Confucius is one of the 10 internationally recognized thinkers, and his thoughts have had a wide-ranging influence in China and East Asia.

Confucius (551 - 479 BC) was surnamed Kong and his given name was Qiu. He styled himself Zhongni. He was born in Zouyi in the State of Lu (in the southeast of today's Qufu, Shandong province) in the late Spring and Autumn Period. He was the founder of Confucianism.

He put forward the ideology of benevolence ("ren") on the part of rulers toward people, stressing that the political rule should be based on virtue not on force. He was against exploitation of the oppressed people. Additionally, he advocated the rule of people by morality, not by tyranny.

Confucius was also a great educator. In his time, only children from aristocratic families could receive education. Confucius advocated that everyone was equal in education. He taught his disciples without discrimination, no matter what their social status was. Confucius established private schools and broke the government's monopoly over education. It is said that Confucius taught as many as 3,000 disciples, among whom 72 became very famous. Confucius proposed teaching students according to their aptitude. He said one should be honest in learning and not pretend to known what one did not know. He told his pupils to review what they had learned regularly during their study, because new knowledge can be gained by reviewing old knowledge. He also told his disciples to combine study with thinking.

The disciples of Confucius recorded his words and deeds in the Analects of Confucius, which is one of the classical Confucius school. Confucius theories formed the orthodox ruling ideology in China for over 2,000 years.