Author: hgreene

Today we met with Benny Ko from the Indiana Association of Chinese Americans (IACA) and he gave us a quick, hour-long lecture over the history of Chinese immigration. It was our first-time meeting Benny, so it was nice to get a brief explanation of his background. Benny was born in Hong Kong. Like many others,… Continue reading 10/06 ICR Reflection – IACA

T’an Ssu-t’ung lived during the Reform Movement and is the author of The Study of Humanity. In his work, he makes the claim that Confucius taught against monarchism and hierarchical power, and instead believed in the power of human relationships and equality amongst the people. He opposed the Chinese family system and how the rulers came… Continue reading T’an Ssu-t’ung vs. Ch’en Tu-hsiu

In The Woman from New York, Jinli is practically shunned from her community, work, parents-in-law, and even her own daughter when she returns from New York. To me, it was fascinating to read about what other cultures think about the United States. People in Jinli’s community expected everyone in New York to be millionaires and live… Continue reading The Woman From New York, An Official Reply, and the Salt and Iron Debate

The short essay titled “Mencius’ Mother” really brought to light the role of women in Chinese culture. Mencius’ mother tells Mencius that a woman should cook, make clothes, take care of the children, and watch over the parents-in-law, and that is it. Outside of the home, she should have zero responsibilities. She also explains that… Continue reading Mother of Mencius, Letter From Fen Yeng, and Ha Jin Stories

Today was our first meeting with Kwan from the Indiana Association of Chinese Americans (IACA). It was nice to have an informal first meeting where we were able to enjoy some good Chinese takeout food and learn more about Kwan and the IACA in a lecture heavy format. Kwan was nice enough to bring in… Continue reading 9/22 ICR Reflection – IACA

My favorite excerpt from the Chuang Tzu reading was “D”, which I felt really tied in with our previous readings about man’s nature being good or evil. Yen Ho is designated to be the teacher for the crown prince and he says about the prince, “Here is this man who by nature is lacking in… Continue reading Chuang Tzu and “Flame” Analysis

Mencius was a Chinese Confucian philosopher, commonly referred to as “the second Sage.” Mencius believed that man and other things are born or created as being good, and lose their way later in life when they fall off the path of righteousness. He validates his point on page 283 of The Wisdom of Confucius when talking… Continue reading Mencius, “Man’s Nature is Evil”, and “Eminence on Learning” Analysis

The poem that was most intriguing to me was one brought up in class, #60. It reads, “Govern big countries like you cook a little fish. When Tao harmonizes the world, demons lose their power. Not that demons lose their power, but their power does not harm people. Not that their power does not harm… Continue reading The Daodejing, Poems 41-81

Before diving into the Analects of Confucius, I want to briefly acknowledge some of the history of Confucius that was provided courtesy of the BBC documentary titled Genius of the Ancient World Confucius. Although born in a war period in 551 BC, Confucius did not believe that violence was a solution to the problems that the… Continue reading The Analects of Confucius

This Friday I decided to go out of my comfort zone and try authentic Chinese food, rather than ordering my usual orange chicken. The restaurant that I visited was called Long Fei, located on Grant Street in Bloomington, IN. When I walked in it, I noticed a lack of decorations on the walls and the… Continue reading Authentic Chinese Food Experience