Daniela Arias
January 27, 2016
Period 7
Children in Ancient China
Children in Ancient China had different expectations laid out for them, mostly dependent on gender and age. One of the most important values instilled in children was respect. Children were expected to respect authority figures above all, but also to respect those in their immediate family. Religion and philosophies in Ancient China played a major role in what was expected of Chinese children. Expectations also varied depending on the child’s social status. Confucianism in particular is acknowledged as the major influence in the daily lives of Chinese people, but especially children. One of the most important aspects of a child’s life in any setting is their ability to
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One of the many developments of this time was the establishment of public schools in order to carefully instruct boys for the civil service. Early education played a major role in preparing children to eventually serve for the state. Additionally, it was necessary to ensure their loyalty to the state as early as possible as a means of strengthening the empire. Around 74 BCE the role of women started to come into question. However, educated women were thought as a threat to the stability of the dynasty. This was met with increased pressure on girls to assume traditional societal roles. Education for women differed in terms of the general purpose. Men were urged to pursue a rigorous education and expected to eventually rise to important governmental positions or to join the military, but education for women was not as focused and did not have such an endgoal. However, some were beginning to question why women were not given the same opportunities. It was becoming clear that women could not be ignored- Ban Chao was a general of the Eastern Han dynasty (32 AD-102 AD). He is quoted as saying:
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3) Document 3: The state of Qin's rulers believes in a political philosophy called the Legalism that justifies the strict central control and the use of the people to promote Qin, so they focused on huge construction projects and conquest. The Qin court succeeded in uniting the empire and maintaining control for 15 years. They have standardized the writing system, money, measurements, and built a lot of infrastructures. Their large-scale construction projects helped to flourish later.
Ever since the Han Dynasty, Confucianism has been a cornerstone in Chinese culture. Established by the scholar Confucius, this belief system focused on achieving a "…perfect society in which all people devoted themselves to fulfilling their roles… (and) all wholeheartedly did what was expected of them." (PMEA, 32) This included all individuals knowing and enacting their responsibilities in order to create a world of harmony. During the Song, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, Confucian principles, were intertwined throughout the Chinese government, culture and everyday lives of subjects. Advancements made during this timeframe allowed Confucianism to develop and grow with the Chinese population, making this belief system a mainstay in Chinese society.
Similarly, American and Chinese culture teach self-conduct when raising children. In Chinese culture they practice Guan, which is to educate, care, control, support and love. This practice follows Confucianism, which is criticism to encourage to push them to gain social values and is a very strict action. China continues to make every effort to reach for success.
Religious and political ideas have served as the fundamental foundation to many early civilizations and settlements and Ancient China is no exception. The texts of the Ta Hsüeh and the Chung Yung clearly details some ideas and concepts of early Confucianism in Ancient China. These early Confucian ideas and concepts from the two texts, in many ways reflect the political, intellectual, and social context of ancient China. Although Confucianism is no long as prominent as it was during the times of ancient China, it is important to understand these concepts and how later Chinese Dynasty adopted it. Confucianism has developed and influenced modern China and also other East Asian cultures, customs, and heritages.
The transition from the Qin Dynasty to the Han Dynasty brought about many changes in ideology. The Han Dynasty’s rise to power brought with it the rise of Confucianism, and this gave the people of China more rights and freedom compared to their life under the Qin Dynasty. Confucian principles emphasized loyalty, respect for superiority, education, and the welfare of a group over the individual. Comparing Han China to Qin China, Lu Jia said, “When the people only feared the laws, they could not know rites and rightness.” The emphasis of Confucianism in Han China led to the construction of schools to offer more widespread education. This embedded a philosophy within the Chinese people that revolved around Ren and Yi, ideas
In Ancient China the father of the woman decided who that his daughter would marry. There was no agreement between the two fathers. The father would talk with an astrologer who had a birth chart on every child. By looking at the time and date of their births he would then decide whether or not they would be compatible for one another. The father when then make the decision whether they would marry, the daughter’s thoughts and opinion’s did not count.(9) The woman was required to be completely devoted to her husband. After the marriage a Chinese women was expected to bow to her new in-laws and offer them tea. This showed them that she now belonged to her husband’s family. It was required of her to obey her new
Initially, women were not supposed to participate in anything besides the domestic side of life. However, these ideas about women and their roles in society started to crumble as some women took their fate into their own hands and gained power in China. Empress Wu Zetain was one of the key figures during the Tang Dynasty who proved that women could do more than just take care of their homes. She was the only female to take on the role of emperor, and do so successfully. Although she was ruthless and did anything to gain and keep her power, she paved the way for feminism in China.
This proves that the ancient Chinese people from the Han empire were innovative. They were the first empire to use iron. They also made silk from silkworm fiber, spinning it with a foot-powered machine. This was great for their economy because they traded with other empires and created the “Silk Road”. The Chinese from the Han were also known for their copper work and salt. To mine salt, they made bamboo drill. When they hit a salt water mine, the drill would suck up the water then they brought to poll to the surface and boiled the water until there was only salt. With iron they made swords and fishscale armour (insert image) and long iron swords. The fishtail armour and sword were good for warfare. The armour allowed whomever is wearing
Confucianism and Daoism are two influential schools of thoughts that have existed in ancient China around the 6th century BCE. The former, led by the politician and philosopher Confucius, proposed that humans live in society according to a set of predefined rules and that they transform society through political action. Whereas the latter, led by the philosopher Lao-Tzu, promoted the idea of inaction; people should go with the flow instead of taking action to control their lives and dominate their surroundings. Although, at first glance Daoism and Confucianism seem to be two opposing philosophies, a more in depth analysis of two of their key ideas –filial piety and education—reveals that they do share some similarities.
In both the Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire, women were seen as delicate figures and had limited political freedom. Women in Han China were required to be accompanied and led by a male, whether
After China had been conquered by the Mongols and their population was diminished by the plague, they began to look to into their past in order to shape their future. The Chinese society allowed “two empresses [write] instructions for female behavior” (423). These behaviors included those that were held previously to the Chinese women and were seen as “traditional expectations” (423). Much of the Chinese culture was changed due to the rule of the Mongol Empire. Because of this, China attempted to put an end to any evidence of foreign rule from the Mongol Empire. This included the “[discouragement] [of] the use of Mongol names and dress” (423). This discouragement of the Mongol traditions provided China the opportunity to reintroduce the concept of Confucian learning. This is another
When Western people think of Confucianism, they often think of it in a past sense- as something only relevant to ancient China that cannot be applied to modern day society. However, what these people fail to realize is that Confucianism’s roots have been so integrated into China’s society that the values have become a part of every day life. Without having to explicitly state that they are following specifics aspects of Confucianism, most Chinese people submit to them, often times unknowingly. However, Confucian values not only exist in the Chinese society, but also permeate into other areas of Chinese culture such as architecture and aspects of Feng-Shui.
How bitter the words were! If a child never get mother’s acclaim and encouragement, how sorrowful one’s heart feels! Here comes a contrasting comparison of western and Chinese parenting—western parents encourage and praise their child much more often than Chinese parents do. This encouragement helps them create new ideas, independent opinions, developing unique and sparkling characters. Whereas Chinese parents believe in the old saying, “a strict teacher produces outstanding students”, strictness and criticism are important educating guide lines for Chinese parents, which results in obedience and collectivism, compromise, no psyche and no guts to say no. But on the other hand, Chinese do behave better in harsh and high-pressured condition due to their strict training in childhood.
In discussions about raising children in different cultures between Chinese and Western families, Chinese mothers and Western mothers raise their children differently from each other. Amy Chua, in her essay entitled “How Chinese Mothers Are Superior,” argues that Chinese mothers are extremely more strict and harsh when it comes to parenting their children’s self-esteem while Chinese mothers do not while they assume “strength, not fragility” from their children. She also believes that it is necessary to limit the children in their daily lives in order to achieve greatness and honor to their family. Amy Chua is led to this conclusion due to research and examples of her own life as a Chinese daughter as well. My own view on the issue is that Chinese
This essay discusses the main differences between traditional Confucian values and modern values. Confucian society seems backwards compared with modern society. In the traditional Confucian society, wives must obey every man in the family before she makes any decision on her own. She even obeys her sons. This would never happen in the modern world, especially in the West. Women and men cannot even talk to each other in a normal fashion unless they are already married, or being set up to be married. The author claims that a sister cannot even ask her brother-in-law a question. It is believed to be inappropriate for a woman and a man to speak, and there is even some mention of women covering their faces.