confucianism, so the influence of Legalism gradually weakened. However, as far as the West is concerned, it is basically the rule of law that governs the country, and virtue is emphasized on the basis of law; whereas Confucianism is based on virtue and then law. Therefore, in terms of the development of modern society, the social order under the rule of Legalism may be more ideal compared to Confucianism.

There are many representatives of Legalism, and a few of them are most famous during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, namely, Shang Yang, Shen Buhai, and Shen Zhi, etc., of which Han Fei Zi's theories have become a masterpiece of Legalism.