[Ricardo Reyes]

This comment is separate although pertains to the same reading above. Zhang Han's descriptions of China's profit and trade in necessities and luxury products are very revealing and indicate how sought after where these sectores brought riches to the large-scale ventures. He emphasizes that the profits from the tea and salt traders are especially great, but only large-scale merchants can undertake these businesses. He points out that there are government regulations on their distribution, which prohibit the sale of tea in the northwest and salt in the southeast during the Ming dynasty. These prohibitions were on products which could yield seventy to eighty percent profits and increase due to scale of operations. Likewise, the taxes were an increasing scale based on the greater production and trade. Zhang points out that the valuable Chinese products of silk, gold, and copper cash was exchanged primarily for foreigners thin horses. Thus, China had the advantage which did not diminish the national wealth. What is most revealing is Zhang's description "Foreigners are recalcitrant and their greed knows no bounds. At the present time our nation spends over one million cash yearly from our treasury on these foreigners; still we cannot rid ourselves of their demands. What is more, the greedy heart is unpredictable. If one day these foreigners break the treaties and invade our frontiers, who will be able to defend us against them? I do not think our present trade with them will ensure us a century of peace." Undoubtedly prescient, Zhang's words from the 16th century, amount to the allure of foreign trade even though the foreigners had invaded China several times. Even Zhang realizes that preventing trade with foreigners is likely to lead to rather than prevent them from invading China. Zhang concludes that levying taxes on merchants is a bad policy, as well, He maintains that people should be taxed according to their degree of wealth or poverty. In consequence, he proposes why China can not have good government. By lowering taxes on trade, merchants became willing to stop at the checkpoints which increased the total tax income received from merchants fifty percent. Thus, the people can be moved by benevolent policies. These biographical views can be applied to today's war on trade and the rise of tariffs, especially between the U.S. and China. Many learning points can be extracted from the 16th century accountings with current circumstances.     

[Ricardo Reyes]

Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) responded to King George III of Great Britain (1738-1820) in 1793 in a letter which spells out a rejection of British entreaty to send a national to be accreditated to Qianlong's Celestial Court. As the Emperor surmises, he is opposed to the British control of their country's trade with China as this request is viewed as contrary to all usage of his dynasty and therefore can not be entertained. The detailed and lengthy responses cites the Emperor's reasoning and perspectives on how the British proposal includes "your own country's barbarian merchants" and how China has "no need to import the manufactures of outside barbarians in exchange for our own produce." He furthered that since the European nations and "yourselves" find that Celestial produce of tea, silk, and porcelain are of absolute necessity, provisions will be continued to provide these for foreign purchase out of Canton. Territorial bounds are reinforced as inviolate. Sufficient warning was issued to obey the Emperor's restrictions on foreign presence and visits, whether commercial or otherwise. It would be interesting to draw comparisons with Japan's Imperial actions and response to European and United States overtures to open markets in both instances. An essential question for macro economics students studying foreign trade and the rise of imperialism is to examine how Japan was able to stave off such interventions to maintain sovereignty while China was unsuccessful in fending off foreign dominance. 

[Ricardo Reyes]

Running counter to Confucian views (The Debate on Salt and Iron) which were distrustful of the profit motive and consequently of commercial activity in general, Ming views of merchants and their social roles are revealed in the first of the two essays in Reading 50. The first is attributed as Zhang Han's Essay on Merchants. Zhang Han (1511-1593), a Ming official whose family had established its fortune through the textile industry. This passage would be insightful as a lesson in an economics class. It certainly predates Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations and would be most useful in drawing comparisons and contrasts. Zhang Han's description of the great importance money and profit are to men sets the foundation for his description of merchants and boasts of their wisdom and ability (so they think) are such as to give them a free hand in affairs. Precisely, "They believe that they know all the possible transformations in the universe and therefore can calculate all the changes in the human world, and that the rise and fall of prices are under their command." He observes that in general, in the southeast area the greatest profits are to be had from fine gauze, think silk, cheap silk, and sackcloth. Whereas, in the nation's northwest, profits are greatest in wool, coarse woolen serge, felt, and fur garments. The students of economics would be asked to look at passages in selected Adam Smith readings which address the comparative advantages of European countries and their respective products and how this might be paralleled in the diverse product lines described by Zhang Han. Moreover, Adam Smith's description of the early industrial age's innovation in the garment industry describe the worker's as mere cogs in the advanced production assembly factories while the merchants and risk taking capitalists are the elites who are propelling the improvements in the newfound technologies.   

[Ricardo Reyes]

This thread sparks interest in developing lesson(s) drawing parallels from the founder of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, who in 1368 issued proclamations to today's situation in the United States or around the world. Such a parallel would pinpoint the observation contained in the opening section of An Imperial Edict Restraining Officials from Evil. I would use the passage on the observations on the final years of the Yuan dynasty which states, "there were many ambitious men competing for power who did not treasure their sons and daughters but prized jade and silk... and enjoyed separating people from their parents, wives, and children. I also lived in that chaotic period. How did I avoid such snares?" This article would be assigned in my U.S. Government class along with a current article which appeared in the Wall Street Journal Review authored by Larry Diamond, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and Stanford University entitled, "The Global Crisis of Democracy,"  dated May 18-19, 2019. Diamond asserts that the overall luster of democracy--and pulling America away from the world. If do not soon reverse this U.S. retreat [corrosion of democratic institutions and norms] which is occuring among a range of countries, then democracy world-wide will be at risk. Certainly, it was the intent of the Hongwu Emperor to rid the country of abuses, corruption, fraud, and evil practices by the leaders , bureaucracy, and assorted riff raff. While the severity of punishment of criminal actions does not denote the introduction of democracy, there is a logical consequence that the "masses below" were oppressed utilizing the prestige of government. The goal of a newer order would "bring good fortune and prosperity to the people" with instilling virtue and bring glory to your ancestors, your wives and children and yourselves. The essential questions would serve to understand how fundamental values can build or erode institutions of equality, fairness, justice, liberty, and due process which form the basis of a truly democratic government and process. 

 

[Ricardo Reyes]

It was suggested to watch two minutes of this Chinese series. Well, I have made it through the 3rd series of the first part and hooked. This period piece series transports me to that era and the last imperial dynasty in China ruled by the Manchurian ethnicity. They ruled strong handed over the Han people. The concubines, harm, and royal court are portrayed in fine detail and a convincing dialogue. The intriguing drama of conceit, deceit, envy, and skulduggery is very captivating. Most of the scenes are within the royal palace and the epic historical events are referenced sparingly. The emphasis is on the power machinations of a female dominated cast with the emperor seemingly in control although he at times loses his cool and resorts to power tantrums. Check this series out as you might go binge watching soon enough. 

 

[Ricardo Reyes]

It was suggested to watch two minutes of this Chinese series. Well, I have made it through the 3rd series of the first part and am hooked. This period piece series transports me to that era of the last imperial dynasty in China ruled by the Manchurian ethnicity. They ruled strong handed over the Han people. The concubines, harem, and royal court are portrayed in fine detail with a convincing and lyrical dialogue. The intriguing drama of conceit, deceit, envy, and skulduggery is very captivating. Most of the scenes are within the royal palace and the epic historical events are referenced sparingly. The emphasis is on the intricate machinations and envy plottings of a female dominated cast with the emperor seemingly in control although he at times loses his cool and resorts to power tantrums. Check this series out as you might go binge watching soon enough. 

[Ricardo Reyes]

It is imperative at times to mark a succinct passage which demands further exploration. This is one such passage unbeknowst to me and probably very unknown to many others which was a major tease when I almost passed over it. The curt passage is "Late in the century Kublai Khan and his Mongol conquerors of China launched two massive invasions of Japan. The samurai repulsed both attempts and spent years maintaining a burdensome alert..." Being that Japan is an archipelago nation, the Mongols mounted a naval fleet shortly after conquering the Korean peninsula and used the naval ports' expertise to build a massive fleet of 300 and 900 large vessels for the 1274 and 1281 armada invasions respectively. Immediately, the image of the failed Spanish Armada invasion of England in 1588 is conjured up. There are striking similarities in both island nations as giant typhoons struck the invading forces. The Mongols, unlike the Spanish, had invaded on land and were met with fierce Japanese defenses. The Mongols employed for the first time hand thrown bombs. The Spanish and English sea battles in the English channel employed for the first time naval battles fought entirely with heavy guns and precluded the standard strategy of boarding and hand-to-hand combat. The Japanese repelled the Mongols and in both invasions the fierce typhoons struck and decimated the remaining fleet severly. The Japanese called the "divine winds" with the term Kamikaze. The significance of the Japanese victories rank as nation-defining events in Japanese nation building. For the first time, the Samurais were not fighting each other but a common enemy. Also, the Mongol defeat set a limit on their expansion plans. The natural disasters were undoubtedly interpreted as divine intervention by the victorious in both Japan and England.  

[Ricardo Reyes]

It is truly amazing to know that the Manchu Language is out of favor and was once the language of the emperors of China who originated and came from the north. The last Chinese emperor ruled until 1911 and now the Manchu comprise 10 percent of the Chinese population of 1.3 billion while the Han are the remaining 90%. Efforts to preserve the Manchu language are fighting an uphill struggle as there are very few first language speakers. An abundance of translated historical documents in the Manchu language will lose meaning and significance in the complex and varied historical roots of the Chinese nation. There is a strong predilection to allow the Manchu language to simply go extinct. An essential question is raised as to how to preserve a dying language if it is not used on a daily basis? Is it possible to record it digitally and use dialogue recordings and linguistic maps to maintain an encyclopedic text? What is the projected disappearance of this language and what other dying languages are there in present day China? This is a dumbfounding event among so many others of a rapidly evolving world where culture, traditions, and natural resources are diminishing only to never return. 

This is a website detailing the nearing extinction of ancient languages: https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/nine-worlds-most-endangered-languages-0011455

One of these endangered languages is the Ainu of the Japanese island of Hokkaido. There are probably hundreds or perhaps thousands more which are fading away. 

[Ricardo Reyes]

Your suggestion to post my review in the "Film Festival" forum has been accomplished. Glad to share.

 

[Ricardo Reyes]

Professor Jung-Kim's inclusion and discussion on Kichung Kim's article, Ho Nansorhon and "Shakespeare's Sister"  deliberated over Virginia Woolf's seminal essay of feminist literary criticism in her key work, A Room of One's Own. Kichung Kim extends Woolf's 1929 essay on the educational, social, and financial disadvantages women have faced throughout history on the topic of women and fiction. The  K. Kim article draws parallels with V. Woolf's fictional characterization of Shakespeare's sister and her 16th century existence which contains scarcity of facts regarding the life and work of individual women living in the sixteenth century, be it England or Korea. Even into the first part of the 20th century, a woman must have "money and a room of one's own if she is to write fiction." As Woolf writes a woman living in the sixteenth-century England "could hardly read, could scarcely spell, and was the property of her husband." Woolf conjectures in her essay "what would have happened, had Shakespeare had a wonderfully gifted sister called Judith." Woolf surmises that the conditions and odds were deadset against a woman pursuing a stitch of creative writing. K. Kim compares and contrasts living conditions for women in sixteenth-century Korea--a society rigidly patriarchal and hierarchical--which appears to have been similar to those of the same time period for English women. K Kim asserts despite all the obstacles placed in the path of a woman's pursuit of learning and literature, a number of women not only became learned but also produced significant works in both the Korean alphabet and the Chinese classical language. Of these extraordinary, even "odd or eccentric," women who went against the norms was more due to their status as privileged due to either birth or circumstances. A learned environment was a common theme in a  household of scholars who were allowed to learn alongside their borthers. K. Kim draws upon the most important of these women, Ho Nansorhon (1563-1589). She was the sister of two prominent literary men of the period. V. Woolf built the case that Shakespeare's fictional sister would  have been unable to get anywhere in the London theatrical world despite her innate poetic gifts and burning ambition. K. Kim asserts that Ho Nansorhon would have nonetheless paralleld Shakespeare's sister Ho Nansorhon would have been unable to overcome, to borrow Woolf's words, the tragedy of a "woman born with a great gift in the sixteenth century." Nansorhon's life had been lit up with literary accomplishment's , it was also darkened by the tragedy of a poetically gifted woman born in the wrong time and the wrong place. Her short life of 26 years was able to produce meritous poems. It came to mind that two 17th century women, Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz, of New Spain and Artemisia Gentileschi of Florence, Italy encountered harsh treatment in striving to pursue their creative and intellectual talents. Examining these three women would be a tremendous exercise for a world history class in the trials and tribulations of their exceptional life stories and bodies of work. 

 

[Ricardo Reyes]

This concise and dated article describes what occurred to isolate or decimate what were termed "native peoples" in Japan who were treated with contempt. The accounts go back as far as the 7th century during which the ancient compilation known as the Nihon ahoki may have questionable chronological accuracy but bear witness to the harsh measures deployed in the overall conduct of the Yamato state vis-a-vis the natives peoples in western Japan. A difference in begrudging acceptance of groups such as the Kumaso of Kyushu was due to their resistance despite the threats of the Yamato queens who state that those who resist will be destroyed. Immediately, I think of the famous Mescalero-Chiricahua Apache warrior, Geronimo, and his fierce resistance to European descendant settlers in the southwest. He outlived many of his fellow peoples and opponents to a ripe old age of 80. In contrast, during my freshman year at Occidental College, an introduction to "Ishi" the last native man in the west coast of California was made well known in our readings since Adolph Kroeber's book of the same name, Ishi, was a required text. Adolph's son was on the faculty of Occidental and frequently lectured on his recollection of his father's anthropological studies of Ishi during his latter years as he lived on the UC Berkeley campus recounting his language, memories, and tales. Ishi confirmed common knowledge of that era that the remaining native peoples feared for their lives and avoided contact with all non-native peoples out of survival instincts. Once the Gold Rush of 1850 occurred, the genocide of native peoples was most pronounced in northern California for those native peoples who were still living on the land and in the wilds. The classification of native peoples rendered them as inconsequential and a barrier to westward expansion and settlement. They were simply an impediment to Christian peoples manifest destiny. Some native peoples managed to survive as they moved inland away from the prime coastal lands and gold terrain of central northern California upwards to the Sierras where the gold was mined and panned. Much treachery was used in Japan even with the pretext of a supposed peace parley. The parallels with other geographical merging of European and indigenous populations bears striking resemblance; ie. Africa, Australia, and Latin America. 

What is lacking or begs explanation is how the native peoples differed from the conquering Japanese. Were any of these groups indigenous or not to the Japanese Islands? What, if any, physical differences were used as discriminating markers? Were there pronounced cultural and customs differences? How about a difference in living habits or belief systems? How were the differences defined or designated which formed the basis for separation and supremacist beliefs and practices?

 

[Ricardo Reyes]

The thick reading and instructor led dialogue left me feeling complete wonderment. The following night I watched non-stop the movie, Confucius, the 2009 life story of Confucius directed by Mei Hu and starring Yun-Fat Chow, a recognizable actor. This biographical drama film blended the complex politics and war as Confucius as a political rising star was promoted from mayor to Minister for Law in his home state of Lu. His mixture of philosophy, respectfulness, and adroit handling of sophistry posed by clever competitors and opponents facilitated his rise to the level of worship by his supporters and even the emperor. That is, until one day the Emperor brings dishonor to Confucius by denying him a traditional holiday feast and presented a parted (broken in two) jade amulet. Confucius embarks dejectedly into a wondering journey of survival which grows as his followers surround him thereby forming a roving academy as they seek shelter, security from threats, and the eternal search for truth and wisdom. For more than fourteen years of devotion to his teachings, he is welcomed back into his homeland which has been all but demolished through rivalries and chaos. He establishes his academy and only requests he be allowed to teach. The observance of his 2,560 birthday was commemorated one year later with the release of this film in 2010. 

My personal reaction is that my world was bereft of his greatness and profound influence on the world since his passing. I always considered him to have  been an itinerant philosopher whose sayings are more apropos for fortune cookies than at the very core of human history and thinking. I have opened up a pure admiration for learning much more about Confucius and his philosophies. 

[Ricardo Reyes]

Being my father's son, I chose to remain loyal to Confucian teaching and to my father's honor to remain loyal and supportive of his good reputation. I knew he had done wrong but my duty is to be strong at his side and defend him and any accusations whether they are right or wrong. For in my heart, I know my father has been dutiful to his family, first and foremost, he has always respected his wife, my mother, and been a caring and loving father to all of my siblings. I know not what happened to make my father respond as he did in making a fateful judgement. As far as I know, this is the only incident in his lifetime which he has slipped up. As his son, It is my obligation to hold our family together from any onslaught against our patriarch and in consequence, our family's reputation. I can only be concerned with his dignity under fire and that he will know his son and family are stronger now than we have ever been before. 

[Ricardo Reyes]

Japanese food has become one of my favorites. Tokyo Central market is a regular stop on my grocery shopping stops. It has been complex at times in choosing which rice brand or type to buy. The article reinforces that Japan is a "rice-worshipping nation where rich production is politically sacrosanct." The startling description of Japan's rice crisis centers on the aging population with its older, smaller stomachs. The trends are against rice with a 20 percent drop in consumption in the last two decades while the traditional accompaniment to rice -- fish --  is down thirty percent since 2005. I am always amazed at how much a large blue fin tuna will go for at a Japanese fish auction market. The depletion of sea food with many species nearing extinction makes this last trend of declining Japanese fish consumption may be more positive than negative. However, the decline in other related products is of concern as to how the traditional Japanese farming traditions are very alarming. The average of rice farmers at 70 is a very startling fact. The economics of government subsidies has become unstainable, the article infers. Falling prices and falling demand are nothing short of disaster and my individual shock is that this could undermine Japan's traditions which are centered on its strong relationship with agriculture, traditional farming practice, and countryside culture and arts crafts. Japan's rice protectionism is under fire and the outlook of "opening" the market will undoubtedly wrench apart the fabric of Japan's balance between its rich history of self-sufficiency and the impending demise of millions of small rice farmers. These issues and trends cause me to reflect on my grandparents who were self-sustaining farmers and how my parents grew up only to move to become city dwellers. My dreams to live and work on a farm were finally dashed as my grandparents passed away and only one uncle out of 12 children, my mother the eldest, retained the inheritance through shrewd manipulations. My childhood of summers on the family ranch are but a distant memory as few of the descendants still remain tied to a farming and ranching lifestyle. I can only dream of being a teacher and part-time farmer without having claim to my ancestral lands. I would hate to see this occur in Japan as farmer's children are destined, by choice or economics, to leave their ancestral fields and traditions. 

[Ricardo Reyes]

This is Ricardo P. Reyes who is a 12th grade teacher at Manuel Dominguez High School in the Compton USD. My classes are a semester each of U.S. Government and economics. I have one AP US Government & Politics/Honors economics class. In the summer I have been assigned World and/or U.S. History. I have also worked government, politics, and in the private sector. Teaching high school allows me to focus on my acquisition of social studies and business knowledge and have some free time to be involved in civic and political activities. I have studied and traveled abroad and have been mostly local and stable for the last 16 years living nearby in downtown. 

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