Family in Chinese Literature

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

Hi all,

Here are the major points from this morning's session.

*Three Teaching in Chinese Civilization:
1. Confucianism: filial piety, self, family, and state must be in harmony.
2. Daoism: wuwei: acitv rather than passive, idea of "going with the flow" or "Don't do anything, then nothing has to be done." Everything is the way it should be.
3. Buddhism: 4 noble truths: misery, desire, end desire, path to end suffering. Karma: lives goes in cycles, nirvana: achieve highest level.

*Civil Service Exam: put into place so people would be able to get government positions. Had to memorize four books: Zhu Xi's "Analects," "Mencius," "Doctrine of the Mean," and "Great Learning". Before exam, you got position based on how you treated/honored parents.

*Han Zhao's "Lessons for Women": Women should be submissive. But, they should also be taught.

*Neo-Confucian Moralists: Widows should be chaste.

*Fiction in Chinese is Xiaoshuo, which translates into gossip, chit chat, small talk.
Novel follows the pattern of the storyteller. Writer directly addresses the reader.
Heterogencity: diversity, everything coming into one. Chinese novel includes all forms of writing: prose and poetry, comedy and tragedy, structure is not unified, half a dozen "main characters?'" Focus keeps shifting.

*Greatest Chinese Novel: "Dream of Red Mansions or Story of the Stone" by Cao Xueqin
1745-1791 handwritten copies circulating. Published in 1791.
Gao E wrote sequel.
This novel shows knowledge and power. It is a story of love. It makes familiar things seem new. The female characters are strong. It has a gallery of characters and a diversity of cultural contents. This book can be read looking at a lot of different themes. It is a book that stands the test of time.

After reading "The Story of the Stone," what do you notice about family relationships in this piece? Share your observations.

[Anonymous]

I normally do not like a pure lecture, but I enjoyed today's talk. It was the first time anybody talked about Daoism- a philosophical tradition I've always enjoyed.

I thought our speaker (apologize can't remember his name) had a touch of Chinese chauvinism, but I actually liked that. People who are passionate about their subject usually have a strong point of view and I tend to prefer that. Has anybody read "the tale of Genji" and "The Sword and the Stone"? If anybody has which story do you prefer and why?

Another interesting point was how Ch'an or Zen Buddhism did away with the tradition and forms of the Theravadin (mispelled) and Mahayana schools of Buddhism. If Zen or Ch'an enlightenment put the emphasis on internal revelation as oppossed to external than this conflict between them and the more formal schools is similiar to the one between Protestant and Catholic Christians.

By the way, our speaker refered to the Theravadin (mispelled) Buddhist tradition as the Hinayana (little raft) tradition in Buddhism- it should be pointed out that only Mahayana Buddhists use this term and Theravadins find it insulting (I don't think he mean't to do this, but it should be pointed out).

[Anonymous]

Speaking of Thervada and the Hinyana (which ever one you want to call it), what I find interesting is that why does Mahayana gain more popularity in China if Thervada focuses more on self cultivation and so does Hinyana Buddhism?

Dave

[Anonymous]

What connection do you make between Sword and the Stone and Genji? Princes? Perfect men? Mythology? I love The Sword and the Stone- humor, human characters. genji is too convuluted to me and is filled with description and minutia that just distract me.

Again, why do you ask?

I also found his tone refreshing- not just clinical and correct, but more connected and human.
Dean

[Anonymous]

I was inspired by Professor Yang Ye to read some Chinese literature and find out more about Chinese history. Once I am done with this seminar (what is left of our summer vacation), I plan to read the Story of the Stone. Hopefully, I will finish all of them so I can post my opinion.

[Anonymous]

It was clear to me that professor Ye bears a great wealth of knowledge about Chinese literature. What I really liked about his presentation was his connections with modern pop culture and his humor. After his mention of it, I spent the rest of the day with the closing notes of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony running through my head!
Both the "Dream of Red Mansions" and the "Story of the Stone" sound very interesting to me, but I am most interested in getting the Anthology of Chinese literature that he mentioned.

[clay dube]

Footbinding -- when it started and what it represented is much discussed. As we noted day one in our images of China presentation, its existence in China's past is one of the most commonly held bits of information many Americans have about China. It was widespread (but was not uniformly practiced) and it lasted centuries.

Some good resources:

Dorothy Ko, "The Body as Attire: The Shifting Meanings of Footbinding in Seventeenth-Century China," Journal of Women's History 8.4.
http://iupjournals.org/jwh/jwh8-4.html

Ko, Ch. 2 from Every Step a Lotus
http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/9687/9687.ch2.pdf

Beverley Jackson, Splendid Slippers. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press, 1997.

Howard S. Levy, The Lotus Lovers: The Complete History of the Curious Erotic Custom of Footbinding in China. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books, 1992.

And a novel:
Feng Jicai, Three-Inch Golden Lotus. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press.

I have attached a recent LA Times article on the current plastic surgery craze.

[Anonymous]

I just finished reading The Good Earth, and I couldn't put the book down! It was entertaining as well as rich with the Chinese culture of the time. I would love to check out the original movie as well, but Blockbusters and my local and main branch libraries didn't carry it. I couldn't find the Soty of the Stone or Plum in the Golden Vase at the libraries either. Perhaps the LA county libraries are better stocked.
Belinda

[clay dube]

Hi Belinda,

I'm glad you read and enjoyed The Good Earth. Are you ready to charge into the next book in the trilogy? Sons is not as well known, but my wife read and enjoyed it.

Searching the LA City library system is possible at: http://catalog1.lapl.org/.

The county library is at http://catalog.colapl.org. The film version of The Good Earth was listed at several locations (others had damaged or other versions):
Diamond Bar, Walnut, Leland Weaver, Manhattan Beach, Pico Rivera

2 Ventura County Hollywood Video stores have the video for rent (275 W Los Angeles Ave
Moorpark, CA 93021-1870; (805) 529-0416; 5197 E Los Angeles Ave, Simi Valley, CA 93063-3483, (805) 582-2936).

Good luck! I'm anxious to hear what you think of the film. [Edit by="Clay Dube on Aug 29, 4:43:48 PM"][/Edit]

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