In an excerpt from Sources of Chinese Tradition, “On the Study of Humanity” by T’an Ssu-T’ung draws on elements of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Christianity and one of the elements that is focused on in this text is the Confucian idea of jen. The concept of jen in Confucianism is tat of goodness and benevolence, and… Continue reading “On the Study of Humanity” Reflection

In Ha Jin’s short story, “Saboteur,” Mr. Chiu, a university professor, and his wife are finishing up their honeymoon. Afterward, their plan is to return to home and because Mr. Chiu is afraid of relapse of acute hepatitis, he looks forward to going home. When a police officer throws tea on Mr. Chiu during their… Continue reading “Saboteur” and “Bad Joke” Reflections

I enjoyed this story because it showed the differences between the United States (New York) and China. The way the author described how Chen Jinli changed once she came back to China from New York was really interesting. Her hair, the way she composed herself, her shoes, her make up, and even her teeth were… Continue reading “Woman from New York”

A good laugh is very healthy every once in a while, but there is that line that should not be crossed. Whether the joke is about something, someone, somewhere, the joke should have some good nature to it but we all know that that is not always the case. In “A Bad Joke” by Ha… Continue reading Jokes That Cross The Line

While reading this excerpt, I was able to draw many conclusions to the monopolies that exist in the United States today, and the residual effects they can have on those who are seduced by them. From the learned men’s perspective, the author writes,”If virtue is used to lead the people, they will return to honesty,… Continue reading The Salt and Iron Debates

Upon first reading the debate, I thought it seemed very similar to arguments which might be had in today’s political and economic climate, with conflicts between privatization of business and government control, in this case with the learned men (Confucian disciples) wanting to increase business privatization by dismantling the government-controlled monopoly of salt and iron,… Continue reading The Salt and Iron Debates

Mother of Mencius was an insightful reading that allowed me to understand ideas of respect in Early China a little bit better. The beginning of the story brings up two areas that are, as I interpreted it, not well received amongst the populous for raising children: by a graveyard and a market. Confucian values rely… Continue reading Respect

The reading did an excellent job of portraying how radical the change from central, dynastic governments to non-dynastic, decentralized governments was. It’s incredibly difficult to conceptualize just how long dynastic rule in China had lasted, especially given how young the country of America is in comparison, and I thought it was very interesting that the… Continue reading Rossabi Reading

Going into it, I had no idea what to expect from my drum circle. I will say it sounded cool because I like music so that is why I did it. When we got there it seemed like it was just like my middle school music class. We set up chairs, moved drums out, and… Continue reading My first drum circle experience for my ICR

What I found most interesting about this reading was the May 4th movement.  This was a protest that occurred on May 4, 1919 in which several thousand students organized a demonstration to protest the Japanese occupancy in Chinese territory. Fights broke out, one student died, and marches were held all over. Several thousand people crowded… Continue reading Rossabi Blog