Chapter I. East Asia
This lecture will deal with the history of East Asia from the dawn of time to the present, focusing mostly on China and Japan. Throughout the course we will focus on the question of how individuals were supposed to behave and how they were to relate to the world around them. China was the center of the East Asian cultural order because it came up with a set of answers to questions about how individuals, families and societies should live, and these answers were popular enough that they were copied in various forms all over East Asia. The first part of the course will thus focus on the evolution of the Chinese system and its adaptation elsewhere, especially Japan. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries the elites East Asia became obsessed with the problem of responding to "The Challenge of the West." Some radicals assumed that there was very little of value in the traditions of these societies and that the process of responding to the West was one of junking the old culture. This proved to be impossible (although Mao tried to do it) and also a bad idea. East Asians have advanced to the point where they can produce nuclear weapons and cheap DVD players (the ultimate signs of modernity) in large part because of their ability to adapt existing economic and social systems to current needs. The second part of the lesson will focus on these attempts to modernize East Asia, why they have or have not succeeded, and the costs that came with them.
China
China has one of the world's oldest people and continuous civilizations, consisting of states and cultures dating back more than six millennia. It has the world's longest continuously used written language system, and is the source of such major inventions as what the British scholar and biochemist Joseph Needham called the "four great inventions of Ancient China": paper, the compass, gunpowder, and printing. Historically China's cultural sphere has been very influential in East Asia as a whole, with Chinese religion, customs, and writing system being adopted, to varying degrees, by its neighbors Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.
The stalemate of the last Chinese Civil War has resulted in two political entities using the name China : the People's Republic of China (PRC), commonly known as
China, which controls mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau; and the Republic of China (ROC), commonly known as Taiwan, which controls the island of Taiwan and
some nearby islands.
Origin of the Name of China (Zhongguo)
Zhong Guo (China, the middle Kingdom) in traditional Chinese Characters
China is called Zhōngguó (also Romanized as Chung-kuo or Jhongguo) in Mandarin Chinese. The first character zhōng (中) means "central" or "middle," while guó (国 or 國) means "kingdom". The term can be literally translated into English as "Middle Kingdom" or "Central Kingdom."
The name "zhōngguó" first appeared in the Classic of History as the name for "the centre of civilization" or "Tianxia", depending on the interpretation. The general concept of the term "zhōngguó" originates from the belief that the Zhou Dynasty is the "centre of civilization" or "centre of the world", much like the "Middle Earth" concept of Europeans, while the ethnic groups in the four cardinals are called Eastern Yi, Southern Man, Western Rong and Northern Di respectively.
History of China
The recorded history of China began in the 15th century BC when the Shang Dynasty started to use markings that evolved into the present Chinese characters. Turtle shells with markings reminiscent of ancient Chinese writing from the Shang Dynasty have been carbon dated to as early as 1500 BC. Chinese civilization originated with city-states in the Yellow River (Huang He) valley. 221 BC is commonly accepted to be the year in which China became unified under a large kingdom or empire. In that year, Qin Shi Huang first united China. Successive dynasties in Chinese history developed bureaucratic systems that enabled the Emperor of China to control increasingly larger territory that reached maximum under the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty and Manchurian Qing Dynasty. 3000 Xia/Hsia Dynasty (ca. 2200-1750)
Xia dynasty is the first prehistoric country in China’s history. According to the history record, Xia was built by Qi, the son of Yu, who killed his brother Yi and abolished the system of demise. It was the first country in China’s history.
Because there were no words to record the events of Xia dynasty, most of the information of Xia was learned from some ancient record, including the remains of the king, officials and the prison conditions.
In recent years, many huge palace, mausoleum and bronze have been unearthed. They also reflected from another side the politics, economic, cultural and life. This help people learn more about the first and special age in China's history.
1800 Shang Dynasty (ca. 1750-1100)
One of the Three Dynasties, or San Dai (Xia, Shang, and Zhou), thought to mark the beginning of Chinese civilization: characterized by its writing system, practice of divination, walled cities, bronze technology, and use of horse-drawn chariots.
1200 Zhou/Chou Dynasty: Western Zhou (ca. 1100-771) Eastern Zhou (771-256)
A hierarchical political and social system with the Zhou royal house at its apex: power was bestowed upon aristocratic families as lords of their domains or principalities. Although often compared to European "feudalism," what actually gave the system cohesion was a hierarchical order of ancestral cults. The system eventually broke down into a competition for power between rival semi-autonomous states in what became known as the Spring and Autumn period (722-481) and the Warring States (403-221) period. It was during these tumultuous times that Confucius (551-479) lived.
Much of China is mountainous with limited farming area to feed its 1.3
300 Qin/Ch'in Dynasty (221-206)
Created a unitary state by imposing a centralized administration and by standardizing the writing script, weights and measures. Known for its harsh methods of rule, including the suppression of dissenting thought.
In 221 B.C. Chinese were unified for the first time to construct a great country that ended the long era of disunity and warring. In that year the western frontier state of Qin, the most aggressive of the Warring States, subjugated the last of its rival state.
In order to fend off barbarian intrusion, the fortification walls built by the various warring states were connected to make a 5,000-kilometer-long great wall. What is commonly referred to as the Great Wall is actually four great walls rebuilt or extended during the Western Han, Sui, Jin, and Ming periods, rather than a single, continuous wall. At its extremities, the Great Wall reaches from northeastern Heilongjiang Province to northwestern Gansu.
Revolts broke out as soon as the first Qin emperor died in 210 B.C. His dynasty was extinguished less than twenty years after its triumph. The
"Terracotta Army" in Xi'an was created to protect the Emperor Qin’s tomb (r. 221-207 BC) in the afterlife.
There are over eight thousand life-size figures (over a thousand have been excavated so far). All the figures carry real swords, spears or bows and the metal weapons were still sharp when discovered.
Han Dynasty: Western Han (202 BCE- 9 CE) and Eastern Han (25 CE 220 CE)
Modified and consolidated the foundation of the imperial order. Confucianism was established as orthodoxy and open civil service examinations were introduced. Han power reached Korea and Vietnam. Records of the Historian, which became the model for subsequent official histories, was completed.
Technological advances also marked this period. Two of the great Chinese inventions, paper and porcelain, date from Han times. The Han dynasty, after which the members of the ethnic majority in China, the "people of Han," are named, was notable also for its military prowess. The empire expanded westward as far as the rim of the Tarim Basin (in modern Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region), making possible relatively secure caravan traffic across Central Asia to Antioch, Baghdad, and Alexandria.
The paths of caravan traffic are often called the "silk route" because the route was used to export Chinese silk to the Roman Empire. Chinese armies also invaded and annexed parts of northern Vietnam and northern Korea toward the end of the second century B.C.
Period of Disunity (220-581)
The empire was fragmented. The North was dominated by invaders from the borderland and the steppes. The South was ruled by successive "Chinese" dynasties. Buddhism spread.
600 Sui Dynasty (581-618) China reunified.
700 Tang/T'ang Dynasty (618-906)
A time of cosmopolitanism and cultural flowering occurred. This period was the height of Buddhist influence in China until its repression around 845. Active territorial expansion until defeated by the Arabs at Talas in 751.
1000 Song/Sung Dynasty: Northern Song (960-1126) and Southern Song (1127-1279)
An era of significant economic and social changes: the monetization of the economy; growth in commerce and maritime trade; urban expansion and technological innovations. The examination system for bureaucratic recruitment of neo-Confucianism was to provide the intellectual underpinning for the political and social order of the late imperial period.
1200 Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368)
Founded by the Mongols as part of their conquest of much of the world. Beijing was made the capital. Dramas, such as the famous Story of the Western Wing, flourished.
1400 Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
The first Ming emperor, Hongwu, laid the basis of an authoritarian political culture. Despite early expansion, it was an inward-looking state with an emphasis on its agrarian base. Gradual burgeoning of the commercial sector; important changes in the economy and social relations in the latter part of the dynasty; also a vibrant literary scene as represented by publication of the novel Journey to the West.
1700 Qing/Ch'ing Dynasty (1644-1912)
A Manchu dynasty. Continued the economic developments of the late Ming, leading to prosperity but also complacency and a
dramatic increase in population. The acclaimed novel Dream of the Red Chamber was written in this period. Strains on the polity were intensified by a rapid incorporation of substantial new territories. Its authoritarian structure was subsequently unable to meet the military and cultural challenge of an expansive West.
Opium War
The Great Wall
The Opium War of 1840 marked a turning point in Chinese history. From early in the 19th century, Britain smuggled large
quantities of opium into China, causing a great outflow of Chinese silver and grave economic disruption in China. In 1839, the Qing government sent Commissioner Lin Zexu to Guangdong to put into effect the prohibition on opium trafficking. When, in an effort to protect its opium trade, Britain initiated the First Opium War in 1840, the Chinese people rose in armed struggle against the invaders under the leadership of Lin Zexu and other patriotic generals. But the corrupt and incompetent Qing government capitulated to the foreign invaders time and again, and finally signed the Treaty of Nanjing with Britain, a treaty of national betrayal and humiliation. From then on, China was reduced to a semi-colonial and semi-feudal country.
A large rebellion, the Taiping Rebellion (1851–1864), involved around a third of China falling under control of the Taiping Tianguo, a quasi-Christian religious movement led by the "Heavenly King" Hong Xiuquan. Only after fourteen years were the Taipings finally crushed - the Taiping army was destroyed in the Third Battle of Nanking in 1864. The death toll during the 15 years of the rebellion was about 20 million, making it the second deadliest war in human history.
By the 1860s, the Qing Dynasty had put down the rebellions at enormous cost and loss of life. This undermined the credibility of the Qing regime and, spearheaded by local initiatives by provincial leaders and gentry, contributed to the rise of warlordism in China. The Qing Dynasty under the Emperor Guangxu (光緒皇帝/清德宗) proceeded to deal with the problem of modernization through the Self-Strengthening Movement (自強運動，自强运 动). However, between 1898 and 1908 the Empress Dowager Cixi (Tzu His) had the reformist Guangxu imprisoned for being 'mentally disabled'. The Empress Dowager (慈 禧 太 后 ), with the help of conservatives, initiated a military coup, effectively removed the young Emperor from power, and overturned most of the more radical reforms. He died one day before the death of the Empress Dowager (some believe Guangxu was poisoned by Cixi). Official corruption, cynicism, and imperial family quarrels made most of the military reforms useless. As a result, the Qing's "New Armies" were soundly defeated in the Sino-French War (1883-1885) and the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895).
At the start of the 20th century, the Boxer Rebellion threatened northern China. This was a conservative anti-imperialist movement that sought to return China to old ways. The Empress Dowager, probably seeking to ensure her continued grip on power, sided with the Boxers when they advanced on Beijing. In response the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded China. Consisting of British, Japanese, Russian, Italian, German, French, US and Austrian troops, the alliance defeated the Boxers and demanded further concessions from the Qing government. China was punished by the foreign powers. On September 7, 1900 the Boxer Protocol was signed, which include the following provisions: (1) payment of war indemnity of $333 million to the foreigners; (2) death penalties for all boxers; and (3) revision of commercial treaties in favor of foreigners.
It was the deathbed wish of the Empress Dowager that her 3-year old nephew Hsuan Tung (Henry Pu-yi) succeed her. Pu-yi became the last emperor of China.
Early 20th Century China
Frustrated by the Qing court's resistance to reform, young officials, military officers, and students--inspired by the revolutionary ideas of Sun Yat-sen–began to advocate the overthrow of the Qing dynasty and creation of a republic. A revolutionary military uprising on October 10, 1911, led to the abdication of the last Qing monarch. As part of a compromise to overthrow the dynasty without a civil war, the revolutionaries and reformers allowed high Qing officials to retain prominent positions in the new republic. One of these figures, Gen. Yuan Shikai, was chosen as the republic's first president. Before his death in 1916, Yuan unsuccessfully attempted to name himself emperor. His death left the republican government all but shattered, ushering in the era of the "warlords" during which China was ruled and ravaged by shifting coalitions of competing provincial military leaders.
In the 1920s, Sun Yat-sen established a revolutionary base in south China and set out to unite the fragmented nation. With Soviet assistance, he organized the Kuomintang (KMT or "Chinese Nationalist People's Party"), and entered into an alliance with the fledgling Chinese Communist Party (CCP). After Sun's death in 1925, one of his protégés, Chiang Kai-shek, seized control of the KMT and succeeded in bringing most of south and central China under its rule. In 1927, Chiang turned on the CCP and executed many of its leaders. The remnants fled into the mountains of eastern China. In 1934, driven out of their mountain bases, the CCP's forces embarked on a "Long March" across some of China's most desolate terrain to the northwestern province of Shaanxi, where they established a guerrilla base at Yan'an.
During the "Long March," the communists reorganized under a new leader, Mao Zedong (Mao Tse-tung). The bitter struggle between the KMT and the CCP continued openly or clandestinely through the 14-year long Japanese invasion (1931-45), even though the two parties nominally formed a united front to oppose the Japanese invaders in 1937. The war between the two parties resumed after the Japanese defeat in 1945. By 1949, the CCP occupied most of the country.
Chiang Kai-shek fled with the remnants of his KMT government and military forces to Taiwan, where he proclaimed Taipei to be China's "provisional capital" and vowed to reconquer the Chinese mainland. The KMT authorities on Taiwan still call themselves the "Republic of China."
The People's Republic of China
In Beijing, on October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China (P.R.C.). The new government assumed control of a people exhausted by two generations of war and social conflict, and an economy ravaged by high inflation and disrupted transportation links. A new political and economic order modeled on the Soviet example was quickly installed.
In the early 1950s, China undertook a massive economic and social reconstruction program. The new leaders gained popular support by curbing inflation, restoring the economy, and rebuilding many war-damaged industrial plants. The CCP's authority reached into almost every aspect of Chinese life. Party control was assured by large, politically loyal security and military forces; a government apparatus responsive to party direction; and the placement of party members into leadership positions in labor, women's, and other mass organizations.
Opium
Famous French political cartoon from the late 1890s. A pie represents "Chine" (French for China) and is being divided between UK, Germany, Russia, France
and Japan.
Chiang Kai-Shek (1887-1975)
With the proclamation of the People's Republic of China (PRC) (中華人民共和國,中华人民共和国) on October 1, 1949, Taiwan was again politically separated from mainland China. However, the actual political and legal status of Taiwan is disputed. Since the 1990s, the Republic of China government that governs Taiwan along with associated islands as well as some small islands off the coast of Fujian has been pushing to gain greater international recognition, while the People's Republic of China vehemently opposes involvement by third parties, and insists that foreign relations not deviate from the One-China policy.
The "Great Leap Forward" and the Sino-Soviet Split
In 1958, Mao broke with the Soviet model and announced a new economic program, the "Great Leap Forward," aimed at rapidly raising industrial and agricultural production. Giant cooperatives (communes) were formed, and "backyard factories" dotted the Chinese landscape. The results were disastrous. Normal market mechanisms were disrupted, agricultural production fell behind, and China's people exhausted themselves producing what turned out to be shoddy, unsalable goods. Within a year, starvation appeared even in fertile agricultural areas. From 1960 to 1961, the combination of poor planning during the Great Leap Forward and bad weather resulted in one of the deadliest famines in human history.
The already strained Sino-Soviet relationship deteriorated sharply in 1959, when the Soviets started to restrict the flow of scientific and technological information to China. The dispute escalated, and the Soviets withdrew all of their personnel from China in August 1960. In 1960, the Soviets and the Chinese began to have disputes openly in international forums.
The Cultural Revolution
In the early 1960s, State President Liu Shaoqi and his protégé, Party General Secretary Deng Xiaoping, took over direction of the party and adopted pragmatic economic policies at odds with Mao's revolutionary vision. Dissatisfied with China's new direction and his own reduced authority, Party Chairman Mao launched a massive political attack on Liu, Deng, and other pragmatists in the spring of 1966. The new movement, the "Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution," was unprecedented in communist history. For the first time, a section of the Chinese communist leadership sought to rally popular opposition against another leadership group. China was set on a course of political and social anarchy that lasted the better part of a decade.
In the early stages of the Cultural Revolution, Mao and his "closest comrade in arms," National Defense Minister Lin Biao, charged Liu, Deng, and other top party leaders with dragging China back toward capitalism. Radical youth organizations, called Red Guards, attacked party and state organizations at all levels, seeking out leaders who would not bend to the radical wind. In reaction to this turmoil, some local People's Liberation Army (PLA) commanders and other officials maneuvered to outwardly back Mao and the radicals while actually taking steps to rein in local radical activity.
Gradually, Red Guard and other radical activity subsided, and the Chinese political situation stabilized along complex factional lines. The leadership conflict came to a head in September 1971, when Party Vice Chairman and Defense Minister Lin Biao reportedly tried to stage a coup against Mao; Lin Biao allegedly later died in a plane crash in Mongolia.
In the aftermath of the Lin Biao incident, many officials criticized and dismissed during 1966-69 were reinstated. Chief among these was Deng Xiaoping, who reemerged in 1973 and was confirmed in 1975 in the concurrent posts of Politburo Standing Committee member, PLA Chief of Staff, and Vice Premier.
The ideological struggle between more pragmatic, veteran party officials and the radicals re-emerged with a vengeance in late 1975. Mao's wife, Jiang Qing, and three close Cultural Revolution associates (later dubbed the "Gang of Four") launched a media campaign against Deng. In January 1976, Premier Zhou Enlai, a popular political figure, died of cancer. On April 5, Beijing citizens staged a spontaneous demonstration in Tiananmen Square in Zhou's memory, with strong political overtones of support for Deng. The authorities forcibly suppressed the demonstration. Deng was blamed for the disorder and stripped of all official positions, although he retained his party membership.
The Post-Mao Era
Mao's death in September 1976 removed a towering figure from Chinese politics and set off a scramble for succession. Former Minister of Pubic Security Hua Guofeng was quickly confirmed as Party Chairman and Premier. A month after Mao's death, Hua, backed by the PLA, arrested Jiang Qing and other members of the "Gang of Four." After extensive deliberations, the Chinese Communist Party leadership reinstated Deng Xiaoping to all of his previous posts at the 11th Party Congress in August 1977. Deng then led the effort to place government control in the hands of veteran party officials opposed to the radical excesses of the previous two decades.
The new, pragmatic leadership emphasized economic development and renounced mass political movements. At the pivotal December 1978 Third Plenum (of the 11th Party Congress Central Committee), the leadership adopted economic reform policies aimed at expanding rural income and incentives, encouraging experiments in enterprise autonomy, reducing central planning, and attracting foreign direct investment into China. The plenum also decided to accelerate the pace of legal reform, culminating in the passage of several new legal codes by the National People's Congress in June 1979.
After 1979, the Chinese leadership moved toward more pragmatic positions in almost all fields. The party encouraged artists, writers, and journalists to adopt more critical approaches, although open attacks on party authority were not permitted. In late 1980, Mao's Cultural Revolution was officially proclaimed a catastrophe. Hua Guofeng, a protégé of Mao, was replaced as premier in 1980 by reformist Sichuan party chief Zhao Ziyang and as party General Secretary in 1981 by the even more reformist Communist Youth League chairman Hu Yaobang.
Reform policies brought great improvements in the standard of living, especially for urban workers and for farmers who took advantage of opportunities to diversify crops and establish village industries. Literature and the arts blossomed, and Chinese intellectuals established extensive links with scholars in other countries.
At the same time, however, political dissent as well as social problems such as inflation, urban migration, and prostitution emerged. Although students and intellectuals urged greater reforms, some party elders increasingly questioned the pace and the ultimate goals of the
reform program. In December 1986, student demonstrators, taking advantage of the loosening political atmosphere, staged protests against the slow pace of reform, confirming party elders' fear that the current reform program was leading to social instability. Hu Yaobang, a protégé of Deng and a leading advocate of reform, was blamed for the protests and forced to resign as CCP General Secretary in January 1987. Premier Zhao Ziyang was made General Secretary and Li Peng, former Vice Premier and Minister of Electric Power and Water Conservancy, was made Premier.
1989 Student Movement and Tiananmen Square
After Zhao became the party General Secretary, the economic and political reforms he had championed came under increasing attack. His proposal in May 1988 to accelerate price reform led to widespread popular complaints about rampant inflation and gave opponents of rapid reform the opening to call for greater centralization of economic controls and stricter prohibitions against Western influence. This precipitated a political debate, which grew more heated through the winter of 1988-89.
The death of Hu Yaobang on April 15, 1989, coupled with growing economic hardship caused by high inflation, provided the backdrop for a large-scale protest movement by students, intellectuals, and other parts of a disaffected urban population. University students and other citizens camped out in Beijing's Tiananmen Square to mourn Hu's death and to protest against those who would slow reform. Their protests, which grew despite government efforts to contain them, called for an end to official corruption and for defense of freedoms guaranteed by the Chinese constitution. Protests also spread to many other cities, including Shanghai, Chengdu, and Guangzhou.
Martial law was declared on May 20, 1989. Late on June 3 and early on the morning of June 4, military units were brought into Beijing. They used armed force to clear demonstrators from the streets. There are no official estimates of deaths in Beijing, but most observers believe that casualties numbered in the hundreds.
After June 4, while foreign governments expressed horror at the brutal suppression of the demonstrators, the central government eliminated remaining sources of organized opposition, detained large numbers of protesters, and required political reeducation not only for students but also for large numbers of party cadre and government officials.
Following the resurgence of conservatives in the aftermath of June 4, economic reform slowed until given new impetus by Deng Xiaoping's dramatic visit to southern China in early 1992. Deng's renewed push for a market-oriented economy received official sanction at the 14th Party Congress later in the year as a number of younger, reform-minded leaders began their rise to top positions. Deng and his supporters argued that managing the economy in a way that increased living standards should be China's primary policy objective, even if "capitalist" measures were adopted. Subsequent to the visit, the Communist Party Politburo publicly issued an endorsement of Deng's policies of economic openness. Though not completely eschewing political reform, China has consistently placed overwhelming priority on the opening of its economy.
Third Generation of Leaders
Deng's health deteriorated in the years prior to his death in 1997. During that time, President Jiang Zemin and other members of his generation gradually assumed control of the day-to-day functions of government. This "third generation" leadership governed collectively with President Jiang at the center.
In March 1998, Jiang was re-elected President during the 9th National People's Congress. Premier Li Peng was constitutionally required to step down from that post. He was elected to the chairmanship of the National People's Congress. Zhu Rongji was selected to replace Li as Premier.
Fourth Generation of Leaders
In November 2002, the 16th Communist Party Congress elected Hu Jintao, who in 1992 was designated by Deng Xiaoping as the "core" of the fourth generation leaders, the new General Secretary. A new Politburo and Politburo Standing Committee was also elected in November.
In March 2003, General Secretary Hu Jintao was elected President at the 10th National People's Congress. Jiang Zemin retained the chairmanship of the Central Military Commission.
China is firmly committed to economic reform and opening to the outside world. The Chinese leadership has identified reform of state industries and the establishment of a social safety network as government priorities. Government strategies for achieving these goals include large-scale privatization of unprofitable state-owned enterprises and development of a pension system for workers. The leadership has also downsized the government bureaucracy.
Culture
"The Goddess of Democracy", also known as the "Statue of Liberty", was carved by students from the
Central Academy of Fine Arts and erected in the square
"The Unknown Rebel" — This famous photo, taken by Associated Press photographer Jeff Widener, depicts a lone protester who single-handedly halted the progress of
a column of advancing tanks for over half an hour.
Chinese President and Communist Party chief (right):
President Hu Jintao (Since 15 March 2003)
Language
There are two main languages - Mandarin (China's official language) and Cantonese. Spoken they are as different as Italian and France, but they can understand the written. The concept of the written language is pictorial not as it is spoken.
Chinese is a tonal language for example Ma depending on the tone can mean mother, horse, cloth, or to scold. Link to samples of writing
Hello ---- Nee how Please --- Ching Hello (to more than one) ---- Nee-min how Thank you --- She She
Cuisine - noodles, rice, vegetables, meat (pork, dog, beef, mutton, venison, chicken, duck, goose,
pheasant, many fishes), tea.
Foot binding - Foot binding started in the Sung dynasty (960-976 BC), and continued through the Qing Dynasty. Because small feet were thought beautiful in a woman, girls' feet used to be bound by age five or six tightly with bandages to stop them growing properly. It is also indicative of the subordinate position of women. Anti-foot binding societies started in
the late 19th century. It was forbidden by law in 1911, although it continued in some households. There are elder women today in China who once had their feet bound.
Proverbs
-A book holds a house of gold -A fall into a ditch makes you wiser. -An inch of gold for an inch of time.
-Pick up a sesame seed but lose sight of a watermelon.
Religion
There is no state religion. Religion was not openly practiced once the communist took over, however in the 1980s, religious institutions began to open again. The following religions and philosophies can be found.
Taoism or Daoism (Lao Zi 5th century BC) - means The Way (to happiness) and is based on inner peace and harmony with nature. People should behave naturally.
Confucianism (Kong Zi 551-479 BC) - Confucius lived in a time of upheaval when the empire had disintegrated into feudal states, and he sought to restore order. He was probably the most learned man of his day. The belief was that there was a nature order in the universe linking man, nature and the cosmos. His theory believes that man is good and is a social being needing to interact with other. An important concepts are: "ren" or "jen" which means goodness, benevolence that is his humanness; li - ritual propriety, junzi - exemplary person, and yi - rightness. Rituals and ancestor worship is important.
He emphasized proper social behavior, social structure (the 5 relationships which are ruler to subject, father to son, husband to wife, elder brother to younger brother, and friend to friend), filial piety (a love and respect for one's parents and ancestors), ritual, justice, good government, mandate from heaven, and righteousness.
In The Analects of Confucius, c 400 BCE he wrote
"Do not do unto others, what you would not want others to do to you." "If you make a mistake and do not correct it, this is called a mistake."
Profit made by middlemen and money lenders was considered wrong in Confucian thought.
Confucian and Taoist beliefs were at odds. Legalists views won out which was a compromise between the two, and this is how China was government for 2, 000 years.
Analects - A collection of saying by Confucius
"The gentleman understands what is right; the inferior man understands what is profitable" "The gentle man first practices what he preaches and then preaches what he practices." "By nature men are pretty much alike; it is learning and practice that set them apart."
Buddhism - Came in the 2nd century AD through the Silk Road. There initially caused opposition from the intellectuals. The purpose is to
find the path to Nirvana. It is currently the largest religion in China. It has been estimated that more than 68 million consider themselves Buddhists.
Christianity - Arrived with the Jesuits in the 17th century Islam - Came to China in the mid 7th century
Education
-75% literacy rate.
The smallest shoes were 8 cm long and known as the Lotus Foot
-By 2007 compulsory education from grade 1 - 9 will be largely free. Prior to these fees were beyond the means of most rural farmers.
-China has entrance exams for college.
Feng Shui (fung-shway) Feng means wind. Shui means water. It is an ancient practice of
balancing the environment and living in harmony with nature to achieve health, wealth and good fortune. It focuses on the flow of positive energy or Chi and seeks to limit negative Chi. The Taoist theory of yin and yang also play a part along with the five feng shui elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water each with a corresponding shape and color. It has become very popular outside of China.
Acupuncture originated in China 2,000 years ago involves stimulating certain
anatomical points on the body by a variety of techniques including needles.
Kowtow - Kneeling and bowing low enough for the forehead to touch the ground. This was performed to show respect for the emperor and
some Buddhist statues.
Panda - Giant pandas are probably China's best loved animal and are regarded as a national treasure. They roam the remote forests of the mountains in southwest China, eating almost nothing but bamboo. They are endangered in the wild but scientists have bred captive pandas successfully
Gunpowder - Gunpowder is a mixture of salpetre, sulphur and charcoal. In the 10th century, weapon-makers in China discovered that if they combined gunpowder and
arrows they could create a new weapon. This new explosive crossbow destroyed their enemies. Thousands of workers produced several thousand of these weapons every day in the Song capital.
In the middle of 13th century, the Arabs learned how to make gunpowder from the Chinese and called it “China Snow" Europeans eventually found out about gunpowder from the Arabs.
China's One Child Policy
China has proclaimed that it will continue its one child policy, which limits couples to having one child, through the 2006-2010 five year planning period.
China's one child policy was established by Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping in 1979 to limit communist China's population growth. Although designated a "temporary measure," it continues a quarter-century after its establishment. The policy limits couples to one child. Fines, pressures to abort a pregnancy, and even forced sterilization accompanied second or subsequent pregnancies.
The Chinese Flag
Today's Chinese flag was adopted in 1949 after the revolution in which the Communist party gained power.
The red background of the Chinese flag symbolizes the bloodshed throughout the revolution and it's also the traditional color of the Chinese people.
The large gold star stands for leadership and the four smaller stars represent different classes of the society peasants, workers, bourgeoisie, and capitalists, all united under the Communist Party.
Did you know?
Facts about China and Chinese culture
- China has more people than any other country on earth: 1.3 billion people. (America has about 300 million.)
- Just like different parts of America have different types of food, different regions of China have different types of food. Some foods are spicy, some are made with lots of seafood, and some are fried. There is lots of variety!
- When eating in China, everyone really does use chopsticks.
- The main language in China is Mandarin Chinese. But, different groups of people and different cities also have their own languages. There are over 435 people groups in China, and many do not speak the official language.
- Although there are exceptions, China has a law that only allows each couple to have one child. So, if you lived in China, you probably would be an only child.
- In traditional Chinese culture, it is common for many generations to live together in the same house. This means that one man would also live with his grandfather and his children, all under one roof!
- Of China’s 1.3 billion people, 1.2 billion of them do not know Jesus. - China has 170 cities with populations over 1 million. The US has 9.
- China has one birth every 1.5 seconds. Each year, more people are born in China than the en Opium War tire population of Texas. - The 2008 Summer Olympic games was held in Beijing, the capital city of China.
- Lottie Moon was one of the first missionaries to China. She went in 1837 and spent 39 years telling people in China about Jesus. - The Yangzhe River is China’s longest river and the world’s 3rd longest.
- The ancient Chinese believed that the root of the ginseng plant was the crystallization of the essence of the earth in the shape of a man and that ginseng had rejuvenating, recuperative, revitalizing, and curative action. The first Chinese Materia Medica written by Shen-nong, stated that ginseng was used for its tonic and tranquilizing effects; that ginseng increased alertness, brilliance, and concentration, and improved memory; and that prolonged ginseng use brought about longevity.
Feng Shui
The Panda kowtow
