Session 4 readings (dube, 3/17 morning)

[Percy Ortiz]

As one teaches students about China one usually starts by introducing them to its geography and then moves on to giving them a general overview of the topics that will be discussed, in this case the major dynasties that came to power after the Han. One area that is central to understanding dynasties after this time is the firm rootedness of Confucian ideology. So, after student have understood what Confucianism is and how it spread into society, the number one component of this way of life being filial piety, one can introduce this primary source when talking about the Ming. An Imperial Edict Restraining Officials from Evil is a good document to use as a culminating task for students. A graphic organizer could be used where students compare Confucian writings from Analects and those to Hong Wu's proclamations. Students are given the task of finding passages that match of talk about filial piety, loyalty and rectification of names throughout the Ming Emperor writings. Students could be asked to think about how ideas continue throughout the years or how ideas can affect the lives of everyday people or how they have long lasting effects. Having two primary sources and having some background information on Chinese history, the textbook, and maybe a couple of cornell notes from short instructive videos, students can be given the task to write a five paragraph essay that explains the importance of Confucianism throughout the different dynasties that existed in China and its people.

Aside from the connections that can be made with Confucianism and how this document can be introduced or used by students, these two pieces show someone that holds firm to the idea of loyalty but of upholding one's name and building on that. Thought he realized that he had risen to the zenith of power we see an Emperor that is conflicted with managing an empire and the contradictions which were attached to such authority. When talking about the hardships he faced during times of chaos the emperor states, "I also lived in that chaotic period. How did I avoid such snares? I was able to do so because I valued my reputation and wanted to preserve my life." Of course a few lines later he admits to having taken a concubine. So he is clearly aware of the contradictions presented in life and in power, but he focuses on "evil" and the "doing of evil" which means the love of "money." He admonishes the people not to desire money and wealth but to hold fast to the old ways to honor ones ancestors. In his Dismissal of Excessive Local Staff Because of their Crimes the emperor admits that ruling a kingdom is not easy. At times he even sounds like a Daoist priest stating, "The harsher the punishment, the more the violations.....If I enact lenient punishments, these persons will engage in still more evil practices." However, it also shows how Confucianism was still important and the need to implement codes that would enforce those teachings hence he continues the practice of meritocracy while ruling with an iron fist.

 

 

[Percy Ortiz]

Reading these documents left me surprised the extent at which people used contracts and in a way were forced or had to keep their "word." When coming to an agreement with others or in this case when using land from a landowner. The first piece was surprising how people fearing that they might lose a case with the local master rewrite a new contract where they recommit to following his request, and to do more than before. It's as if the owners of the land also had the power to make contracts with people who were living in his domain, which in a way were family agreements and sub laws within laws. In a way it reinforces Confucian thought of how the servant must serve his master, and how his master must treat his servant in fair manner. However, this in a way sidesteps Confucian thought and imperial laws because the landowners were now dealing on a one on one basis with the common people. In many ways they were committing themselves to serving the local rulers. 

The second document sheds light into the way people conducted business and kept responsibilities in check. Despite the fact that the widow has two children, someone is stepping in to take over the position of husband. However, when you look at it from a different perspective it is not the widow that is renegotiating the contract, but Wang Mengxi, the man who will be moving in to Lu San's, who is dead, house. Nonetheless, Wang is promising to "diligently cultivate the land, and earnestly raise the two children." If using these documents in the classroom students can be asked at what times do we use contracts in our daily lives. Also, students can be asked, when do you think it is right to have a contract? Do we also have contracts where we promise to give someone money on a regular basis? These questions could prepare the students in reading the texts so that they too understands the extent of contract use in our daily lives, but also how people's lives could easily change back in dynastic times.

The last piece was interesting to read because once war erupts it throws ways of life up in the air and changes either remain or inevitably change. We see that in a county the servants have taken up arms and are no longer willing to serve their master, while in another town the local gentry has managed to muster up a militia. In both cases, one can deduce that the way masters treated servants mattered. Being fair and honest might have gone a long way in times of turmoil or could simply put a stop to one's wealthy lifestyle.

 

[Christine Xu]

I went to the Great Wall of Ming often for hiking with friends when I was in college in China. Some part of the Great Wall was wild, and there were no tourists which I could enjoy the nature without interruption. 

The Great Wall of Ming is amazing. It was built between 204 and 201 B.C. The earthen great wall was built by hundreds of thousands of conscripted workers. Responding to new threats from the north in the late 1500s, the Ming emperors began an 80-year refurbishing of the wall, rebuilding it out of local granite, limestone, and fired bricks of clay strengthened with sticky rice. The taller, thicker, longer wall featured integrated watchtowers, barracks and storehouses and stretched from the Bohai Sea in the east to the Jiayu Pass (an important Silk Road oasis) in the west.

The Great Wall of China is my must -each lesson about Chinese culture. My students love my Chinese culture lesson. Some students told me that they want to go to China to see the Great Wall. I was so happy to hear that. 

Sources: wiki

 

[Stella Castro]

Wow, I was really impressed with the readings from this session as I started out with one I thought, “Wow, this  one is good”, and as I progressed with the readings, they just kept getting better and better., and I  thought , “Wow this one is better”. The reading that I thoroughly enjoyed was, ”Commercial Activities” where it describes the contacts of certain situations, and then goes on to describe what action will be taken upon the perpetrator I was in awe with this reading as it seemed as if there was a contract for many and  any available circumstance/s. Like who would of thought of a contract for the purchase of a Concubine yet there it was in this reading. Nowadays, if such a contract existed, there would be protest after [protest, suing, not to mention the illegality of such a thing, and more than likely it would just be phrased as a,” lady of the night to be put in nice terms, instead of a ‘Prostitute, or a “W---E”). Also the contract for the sale of one’s son for adoption. While it is true that adoptions exist nowadays, they are not written up as, “A Sale”, even though the people do get paid for the caring of such a child of adoption, or at least they do get some kind of monetary compensation, and/or tax benefits. I was just as impressed with the ‘Tenants” reading and the reading of “Proclamations of the Hongwu Emperor”. Where the author writes about how he never took advantage of a woman, except when because of a rage the author had over an invasion, he took the concubine of the invader, but then he questioned himself for his own action.

[Stella Castro]

- In this lecture I learned that there was a woman named, Ban Zhao, who wrote a guide for women, and she believed that women should be educated. She was the first women to have her own voice, (actually she is/was the first known Chinese woman, historian. This woman has many credits to her name). However at the time I guess woman were not allowed to speak for themselves, much less write about things, and so she got punished, accepted the punishment, and then continued to write. I say, “Good for her”. Nowadays women have their own voices and speak, say and write what they want; however, I do not believe women are punished for their voicing themselves, as now we have all kinds of laws and regulations, and “Freedom of Speech”, unlike in the past.

An interesting thing I also learned in this lecture was that most Chinese people (about (90%) believe they are of Han ethnicity, although many do not want to be. It was also interesting to lane about the different dynasties, and how Genghis Khan, a Mongol, never ruled China, but his youngest son did.

[Jonathan Tam]

One of the most interesting readings that I saw in this Seminar was on the tenant contracts that developed as a result of land trade that flourished in the Zhou Dynasty. I was amazed by the level of specific conditions that were drawn up in these contract to the extent that mortgages were arranged between different parties. The establishment of specific contracts can also be seen in the purchasing of concubines, workers, cattle, adoption, and business partnership. They appear almost like sentence frames in Ebrey’s chapter on Commercial Activities. It is argued that these contracts came about from the early Confucian views that distrusted merchants and profits, which makes sense because contracts ensure a fair understanding from both parties. I’m certainly curious as to how this manifested itself throughout the changes of different dynasties. Did this practice continue even in times of massive political change?

[Juan Liebana-Mena]

Something I found quite interesting from this lecture and texts was the role of tenants and how their contracts were drawn during the Zhou Dynasty. As the text states, "When free buying and selling of land became common, tenancy became a recurrent problem." This gives us some insight into the amount of control over tenants and over landlords too since this measure was enforced to make sure landlords themselves didn't gain too much local power. I also found quite interesting how these tenant-servants were "Obligued to perform nonagricultural duties" too such as helping at festivals and weddings and also the fact that these contracts were hereditary. I think it would be interesting to have students look at the two sample contracts and have them compare-contrasts those to some tenancy contracts available today so students can realize the immense difference in terms of tenant obligations. 

[Stella Castro]

Lin, thanks for sharing the link, while I do not understand or read Chinese, just by looking at the the actors facial expressions, and body movements one can feel and understand what the actors are trying to portray/say and or covey. The music accompanying the videos is very appropriate goes very well.  Locking at the dresses and menswear they look so elaborate, so exquisite, and formal. It must take quite awhile to finish a garment like this, not only that they must cost a fortune, they must cost a pretty penny. I guess that is how the peasants were differentiated from the rulers, princes/princesses, emperor/s, through their attire. It must be pleasant to own this type of dress. One must feel proud to wear these types of attire. Of course if one would be able to wear this type of attire, then that would mean that they were rulers of some type, maybe not rulers but associated with the ruling class.

[Jacqueline Mercado]

I think this is a great idea for a lesson plan.  I, too, was intrigued by the question regarding whether Marco Polo visited China.  After hearing about this in class, I looked up Marco Polo in the text that our school uses for world history only to discover there is a paragraph devoted to Marco Polo and it affirms that he was a Venetian traveler who marveled at the streets of China's city rebuilt by Kublai Khan.  This description does not provide much historical background and context and brings to light how incomplete the information in our class textbooks can be.  As tragic as this is, this creates an opportunity for me to fill in the gap with more updated information.  If I were to teach about this, I would present this question as a historical puzzle to be revisited in light of new information.  Students would engage with primary and secondary texts to supplement the school textbook and reach their own conclusions.  By presenting the issue as a historical puzzle, students are encouraged to think and write like a historian as they examine and cite the evidence in primary and secondary texts and present oral and written arguments.  I like the cross curricular aspect of this lesson through which both history and language arts standards are addressed.  This would be one way for me to incorporate historical thinking and writing as I work with my students.  Because I am not a teacher of history by trainning, I appreciate the ideas presented in this seminar because they deepen my understanding of history and cause me to think about ways I can incorporate these ideas in my teaching of world history.

[Percy Ortiz]

You bring up an interesting point on how the Mongols were perceived by the Chinese and other regions of the world. I recall being told of the Mongols during my college years and imagining pyramids of skulls to send a message to all potential enemies. Maybe it was just a story, but it did feed into that stereotype. Later on in college when I took courses on Central Asia and China, of course, I learned that Mongols and the nomadic peoples of the north were quite sophisticated. Bringing up the point on how the Mongols were perceived by the Chinese, people in the Middle East and Europe would be a topic that would be fun to explore with the students. I would also highlight the fact the role they played in the transmission of diseases, technology and trade. I like to show my students the film Mongol, so that they can get an idea of the type of life style the Mongol people might have had. Although, I have yet to do this, there is a book, Warriors of the Steppe by Erik Hildinger, that talks about how the weapons that Mongols used took time and effort, and a lot of the materials came from their environment and the animals that they raised. If I recall, their bow and arrows were quite sophisticated in the manner it was built, using the harsh conditions and climates to their advantage creating weapons that were easy to transport but still deadly. This could also lead into how they used silk under their armor for protection. Anyhow, great idea to build on and will definitively will touch on in the fall later this year.

[Sandra Soltero-Torres]

During the MIng Dynasty, Emperor Hongwu ran a very strict government that focused on refraining from evil.  He focused on stopping the corruption of officials and stopping the disruptive and dishonest activities of those who worked for officials.  He believed that having a virtuous society would bring prosperity and good fortune to the people.  It would also establish names for themselves in Heaven and on earth as worthy men.  He enforced strict punishments for those who did not abide by his rules.  He encouraged his people to stay away from evil doings because this would  maintain their reputations and in turn preserve their lives.  He detested riffraff who didn't partake in any occupation, yet had connections to the local officials.  These behaviors were disruptive to those who had occupations and worked.  Emperor Hongwu did his best during his ruling time to eradicate all these behaviors by imposing strict ruthless punishments.  He was regarded as a tyrant, but this did not deter him from trying to have the people follow the laws effectively.

[Sandra Soltero-Torres]

     I found the reading on "Tenants" to be very enlightening.  The use of very specific contracts for tenants during this time surprised me. The tenant contracts that were drawn up by a master or scribe also nseemed to serve as a way for masters or landowners to acquire services from their tenants.  The tenant-servant contract was quite specific and often times also hereditary.  If tenants did not perform their contract duties, then they were considered in violation of their contract and taken to court for punishment.  The duties were written out specifically in the contracts.  Services performed by tenants included helping at marriages, funerals, or sacrifices in the master's house.  The guarantee of any tenant agreement had to be drawn up in a contract.  I can understand why tenancy may not have been looked upon highly by the government.  It appears that large land owners retained a lot of power and tenants were indebted to their masters.  This in turn ended up reducing the government's revenues.  

[Laura Gonzales]

After reading and reviewing the examples of rental contracts, I find it fascinating how detailed the contracts used were drafted. I personally find it very helpful that these traditions of writing contracts have been carried out and that we still write contracts today. When we borrow money, purchase a home, car, even for employment we sign contracts. Most important contract are used to fight corruption or prevent corruption from happening. Contracts carry a heavy weight and it shows that a person’s word is not enough to carry out an agreement.

We could learn a lot about China’s cultural and political system in the “ming tenant” reading. For example, the widow with 2 kids had the chance to remarry and a man would be willing to take care of her and her possession. It also shows that women did not have the same rights as men.

If I were to present this information to my AP students I would place it under political and cultural themes. I would have my students play with the idea of the importance of having a contract, what would be the consequences of not having a written contract, who would it benefit? I would also connect it to modern times and have them find the need for current contracts today.   

 

[Donna Jamshidnejad]

I agree, bringing in the European and Middle Eastern perspective would make an interesting lesson. Using the DBQ I mentioned above, and documents from Mongol controlled regions as well as Europeans who were not conquered can spark a great class discussion. If we find sources from multiple perspectives, we can even assign students roles. For example, students would need to participate in the discussion as an assigned group. This way, we can test their understanding of point of view and bias through a fun debate or discussion on how "barbaric" the Mongols are. I'll post any sources I find. 

[Tanish Fortson]

The article that I found the most interesting are the commercial contracts for sales. It’s mind blowing that even during the 1300 and 1400’s we had rental, buyer, and sales contracts so that it could be in writing that what is supposed to happen will actually happen. The increasing political influence of the merchants and the weakening of imperial rule marked the commercialization of the Ming dynasty. With the abolishment of forced labor by peasants, a new class of laborers emerged so along with that came a contract for hiring a worker. I personally think this was used also because of the large numbers of laborers that abandoned the land to become artisans. Farmers played a significant role to the empire because they produced the food, which sustained the empire.  Farmers were seen as vital and productive social class in the Ming Dynasty. They were needed and a contract helped keep them working. 

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