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clay dubePlease read this guide that was prepared to help a lineage preserve its resources and improve its standing in society. What do these strategies reveal about values and priorities?
clay dubePlease read these contracts to get a sense of the kinds of transactions people engaged in during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Which of the contracts do you find particularly interesting? What concerns are evident in the documents? What did people worry about?
clay dubeThese readings offer examples of the challenges emperors, local officials, and village leaders confronted and how they dealt with them during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and early Qing dynasty (1644-1911). In the casebook, please pay attention to the perceived threat of certain religious sects and to the problem of corrupt officials. What did the emperor seek to accomplish? What were village leaders working to defend against with their ordinances?
Could you use some of these documents with your students? What might you ask them to do in order to understand the place and importance of such documents? Are there topics raised in these documents that relate to contemporary life? Is there anything in these records that surprises you (e.g., the cases involving tenants)?
clay dubeWhat does this document suggest were the principles that guided not just writing about the lineage and family, but the actual running of both? What is the place of ancestors? Women? What gets included? What gets left out?
How might such a document be used with students?
clay dubeThe Tang dynasty (618-907) looms large in Chinese history. It was a hybrid, a mix of nomadic cultures and Han Chinese norms. Here we can examine some of the laws of the dynasty and discuss the reasoning behind them. For example: why do you think the punishment for taking things via threats or blackmail is slightly more severe than for taking things via robbery? What is the sentence for "stealing people"?
edited by Clay Dube on 4/18/2015
AnonymousI can't seem to find the links you refer to. However I notice people responding. What am I missing?
AnonymousThe capital not only sounds interesting, but it sounds as organized or even more so than many modern cities of its size and larger. Contemporary city managers could learn from the organization and ingenuity of this pre-European renaissance description. I was amazed and in awe of the sophistication that existed in the Southern Song Capital. I wondered if the dense array of amenities was due to the forced push south by the Jin. There seemed to be anything one needed or desired within this 7 to 8 square mile area. Regardless of the reason for the arrangement of the capital it remains an impressive example of design, management, and accommodation for a city where residents, travelers and government officials convene to engage in an array of activities.
It was telling of the society that the "money that watches over the store" was not mentioned as being a temptation to theft. I wonder if it was because of the Daoist influence in the region.
Great read!
AnonymousWow....the Chinese Family during the Ming Dynasty had a complete set of instructions for every detail in life....not much wiggle room allowed, very Confucionist and regulated. I am amused at the order of importance (1) scholar and (2) farmer this is very different and in contrast to Western/European societal values where the Merchant class arose to become the most valuable.
I do believe though that this family guideline would serve some of my current, modern American student's families well...if only there was a guide to read...it might help teachers tremendously be respected in what we do.
AnonymousI found the description of Hangzhou fascinating since I have an interest in the Middle Ages. If we were reading a contemporary description of a major European city the first thing mentioned would be the churches and saints buried within as these endowed a city with spiritual powers. Next would probably come a description of the fortifications and finally the commercial activities. Certainly no European city, save maybe Constantinople was as cosmopolitan. What does this tell us about the Medieval Chinese? Evidently, China has not placed as high a cultural importance on “otherworldly” organized religion. The center of town and finest square contain the palace, a center of worldly power that has undoubtedly helped to create the atmosphere pictured in the excerpt. Is the centrality of the palace a reflection of Confucianism and the importance it places on good governance? This is a worldly virtue, rather than other worldly an important contrast between Western religion and Eastern philosophy. I wonder who the intended audience was for this writing. It has a boastful quality like it was meant to be read by people from far off lands or perhaps from small provincial cities. It certainly describes many of the qualities we expect in modern cosmopolitan cites. I am really curious to know more about the infrastructure. How did the Chinese during this time period deal with issues like sanitation?
AnonymousHHardwick, contemporary Medieval Europe was also contemptuous of the merchants. I think what helped the merchant class to grow in stature in the West was the fact that cities operated independently from the local nobility, frequently under a royal charter, and grew in power to rival the nobility. Merchants provided the economic underpinnings. I agree that we could use instructions like these in modern America. Historically values, morality, and social behavior were guided by religion. As we have moved toward secularism, we have lost this guide and we do not have anything comparable to Confucian values to take its place.
AnonymousThe sample contracts are most interesting; I am amazed by the sophistication of the society that is often simplified by contemporary critics. It seems as if nothing was left undone; the same concerns we have today such as being cheated, or taken advantage of were in existence even then. The fact that many of the contracts mention that family members have been consulted seems like a safeguard from someone who may not be mentally stable from engaging in a binding agreement. I found the contract for a business partnership most interesting. This particular contract among partners seemed to be of great importance in terms of honor. Thee was the bonding ritual of drinking blood wine. It was especially telling of its importance as it was mentioned that the one breaking it would be, "persecuted by gods and men alike."
AnonymousAs I am tasked as a family historian in my family, it is interesting to read about these genealogy rules; it seems that one could take an entire course in order to become proficient. There were strict guidelines for additions to the lineage which surprisingly included lashes. It was also interesting how they distinguished the recording of history from writing a genealogy. The disdain for Buddhism and Taoism was apparent as it was associated with sorcery, debauchery, and indiscriminate marriages among other taboos. I greatly admire that instructions were listed that made apparent the importance of the ancestors; descriptions were given as to how best to locate their burial sites while at the same time protecting them for posterity. This gives me a lot of insight as to go about doing my own genealogy as opposed to only writing a family history. This will also be useful in my class as each year my students are tasked with researching thier family lineage and interviewing the eldest member of their family in order to record family histories that may otherwise be lost forever.
AnonymousI would first like to add that i'd like to know who in particular made the code up; was it the emperor or his aides? Also How did they go about deciding which levels of punishment were to be meted out based upon the value of goods or grade of morning. It seems to me that the Confucian influence is present in the punishments dictated based upon those grades of morning. The idea of filial piety and the closeness of family member seems to determine the level of punishment. For example it is more shameful to commit a crime against a close relative than it is for say a second or third cousin thus the variation of punishments, Similarly robbery alone has a lesser punishment than robbery via blackmail; in the latter case there s the commission of additional crimes which call for increased punishment. It would be interesting for students to view legal codes from neighboring countries or nation states. For example how does the Tang code compare to that of Hammurabi or later those of Suleiman the Law Giver?
AnonymousThe Ming sample contracts were very interesting. Those dealing with property are especially concerned with clear title to the land, the seller being at fault if the title comes into question. The contract for selling a daughter into concubinage was especially sad. It speaks to extreme financial hardship. I am curious as to how Confucian scholars would view this arrangement. Selling a son for adoption is also troubling, but one would assume that since the son was being formally adopted, he would have certain traditional and legal rights within his new family. I will definitely use the formation of partnership contract in my economics class in my business organizations unit. It is interesting that it leaves retribution to men and “gods” for breach of contract rather than to worldly legal authorities.
AnonymousMy immediate reaction to these contracts from history is....shock with regards to human rights...
"should the girl run away, he will be held responsible. Should the girl die or unexpected circumstances, It is her fate, and not the responsibility of the second party"
"After the contract becomes effective, the hired worker will not &'Old labor, but will devote himself to it. Should any unpredictable misfortune befall him. it is his fate. and not the responsibility of his master. If he should fail to work, deductions will accordingly be made from hls daily wages."
"From now on the child belongs to his new owner, alive he shall never to return to his original family; dead, he shall not be buried in the graveyard of his original family. Should be run away or be kidnapped, only the child and the mediator are responsible; should the child die of unexpected circumstances, It is his fate, and not the responsibility of his owner."
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[font=Times]All of these ancient contracts show the disregard for human rights and send me immediately to the future and present tense...humans were considered commodities in Chinese history and possibly are still considered commodities today. Human trafficking and human labor rights in China are still in the forefront of world news. I have been enlightened by these ancient contracts, and I understand that Chinese culture and the filial nature of of Chinese culture predisposes their society towards its past...look to the past, understand history, revere your ancestors....but the emphasis should be to embrace the cultures of the world and for China and move forward in the area of human rights and dignity.[/font]
edited by hhardwick on 4/26/2015