china middle period readings

[Anonymous]

[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]KBerg...what you said makes perfect sense...[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]"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." and I agree...Western European society was very different than the Chinese model where power was centralized....but why the difference in societies.....how did the difference emerge and why?[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]My opinion is that Europe was (1) a much smaller area compared to China, and (2) had a more conducive climate where grain agriculture flourished, which allowed for a rapid growth in city-states around farms and (3) was very diverse culturally, Europe had a big cultural convergence of languages and separate cultures all squished together in a small area....China on the other hand was more homogeneous culturally and linguistically.[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]Have you read Jared Diamond's work "Guns, Germs and Steel"? It is an interesting proposal in regards to agronomy and societal beginnings.[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif] [/font]
edited by hhardwick on 4/27/2015

[Anonymous]

Tayari I am interested in how all of this Chinese history and filial obligation is influencing your historical work...genealogy is a fascinating and important part of family history...being a first generation American I am interested in this task but unable to take it on until I retire from teaching! It is a lot of work!

[Anonymous]

Many cultures look to the past as a way of honoring the ancestors and obtaining wisdom. These family instructions are no different in that manner. The Confucian way is apparent in the respect for the family as well as the past where the best lessons and knowledge can be found. Instructions on how not to starve, to bring honor upon the family, to find God's favor and the respect of the village were all included in the instructions. It was remarkable how the social structure of the self, family, and community was also encouraged and reinforced via the instructions as well. I find so much of what was taught in China to be infused in my own upbringing, as well as interlaced with western culture's ideas about organizations. I'm not so sure that western culture honors the ancestors as much as it is in China and other non-western cultures. This was a very insightful and inspirational read. I'd like to use it to have my students read and compare with their own family's guidelines. Afterwards, they can create their own family instructions. Great read!

[Anonymous]

[font=]HHardwick, in the European Middle Ages there was no concept of nation state or empire. People would have been inclined to self-identify according to their surrounding village, manor or county. When pressed, people would have claimed to be from Christendom. Intellectually and religiously Europe was united by the Catholic Church and Latin was a "living" language for the educated and literate. I think that Western Europe was much more culturally united than a present political map would imply. There was a population boom in the 13th century. New villages were established and marginal land was brought under the plow. The Black Death in the early 14th century wiped out these gains and Europe's population did not recover until the 18th century. [/font]

[font=]China in contrast had larger cities and more advanced agriculture. The Chinese had access to most of the cereal grains available to Europe. More importantly they had rice in Southern China, which has a greater per acre yield than the wheat and rye which dominated in Europe. Economics drives social change, and I agree with J. Diamond that geography is an important factor - one of many. [/font]

[font=]Christianity had a low regard for the merchant class because profit was associated with usury. I think that the Protestant Reformation offers a better explanation for the rise in stature of the Merchant class in Europe than geographic determinism.[/font]

edited by kberg on 4/27/2015
edited by kberg on 5/5/2015

[Anonymous]

I have to remind my students that China did not begin as a unified country. Like Europe, it was divided by states, clans or tribes who were bound by religious beliefs, practices or language. Feuds, battles, and wars kept these separate states apart, until they eventually united as a country.

[Anonymous]

The Confucian values of frugality and restraint rule family life. every aspect of human activity is regimented in a very strict way. Kids are raised to become strong and powerful individuals by foregoing luxuries and leisure. The only things that people splurge on are rituals, funerals and the celebration of the old .Everybody knows his place in society.Boys start their training at the age of five while girls already start preparing for the reclusive life of a housewife at the age of six.

[Anonymous]

The sample contracts displayed in the reading were enlightening and refined. These contracts served as an apparatus for negotiating the practicalities of daily life. They also served as basis of economic regulation of their society. The scope of these contracts reached the following: 1) purchase of a concubine, hiring a worker, business partnerships, the selling of a son for adoption, selling of a cattle, selling of a house, and mortgaging of a house. For the most part, these types of contracts or similar contracts are still existent today. The contracts made it clear that parties were entering into the contract by their free will (or giving up their child by their free will). In addition, parties of interest consulted family members or mediators prior to signing off on the agreement/contract. All contracts ended as “this contract is drawn up as evidence of the agreement/sale”. No matter how detailed contracts are and sophisticated the society is, it is never perfect. As commerce and trade increased so did the amount of disputes between members of that society. Magistrates counted on local forces to help sort out disputes and maintain peace in the community.

The two contracts that I found interesting were "the selling of a son for adoption" and "purchase of a concubine". These two stood out to be because it was difficult to imagine that someone would want to sell their children to pay for a debt. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realize that it is still going on around the world. Slavery/child slavery is still existent. An example of child slavery can be found in Afghanistan. Impoverished boys who have no fathers or live on the streets are exploited and forced to become dancers. With no or little economic resources, the family often sold their eldest son’s financial support. These boys are drawn into the world of Bacha Bazi in which they are forced to dress/dance like women for men. Then they are sexually abused. Another example is children miners. I do not know exact numbers, but I believe that an estimated one million children in Africa, Latin America, Europe, and Asia work in unregulated mines. Children as young as the age of three are forced to work up to 24 hours at a time. Girls can be forced into prostitution as well. Children working in the mines have no access to education or healthcare. It is easy to overlook global issues because they are not present in our daily lives or we choose not to see them and/or be part of it. Turning a blind eye, however, will not make these issues disappear.
edited by malvarenga on 5/4/2015

[Anonymous]

I am amazed by the level of urbanism the city had reached at that time . In Europe , that already enjoyed a tradition of city dwelling inherited from the Greeks and The Romans, cities could not develop as much as Chinese cities mainly due to the restrictions of the precinct walls.Streets were narrow , with open sewers, often with balconies overhanging the road.Animals wandered around increasing the danger of contagion.The economic unit was the domain ,not the city. Even a city like Sienna that blossomed in the 1200s due to banking and trade pales in comparison with the colorful diversity of Hang Chou. What I find fascinating is that the Chinese ,who are basically frugal and do not place emphasis on entertainment, include a lot of activities meant to increase the quality of life.If in medieval Europe life was short, unpredictable and hard,in China people enjoyed a life style that Europeans will not reach till late in the 19th century

[Anonymous]

Selling daughters into concubinage or for cash opens a window into a world where female children were regarded as a liability, and human life was not important. It is disturbing that the groom's family is not held responsible if the girl gets sick or dies but can claim his money back if the poor girl runs away after being mistreated by her new family.People take advantage of the situation and oftentimes end up in front of the magistrate after trying to sell a girl into marriage twice. the magistrate seems to deal with the situation quickly which makes me believe it was a wide spread practice. Nowadays there are certain ethnic groups that pay bride prices depending on the accomplishment of the young woman. Gypsies in Europe practice this custom but in many instances this is meant to assure the family of the bride that the groom will take good care of her and that he can afford to have a wife.

[Anonymous]

China's major cities seemed to be very well organized and buzzing for the period. The level of organization was advanced for the time. The commerce and entertainment were well established, at least for the wealthy citizens.

[Anonymous]

It does seem wise to hold off gifts to an engaged couple until they turn 13 (!). There seems to be a direct connection to the onset of puberty and childbearing abilities. Also interesting is what seems to be information regarding compensation for gift items including the value of a pig's head. Excersizing restraint and avoiding extravagance seems to be the underlying theme- in particular building moral character in young people including the avoidance of eating meat (extravagance) except on holidays.

[Anonymous]

Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 The Center of the city during the Song Empire surprised me quite a bit. It seems like there is a lot to do in terms of restaurants and entertainment. The description of the city not only sounding interesting, but it sounded modern. I think that I was surprised that this city is hundreds of years old and the description was not of a city today.
/* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";}

[Anonymous]

Lantern festivals, tea houses, entertainment centers, clubs, specialty stores, boats, and restaurants paint a picture of a thriving metropolis. Social order distinguished wealthy families from those who had less. The plethora of schools assured that its citizens were educated and literate.

[Anonymous]

[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]Ancestors were held in a place of high honor. Gender roles for women were limited to bearing children and raising their family. These principles were meant to provide order and structure for the family unit.[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]
[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]Students can use this information to compare it to their own families. It will help them to understand that there is little that separates us as humans and how we function as a family unit.[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]

[/font]

[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]
[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]
[/font]

[Anonymous]

Contracts were primarily concerned with cattle, land, and farming. The contract contains wording to protect both buyer and seller. It looks similar to a standard contract from 2015. The only exception would be the objects or services being contracted.

[Author]

Posts