Show The China Puzzle This is the second article on China prepared by the League of Women Voters of Bountiful The first article article arti arti- cle was concerned with population and land char char- This one will deal with Chinas China's Ancient Heritage her religious political and social traditions traditions traditions and her dynasties No study of China would be complete without consideration of its eras eras and dynasties The following chart will illustrate the age of the Chinese tion FORMATIVE Period Shang c. c 1523 1122 BC B.C. Chou BC B.C. Period of Confucius BC B.C. First Imperial Era Chin BC B.C. Unification per per- iod Great Wall Han BC B.C. AD A.D. Confucianism 11 11 AD A.D. AGE OF Disruption and Division Division Division Divi Divi- sion 6 dynasties period AD A.D. D Decline of central government AD A.D. barbarian barbar barbar- ian Inroads Introduction of Buddhism Empires Empire's Golden Age Sul Sui AD A.D. Tang A A.D. A. A D D. D Sung AD A.D. Unification cation of second empire AGE OF Renewed Invasions Yuan Mongols 1368 1279 AD A.D. Kublai Khan Marco Polo Empires Empire's Indian Summer I Ming 1644 1368 AD A.D. Ching 1912 1644 AD A.D. NATIONALIST ERA 1912 1949 On the Mainland 1949 Taiwan Communist Regime 1949 RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS THREE WAYS to one Goal Is an old Chinese proverb It refers to the three fai faiths that have dominated Chinas China's religious religious religious ious scene Confucianism and Taoism m both of which are nati native ve veto to China and Buddhism an in intrusion intrusion intrusion in- in from India which be became became became be- be came thoroughly transformed transform d In its new environment Christianity has made few inroads In Inroads inroads in- in roads In China All three of the dominant faiths have gone through such a along long process of adapting to and borrowing from each other that it often orten is difficult difficult difficult cult to tell what is really Confucian ConfucIan Confucian Con Con- Taoist or Buddhist in origin Westerners are usually surprised to discover that the Chinese often embrace more than one religion at the same ti time me and that sophisticated religious religious religious reli reli- doctrines often coexist with basic folk attitudes CONFUCIANISM The moral and religious system known as Confucianism has been the paramount paramount paramount par par- amount doctrine throughout most of ot Chinese history Although type Confucian-type attitudes attitudes attitudes atti atti- tudes can be traced far back Master Kung tze Fu-tze BC B.C. by Jesuit scholars scholars scholars schol schol- ars to Confucius the Sage was the first to develop a systematic doctrine Disturbed by the constant constant constant con con- stant warfare between Chinese states and the tyranny of or rulers Confucius sought to recapture an Idealized zed past ACCORDING TO Confucius true nobility was based not on See CHINA on Page 2 Z THE CHINA PUZZLE Continued from Front Page the accident of high birth but buton buton buton on the dev development of character In the individual and harmony in society through imitation of the ways of the ancients He saw the good society as a frictionless social order in which mans man's relationship to man and to nature is carefully prescribed pre pre- scribed THE CODE included five relationships re relationships relationships re- re between ruler I and citizen father and son husband husband hust hus- hus t band and wife older brother and younger brother friend and friend I For each person there was the proper and usually ritualized c- c response to ones one's superiors an and anda a condescending though judicious judicious judi judi- 4 cious attitude toward ones one's in in- in I if T Th hp hp st st. d- d 1 1 ie led th the w ya Wi ta taught the na u 1 g m most st adm f n p m s f- f ety Women m merchants and I soldiers had ver very low positions on the social scale 1 i r CONFUCIANISM suffered i- i to virtual eclipse in id th the heyday of Buddhism especially from the 4 1 to the century but by the 1 y k century in revised form f it had become the official Ideology ideology I f ogy of the Imperial state ti Taoism Based on a mystical mYStical I belief In the tao tao the path pathor I J. J or way Taoism Is generally 1 p ascribed to a legendary sage t i literally meaning The TheOld Old Master and and to a book X r itc te Tao written around I the 3rd century BC B.C. ACCORDING TO Taoism the material world and man operate under a natural law If allowed to flow its course it will result in the harmonious life Ufe To in interfere interfere interfere in- in with the natural way is to bring trouble The naturalistic mysticism of Taoism has always appealed to Chinese intellectuals partly asan asan as asan an escape from demanding Confucian Confucian Confucian Con Con- rituals and its group or or- or The powerful secret societies of century China were largely Taoist THE TRADITIONAL Chinese scholar was often said to have been a Confucian in public and a Taoist in private Taoism m has widely influenced both Chinese literature and landscape painting Eventually the more popularized for forms ms of Taoism degenerated into magical magical magical magi magi- cal and fertility practices in or order order or- or der to Influence nature BUDDHISM This Indian reli relt- religion gion glon did not gain a foothold in China until several centuries after the birth of ot Christ It was most pervasive from the 3rd to A FURTHER discussion of China will be held at 10 am a.m. I Wednesday April 19 at the Bountiful Community Church covering the era between 1900 I and 1945 prior to lo the rise of I communism I Discussion leaders will be Mrs Richard Arnold Mrs Donald Moore l Mrs Albert Olson Olson Ol Olson Ol- Ol son and Mrs Don R R. R Wilson IF YOU ARE interested in participating in the discussion on China please call Mrs LeeF Lee F F. F Whitney president of the League of Women Voters of Bountiful i the centuries AD A.D. a period I of wars Invasions and widespread widel widespread wide- wide l lOf spread ln China r. r 1 t t g OO its J th the given yen to f Indian r religious leader who founded Buddhism Is believed I to have lived near Nepal in about the same era as Confucius Buddhism Bud Bud- teaches that suffering is isan isan an Inherent part parl of life that the greatest good is release from life and pain ITS DOCTRINES call upon man to renounce desire and to escape from repeated existences I es rebirths by seeking blissful nonexistence or nir nir- vana Mahayana Buddhism a more worldly version which was im imported imported imported im- im ported into China teaches in addition that belief in many will aid the devotee to enter nirvana after death It also promotes the belief in nirvana nir I vana as a positive life Ufe after death BUDDHISM comple complemented both Taoism and Confucianism for neither of these Indigenous faiths offered savior gods or paradise after death Buddhism had a universal ap appeal appeal appeal ap- ap peal which cut across class and birth For or or the elite It offered an explanation of life and solace in the face of adversity For the peasant it provided relief provided relief from misery by offering a better life in the hereafter BUDDHISM ADAPTED easily to other religions and to changing changing changing chang chang- ing times and cultures However er with Chinas China's Confucian renaissance renaissance renaissance ren ren- in the and centuries Buddhism lost much of Its dynamic appeal POLITICAL AND SOCIAL TRADITIONS Chinas China's unique system of statecraft began several centuries centuries centuries cen cen- BC B.C. continuing Into the early century At least 24 imperial dynasties rose and fell I HOWEVER essentially the same political institutions remained re remained remained re- re I in existence for over I 2000 years regardless of who was on the throne or even whether he was Chinese or non- non Chinese Old Chinas China's Social Base Base The Extended Family The family provided the binder bind bind- er which held the Chinese political political po and social structures to to- to gether Emphasis on was related closely to reverence for the ways of the ancestors CHINESE SOCIETY was thus cast in a conservative mold Through the he discipline of ordered or ordered ordered or- or dered family life Confucian so soCial social social so- so cial virtues were perpetuated The iThe ind individual was s subordinate lt to lo fa m UY-t UY I amly toc a Mr to ty f t large that large that is to the state The family performed many functions which in western so societies societies societies so- so are carried out by other institutions The extended family family fam fam- ily By at the village level was the clan which helped to educate the young care for the aged maintain moral standards etc TRADITIONAL China is in fact sometimes characterized as a federation of families with the emperor as father and mother of the people and the government officials in the lower lower low low- er echelons as the father father- mother officials One of the unfortunate byproducts byproducts byproducts by by- products of the emphasis on family was widespread nepotism nepotism nepotism nepo nepo- in government 0 offices ft ice s. s Confucianism as the official orthodoxy provided a paternal paternal- paternalistic style of government Continued next week |