Harmony chinese culture
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Transcript of Harmony chinese culture
From CHINESE perspective
HARMONY
Agenda Ø Meaning of Harmony Ø Origin of Harmony in China Ø Lessons from Harmony • In Social context • In Political context • In Economic context Ø How China rediscovered Harmony
Meaning of Harmony • The concept of harmony in Chinese culture comes from music. • Harmony relates to important concepts of Confucianism such as Ren (Benevolence, Humanness) Yi (Righteousness, Justice) Li (Propriety, Conduct, Etiquette) Zhi (Knowledge) Xin (Integrity)
Contd… Resolution of Conflicts between • Human and Nature • Human & Human • Members of a Group • Citizens to a society at Large • Rulers & the ruled • Clashes amongst the religions • Ideological contests • Dependence & Independence development between national
blocks
Origin of Harmony in China • During the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, discussion of music flourished under Confucius and the school of thoughts he created, Confucianism • Factors leading to Harmony -‐ Predominantly agricultural society -‐ Teachings of Confucius and other scholars -‐ Willingness of Society to accept new idea Famous saying from Warring State Period (479 BC to 221 BC) “Bai Hua Chi Fan Bai Jia Chi ming” Let hundred Flowers Bloom Let hundred Schools Flourish
Lessons from Harmony • Social Context – Harmony in Chinese Culture 关系与面子 Opening poem of Shijing Crying the Ospreys Merrily the ospreys cry On the islet in the stream Graceful gentle and bright is she A fit mate for gentleman for him Long and short is the water plant Left and right borne by the current Graceful gentle and bright Longing for her, Awaken or in his dream Waiting for her reply Long he thought, long night awaken Long and short is the water plant Left and right to pluck them Graceful gentle and bright Wed her is his dream Merrily paying tune with her Long and short is the water plant Left and right to gather them Graceful gentle and bright Marry her is his dream Drums and bells beating
5 Confucian Relationships • Father to Son • Elder Brother to Younger Brother • Husband to Wife • Elder to Junior • Ruler to Subject
One of his famous sayings from Confucius goes: “In carrying our rites, it is harmony that is prized.” (礼之用, 和为贵。Lǐ zhī yòng, hé wéi guì. )
• Personal network 关系(guānxì) -‐ In China, an established network of quality contacts can help accomplish almost anything, and thus having good guanxi is a very powerful asset. • Human sentiment 人情 (rénqíng ) -‐ The rule of ”renqing” in Chinese society as fellows: “If you have received a drop of beneficence from other people, you should return to them a fountain of beneficence”.
A Chinese who has done a favor for you automatically feels that he or she is owned a favor from you in return. • Face 面子 (miànzi) -‐ Face is the concept of Mianzi . In Chinese culture,
losing face, saving face and giving face is very important. Surface harmony is the art of maintaining composure and remaining polite and courteous. Surface harmony is seen to be of higher value than personal emotion and thus proper etiquette will serve to safeguard harmony and face.
• Humility and modesty 客气 (kèqi) -‐ Ke means guest and qi means behavior. Keqi is the concept of humility and modesty that is illustrated through being considerate, polite and well mannered. Chinese people do not consider it polite to be arrogant and boast about one’s achievement and connections. • Reciprocity 礼尚往来 (lǐ shàng wǎnglái) -‐ This concept can be defined as individuals and groups exchanging favors. People will ask for favors from those with whom they have guanxi. • Collective vs. individual interest -‐ Another deep-‐seated social belief is that of the collective interest being of greater importance than that of the individual. As a result, individuals should sacrifice their own interests in order to serve the needs of the majority.
An individualist mentality and a collectivist mentality.
• Example One-‐If you show a person from West an image of a fish tank, the American will usually describe the biggest fish in the tank and what it is doing. If you ask a Chinese person to describe a fish tank, the Chinese will usually describe the context in which the fish swim.
Take Away -‐ Americans usually see individuals; Chinese and other Asians see contexts. • Example Two – Show Westerners individual pictures of a chicken, a cow and hay and asked the subjects to pick out the two that go together, the Americans would usually pick out the chicken and the cow. They're both animals. Most Asian people, on the other hand, would pick out the cow and the hay, since cows depend on hay.
Take Away -‐ Americans are more likely to see categories. Asians are more likely to see relationships.
Message from China through Sports -‐ The ceremony drew from China's long history, but surely the most striking features were the images of thousands of Chinese moving as one – drumming as one, dancing as one, sprinting on precise formations without ever stumbling or colliding. We've seen displays of mass conformity before, but this was collectivism of the present – a high-‐tech vision of the harmonious society performed in the context of China's miraculous growth.
An old Chinese Proverb • If there be righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character. • If there is beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the home. • If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in each nation. • When there is order in each nation, there will be PEACE IN THE WORLD!
Political Context – Principles governing China’s practice of harmony-‐oriented diplomacy
• Being both outward-looking and inward-looking, seeking mutual adjustment and mutual adaptation with the world • Seeking a multi-faceted win-win outcome. • Putting aside ideological differences and focusing on substantive
cooperation in foreign relations. • Establishing secure communities without the intention of sphere of
influence, power politics, or dominance
Economic / Technological Context – • Open Door Policy • The principle of Equality and Mutual Benefit • Focus on Green Technological advancements
How China rediscovered Harmony Harmonious Society (hexie Shehui) Harmonious World (hexie Shiji)
Thanks
• In this poem, the harmonious relationship of a couple has been described. • In ancient China, harmony is the core of philosophy. Nature and human, society and individual, male and female, all should be in harmony according to the natural law. Just like no one is an isolated island, everyone is associated with others. Family as the smallest unit of society represents the harmonious relationship between husband and wife. So the poem is not for entertainment but for moral lessons. In this poem, metaphors are osprey and water plant. Ospreys in Chinese culture is a kind of bird loyal to love, when the couple lost one, the other will keep alone to the rest of its life. • Here, when the boy wants to pay court to his beloved girl, he compares his love to the loyal osprey, and the water plant was like his sentiment, so romantic and deep. When he got her love, he will cherish it forever. It put on the beginning of Shijing to lay stress on the importance of harmonious family which is the foundation of social stability and development.