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Lesson 2 – Introduction to Chinese History, Cultures, Traditions, and Beliefs The People’s Republic of China is located in East Asia. It is the third largest country in the world with an area of 9,561,000 square kilometers and the most populous with over 1.2 billion people. It is generall...

Lesson 2 – Introduction to Chinese History, Cultures, Traditions, and Beliefs The People’s Republic of China is located in East Asia. It is the third largest country in the world with an area of 9,561,000 square kilometers and the most populous with over 1.2 billion people. It is generally divided into two regions: Western or Outer China and Eastern or Inner China. The Outer Region includes over half of the land area of the country but is sparsely populated. It includes Xizang (Tibet), Xinjiang (Sinkiang), and Inner Mongolia. The Inner Region which consists of China Proper and Manchuria is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. It is the HEARTLAND of China. Beijing, the capital of the People’s Republic of China, is found in its northeastern part. It is the second largest city (after Shanghai) in China. Beijing has hot and humid summers while its winters are cold and dry. This country is home to several dynasties; similar to internal struggles, Kuomintang, communism and other political transformations. Mandarin is the official language, while Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam are the main religions of China. “The Great Wall of China”, which extends more than 2,400 km., was built during the 3rd century to provide protection from invading nomadic tribes. This is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. China also hosts a variety of forest types. Cold coniferous forests predominate in the north of the country, supporting animal species such as moose and the Asian black bear, along with over 120 bird species. Moist conifer forests can have thickets of bamboo as an understorey, replaced by rhododendrons in higher montane stands of juniper and yew. Subtropical forests, which dominate central and southern China, support as many as 146,000 species of flora. Tropical and seasonal rainforests, contain a quarter of all the plant and animal species found in China. Historically, China became a communist state in 1949. In the 1960’s the “Cultural Revolution” was designed by Mao Tse-tung to replace the party-government-military-power elite with more revolutionary elements. China profited from a series of developments in foreign relations, including its admission to the United Nations. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC) assert identical claims over the entirety of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, and the southern-most extent of these claims reach Zengmu Ansha (James Shoal), which would form a maritime frontier with Malaysia.  Famous People A Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history, Confucious is credited with having authored or edited many of the Chinese classic texts including all of the Five Classics, and aphorisms concerning his teachings were compiled in the Analects. He championed strong family loyalty, ancestor worship, respect of elders by their children, of husbands by their wives. He also recommended family as a basis for ideal government, and espoused the well-known principle “Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself”, an early version of the Golden Rule. Sun-Yat-Sen was a Chinese revolutionary and first president and founding father of the Republic of China, and the “forerunner of democratic revolution” in the People’s Republic of China. Sun’s chief legacy resides in his developing of the political philosophy known as the Three Principles of the People: nationalism, democracy, and the people’s livelihood. Chiang Kai-Shek was a political and military leader of the 20th century of China. He led the Northern Expedition to unify the country, becoming China’s nominal leader, and chairman of the National Military Council of the Nationalist government of the Republic of China. Also, Chiang ruled the island as the self-appointed President of the Republic of China and Director-General of the Kuomintang until his death in 1975. Mao Zedong popularly known as Mao Tse-Tung was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution. He was the architect and founding father of the People’s Republic of China and held authoritarian control over the nation until his death in 1976. Jiang Zemin is a former Chinese politician, who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, as President of the People’s Republic of China, and as Chairman of the Central Military Commission. His long career and political prominence have led to him being described as the “core of the third generation” of Communist Party leaders. Historical Places Badaling Great Wall is the site of the most visited section of the Great Wall of China which became the world’s largest military structure. The portion of the wall running through the site was built during the Ming Dynasty, along with a military outpost reflecting the location’s strategic importance. The Forbidden City was the Chinese Imperial Palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty and which now houses the Palace Museum. It served as the home of emperors and their household as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world. The Temple of Heaven – this is China’s largest complex of ancient sacrificial buildings. This is a dignified complex of fine cult buildings set in gardens and enclosed by historic pine woods. Its overall layout symbolizes the relationship between earth and heaven which stands at the heart of Chinese cosmogony. Yungang Grottoes – it constitutes 252 caves and 51,000 statues towards the west of Datong City in Shanxi Province. They represent the marvelous achievement of Buddhist cave art in China.  The Summer Palace – the largest and m ost complete regal garden existing in China. It is a masterpiece of Chinese landscape. The natura l landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a pleasant collection of outstanding aesthetic value. The Old Town of Pingyao - an extremely well-preserved example of a traditional Han Chinese city, founded in the 14th century. Its urban structure shows the evolution of architectural styles and town planning in Imperial China for over five centuries. Significant Events The Tripartite confrontation of the Three Kingdoms referred to as the Three Kingdom’s Period in the history of China. This is the period between the foundation of the Wei in 220 and the overthrow of Wei by the Jin Dynasty in 265. The tripartite confrontation was formed in the 20’s of the 2nd century and ended with the destruction of Wei. The Xi’an Incident is an important episode of Chinese modern history that took place during the Chinese Civil War between the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) and the rebel Chinese Communist Party, and just before the second Sino-Japanese War. The incident led the Nationalists and the Communists to make peace so that the two could form a united front against the increasing threat posed by Japan.  The Boxer Rebellion, more properly called the Boxer Uprising, or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in Chinese, was a violent anti-imperialism, anti-Christian movement by the “Righteous Harmony Society” or “Society of Righteous Harmonious Fists” between 1898 and 1901. Under the slogan “Support the Qing, destroy the foreign”, Boxers across North China attacked mission compounds and besiege the foreign embassies. Second Sino-Japanese War was considered the largest Asian War in the 20th Century. It was a military conflict fought between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war was the result of a decade-long Japanese imperialist policy aiming to dominate China politically and militarily, and to secure its vast raw material reserves and other economic resources, particularly food and labor. Culture Chinese culture is one of the world’s oldest and most complex and has been heavily influenced by Confucianism and conservative philosophies. The culture is also very much based on the history of China which developed mainly in isolation over the hundreds of years in which it has adapted and assimilated. Important components of Chinese culture include literature, music, visual arts, martial arts, cuisine, fashion, architecture, leisure, etc. Chinese literature began with record keeping and divination on Oracle Bones. The Five Cardinal Points are the foundation for almost all major studies. The Chinese classic texts include concepts on subjects along poetry, astrology, astronomy, calendar, constellations and many others. Some of the most important early texts include I Ching and Shujing within the Four Books and Five Classics. Many Chinese concepts such as Yin and Yang, Qi, Four Pillars of Destiny in relation to heaven and earth were all theorized in the dynastic periods. Music Youlan or the Solitary Orchid was the oldest known written music attributed to Confucius. One of the Confucianist Classics, Shi Jing, contained many folk songs which almost every emperor loved to collect to inspect the popular will. Traditional music in China is played on solo instruments or in small ensembles of plucked and bowed stringed instruments, flutes, and various cymbals, gongs, and drums. Bamboo pipes and gin are among the oldest known musical instruments from China which are based on animal skins, gourd, bamboo, wood, silk, earth/clay, metal and stone. Chinese orchestras consist of bowed strings, woodwinds, plucked strings and percussion. Art Chinese art encompasses all facets of fine art, folk art and performance art. Porcelain pottery was one of the first forms of art. Chinese pain ting became a highly appreciated art in court circles. Chinese martial arts are collectively given the name Kung Fu (gong) “achievement” or “merit”, and (fu) “man” thus “ human achievement” or Wushu (“martial arts” or “military arts”). The first generation of art started more for the purpose of survival and warfare than art. China has produced some of the most renowned martial artists including Wong Fei Hung and many others. The arts have also co - existed with a variety of weapons including the more standard 18 arms. Fashion With regards to fashion, different social classes in different social classes in different eras boast different fashion trends, the color yellow or red is usually reserved for the emperor. The clothing of the era before the Qing Dynasty is referred to as Hanfu or traditional Han Chinese clothing, where many symbols such as phoenix have been used for decorative as well as economic purposes. Architecture Chinese architecture has long been a hallmark of the culture. There are certain features common to Chinese architecture, the most important is its emphasis on width, as the wide halls of the Forbidden City and symmetry which connotes a sense of grandeur as it applies to everything from palaces to farmhouses. Feng shui has played an important part in structural development. Literature There is a wealth of early Chinese literature dating from the Hundred Schools of Thought that occurred during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. The most important of those include the Classics of Confucianism, of Doaism, of Mohism, of Legalism, as well as works of military science and Chinese history. It also recognizes five books, called the Five Classics, which form the foundation of their cultural, political, and traditional life. The five classics include The Book of Changes, The Classic of Poetry, The Classic of Rites, The Classic of History and The Spring and Autumn Annals. The Four Books include: the Analects of Confucius, a book of pithy sayings attributed to Confucius and recorded by his disciples; Mencius, a collection of political dialogues; the Doctrine of the Mean, a book that teaches that path to Confucian virtue; and the Great Learning, a book about education, self- cultivation and the Lao. Other important philosophical works include the Mohist Mozi, which taught “ inclusive love” as both a ethical and social principle, and Hanfeizi, one of the central legalists texts. Traditions Chinese Traditions for Kids It is known to Chinese that naming a baby before birth is bad luck. The date and time of the child’s birth would be based on Eight characters of Chinese Astrology, for these have certain influences on the whole life of the child. Chinese kids would live under one roof with their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, for Chinese believe that families need to be united and to live together. Chinese Marriage and Wedding Traditions Traditional Chinese marriage is a ceremonial ritual that involves a marriage established by pre- arrangement between families. Romantic love was allowed, and monogamy was the norm for most ordinary citizens. Before modern times, women were not allowed to choose the person they married. Instead, the family of the bride picked the prospective husband. Marriage was based upon the needs of reproduction and honor, as well as the need of the father and husband. Most of Chinese weddings are results of fixed marriages which would be approved by the parents of the woman. The wedding would take place in the groom’s home and to completely validate the wedding of the couple, certain offerings for the ancestor and gods would be done. After 3 days, the newlywed would visit the bride’s house. Chinese New Year Traditions On New Year’s Day, Chinese people decorate their houses with flowers, oranges, tangerines, red banners – all the decorations colored with red and orange. They also prepare Chinese New Year foods like Jai, fish, chicken, noodles and orange desserts. Young men could present dragon dance during the New Year celebration. They will wear red clothes during New Year, for Chine se people believed that color red has the ability to eliminate bad luck. Chinese Food The best known and most influential Chinese cuisine are Guangdong (Cantonese) cuisine, Shandong cuisine, Jiangsu cuisine, and Sichuan cuisine. Jiangsu cuisine favors cooking techniques such as braising and stewing, while Sichuan cuisine employs baking. Hairy crab is a highly sought after local delicacy in Shanghai. Beijing Roast Duck (Pecking Duck) is another popular dish well known outside of China. Sichuan style of Chinese cuisine is famed for bold flavors, particularly the pungency and spiciness resulting from liberal use of garlic and chili peppers as well as the unique flavor of the Sichuan Peppercorn. Peanuts sesame paste and ginger are also prominent ingredients in this style.  Anhui cuisine emphasizes less on seafood and more on a wide variety of local herbs and vegetables. Recreation San Mao (three feathers) is a game played with wooden paddles and three feathered shuttlecocks. Shuttlecock is a game in which a weighted, feather-topped shuttlecock is kicked over the net with any part of the body except the hands and arms. Jian zi is a game similar to hacky sack played with shuttlecock. Croquet (known as the “gate game”)is popular among elderly Chinese. Some play very aggressively and get particular pleasure from whacking their opponent’s ball. They play with three wickets and a single post. Ti jian xi is a hacky-sack-like game in which people kick a large shuttle cock around a circle. Beliefs The great majority of people in pre modern China held beliefs and observed practices related to death that they learned as members of families and villages. Institutional forms of Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and other traditions contributed any beliefs and practices to Chinese popular religion. These traditions, especially Buddhism, included the idea of personal cultivation for the purpose of living an ideal life and, as consequence, attaining some kind of afterlife salvation, such as immortality, enlightenment or birth in a heavenly realm. Many more Chinese are embracing religions that preach individual salvation after death. Those who do so may abandon practices related to traditional beliefs about life, death, and ancestral souls, or they may find ways to reconcile these practices with the new belief systems they adopt. LITERARY JOURNEY Teachings from the Analects of Confucius Presented in Encapsulated Form The Golden Rule Tsze-chang asked, saying, "Is there one word which may serve as a rule of practice for all one's life?' The Master said, "Is not RECIPROCITY such a word? What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others" (Book 15, Chapter 23). Other Rules to Live By 1. The Master said, "Without recognizing the ordinances of Heaven, it is impossible to be a superior man.” 2. "Without an acquaintance with the rules of Propriety, it is impossible for the character to be established.” 3. "Without knowing the force of words, it is impossible to know men." (Book 20, Chapter 3) Right Living The Master said, "Man is born for uprightness. If a man loses his uprightness, and yet live, his escape from death is the effect of mere good fortune" (Book 6, Chapter 17). The Master said, "The superior man in everything considers righteousness to be essential. He performs it according to the rules of propriety. He brings it forth in humility. He completes it with sincerity. This is indeed a superior man." (Book 15, Chapter 17). Tsze-chang asked how a man should conduct himself, so as to be everywhere appreciated. The Master said, "Let his words be sincere and truthful, and his actions honorable and careful;– such conduct may be practiced among the rude tribes of the South or the North. If his words be not sincere and truthful and his actions not honorable and careful, will he, with such conduct, be appreciated, even in his neighborhood? (Book 15, Chapter 5, Numbers 1 and 2). When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them (Book 1, Chapter 8, Number 4). The Master said, "With coarse rice to eat, with water to drink, and my bended arm for a pillow; – I have still joy in the midst of these things. Riches and honors acquired by unrighteousness are to me a floating cloud." (Book 7, Chapter 15). The Master said, "If a man in the morning hears the right way, he may die in the evening without regret" (Book 4, Chapter 8). The Master said, "Is virtue a thing remote? I wish to be virtuous, and so, virtue is at hand" (Book 7, Chapter 29). The Master said, "The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions" (Book 14, Chapter 29). The Master said, "The superior man is distressed by his want of ability. He is not distressed by men's not knowing him." (Book 15, Chapter 18). The Master said, "What the superior man seeks is in himself. What the mean man seeks is in others" (Book 15, Chapter 20). Government The Master said, "To rule a country of a thousand chariots, there must be reverent attention to business, and sincerity; economy in expenditure, and love for men; and the employment of the people at the proper seasons" (Book 1, Chapter 5). The Master said, "He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn towards it" (Book 2, Chapter 1). When a country is well-governed, poverty and a mean condition are things to be ashamed of. When a country is ill-governed, riches and honor are things to be ashamed of." (Book 8, Chapter 13, Number 3). Tsze-chang asked about government. The Master said, "The art of governing is to keep its affairs before the mind without weariness, and to practice them with undeviating consistency" (Book 12, Chapter 14). Chi K'ang asked Confucius about government, saying, "What do you say to killing the unprincipled for the good of the principled?" Confucius replied, "Sir, in carrying on your government, why should you use killing at all? Let your evinced desires be for what is good, and the people will be good. The relation between superiors and inferiors is like that between the wind and the grass. The grass must bend, when the wind blows across it" (Book 12, Chapter 19). The Duke of Sheh asked about government. The Master said, "Good government obtains, when those who are near are made happy, and those who are far off are attracted" (Book 13, Chapter 16, Numbers 1 and 2). Duties of Youth The Master said, "A youth, when at home, should be filial, and, abroad, respectful to his elders. He should be earnest and truthful. He should overflow in love to all, and cultivate the friendship of the good. When he has time and opportunity, after the performance of these things, he should employ them in polite studies" (Book I, Chapter 6). Humanity and Treatment of Others Zi Zhang asked Confucius about humanity. Confucius said: “To be able to practice five virtues everywhere in the world constitutes humanity.” Zi Zhang begged to know what these were. Confucius said: “Courtesy, magnanimity, good faith, diligence, and kindness. He who is courteous is not humiliated, he who is magnanimous wins the multitude, he who is of good faith is trusted by the people, he who is diligent attains his objective, and he who is kind can get service from the people” (Book 17, Chapter 6). Tsze-yu asked what filial piety was. The Master said, "The filial piety of now-a-days means the support of one's parents. But dogs and horses likewise are able to do something in the way of support;–without reverence, what is there to distinguish the one support given from the other?" (Book 2, Chapter 7) Tsze-chang asked how a man should conduct himself, so as to be everywhere appreciated. The Master said, "Let his words be sincere and truthful, and his actions honorable and careful;– such conduct may be practiced among the rude tribes of the South or the North. If his words be not sincere and truthful and his actions not honorable and careful, will he, with such conduct, be appreciated, even in his neighborhood? (Book 15, Chapter 5, Numbers 1 and 2). Education The Master said, "Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous" (Book 2, Chapter 15). 1. The Master said, "At fifteen, I had my mind bent on learning. 2. "At thirty, I stood firm. 3. "At forty, I had no doubts. 4. "At fifty, I knew the decrees of Heaven. 5. "At sixty, my ear was an obedient organ for the reception of truth. 6. "At seventy, I could follow what my heart desired, without transgressing what was right" (Book 2, Chapter 4). LITERARY REFLECTION 1. Which of the above teachings of Confucius have counterpart in the Bible? Explain 2. What do you think is the purpose of Confucius in giving the important principles in the Analects? 3. What are some of the important teachings of Confucius in terms of right living? 4. Explain the following lines from the Analects: "He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn towards it" 5. What Chinese customs, traditions, and beliefs are best reflected in the above teachings of Confucius? Give practical applications of these teachings. LITERARY INSPIRATION "The superior man bends his attention to what is radical. That being established, all practical courses naturally grow up. Filial piety and fraternal submission,-are they not the root of all benevolent actions?" – Confucius LITERARY JOURNEY The Tiger Son A Chinese Tale Once there was an elderly widow, Chen Ma, who lived with her only son inside a forest in the Shanxi Province. Her son was one of the tiger hunters licensed by the local magistrate, following the same profession of his father and grandfather before him. His share of the profits from the sale of tiger skins, meat and bones was sufficient to keep the small mud hut well provisioned for himself and his old mother. All was well until a particularly bitter winter. During a snowstorm, Chen Ma's son was separated from his fellow hunters and became food for a hungry tigress. After her initial shock and grief subsided, Chen Ma took stock of her own utterly desperate situation -- an old woman left all alone. She went and implored the magistrate to provide her with compensation for the loss of her son, who was her only source of support. The magistrate decreed that henceforth, she would have a small share of profits from the kill of each tiger by the hunters. Needless to say, his decision was not taken well by the hunters, who had plenty of mouths of their own to feed -- both old and young. So, when the hunters succeeded in killing the tigress that ate Chen Ma's son, they decided not to give her a share of the profits. Instead, they brought her the tigress' newborn cub. He was a small quivery ball of golden fur with wobbly legs and toothless gums. The rope they tied around his neck was so tight that it was practically choking him. Instantly, Chen Ma's heart went out to this helpless creature, whose jade-green eyes were glistening with tears. After the hunters left, the tiger cub wobbled to where Chen Ma sat and lay at her feet. She bent down to rub his ears and he licked her shoes with his soft tongue. The elderly widow looked at the tiger baby and sighed. "They told me to butcher you, to salt and smoke your flesh for my meat supply. Your skin would make warm boots for my feet; your bones are good for making Tiger Bone Wine to ease the pain in my joints. But oh, how can I bear to kill you? You are so young and vital, while I am so old and frail." And so, Chen Ma untied the rope from the little tiger's neck and fed him a paste of cooked roots with her fingers. Her son had a good supply of grains and roots in the attached shed and she planned to stretch the food out to last the winter. When the store of the firewood was running low, Chen Ma was unable to keep her bedroll on top of the kang warm (a kang is a bed base built of bricks with space for a small fire). So she slept curling against the baby tiger, whose soft fur was cozy and warm. Once ever so often, women from nearby villages would bring sewing for Chen Ma to do. She was very handy with a needle. They paid her for her labor with dried venison and small sacks of grain. At first they did not find the little tiger's presence alarming; he was no bigger than a piglet. However, when spring came, he had grown into the size of a calf, showing a full set of teeth and claws. The women told their hunter husbands and the men came to kill the young tiger.  Chen Ma armed herself with her son's hunting spear and threatened to gut anyone who dared to harm her beloved pet. "I've lost both husband and son. This tiger is the only companion I have now. I shall go to the magistrate and request to adopt him as my son." The hunters thought the old woman had become mad and jeered at her. But since she was so determined, they dared not kill her tiger without the magistrate's permission. So they followed Chen Ma and her tiger all the way to the official's judgment hall. "Venerable Mother," said the magistrate. "Your request is most unusual. Are you not afraid that some day the tiger might revert to his wild nature and devour you?" "Honorable sir," replied the old widow with tears in her eyes. "What is there to fear? I have lived too long. The only worry I have now is being left utterly alone. Please let me adopt this young tiger, for he has become like a son in my affections." The kindly magistrate did not have the heart to refuse such an ancient woman's pleading. So he had his assistant draw up a document for the tiger's adoption. In order to protect the tiger from the hunters' arrows and spears, the magistrate ordered a large copper pendent made to hang around the beast's neck. The words "Fu Chee" were engraved on the pendent meaning Tiger Son. To show her deep gratitude, Chen Ma knelt down in front of the magistrate and knocked her forehead three times. Then she led Fu Chee back to their home in the forest. By next winter, Fu Chee had grown into his maximum size. Chen Ma's hut was in danger of collapsing whenever the tiger became playful. Reluctantly, she allowed Fu Chee to make his home inside a cave nearby. However, the affectionate tiger came back to visit his adopted mother often, always bearing a gift in his mouth -- a dead deer or a large piece of tree branch. Also, he still liked to lick her shoes and to have his ears rubbed. Chen Ma's needs were being cared for just as if her natural son was still alive! After Chen Ma died at the ripe old age past one hundred, the hunters noticed Fu Chee guarded her tomb nightly. They left him unmolested as he had never attacked any humans or domestic animals. This went on for a number of years and then one day the tiger was seen no more. Out of deep respect and admiration for the filial tiger son, the hunters erected a small stone monument at Chen Ma's tomb with Fu Chee's story engraved on it. Henceforth, Fu Chee became a household legend in that part of Shanxi Province. LITERARY REFLECTION 1. How would you characterize Chen Ma? 2. If you were Chen Ma, would you do the same to the Tiger Son as that what she did after her son’s death? 3. Is the foregoing tale allegorical in character? 4. Is Fu Chee an epitome of loyalty and fidelity to one’s master? 5. What Chinese customs, practices, and beliefs are embodied or depicted in the tale? LITERARY APPRECIATION The Chinese family, just like any other Asian families, is known for its close family ties, make a simple survey from among your classmates whether their family still belongs to the traditional family type. LITERARY INSPIRATION “A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.” - Washington Irving LITERARY JOURNEY By the Lake By: Tu Fu The old fellow from Shao-ling weeps with stifled sobs as he walks furtively by the bends of the Sepentine on a day in spring. In the waterside palaces the thousands of doors are locked. For whom have the willows and rushed put on their fresh greenery? I remember how formerly, when the Emperor's rainbow banner made its way into the South Park, everything in the park seemed to bloom with a brighter color. The First Lady of the Chao-yang Palace rode in the same carriage as her lord in attendance at his side, while before the carriage rode maids of honor equipped with bows and arrows, their white horses champing at golden bits. Leaning back, face skywards, they shot into the clouds; and the Lady laughed gaily when a bird fell to the ground transfixed by a well-aimed arrow. Where are the bright eyes and the flashing smile now? Tainted with blood-pollution, her wandering soul cannot make its way back. The clear waters of the Wei flow eastwards, and Chien-ko is far away: between the one who has gone and the one who remains no communication is possible. It is human to have feelings and shed tears for such things; but the grasses and flowers of the lakeside go on forever, unmoved. As evening falls, the city is full of the dust of foreign horseman. My way is towards the South City, but my gaze turns northward. LITERARY REFLECTION 1. What makes Tu Fu one of the best Chinese poets in history? 2. Why do you think most of the poems of Tu Fu describe things in nature? 3. What do the following lines suggest: “Colors grace thatch homes for a moment/Flocks and herds of things wild glisten/Faintly/Then the scent of musk opens across/Half a mountain -- and lingers on past noon.” 4. Love of nature is one of the conventions among Japanese writers as shown most frequently in their haiku; do you find the same characteristic in early Chinese poems? 5. What Chinese customs, traditions, and beliefs are reflected in the poems discussed? LITERARY INSPIRATION “Exercise is really important to me - it's therapeutic. So if I'm ever feeling tense or stressed or like I'm about to have a meltdown, I'll put on my iPod and head to the gym or out on a bike ride along Lake Michigan with the girls.” - Michelle Obama LITERARY JOURNEY Art of War (An Excerpt) Waging War 1. Sun Tzu said: In the operations of war, where there are in the field a thousand swift chariots, as many heavy chariots, and a hundred thousand mail-clad soldiers, with provisions enough to carry them a thousand li, the expenditure at home and at the front, including entertainment of guests, small items such as glue and paint, and sums spent on chariots and armor, will reach the total of a thousand ounces of silver per day. Such is the cost of raising an army of 100,000 men. 2. When you engage in actual fighting, if victory is long in coming, then men's weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be damped. If you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust your strength. 3. Again, if the campaign is protracted, the resources of the State will not be equal to the strain. 4. Now, when your weapons are dulled, your ardor damped, your strength exhausted and your treasure spent, other chieftains will spring up to take advantage of your extremity. Then no man, however wise, will be able to avert the consequences that must ensue. 5. Thus, though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays. 6. There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare. 7. It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted with the evils of war that can thoroughly understand the profitable way of carrying it on. 8. The skillful soldier does not raise a second levy, neither are his supply-wagons loaded more than twice. 9. Bring war material with you from home, but forage on the enemy. Thus the army will have food enough for its needs. 10. Poverty of the State exchequer causes an army to be maintained by contributions from a distance. Contributing to maintain an army at a distance causes the people to be impoverished. 11. On the other hand, the proximity of an army causes prices to go up; and high prices cause the people's substance to be drained away. 12. When their substance is drained away, the peasantry will be afflicted by heavy exactions. 13,14. With this loss of substance and exhaustion of strength, the homes of the people will be stripped bare, and three-tenths of their income will be dissipated; while government expenses for broken chariots, worn-out horses, breast-plates and helmets, bows and arrows, spears and shields, protective mantles, draught-oxen and heavy wagons, will amount to four-tenths of its total revenue. 15. Hence a wise general makes a point of foraging on the enemy. One cartload of the enemy's provisions is equivalent to twenty of one's own, and likewise a single picul of his provender is equivalent to twenty from one's own store. 16. Now in order to kill the enemy, our men must be roused to anger; that there may be advantage from defeating the enemy, they must have their rewards. 17. Therefore in chariot fighting, when ten or more chariots have been taken, those should be rewarded who took the first. Our own flags should be substituted for those of the enemy, and the chariots mingled and used in conjunction with ours. The captured soldiers should be kindly treated and kept. 18. This is called, using the conquered foe to augment one's own strength. 19. In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns. 20. Thus it may be known that the leader of armies is the arbiter of the people's fate, the man on whom it depends whether the nation shall be in peace or in peril. Attack by Stratagem 1. Sun Tzu said: In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good. So, too, it is better to recapture an army entire than to destroy it, to capture a regiment, a detachment or a company entire than to destroy them. 2. Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting. 3. Thus the highest form of generalship is to balk the enemy's plans; the next best is to prevent the junction of the enemy's forces; the next in order is to attack the enemy's army in the field; and the worst policy of all is to besiege walled cities. 4. The rule is, not to besiege walled cities if it can possibly be avoided. The preparation of mantlets, movable shelters, and various implements of war, will take up three whole months; and the piling up of mounds over against the walls will take three months more. 5. The general, unable to control his irritation, will launch his men to the assault like swarming ants, with the result that one-third of his men are slain, while the town still remains untaken. Such are the disastrous effects of a siege. 6. Therefore the skillful leader subdues the enemy's troops without any fighting; he captures their cities without laying siege to them; he overthrows their kingdom without lengthy operations in the field. 7. With his forces intact he will dispute the mastery of the Empire, and thus, without losing a man, his triumph will be complete. This is the method of attacking by stratagem. 8. It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack him; if twice as numerous, to divide our army into two. 9. If equally matched, we can offer battle; if slightly inferior in numbers, we can avoid the enemy; if quite unequal in every way, we can flee from him. 10. Hence, though an obstinate fight may be made by a small force, in the end it must be captured by the larger force. 11. Now the general is the bulwark of the State; if the bulwark is complete at all points; the State will be strong; if the bulwark is defective, the State will be weak. 12. There are three ways in which a ruler can bring misfortune upon his army:-- 13. (1) By commanding the army to advance or to retreat, being ignorant of the fact that it cannot obey. This is called hobbling the army. 14. (2) By attempting to govern an army in the same way as he administers a kingdom, being ignorant of the conditions which obtain in an army. This causes restlessness in the soldier's minds. 15. (3) By employing the officers of his army without discrimination, through ignorance of the military principle of adaptation to circumstances. This shakes the confidence of the soldiers. 16. But when the army is restless and distrustful, trouble is sure to come from the other feudal princes. This is simply bringing anarchy into the army, and flinging victory away. 17. Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory: (1) He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. (2) He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces. (3) He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks. (4) He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared. (5) He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign. 18. Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. LITERARY REFLECTION 1. Why do you think the Art of War remains to be one of the most important works in military warfare? 2. Sun Tzu explained in his work the importance of military strategy to win war as expressed in the following words. Be able to explain them in your own: “When you engage in actual fighting, if victory is long in coming, then men's weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be damped. If you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust your strength.” 3. Army and discipline are important according to Sun Tzu. Expound on the following statements expressed by Sun Tzu: “But when the army is restless and distrustful, trouble is sure to come from the other feudal princes. This is simply bringing anarchy into the army, and flinging victory away.” 4. Can the principles laid down by Sun Tzu in the “Art of War” be used in business or other field? Prove your answer. LITERARY APPRECIATION Organize an informal debate in class regarding the importance of strategy in personal, corporate or military fields. Be sure to word your proposition properly to allow clash of opinions. LITERARY INSPIRATION “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” ― Sun Tzu