Author: Carly Collins

Today Benny came in and gave us a 45-minute lecture on the history of Chinese immigration in the 19th, 20th, and 21stcenturies. Benny emphasized that since China’s population and land mass is so large, Chinese people immigrate all over the world as well as inside the country. If there’s a drought or famine in one… Continue reading 10/6 ICR Reflection

Today we met Kwan and he gave a presentation on what the IACA is. He brought in Chinese restaurant food, which was really good. Kwan kept saying how this meeting is meant to be informal and casual, so when he presented, he sat down at a desk so we could have an open discussion. He… Continue reading 9/22 ICR Reflection

These two stories show the consequences of upsetting authority and insulting powerful people in China. In Saboteur, the protagonist was imprisoned for something that was not his fault. However, since the police officer had a higher societal rank than the man, he was put in jail and asked to confess to his crime, which didn’t… Continue reading Saboteur & Bad Joke Reflection

These two stories reveal a lot about what a communist society is like and how it affects people’s careers. In Woman from New York, the main character Jinli suffers a lot of discrimination after she returns from the US back to China. Everyone thinks that she got a job as a concubine for a wealthy… Continue reading Woman from New York & An Official Reply Post

These readings all circulate around traditional gender roles, sexuality, and familial values in China. In the Ha Jin readings, I found a lot of Chinese values regarding what a family should be like and how each member should act. In the story “Alive,” the main character Guhan forgets his family after he suffers from amnesia… Continue reading Ha Jin, Mencius’s Mother, Letter from Feng Yen, & Small Happiness Docu. Blog

The Chuang Tzu reading had some interesting messages embedded within its stories. Passage A talks about the “Perfect Man,” who does not know anything, essentially. Chuang Tzu further explains this by saying that all things, such as good and evil, are intertwined and cannot be defined as one or the other. Therefore, the Perfect Man… Continue reading Chuang Tzu & Han Jin’s “Flame” Blog Post

These two readings have very interesting arguments that contradict some of Confucius’s teachings while also agreeing with them. In the Man’s Nature is Evil reading, the author claims that man’s nature is inherently evil, meaning that man will always have an instinct to profit. In order to combat this, a man must produce good through… Continue reading “Man’s Nature is Evil” & “Eminence in Learning” Blog

The second half of Tao Te Ching has some very complex and meaningful messages in each of its passages. One quote I like is from Poem 68, which defines how to be a good leader and govern people. It says that the best leader will humble themselves and not engage the enemy. Rather, it is… Continue reading Tao Te Ching 41-81 Analysis

A few days ago, I took a picture with the Terracotta Warriors. It was interesting to see how the replicas looked so similar to the real Terracotta Warriors. While I’ve never been to see the real ones, it was still special to see the replicas. I’ve seen pictures of the giant tomb of the warriors… Continue reading Photo with the Terracotta Warriors

Two excerpts that I found very interesting are 17:15 and 17:17, which emphasize the importance of using the right words. In 17:15, Confucius explains that skillful speech and flattering expressions are only used by people who aren’t good. I think he means that people who talk a lot in order to flatter others do this… Continue reading Excerpts from Analects of Confucius