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Throughout the segment for this book, I was introduced to many projects that helped me develop a better understanding of the plot and how different perspectives of the Chinese population were displayed through the characters, especially the heroes. I was allowed to choose this topic as one of my research projects in which I looked at Confucius texts and read about filial piety in order to understand one of the many factors that influenced the characters: family. These family values can be attributed to the deep-rooted culture in China, the Four Olds: Old Customs, Old Cultures, Old Habits, and Old Ideas. The book, Classic of Filial Piety, by Confucius, emphasizes the need of the child to pay reverence to his parents, while not blindly following his parents’ demands. This however, conflicts with the demands of the Communist government at the time, who needed full control of the youth. Therefore, it makes sense that he would send all the youth to work in the Down to the Countryside movement, which is the setting for the book. It is through these circumstances of being away from the family and being allowed to develop one’s own opinions of the government and its policies that allow the youth to grapple with differing views on the morals and impacts of the Cultural Revolution. These cries, concerns, and praises are all exemplified through each of the characters in the book, especially the heroes, who have the most difficulty with identifying themselves. Because of this difficulty, it would have been even more complicated in extricating why Ah Cheng made such complex characters and motives, if it weren’t for the research project that was assigned to us. The cultural importance of these values helped me gain a deeper understanding of the...
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...h stage in the Cultural Revolution onto characters in his novellas based on the setting of the book. By having an open path to each character’s inner feelings towards his situation in response to relationships and the political scene, the reader is able to fully engage in understanding both the character and the Chinese mindset. Neither will the reader be completely swayed to support the grassroots, nor the Communist party. This is important because the Chinese people at the time of the Cultural Revolution were not bipolar about the political issues either. Instead, many of them supported the Cultural Revolution but had increasing doubts as time went on. Cheng’s ability to reflect this exact mix of positivism and skepticism onto his characters creates the perfect mood for this novel.
Works Cited
Cheng, Ah. The King of Trees. New York: New Directions, 2010. Print.
The book "The Baron in the Trees," by Italo Calvino is about the Baron Cosimo Piovasco di Rondò, or simply known as Cosimo, spent almost all of his life living up in the trees of Ombrosa after refusing to eat the disgusting plate of snails that his sister had made for the family dinner one night when he was twelve. Cosimo kept to his word "I'll never come down again!" (Calvino 13) and he never set foot on the ground again. Cosimo was not bound to one tree though; he was able to travel to many parts of Ombrosa by tree, and lead a very adventurous and full life. The main point of my essay is to discuss the ongoing relationship between Cosimo and the environment.
"Son of the Revolution" showed how inhumane many of the aspects of Chinese life were during the Cultural Revolution. It followed the important movements during the Cultural Revolution, the effects that "the cult of Mao" had on society and Heng, and the way the period affected Heng's personal family life. But most of all "Son of the Revolution" showed us the horrible way China treated its people during this time period. "You're a human being, not an animal. You have the right to be loved" (262).
Firstly, the relationship expectations in Chinese customs and traditions were strongly held onto. The daughters of the Chinese family were considered as a shame for the family. The sons of the family were given more honour than the daughters. In addition, some daughters were even discriminated. “If you want a place in this world ... do not be born as a girl child” (Choy 27). The girls from the Chinese family were considered useless. They were always looked down upon in a family; they felt as if the girls cannot provide a family with wealth. Chinese society is throwing away its little girls at an astounding rate. For every 100 girls registered at birth, there are 118 little boys in other words, nearly one seventh of Chinese girl babies are going missing (Baldwin 40). The parents from Chinese family had a preference for boys as they thought; boys could work and provide the family income. Due to Chinese culture preference to having boys, girls often did not have the right to live. In the Chinese ethnicity, the family always obeyed the elder’s decision. When the family was trying to adapt to the new country and they were tryin...
The plot of this novel is set in the city of Chengdu in the providence of Sichuan, located in central China. The book itself was written in 1931 and by this time, the Chinese communist party was well established and fighting battles with the Japanese and Chiang Kai-shek and spreading influence in south and central China. (Chin, 1931) This story is about the rich, aristocratic Kao Family, who live in the city of Chengdu, Sichuan. The story has some very interesting characters but for the most part, mainly focuses on the three brothers and their very interesting and downright depressing lives.
This is evident in the persistence of elderly characters, such as Grandmother Poh-Poh, who instigate the old Chinese culture to avoid the younger children from following different traditions. As well, the Chinese Canadians look to the Vancouver heritage community known as Chinatown to maintain their identity using on their historical past, beliefs, and traditions. The novel uniquely “encodes stories about their origins, its inhabitants, and the broader society in which they are set,” (S. Source 1) to teach for future generations. In conclusion, this influential novel discusses the ability for many characters to sustain one sole
Throughout the course of his lifetime, Ah Cheng experienced major political and historical events that strongly influenced his literature. The Cultural Revolution and rule of Mao Zedong was widespread throughout China starting in the 1960s, and devastated millions of families. Cheng took a different approach to much of the literature ("scar literature") that emerged from the revolution, and instead of focusing on the detrimental effects, chose to use his literature as a way to point out the flaws of the revolution. These counter-revolutionary ideals are subtle but evident throughout The King of Trees, as the political chaos creates a backdrop in the novella, rather than the central focus. They can especially be seen through the use of abundant metaphorical elements. By showing the effects of the “down to the countryside movement”, a major reform under the rule of Mao Zedong, Cheng is able to provide a commentary on the Revolution through his characters and the setting as well. Throughout The King of Trees, Ah Cheng reveals his political views towards the Cultural Revolution through his use of symbolism, and his descriptions of the characters and the setting.
In Pa Chin's Family, he portrays a traditional Confucian family battling to keep their traditions and their way of life in tact, amidst the deep upheaval and civil disorder gripping China. Pa Chin clearly portrays a family of which the Venerable Master Kao rules supreme at the expense of his family. The Kao family runs into several set backs such as suicide, death, depression, unhappy marriages, family conflict, and lack of respect for elders that undoubtedly lead to the unraveling of the Kao family. One significant reason the Kao family fails to maintain its integrity and way of life is because of the clash between Confusion traditionalism and Chinese cultural modernization. One of the main driving forces in disruption in Kao family tradition would have to be the rebellious youth, Chueh-min, Chueh-hui, and Chin in particular.
Jonathan Spence tells his readers of how Mao Zedong was a remarkable man to say the very least. He grew up a poor farm boy from a small rural town in Shaoshan, China. Mao was originally fated to be a farmer just as his father was. It was by chance that his young wife passed away and he was permitted to continue his education which he valued so greatly. Mao matured in a China that was undergoing a threat from foreign businesses and an unruly class of young people who wanted modernization. Throughout his school years and beyond Mao watched as the nation he lived in continued to change with the immense number of youth who began to westernize. Yet in classes he learned classical Chinese literature, poems, and history. Mao also attained a thorough knowledge of the modern and Western world. This great struggle between modern and classical Chinese is what can be attributed to most of the unrest in China during this time period. His education, determination and infectious personalit...
Cao Xueqin’s Story of the Stone is a classic in Chinese literature, showcasing the life and exploits of the wealthy Jia clan during the feudal era. Through Cao’s depiction, the reader is afforded a glimpse into the customs and lifestyle of the time. Chinese mode of thought is depicted as it occurred in daily life, with the coexisting beliefs of Confucianism and Taoism. While the positive aspects of both ideologies are presented, Cao ultimately depicts Taoism as the paramount, essential system of belief that guides the character Bao-yu to his eventual enlightenment.
...ear and listen. That’s why most of the Chinese youth were inspired to join the army due to the books that were sold and the song that was written just for the Red Guards army. The book’s name is “Little Red Book.” The song’s name is “Red Guard Song.” For the members, the “Red Guard Song” reminds them of their purpose of why they joined the Red Guards. To add on, two young women had wrote their own memoirs to explain what their life was when the Cultural Revolution was happening and how their life was changed when they joined the Red Guards and started to rebel against their parents and their own teachers. As they grew older, they soon realized that everything that they’ve been doing the whole entire time was wrong and regret joining the Red Guards. They realize that all these time, they were killing innocent people that clearly was doing nothing to harm the country.
In the 18th century, China was influenced by various teachings of philosophers and beliefs that the society had placed emphasis on. Filial piety (xiao) was a major practice around this period when it was strongly carried inside and outside the household. Filial piety is not only the guiding principle of Chinese ethics but it also played an affirmative role in determining the Chinese lifestyle; it was practiced daily in the family and in other areas such as education, religion and government. It was the central root of Chinese morals and the society was constructed upon the principles of xiao, which certainly became the premises of Chinese culture and the society. In Confucianism, the approach of respect, fidelity, and care toward one’s parents and elder family members is the origin of individual ethical behaviour and social agreement. One must put the needs of parents and family elders over self, spouse, and children (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2011). Many philosophers and rulers such as Mencius and Chu Hsi also focused on filial piety, applying the virtue to marital life, family, death, and politics. Filial piety was demonstrate in various literatures such as “Dream of the Red Chamber”, “Six Records of a Floating Life”, and “The Classic of Filial Piety” which demonstrated the roles of individuals in Chinese society including politics.
Through the characters and their experiences in The King of Children, Ah Cheng shows the effects that the Cultural Revolution had on education and how that affected the people’s search for personal meaning in education. The Cultural Revolution and Down to the Countryside’s elimination of all practical and economic incentives for receiving an education caused characters to find moral and ethical incentives for education, such as to protect others and to be able to communicate effectively.
There is no better way to learn about China's communist revolution than to live it through the eyes of an innocent child whose experiences were based on the author's first-hand experience. Readers learn how every aspect of an individual's life was changed, mostly for the worst during this time. You will also learn why and how Chairman Mao launched the revolution initially, to maintain the communist system he worked hard to create in the 1950's. As the story of Ling unfolded, I realized how it boiled down to people's struggle for existence and survival during Mao's reign, and how lucky we are to have freedom and justice in the United States; values no one should ever take for
...non-conformist attitudes, and in The King of Chess the chess fool defeating the old chess master symbolizes the act of the old culture being defeated by the new. The King of Trees depicts how the belief systems in revolutionary China enforced new social norms on the population. Understanding the power of the social norms that were imposed in China at this time helps the reader understand how individuality in the citizens might have been expressed as well as why the government felt threatened by such behavior. One theme in The King of Trees is that individuality is persistent despite what is socially acceptable, and understanding the concept of social norms allows one to appreciate both sides of the difficulty conforming to social norms.
Analects, a compilation of Confucius’ teachings, is greatly recognized as a work of utmost importance and influence in the Chinese culture. The book conveys Confucius’ beliefs on a wide variety of topics, including propriety, education, family relations, and government in efforts to enhance social order.