Final answer:
Elite members viewed themselves as embodying culture and virtue, with their ideals rooted in Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist teachings. They utilized art and culture to convey their values and legitimize their leadership, while also emphasizing a moral justification for rule linked to the Mandate of Heaven.
Step-by-step explanation:
Members of the elite ideally viewed themselves as custodians of culture and virtue, drawing upon Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist teachings to guide their personal behavior and governance. The Confucian belief in the importance of personal integrity, community needs, and the welfare of the people was evident in their self-portraits.
They also potentially saw a connection between Confucian teachings and the Zhou concept of the Mandate of Heaven, which may have reinforced their belief in a moral justification for their rule.
The depictions of leaders evoked religious themes, suggesting the importance of religion in legitimizing their power and authority, although some might have chosen not to affiliate explicitly with a religion to maintain a more universal appeal to diverse subjects.
In art, emotions, color, and body positions were utilized to convey stories and signify the values and concerns of the elite. The practices and leisure pastimes of these elite classes were seen as expressions of cosmic patterns, as mentioned in the Tang elite's view of culture and virtue.
Additionally, there was a continuous effort for self-improvement, as indicated by later Confucian teachers like Xun Kuang during the tumultuous Warring States period.
These values helped the elite to ideally position themselves as moral and cultured leaders, aligning humanity with the cosmos through culture, and thereby asserting their merit and right to govern.