Why was kowtowing etiquette so common in ancient China?

As early as more than two thousand years ago, Chinese people have been kowtowing to show respect and courtesy to their elders.

According to records, before the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were no chairs and stools in people's homes, and people sat on the ground, from the commoners to the nobles. The difference only lies in the rich family have cushions, what kind of cushion only. And the posture of sitting on the ground are sitting on the buttocks of their legs and heels, equivalent to the current Japanese sitting posture.

When sitting in this way, when a guest or elder arrives, or to express gratitude in a conversation, it is natural to change from kneeling to a kneeling position with only the lower legs on the ground, and then to bend down and bend the back with both hands on the ground to show respect, and the ritual of kneeling is thus formed. After that, it was developed into many times bending down, i.e. kowtow.

After the Han Dynasty, although there are stools, chairs, the emergence of hands clasping the bow ceremony, but in the expression of the greatest respect, people still use the custom of kneeling and kowtowing.