Relations. Xiao (filial piety) in China derived from the doctrines of Confucianism. The Zhongyong (Doctrine of the Mean) arranged the fundamental human relations according to an ordering of superior/inferior relationships, or Wu Lun: "There are five universally applicable principles, . . . that of the relationships between ruler and minister, that of father and son, of husband and wife, of elder and younger brother, and of friend and friend." The essence of Xiao existed in the age and gender hierarchy of the family, starting with the father-son relationship and then extending by analogy to other social relationships. The aim was the orderly running of the family and through it, of the state. Xiao always went hand in hand with ancestor worship and was the cornerstone of family ethics. The duty of a man was first to his parents and only secondly...