Unit II. China - The Red Dragon

1. CHINA
The Red Dragon
East Asia
UNIT II
Reporters:
Jonatan Lagbo
Karla Patricia Romano
Aya Cabral

2. Why China is called “Red
Dragon”?

3. HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND

4. • 3000 BCE
• No one knows exactly when legends about dragons first
originated, but the symbol dates back to at least 3000 BCE.
• According to one theory, the legendary Chinese dragon
evolved out of ancient totem – worship practices.
• Historically the Chinese dragon was associated with the
emperor of china and used as a symbol to represent
imperial power. The founder of the Han dynasty Liu Bang
claimed that he was conceived after his mother dreamt of a
dragon.

5. • It was called “red dragon “ because of its likely due to china
being a communist country, but it also stems from the fact
that red has always been the traditional colour associated
with the Chinese emperor.

6. Philosophy
and
Religion

7. • Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism are three major
religions in china. The influence of these three
philosophies, especially Confucianism, came to
predominate in china for more than two thousand years
and also exerted powerful influences in shaping the
social and political life of Korea, Japan and Indo-China .
• Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism were the three
main philosophies and religions of ancient China, which
have individually and collectively influenced ancient
and modern Chinese society.

8. • Confucianism largely became the dominant philosophical
school of China during the early Han dynasty following the
replacement of its contemporary, the more Taoistic Huan –
Lao.
• Religion is important in ancient China because they believed
their ancestors watched over them, and would protect them,
provided they prayed in the right way. They did many things
to protect themselves from evil and to make sure they would
have a happy life.

9. Philosophical
Works

10. Two Great Chinese
Philosophers
Confucius Lao Tzu

11. Confucius
• Born 28 of September 551 BC
• Founder of Confucianism
• Kongfuzi, Kong Qiu or Master Kong- later called Confucius by
Europeans
• Was not a religious leader nor did he claim any special divine
status – rather he was a teacher
• Confucius did not teach people about religion instead he
taught people to be a good citizen.

12. Developed a new philosophy
• Importance of moral character
• Individuals must take responsibility for their society
• Society worked best when everyone respected laws
and behaved according to their position also when
those in superior positions

13. In Confucianism, there are five
relationships that each person must
follow
Friend and Friend
Husband and
Wife
Ruler and
Subject
Elder Brother and
Younger Brother
Father and Son

14. Ruler and Subject
The subject should bow down
and respect the superior one—
the ruler. In this case, the ruler
is the major and superior one.
But while the ruler is being
admired, he should also be the
subject’s role model
Husband and Wife
In this case, the wife is the less
superior one and has to respect
and listen to her husband; since
women were lower in society than
men. But the husband needs to
also be a good role model to his
wife.
Father and Son
The son in the family has to respect the elder one, which
is the father, and his decisions. And like today, the father
has to also be a good role model to the son.

15. Elder Brother and Younger
Brother
Of course, the older brother
needs to be the role model of
the younger one. And the
younger one should respect
his older brother.
Friend and Friend
This is the only
relationship where both
sides are equal in status.
And each has to respect
one another.
Together, they create balance and harmony in the society

16. Sayings of Confucius
•It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do
not stop.
• The superior man is modest in his speech but exceeds
in his actions.
• Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it.
•Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.
•Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses.
•I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I
understand.

17. Books of
Confucianis
m

18. Four Books
The Great Learning
The Great Learning is a guide
for moral self-cultivation.
According to the Great Learning,
the key to moral self-cultivation
is learning, or the investigation
of things. Through the
investigation of things, one
comes to understand the
principle in all things, which
allows one to better comprehend
the world.
Analects
Written during the Spring and
Autumn period through the
Warring States period, the
Analects is a collection of
Confucius teachings and
discussions with disciples.
According to the Analects, the
first step in knowing the Way is
to devote oneself to learning.

19. Mencius
Mencius is a collection of
conversations Mencius had
with Kongzi. Mencius places
a strong emphasis on the
responsibility of the emperor
to practice good governance
through following the Way.
The Doctrine of the
Mean
The Doctrine of the Mean is
attributed to Zisi, Kongzi’s
grandson, and deals with how
to maintain perfect balance
and harmony in one’s life.
The Doctrine of the Mean
focuses on following the Way
and acting in accordance with
what is right and natural, but
acknowledges that people
often do not act properly.

20. Five Classics
Book of Documents
The Book of Documents is a
compilation of 58 chapters
detailing the events of ancient
China. The Book of Documents
tells the deeds of the early
sage-kings Yao and Shun.
These narratives are influential
in the development of the
understanding of a sage.
Book of Odes
The Book of Odes is also
translated as the Book of Songs
or Book of Poetry. The Book of
Odes is comprised of 305
poems dealing with a range of
issues, including love and
marriage, agricultural concerns,
daily lives, and war.

21. The Book of Rites
The Book of Rites
described the social
norms, governmental
organization, and the
ritual conduct during the
Zhou dynasty. Believed
to have been compiled by
Kongzi, the Book of Rites
is the foundation of many
ritual principles that arise
in later imperial China.
The Book of
Changes
The Book of
Changes contains
a system of
divination, which is
centered largely
around the
principles of yin
and yang.
Spring and Autumn
Annals
As the longest of the Five
Classics, the Spring and
Autumn Annals is a
historical chronicle of the
State of Lu. Unlike the
Book of Documents, the
Spring and Autumn
Annals appear to have
been created specifically
for annalistic purposes.

22. Lao Tzu
• Born in China around 604 B.C.E.
• Daoism begins with the ancient philosopher Lao Tzu
• Chinese Philosopher
• Writer of Tao Te Ching ( The Way to its Power )
* Tao - the way or the path
*Ti- virtue
*Ching - laws

23. •As legend goes, Lao Tzu was the keeper of the archives at the imperial
court.
•However, in his older age, he became more and more saddened that men
were unwilling to follow the path to natural goodness.
•Thus, at 80 years of age, he left the court and set out on the back of a
water buffalo to leave China.
•A guard asked him to record his teachings before he left.
•It was at this point that he wrote the Tao Te Ching (The Way to Power.).

24. Teachings of Lao Tzu
• Harmony with the Tao (way of nature)
• Do nothing but follow the natural forces.
• Take what life gives you and make the most
of it
• The Daoist has no ambitions, therefore he
can never fail. He who never fails always
succeeds. And he who always succeeds is
all-powerful.

25. Today’s motto that could possibly
express Daoism
“Go with the flow”
“If life gives you lemons, make
lemonade”

26. Quotes from Lao Tzu
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single
step.”
“He who knows that enough is enough will always
have enough”
“Care about what other people think and you will
always be their prisoner.”
“He who is contented is rich”

27. CHINESE
POETRY

28. Three Eras of Chinese
Poetry
• Early Poetry
• Classical Poetry
• Modern Poetry

29. Early Chinese Poetry
As with other civilizations, the folk songs and stories
of early people are the origins of Chinese poetry and
other forms of art.

30. Early Chinese Poems
Shi Jing it is translated “Classic
of Poetry” also called the Book of
Songs
It contains aristocratic poems,
or odes, and poetry from folk
songs.
Chu Ci or
Songs of Chu
These poems are more lyrical,
and most of them come from the
poets Qu Yuan and Song Yu.

31. Classical Chinese Poetry
Classical Chinese poetry originated during the
Han dynasty from 206 BC to 220 AD.
• Chu lyrics changed and became the Fu, which is a poem that
rhymes, except for the beginning and ending sections, which
are written in prose. These were often in the poetical essay
form, which has questions and answers.
• Another new form of poetry was the Yue Fu. They were song
lyrics and folk song lyrics.

32. • Toward the end of the Han dynasty, the yue fu evolved
into shi, which had five or seven lines. This was the
dominant form Chinese poetry took until modern times.
• Next came the ci lyric poems, which were new lyrics
written to existing melodies.

33. Modern Chinese Poetry
Modern Chinese poetry has no set pattern or style.
• Poets of this time wanted to break with the traditional forms and
adopted some of the Western styles.
• A group of poets named Misty Poets were influential during this
time. They used allusion and references that made their writing
obscure and hazy.
• Important Misty Poets include: Bei Dao, Duo Duo, Gu Cheng,
and Yang Lian.

34. Du Fu:
Country damaged mountains rivers
here
City spring grass trees deep
Feel moment flower splash tears
Regret parting bird startle heart
Beacon fires join three months
Family letters worth ten thousand
metal
White head scratch become thin
Virtually about to not bear hairpin
Li Bai:
Ask me what reason stay
green mountain
Smile but not answer heart self
idle
Peach blossom flow water far
go
Apart have heaven earth in
human world
Two poems from the Classical Period

35. Duo Duo:
Dusk
Trailing the sun’s green rays
Once more, in my subtle heart, the
symbols are set alight:
Illusions begin moving in and out of the
jungle of thought
Riding on the backs of countless
stampeding wild beasts
And bathing in the hazy sunset
Two poems from “Misty Poets”
The golden dust of twilight
All the images attached to my retinas
Are so profound and so rich
As if many strangers
Were slowly walking toward me
From their voices
As if those red and black
Diseased thorns
In the valleys
Were secretly spreading and
surrounding me…

36. Bei Dao
The Boat with a Red Sail
If the ruins of the walls are all
about,
how shall I insist
the only road is the one we’re on?
Are you fooled into believing
the streetlights that fill the eyes
come out nightly like stars?
I won’t deceive you anymore,
won’t let your heart, like a
trembling maple leaf,
Bewritten all over with lies about
Spring.
I can’t comfort you anymore
because, after heaven and earth,
only time witnesses to our
existence.
On the beach, where sands are
pulverized darkness,
when the spray runs off our eye-
lashes,
we see the sea behind it is
boundless.
Still, however I want to say,
wait, girl,
wait for the boat with a red sail,
that brings the wind.

37. Famous
Literary
Masterpiece

38. Outlaws of the Marsh
(“水浒传” in Chinese)
The novel “Outlaws of the Marsh” is somewhat like the Iliad and
Odyssey, which is also an ancient epic tale. This story is based
on real facts and has inspired many storytellers. The Song
Dynasty reached its apogee and declined. As a victim of
corruption and decadence, we can find historical traces of
these outlaws who challenged the imperial authority and died
under the executioner’s blade. .

39. “Romance of The Three Kingdoms”
(“三国演义” in Chinese)
“Romance of The Three Kingdoms” is one of the great Chinese
classics and is compiled into a semi-fictional literary masterpiece
during the Ming Dynasty by Luo Guanzhong. The novel
comprises around 70% fact and 20% fiction. The story is a tale of
the fall of Later Han Dynasty of China.

40. “Journey to the West”
(“西游记” in Chinese)
“Journey to the West”, commonly known to the western readers, is a
supernatural novel about a world of fantastic invention, in which gods
and demons loom large and vie for supremacy. This lively fantasy
relates the amazing adventures of the priest San-zang as he travelled
towards west in search of Buddhist sutras with his three disciples, the
irreverent and capable Monkey, greedy Pig, and Friar Sand.

41. “The Dream of the Red Chamber”
(“红楼梦” in Chinese)
“The Dream of the Red Chamber”, also called “The
Story of the Stone” (“石头记” in Chinese), is a novel
written by Cao Xueqin, and said to be the greatest
masterpiece of Chinese fiction. It describes the love
story, marriage and tragedies between Jia Baoyu, Lin
Daiyu and Xue Baochai,

42. CONVENTIONS
OF CHINESE
THEATER

44. The Chinese theater is unique by itself. In the Middle
Ages there were troupe, where male and female roles
were played by either men only or women only. In
addition, the nature of the character could be traced
not only by an actor performing a role, but also by the
make-up, applied to his face. Depending on the color,
the audience understood the role type. For example,
the red color indicated loyalty and honesty of the hero,
the gold one was used for the mythical heroes, etc.

45. Chinese theatre can trace its origin back a few millennia to
ancient China, but the Chinese opera started to develop in the
12th century. Western forms like the spoken drama, western-style
opera, and ballet did not arrive in China until the 20th century.
Theatre of China has a long and complex history. Traditional Chinese
theatre, generally in the form of Chinese opera, is musical in nature.
Chinese theatre can trace its origin back a few millennia to ancient
China, but the Chinese opera started to develop in the 12th century.

46. FAMOUS
CHINESE
WRITERS

47. ● What is China without Confucius (Chinese: 孔子)? Indeed, what is
East Asia without Confucius?
● The only other person that influences Asian culture as strongly as
Confucius is the Buddha. But even that’s debatable. Although Mao
Zedong tried to erase Confucius from China’s collective memory
through the brutal Cultural Revolution, The Little Red Book has yet
to displace the Analects in the hearts of billions of Chinese citizens.
Confucius

48. There’s a great deal of debate
whether the teacher known as
Lao Tzu (Chinese: 老子)
actually krouded in mystery.
Some scholars believe Tzu
was an older contemporary of
Confucius, while others say
“Lao Tzu” was just a name
used by a group of writers
The most recent of China’s
“Four Great Classical
Novels” is a work called The
Dream of the Red Chamber
by a man named Cao Xueqin
(Chinese: 夢阮).
Lao Tzu Cao Xueqin

49. If you want to get a better
understanding of 20th
century China, Lu Xun
(Chinese: 魯迅) is the
author for you.
Li Bai was born in a city
near Chengdu in 701 AD.
When he turned 24, he
decided to take up the
life of a wandering poet.
He married a woman
named Anlu in Hubei
province and made
money by writing poetry
for court officials.
Lu Xun Li Bai

50. LITERARY READINGS/
REPRESENTATIVE

51. The Trial of the Stone (Chinese Folktale)
• Richardo keens – Douglas
• A humorous folk tale in which a stone is accused of
a crime and the villagers at the trial must learn to
take the judicial system seriously. A young boy
named Matt is off to visit his grandfather in a
faraway village.
• MORAL LESSON – The truth will always prevail;
justice protects and serves people regardless of
status in life. Be careful how you treat people
around you.

52. The Analects of Confucius
• Compiled by disciples of Confucius in the centuries following
his death in 479 B.C.E. The analects of Confucius is a
collection of aphorisms and historical anecdotes embodying
the basic values of the Confucian tradition. Learning,
morality, ritual decorum, and filial piety.
• Strong emphasizes the importance of morality for the
betterment of oneself and society in general.
• The books lays out several teachings for both commoners and
rulers to follow in the pursuit of morality.
• An anthology of quotes from Confucius and his disciples,
important events in his life ,and descriptions of him.

53. A Country Boy Quits in School
by Lao Hsiang
• Lao Hsiang is an endearing social satire. It is
about a poor Chinese family which is
forced to send its boy to school following
an official proclamation, ignoring which
would mean a jail term.
• The context in a scene or story that
describes the elements in which a story is
taking place, including time, place, and
environment.
• Each component in story setting helps to
build the narrative’s mood, plot, and
character development.
• Main characters;
-The country boy(main character)
-Grandfather
-Grandmother
-Father
-Mother
-The Teacher
-Hsiao Lin
-Hsiao Lin’s Uncle
-Baldy
-Baldy’s Father

54. A Little Accident
by Lu Hsun
Is a short story that depicts an incident of an elderly woman who gets
dragged by a rickshaw and is observed by several people. The story
is told in the first person and has a theme of grace and helping others.

55. Poems from The Book of Odes
• A collection of 305 poems, dating from
1000 to 600 B.C.
• Shin Ching or “book of odes”
• These are believed to be the oldest
existing examples of Chinese poetry. The
collection includes refined folk songs,
ritualistic poems, dynastic legends and
hymns for ancestral temples.

56. WORKS OF THE
CHINESE POETS

57. TU FU
• Tu Fu (also known as Du Fu)
• Was a great Chinese poet of the
town dynasty, I family that ruled
China from 618 to 907.
• He is known as the poet historian
for his portrayal of the social in
political disorders of his time and
also noted for his artistry and
craftsmanship.

58. Poems of Tu Fu
• A Woman Of Quality
• Alone, Looking for Blossoms Along the River
• Moonlit Night
• Gazing at the Sacred Peak
• Behind The Gates Of The Wealthy
• I Stand Alone
• No Sight

59. Po Chu - I
• Was a gentleman poet and government
official during the Golden age of the Tang
dynasty in China.
• Po Chu-I eventually retired to a
monastery when he was in his 50s.
• Was a Chinese poet best known for his
ballads and satirical poems.
• He wrote poems of social protest in
simple, everyday language.

60. • Ballad of Everlasting Sorrow
• Songs of the Land of Ch’in
• New Music Bureau Poems.
• The Everlasting Wrong
Poems of Po Chu-I

61. Meng Haoran
• Was a major Tang Dynasty poet
• Meng Haoran wrote about the
area he was born and raised, in
what is now Hubei, province of
China

62. Poems of Meng Haoran
• A Spring Morning
• Stopping at a Friend’s Farm-house
• Taking Leave of Wang Wei
• In Summer at the South Pavilion Thinking of
Xing
• On Climbing Yan Mountain with Friends

63. Li Bai
• Li Bai (also known as Li Po, Li
Pai, Li T’ai-po, and Li T’ai-pai)
• One of the greatest romantic
poets
• Famous wine drinkers in China
• He wrote about common things
such as natural places and cities
he saw. Also, war and deaths.

64. Poems of Li Bai
• Awakening from Sleep on a Spring Day
• Quiet Night Thought
• The Night of Sorrow
• I am a Peach Tree
• A Farewell Song of White Clouds

65. THANK
YOU