On Han Yu's Confucian Orthodoxy and Historical Status

Han Yu,the philosopher of the Tang Dynasty,holds an important position in the development of Chinese Confucian orthodoxy.Facing with the fact that Buddhism and Taoism challenged the traditional thought of Confucianism,he fiercely criticized the thought of Buddhism and Taoism.Furthermore,he tried his best to restore the absolute dominance of Confucian orthodoxy whose main core was to develop the doctrine of Confucianism and human values.After Han Yu's effort,Confucianism enjoyed a renaissance and his Confucian orthodoxy also builded a foundation for the flourishing of the rationalistic Confucian philosophical school in the Song and Ming Dynasties known to the west as Neo-Confucianism.Han Yu's Confucian orthodoxy has a significant and far-reaching influence on the later generations.