In a previous world history course, we spent a large amount of time studying the various major world belief systems, including several of those practiced in China. Two of these belief systems, Confucianism and Legalism, were discussed in this week’s reading, and I found it interesting to compare the two as a read and note… Continue reading Morris Rossabi, “A History of China” Reflection-Legalism vs. Confucianism

In Ha Jin’s “The Bridegroom,” short story “A Tiger Fighter is Hard to Find” explores the experiences of a Chinese film crew and an actor named Wang Huping who is chosen to fight and kill a tiger on camera. Although Huping is hurt by the tiger, the director continues to give him praise and encourages… Continue reading “A Tiger Fighter Is Hard To Find” Reflection

A Tiger Fighter is Hard to Find follows a episode production of a man who single-handedly fights and kills a tiger. When the government gets involved and sees the episode as a way to uplift the souls and strengthen hearts of the people, they ask the directors to reshoot with a more realistic tiger for… Continue reading Reflecting on “A Tiger Fighter is Hard to Find”

While The Biography of Yu Jang was short, I think it spoke a lot to the culture of respect and loyalty in China. Yu Jang was serving the earl of Chih who was killed by Lord Hsiang, and in response Yu Jang vowed to sacrifice his life to avenge him. Twice Yu Jang disguised himself to… Continue reading Reflecting on “The Biography of Yu Jang”

After reading ‘A Tiger Fighter is Hard to Find’ I was interested in China’s laws and regulations of animal protection. While researching I found out some interesting facts. “In 2018, the government took a leap in the wrong direction when a 25-year ban on the use of tiger bone and rhino horn in traditional medicine… Continue reading A tiger fighter is hard to find

When Americans think about themselves in comparison to the rest of the world, the common thought is that people adapt to our customs and culture. In sports we see basketball growing in popularity throughout the world, food places like Subway and McDonalds growing in overseas numbers like never before, and American singers and bands going… Continue reading Why Cowboy Chicken is an indication of how people in America are more isolated culturally then they think

We have all been told that karma is going to come back and bite us eventually if we do something bad or good, it works both ways. Another big topic that has been recommended is to be humble and not brag about our possessions or accomplishments. In “A Tiger-Fighter Is Hard to Find” by Ha… Continue reading Karma? Boastfulness?

When reading this short story about Huping fighting a real-life tiger for a movie, one of the first things that I thought about was the Chinese Zodiac Animals. I decided to look into the zodiac animal of the tiger and the personality traits and characteristics that are linked with that animal. To my surprise, Huping… Continue reading “A Tiger-Fighter Is Hard to Find”

Much like An Entrepreneur’s Story, After Cowboy Chicken Came to Town (both by Ha Jin) is a long-winded and entertaining sort of satire on capitalism and wealth. For this story specifically, however, it looks at the “American way of doing business” within Chinese culture. I found it incredibly telling the way so many of the “Americanized business… Continue reading Reflecting on “After Cowboy Chicken Came to Town”

I found Ha Jin’s An Entrepreneur’s Story to be an interesting way of showing where wealth and culture overlap. I especially found it interesting when considering the narrator and the way they see themselves as a sort of “victim” to everything. Even after he becomes wealthy and gets the girl he wants, he still seems to… Continue reading Reflecting on “An Entrepreneur’s Story”