The ethical relationship between brothers is an integral part of Chinese family ethics. Many contract manuscripts, economic documents, and inscriptions preserved among Dunhuang documents shed light on the nature of the relationships among the children of Dunhuang families in ancient China. The evidence provided by these historical documents regarding the ethical ideas and moral principles for handling family and social relationships have sufficiently verified that brotherhood in medieval Dunhuang society was greatly influenced by both the ethical thought of Confucianism and the moral thought of Buddhism, namely in the concepts of equality and mutual assistance; which in turn indicates how ancient Dunhuang people advocated and practiced principles of ethical mutual treatment.
