Tuesday, September 22, 2009

CHINESE CULTURE 1


NOTES ON CHINESE CULTURE

 Lecture No. 1

by Alex Brown

1.0 THE LAND AND ITS PEOPLE

China is surrounded by chains of mountains and deserts in the west and vast extensions of sea in the east. In the North, it is linked to Mongolia, Manchuria, Korea and Russia (outlying regions and islands). In the South, it is land linked to Indo China countries: Burma, Kampuchea, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. Other neighbouring links include Russia, the Middle East countries and Japan.

Three main rivers serve the agricultural cultivated lands:

1. Yellow River (North)
2. Yangtze River (Central)
3. Xi River (South)

Because of its geographical position, China has more than 1 billion people with the Han Chinese constituting 95% of the population. The remainder consists of over 55 different ethnic groups. In terms of physical appearance, almost all are of Mongoloid stock. What makes the Han Chinese different from other ethnic group is the presence of a written language and sharing of same traditions Basically, more than one
fifth of mankind is of Chinese nationality.

2.0 EARLY HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDINGS

With 5000 years of recorded history, China is one of the few existing countries that also flourished economically culturally in the earliest stages of world civilisation. The most famous archeological finding of its pre-history is the Peking Man skeleton found in a cave site dating some 460,000 to 230,000 years ago. However skeletal remains of Chinese people date from the 29th to the 17th millennium BC.

Cultural life is shown through discoveries of decorated artefacts, primarily marked pottery vessels. Famous Chinese Neolithic pottery shapes, sizes and types (12th millennium to 2nd millennium) are the Yang shao(geometric painted) and Lung Shan (unpainted) puffery..

3.0.  TRADITION OF HISTORICAL RECORDINGS

China has a unique tradition of recording its own history. Chinese historical narrative dates China's dynastic history from the Hsia Dynasty (22nd 19th/18th century BC) to the Qing Dynasty (AD1644 -1911).

However in terms of historical records discovered, scholars have identified ideographic inscriptions of Chinese written language dating back to 5 000 BC or so. This is the Late Shang period where widespread Chinese written records are found in include the famous oracle bones with inscribed texts found in Anyang.

4.0  THE WRITTEN LANGUAGE AND CHINESE CULTURE

The written language is central to China's culture:  writing is the medium for the preservation and dissemination of culture. Command of the writing system distinguishes the  meaning of wen hua ( to become literate)  and command of writing thus relates to leadership skills.

5.0  PREHISTORIC CHINESE AGRICULTURE

Archaeological excavations showed domesticated crops by 5th millennium BC. Staples include millet, rice, fruits, nuts, legumes, vegetables and aquatic plants while the proteins include pigs, dogs, fish and shellfish. Soybeans, tea, hemp, mulberries and lacquer are also found.

6.0    CHINESE RELIGIOUS BELIEF AND SOCIAL ORGANIZATION

a)       The Mandate of Heaven (part of Daoism). This can be seen as a form of consensus amongst the population that when there was peace and prosperity in the society, then heaven had given the emperor a mandate to rule. If, on the other hand when society was disrupted by famine or war, then it could be assumed that the emperor no longer had the mandate to rule and, thus rebellion was justified.

b)      Farmers were at the mercy of atmospheric phenomena which would influence yearly crops or cause  disasters like floods, droughts and famines. Prosperity and peace are thus depended on a harmonic balance between forces of nature.

The idea of harmony is constructed on the principle of opposite polarities: the concept of yin and yang

 negative vs positive
 male vs female
 light vs darkness
 right vs left
 
Earth vs Heaven


Thus

Yin vs Yang


There are mountain powers, ancestor powers, river powers but the highest of all is Shang Di, the High or Heaven, Tian Gong, the Sky Father. He controlled victory in battle, harvest, fate of cities, weather etc. and was an impartial figure who received no cult.

Hence, past Chinese emperors must be of pure nature and moral conduct to obtain the mandate of heaven to rule the country. In fact, the Zhou claimed that the Shang emperor was no more the Son of Heaven because he was corrupt and incapable to govern, therefore he had lost the mandate and had to be replaced.

7.0  ANCESTOR OBSERVANCE AND WORSHIP

Kinship grouping and elaborate graveside rituals and burials were already developed during the Shang Dynasty. Ties of affection, obligation, the psychological and ideological nature of kinship made social and family ties strong and such qualities have survived till today.

8.0   CONFICIANISM

Confucius (551-479BC), was essentially a philosopher. He wanted to reform the world through returning to traditions and classic studies because he believed the time of antiquity is a perfect virtue age.

His teachings are:    
ren - humanity or benevolence
yi -  righteousness
li -  propriety, rules of good manners/social behaviour
zhi - wisdom
xin - trustworthiness.
ciao - piety towards living parents and ancestors
zhong - loyalty and filial piety
shu - decency, reciprocity or mutual respect between ruler and    subjects

Confucianism fitted naturally into Chinese pattern of close family ties and paternal domination i.e. the father governed like an emperor and act with responsibility. Respect for the hierarchical line of relationship is encouraged.

9.0  CONFUCIAN CONTRIBUTION TO CHINESE SOCIETY

The Confucian examination system was enforced under the Han Dynasty. It created a class of bureaucrats or civil servants who had in common a classic education (up to PhD level) and a respect for learning and the arts and an ability to administer. This system: produced a profound respect for education and cultivation of the intellect and spirit was responsible for the largest single class of art patrons of any civilisation of the world.

10.0   Daoism

It is a uniquely Chinese religion compared to Buddhism. There are several levels of Daoism:

a)   Daoism as in performing of rites and rituals
b)   The philosophical Daoism with Lao
c)   Popular Daoism with magical practices
d)   NeoDaoism, Merge of Daoism, Buddhism and Confucianism
 
Lao -tze (? 640BC) preached renunciation of the world and a return to primitive simplicity. The sage person must find by himself the lean, the Way, the Path, the natural life force which liberates us from worldly human affairs, brings us closer to the universal laws of nature like the Yin & Yang etc. The sacred text of Daoism is Tao te Ching. Note this extract:

Something unformed and complete
Before heaven and Earth were formed
Solitary and silent
Stands alone and unchanging
pervading all things without limit
Its like the mother of all things under heaven
but I don't know its name - 
Better call it TAO
Better call it great

Daoism values the following:

freedom
freedom from time
individuality
nurturing spirit of solitude
nature
imagination

Neo-Daoism re-emerged later in the Sung Dynasty. It accepted Buddhism and Confucianism as it underwent a phase oftransformation.Throughout China's religious history, Daoist priests had often competed with Buddhist priests as the Daoists regarded Buddhism a foreign import.

11.0 DAOISM'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO CHINESE CULTURE

 preservation of rites and rituals
 alchemy
 astronomy
 technological inventions ( magnetic compass, gunpowder)
 landscaped gardens and paintings
 myths
 legendary gods and popular gods
 music / poetry with romance

Daoist counterpart of Guan Yin is Tien Hou Liang Liang (Queen of Heaven) But the supreme deity is Yu Huang Ta Ti, the Jade Emperor.

Other Daoist gods in the popular version of Daoism include Longevity God, Happiness God and Prosperity God.

12.0    BUDDHISM

Buddhism came into China during the Han Dynasty and became established in court circles during the Sui Dynasty. The introduction of Buddhism to China has been the important foreign cultural event. It came as a median between the strict hierarchical Confucianist concepts and dreamy Daoist practices.

Its main ideas are:

 there is individual salvation
 eternal peace in paradise
 subjugating desires of the world
 life is suffering
 methods to get rid of suffering

The Chinese in south first accepted Buddhism and it quickly spread to the north. Its appeal cut across all classes and had the support of both the aristocracy and the common peasant folks. Many monasteries were built especially in the south and they became centre of learning and culture.

Mahayana Buddhism is most popular among the Chinese. Stressing the Greater Vehicle doctrine, it teaches salvation through helping and saving people with the assistance of Bodhisattvas, enlightened beings, who delay their Nirvana in order to remain on earth to save mortals.

Buddhism is basically an adaptable religion. So the Chinese sinicized it to fit the local cultures, religions and philosophies. Thus images of Bodhisattvas are popular in China particularly Guan Yin, which assumes the attributes of a female deity during the Sung Dynasty. The Chinese believe the next Buddha is Mi Le Fo, the Laughing Buddha or Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future.

Another popular deity is Amitabha, the Buddha of the Western Paradise.

As Buddhism is adaptable, a monk called Bodhidharma in Loyang (516-534AD) founded Chan Buddhism (called Zen in Japan) and expounded the principles of:

there is no Buddha save the Buddha in our own pure nature,  all rituals, acts of worship and study of texts were worthless, only meditation would bring us into higher stages, enlightenment happened in rare flashy of blinding clarity  it is possible to reach the state of Nirvana without going through rebirth. Chan Buddhism or Zen can be seen as a fusion of Daoism and Buddhism

In all, as Buddhism is a foreign import, it has contributed much to Chinese culture and history.

End
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