China and East AsiaAn Introduction

Key Concepts

• Cultural components– Middle Kingdom, tian-di-ren,

mandate of heaven, filial piety

• The Dao and Confucius

• Class and gender in China

China under the Han Dynasty, 220 CE

China under the Ming Dynasty, 1644

China under the Qing Dynasty, 1900

China and East Asia

• Up until the mid-nineteenth century, China was the dominant cultural, economic, and military force in East Asia.

• Over the centuries, Chinese culture (mainly writing and philosophy) was dispersed into modern Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.

• Chinese inventions even made it as far as Europe in the fourteenth century.

The Middle Kingdom

• 中國 ; 中国 (simplified)• Introverted and often xenophobic, China

views itself as the center of the civilized world.

• Radiating out of the center are the barbarians.

• Barbarians want to come to the center, not vice versa, therefore, no colonies.

China’s Cosmic Trinity

• Heaven, Earth, and Man (tian-di-ren).• Heaven ( 天 : tian) = not a place, but the

deified ancestors [draw pictograph]; thought to “order the stars.”

• Earth ( 土 ; 地 : di) = referred to the land; land was the sole form of wealth in China.

• Man ( 人 : ren) = humans (including barbarians); the king or emperor ( 王 ) served as the intermediary between Man and Heaven.

Mandate of Heaven• Tianming ( 天命 ) Rule by virtue, right to rule.• Legitimized the seizure of power.• The act of overthrowing a dynasty was not an

act of rebellion but the will of Heaven.• When a ruler or dynasty loses its virtue, then

they no longer have the mandate.• The ancestors allows that person to be

overthrown.• Concept governs Chinese even thinking today.

Dynastic cycle as governed by the Mandate of Heaven.

Filial Piety

• Developed further by Confucius.• Pleasing the ancestors and service to one’s

family.• Service to parents in particular.• One becomes successful in order to raise

the family name, not just the individual.• Not a widely practiced concept in China

today.

Dao

• The Dao ( 道 , Way): ethical way of living.

• Competing schools of philosophy:– Confucianism: K’ung-fu-tzu (Kong Fuzi),

philosopher – Daoism: Laozi (Lao Tzu)– Legalism

• Confucianism emerged as the dominant philosophy of China

Confucianism• How did Confucius

explain Dao?– First, duty to family and

community.

– Second, “human-heartedness” compassion or empathy for others.

– Third, deemphasize gods, death, and the afterlife.

Some Sayings of Confucius

• Confucius said: "A young man should serve his parents at home and be respectful to elders outside his home. He should be earnest and truthful, loving all, but become intimate with humaneness. After doing this, if he has energy to spare, he can study literature and the arts."

Tzu Lu asked about the meaning of filial piety. Confucius said, "Nowadays filial piety means being able to feed your parents. But everyone does this for even horses and dogs. Without respect, what's the difference?"

Confucius said: "When you have gotten your own life straightened out, things will go well without your giving orders. But if your own life isn't straightened out, even if you give orders, no one will follow them."

Examination System• First held during Han Dynasty; usually held

once a year.• Children educated to pass these exams on

the Confucian classics.• Good scores equaled a government job;

even peasants could worked their way up.• Peasants, however, often could not afford

the educate their children for these exams.• Exams later caused controversy in China.

Social Classes

• Four main social classes in China.– Scholar-administrator—appointed to high offices

in government through success in the civil service examination.

– Peasant—tended the land and agriculture, could move up or down in ranks.

– Artisan—provided services to top two classes.– Merchant—despised group; seen as non-essential.

Chinese Scholar / Bureaucrat

Chinese Peasant, c. 1868

Chinese Artisan

Chinese Merchant

Who is missing?• Military—soldiers played a key and

honored role in parts of China.• Archery and other skills part of education.• Soldiers held suspect in culture that

idealized harmony.• Priests—formal worship consisted of state

and ancestral rites not requiring a priesthood.

• Emperor acted on behalf of state.

Women and Footbinding

• Subordination of women to men in society.• Supported by Confucius.• Footbinding represented the “extreme” to

foreigners.• Originally a practice of the wealthy families;

sexual.• Crippling, usually involved breaking the arch.• Chinese women simultaneously placed on a

pedestal and tied down.