Confucianism

“Korean wave (Hallyu) was coined in China in mid-1999 by Beijing journalists surprised by the fast growing popularity of South Koreans and South Korean goods in China. ” However, the phenomenon of Korean wave flows into East Asia especially China during the early twenty-first century. Korean wave covers the craze for South Korean music, TV dramas, pop stars, but also for fashion styles, cosmetics and electronics. There are many reasons causing Korean wave being a popular mass culture in China.

Korean wave spread so successful because of the Confucian themes that East Asian cultures are more familiar with, typically dealing with traditional issues such as family, love, and filial piety. China in particular share a similar history with Korea. Furthermore, Korean government propagates their modernization Korean wave through media power. Extensively promoting Korean culture transnational makes it another reason Chinese suddenly start engaging in Korean cultures. As two countries both strongly pay attention to the international culture exchange, people are more likely try to understand and accept it.

The effect Korean wave has made on Chinese people is enormous. Daily life like watching dramas becomes popular and the story lines are discussed among youths and housewives. Due to the drama contains everything like music, fashion styles, pop stars and foods. Chinese people start imitating both the way of dressing, make-up putting. Korean restaurants also sprang up quickly like mushrooms. Korean language is also being chosen as students’ third language in order to understand more about the culture.

Chinese start travelling to the filming location in Korea so as to enjoy Korean wave natively and it also helps Korean to obtaining another way of economy profit making. Korean traditional ethnics and education view also influenced Chinese people’s life in many ways. Despite those advantages, Korean wave does challenge the Chinese its own culture. Less attention is paid on Chinese its own entertainment industry. As teenagers are the main target audiences under the Korean wave, their world outlook and life values are influenced by it. Korean wave might limits their minds and stop themselves up on the surface.

There are two reasons which cause the emergence of Korean wave being widely accepted in China. Firstly and the most important reason is that both Korea and China share a similar history background. Those two countries have had a long historical relationship and both of them are influenced by the spirit of Confucianism. The similar social structure, etiquette and philosophy make Korean wave more acceptable in East Asian countries especially China rather than western countries. Due to globalizations’ rapidly expanding, Chinese people are no longer being confined to American pop culture.

However choosing the one which they think is more understandable. Furthermore, the ideology of Confucianism plays an important role in both old days China until now. However, the Chinese Culture Revolution in 1966 has extensively and perniciously damaged the culture understanding which cause the lacking of Confucius value nowadays. Lots of Chinese people can easily trace their traditional values like loyalty, filial piety, benevolence by looking at the Korean drama as those dramas always emphasis on the family relationship and ethnics.

Korean dramas are favored because of their richness traditional values which gives a good example showing China how to manage the Confucius value in modern society. It offers both a nostalgic reminder of what has been lost during modernization and an example of an Asian country that has modernized and has retained its traditions. Secondly, since media becomes the global popular culture communicating tool, Chinese people observed that Korean wave is actually a new inspirable culture that they had never experienced before.

Depending on the age, interests and values of the spectators, different types of Hallyu have been propagated to different target audiences. Due to the Chinese harsh education system, youths would more likely to accept the new culture with plenty of vigor. Those good-looking pop singer, actor and actress represent the Korean type beauty which is attractive and scintillating. Through both television and internet, young people and women in particular have passion in pursuing their dreaming celebrities and even imitating their way of dressing.

Although Korean drama does not have spectacular scene like what Hollywood prefers to have, oppositely the exquisite scene in film and the beautiful actors in drama give people a difference feeling. The Korean public broadcaster KBS has aired its satellite channel “KBS world” in China for both Korean and foreigners in 2007. KBS hopes their new service can boost Korean wave in China with a population of 1. 3 billion. Moreover, media production is promoted by national policy. Korean government continuously support and promote Korean wave to the whole world by improving their production techniques.

The range of implementation of Korean wave expands rapidly as the exposure rate of the word Hallyu increases. Chinese people start to chase the new phenomenon due to the promoting of media. Since the phenomenon of Korean wave flows in to China during the early twenty-first century. The effects that Hallyu has been made largely influenced Chinese people’s daily life, knowledge learning and also largely challenged the development of Chinese its own culture. As TV drama was the first Korean wave imported into China. Watching Korean drama in China is as popular as having Kimchi everyday in Korea.

Housewives become the typical group who sit in front of the television and so as youths. The synopsis has been widely discussed at people’s leisure which occupies a large time on their daily life. The successful promoting of Korean dramas is evidenced by the fact that they are now becoming part of the everyday program among different Chinese local television broadcasters. Furthermore even having Korean food, so often appeared in Korean dramas, has become a new fad among Chinese. Thus, Koreans in China and local Chinese people take this as an advantage.

So Korean style restaurants sprang up like mushrooms in China especially in big city like Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen. A report in the International Herald Tribune noted that “South Koreans are only just starting to realize that food can be just as profitable an export as semiconductors. ” Dae Jang Geum is the drama which well talks about one girl’s life in the royal court within the traditional Korean culture, royal cuisine and traditional medicine being mentioned as theme. After the drama was exported into China and was very well received.

Many restaurants named Dae Jang Geum and attracted consumers by putting Royal court cuisine as their shop sign. Also cited was the new appetite for Korean food in China where “Korean court cuisine has become immensely popular and sales of hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) and traditional herbal medicine have skyrocketed” Korean food suddenly becomes the most popular cuisine among China. Learning and emulating become another significance effects which putted on Chinese people. Stars of such dramas and pop singers have emerged as Korean popular idols among Chinese teenagers. Regional music channel like Channel

V in China featured Korean pop music videos which created so many K-POP fans. They vie with each other in imitating their fashion, hairstyle and also make-up. Even more dramatically, some Chinese women ask plastic surgeons changing their face into the celebrity who they like because of the advanced plastic surgeon technology in Korea. As drama Winter Sonata was played on TV, the main actor- Bae Yong Jun’s fashion style was commonly being imitating among male teenagers. The gentle refined glasses with the special carrying scarf dominated the fashion style during that time. Those style dresses were easily seen on the street.

Since people are more curious about Korean culture, study Korean language so as to better understands the meaning of the pop songs and dramas. More students take Korean as their third language after Korean wave has coming into China. Furthermore, Chinese see Korean as a good opportunity having and organizing travel tour. Apart from the well-known destination like Seoul, Seoraksan National Park and Andong, the resort island of Namiseom where Winter Sonata filming took place on turned into a famous travel destination for foreigners. People have desires to see and to feel the beautiful scene by their own eyes.

Korean wave offers an opportunity for Chinese to experience the Korean culture and Korean wave also offers Korean itself having the opportunity to show their success in transnational culture delivery. The economy benefits Korea obtained from Korean wave are also enormous. Apart from those stunning things Chinese see from Korean wave, it also challenges Chinese people’s thinking, way of living and its own culture maintenance. The strong propagating of etiquettes and ethnics toward different generation among the entire country from Korean dramas and TV programs provokes Korean’s traditional Confucius ideology.

That is the part of important culture which Chinese is losing little by little. Korean wave is not only propagating its popular fashion things but also propagating their social values and life styles. As reported “Chinese people yearn and dream for a bright life by watching Korean dramas. ” People have desire to yearn for the lost ‘love’ in the rapidly growing society. Korean typical love story lines give them any opportunity to escape from the reality and believe that love and beautiful things will always beat evil or malignant behavior. The social values which have been communicated through the drama eep reminding Chinese never throwing away the traditions to modernize the country. Nevertheless, there are also some disadvantages Korean waves deeply influenced China and Chinese people especially youths. Firstly Chinese its own entertainment industry is challenged by the transnational power from Korea. As Korean dramas and K-POP came into China, they have taken almost eighty percent of teenagers’ audiences concentrating on foreigner culture but forgetting the Chinese native entertainment culture. Secondly, there is a need for greater diversity and choice in education for teenagers.

As Chinese people are not growing up in Korea and could not experience the life in real Korea. Misunderstandings will definitely being transferred from one country to another. Teenagers accept the surface of the Korean wave through the most visualized media tool like magazines and televisions. Without parents and the society’s rational guide, teenagers will hard to get a thorough understanding about the culture diversity of the whole world. There are complex reasons for the emergence of the Korean wave suddenly catches Chinese people’s attention.

For the great esteem people express for high-quality popular culture goods such as TV dramas, music, fashion-style and even cuisines. It is hard to predict the future for Korean wave whether it will fad or continue shining, however, the transnational culture it has been propagated made a remarkable job already. The extensively effects what Korean wave has made did impact on China and Chinese people’s everyday life. Not only up on the surface such as aesthetic standard, entertainment ways, appetite but also the ethnics on family value, loyalty, filial piety and the inviolability of tradition.

The Confucianism ideology connects Korea and China which challenged Chinese people’s thinking. In the mean time, since both of them share the similar culture background, Korean wave is easier to be accepted. Balancing Korean wave with Chinese native culture, Chinese people are also concerning about the invasion of Korean wave. Youths are mostly questioned about their future growth depending on other country’s culture. The transnational culture communications bring disadvantages as well. Reference and bibliography

Beng Huat Chua, KI 2008, East Asian pop culture: analysing the Korean wave , Hong kong University press. Cai, J 2008, ‘China’s first taste of the Korean wave’, Korea. net news, 11 august 2008. Doo-hyong, H 2004, ‘ S. Korean Plastic Surgeons Ride ‘Korean Wave’ Into China’, Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies, 30 May 2004. koichi, I 2002, From Western Gaze to Global Gaze, New York, London:Routledge, Diana Crrane eds. Mori, Y 2008, East Asian pop culture : analysing the Korean wave / Chapter 6 “Winter sonata” and cultural practices of active fans in Japan, Hong Kong University Press.

Onishi, N 2006, ‘A rising Korean wave: If Seoul sells it, China craves it’, The New York Times Seo, JDAY 2004, ‘Korea as the wave of a future:’, Journal of Futures Studies, August 2004, pp. pp. 31-44. Shim, D 2006, Hybridity and the rise of Korean popular culture in Asia, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE. The public broadcaster KBS 2007 , ‘South Korean satellite TV to get foothold in China’, BBC Monitoring Media, 26 august 2007. Zi, C 2005, ‘KOREAN WAVE IN CHINA’, China Daily, 3 december 2005.

It promulgates the values of filial piety and harmonious relationship between the universe and oneself. It became the official gulden philosophy during the Outages period and It helped legitimate the Outages Shogun rule through its concepts of “a hierarchical society in accord with nature, of benevolent paternalism in government, of an ethical basis for administration, and of a meritorious Harmony was established through reciprocal benevolent ruling and obedience from their subjects.

Social stratification of the Samurai, Peasant, Artisan and Merchant was also developed in a animal vein, with merchants seen as the lowest class as they are deemed as parasites under Neo Confucian values. It is not surprising that the IEEE (household/ family) system was also created during this period. The ‘e system placed great emphasis on family tradition and Its continuity, Members of an lee are expected to see themselves as one collective unit and work towards the greater good of the household and not for oneself.

The head of the household is typically the eldest male heir and wields absolute power and responsibility. The lee system essentially placed emphasis on the parent-child (vertical) relationship over the husband-wife horizontal) relationship. This can be seen in the code of obligations for samurai promulgated In 1684[2]. The hierarchical social structure continues to be rigidly defined in modern Japan, and has brought about many societal norms and practices unique to Japan.

The idea of a “good wife, wise mother”[3] was introduced In the Mel]/ period and continued to define gender roles in Japan until the late 20th century. The men were expected to take up arms for the nation’s imperialist ideals and subsequently serve as corporate warriors In the lead up to post World War Two economic miracle. Thus the men devoted his life to work and serving his boss, while the women devoted their life to child rearing and their education, perpetuating the significance of vertical relationships In Japan.

The Bunyan-kabob-relationship Is a vertical relationship that makes the relationship between an employer and his employee reminiscent of a parent-child relationship. It is a long term and deeply personal relationship that forms the basis of lifetime employment seniority system in Japan. The sample-kohl- relationship is another vertical relationship where seniors who are more experienced re duly respected by juniors who lack the experience and who needs to learn from seniors.

A particularly unique factor that has to be taken into account is Confucianism. The interplay between culture and development can help explain how in particular Japan and South Korea, which were relatively closed societies, have risen to attain the status of newly industrialized countries. This essay will investigate and evaluate, through the presentation of arguments and examples, the extent to which Confucianism has influenced modern economic development in East Asia.

This will be achieved by firstly providing a working definition of Confucianism; then locating its positive impact within a broader debate concerning a distinctly Asian development model; investigating and analyzing he challenges presented by Confucianism in the economic development of East Asia; evaluating both the negative and positive implications of Confucianism in East Asian economies and finally assessing to what extent Confucianism has played a role in the development of East Sais’s economies. Confucianism attained its name from Confucius, who was a scholar, in Eastern China (551-479 BCC) .

Confucianism is a system of ethical and philosophical teachings introduced by Confucius and further developed by in particular Meniscus (372-BOCCE), who was a pupil of Confucius teachings. Traditional Confucianism according to shares a set of basic convictions, which can be understood as: Humans are born with the capacity to develop morality; this moral development begins with self-cultivation, that is, to reflect internally with the purpose of improving ones morality; the improvement of ones moral development contributes to the project of perfecting the world by achieving a harmonious society.

These basic convictions are reiterated by who wrote that Confucianism can be summarized as a “cross between religion, a way of life, a system if belief about society, and a state ideology’. Argues that Confucianism focuses on filial piety, that is, respecting and adhering ones elders, the maintenance of authority through social order and the maintenance hierarchy for the purpose of perfecting social harmony. Confucianism rose and blossomed during the eleventh and twelfth centuries as GHz Xi, a Song Dynasty Confucian scholar, revalidated the philosophy by providing a new synthesis that now predominates modern attitudes to Confucianism .

GHz Xi’s neo-Confucianism develops the notion How has Confucianism Influenced Economic Growth in East Asia By Constellate 23 name moral principles and thus existing traditional social norms and institutions are seen as part of the natural order of the world . The orthodox nature of Confucianism, both new and old, evidently advocates to the maintenance and continuation of filial piety and of traditional ceremonies and practices, which contradicts the transformation of East Asia both culturally and economically.

The continual growth of East Asia, in particular that of China, in recent times in comparison to the rest of the world highlights a necessity to identify how Confucianism has influenced the economic models within the region. Argues that Confucianism has influenced East Sais’s economic development because of its strong ties to hierarchical structures and the belief that loyalty and effort will be rewarded from the top-down.

Japanese workplace culture in particular adheres to these doctrines, as prominent feature of Japanese workplace culture is lifetime employment and managerial aims for harmony and consensus within the workplace . Confucianism respect for the governing body and the pacifist nature of Confucianism can be seen to have helped the continuation of economic and political debility within East Asia, which has allowed for the bureaucracies to focus on economic development rather than social order and stability .

Confucianism influence on the growth of East Asia economic development can be observed from both a macro-level and a micro-level. On a micro-level the emphasis on education, diligence in the workplace and frugality in life are seen as characteristics borrowed from Confucianism, which have had a positive impact on economic development . Confucianism influence on a macro-level in East Sais’s economic growth is evident argues in that, the bureaucracies can carry out economic reform without major objection from both the factions of the private and public sector due to the benefaction to a hierarchical society.

The growth of East Sais’s economic development is evidently influenced by the ideas of Confucius in particular in relation to ideas of social hierarchical order and harmony. The influence of Confucianism in economic development is a double-edged sword as highlights. Whilst a strong allegiance and loyalty to the bureaucracy can help the transitioning and implication of ideas and goals to better economic development and he society, it can also be used as a tool to subjugate and exploit the lower levels of the hierarchy whilst remaining vigilant in demanding obedience to the rulers through loyalty.

In particular highlights that whilst Japanese society increasing might demand equality throughout its society, the ruling class has used Confucianism as a ‘cultural safeguard’ to defending its conservative hierarchical structure. & both emphasize the opportunity for corruption presented by the power and submission to the existing hierarchy, in particular its usages in a, post ex facto sense, that when in reticular the Chinese and Singapore elite gained power an emphasis on Confucian values was reinstated to protect the acquired political power.

The influence of Confucian values and systemic beliefs according to hindered a Chinese economic development particularly between the eighteenth and twentieth century because of its continuation of tradition which impedes creativity and that Confucianism is the least compatible ideology with capitalism, which can be seen as hindering Chinese economic development between the eighteenth and twentieth century in particular .

Weber specifically noted that the influence of Confucianism hindered entrepreneurial innovation, instead favoring selflessness and harmony, in noting ” The typical Puritan earned plenty, spent little, and reinvested his income as capital in rational capitalist enterprise out of an asceticism compulsion to save”. The influence of Confucianism, in particular its traditionalist values have hindered some aspects of East Asian development.

An analysis of Confucianism overall impact on East Sais’s economic development highlights the extent to which Confucianism has played an overarching role in the velveteen and highlight to what extent its impact has been beneficial or disadvantaging. In the case of China the overarching influence of Confucianism, can be seen as notes , in the Chinese Communist Party’s revitalization of Confucian values as a platform for continuation the bureaucracy. Highlights the systemic use of Confucianism to revivalist momentum and allegiance, which in the past was granted from communist ideals.

The gradual liberalizing of China has damaged and lost support for its traditional orthodox communist values, thus again presenting a post ex facto usage of Confucian rhetoric. Rather than a technique to maintaining traditionalist values argues that Confucianism explicit impact on East Asia is due to the fact Confucianism only stipulates basic principles that should be universally observed, regardless of religious and political beliefs. Confucianism is absorptive rather than exclusive, this is seen argues in Confucianism absorption of elements of various religions and doctrines, in particular Buddhism, Legalism and Taoism.

Thus presenting Confucianism as a political culture and social tradition to guide standards of behavior by any member of a society. Confucianism in this collectivist ensue presents a factor to the success of reformed communist countries in particular Vietnam and China in contrast to former USSR Baltic nations which due to the loss of communism as an collective ideal has divided its societies into conflicting factions of religion, race and values . An overarching influence of Confucianism can be drawn from the analysis that highlights a link between culture and economy.

Confucianism has influenced a distinctly East Asian form economic development that evidently has embraced western concepts whilst still remaining adamant in maintaining the traditional Confucian influenced culture. The intertwined nature of culture and development has explained how Confucianism has influenced East Sais’s economic development. Confucianism as a developing doctrine of social norms has transformed and adopted since its introduction by Confucius.

Compare China to Taiwan, South Korea, or Russia (choose 1 or more) and discuss how a democratic transformation could occur, and what the most likely path to demagnification could be? (2000 words) Abstract This essay will compare China to South Korea and discuss how a democratic transformation could occur in South Korea. Also, I will discuss what would be the most likely path to demagnification of China. I am Intrigued by this topic since I am South Korean who currently live in Hong Kong, a part of China.

To write this essay, I offered to online articles about China and South Korea. China and South Korea share East Aslant culture and Confucianism and thus have similarities but also have many differences. I will examine the demagnification history of South Korea and discuss whether demagnification of China would be possible and suggest possible ways of China being democratic. Readers of this essay will be informed and understand more about South Koreans political path and able to expect what may cause China to be democratic.

Introduction China is a country with the biggest number of population of more than 1. 3 billion, which contributes one fifth of the global population. In terms of land area, China Is the second-largest country. China’s place In the world Is getting bigger in a fast pace and It even threatens the power of U. S. If this fast economic growth of China goes on at this rate, It may even surpass U. S and become the largest economic power. Some argue that china already contributes to the growth of world economy more than the Currently, as the world leader, the U. S. As big responsibilities on the world and is very influential on other countries’ matters. It intervenes with politics of other entries, sending military to solve conflicts in other countries and protecting and supporting their allies. For example, the U. S send military to Iraq in order to protect diplomatic facilities and personnel in Baghdad and there are about 37 thousands of the U. S soldiers residing in South Korea in order to protect South Korea from possible attack by North Korea. Being world leader means ability to influence other countries’ matters.

But what if China becomes the world leader in future? There is a huge possibility of China becoming the world leader in future if we take into account the fact that China s the most populous country in the world. Will China be better leader than America? Will China more intervene in other countries’ matters than the U. S. Do? Will the world become better or worse place if China take the leadership? My expectation is that if China becomes the world leader, China will intervene with other countries’ affairs like the U. S. Do or more than what U. S. O. The outcome of Chinese intervention must be negative in my expectation, major because China is not democratic. ( I consider democracy as more advanced form of a government than authoritarian government. If we cannot stop China being more influential on the world affairs, will there be any way of China being democratic? Will China fare better with democracy? Method and materials I searched Google and Wisped with keywords such as China political system, China, South Korea, 4 19 revolution, Gangue movement, and June democratic uprising.

Also, I used Korean Website called Never to find more about history of democracy establishment of Korea. Various articles regarding politics of China and South Korea are covered. Results and discussions Comparison between China and South Korea China had been a leader of East Asia which spread culture, philosophies and new innovations to Korea and Japan. Ancient Chinese considered themselves as the centre of the world and referred other countries around China as inferior tribes, referring them as barbarians.

China called other countries and ethnic groups as (Eastern Barbarian), Barbarian), Barbarian) and (Northern Barbarian). Meanwhile, Chosen Dynasty of Korea, which existed Just before Japanese Occupation of South Korea, considered all other countries, except for China and Korea, as barbarians, especially disrespecting Japan. Ancient Koreans thought giggly of China as more developed country and had several cultural exchanges and trades. We can see that Chinese had strong prides about their country and Koreans showed special respect towards China.

Although ancient china was one of the most developed countries in the world, Chinese economy had been stagnant after the Korea also adopted strong Confucianism, setting Confucianism as basic principles of governance, and regarded studying such as Science as somewhat unimportant compared to learning Confucianism value. Although China and Korea both thought highly of Confucianism, both of them were negatively impacted by it in fields of economy, politics and overall development. Both China and Korea have a history of Japanese invasion Just before the end of World War 2.

Entire Korea was colonized by Japan between 1910 and 1945 and major cities in China were taken over by the Japanese from 1937 to 1945. Both China and South Korea were impoverished and one of the poorest country in the world after World War 2, but achieved economic growth in the recent decades under authoritarian government, led by government, through industrialization and exports. South Korea is now almost developed country and China is currently the second largest economy of the world but still a developing country. South Korea produces and exports more technologically advanced goods than China.

Now, China is rapidly developing but South Koreans development is slowed down. One of the major difference between South Korea and China is that South Korea is democratic while China is authoritarian government with civilian dictatorship. China is run by a single party, the Communist Party of China. South Korea has relatively free media and internet access. China is very different from South Korea when it comes to freeness of media and the internet. China blocks more than 2,700 websites including Google, Backbone, and Youth and replaced them as their own version, used only among Chinese.

China blocks these website in order for Chinese not to receive any external information that may make Chinese to go against the government. How democratic transformation could occur in South Korea The Republic of Korea was formally established on 15 August 1948, three years after Japanese government announced surrender to the Allies in World War 2. In constitution, it was written that South Korea is democratic republic but it was not in reality. There are three big movements which contributed to demagnification of South Korea, namely, April 19 Revolution, Gangue uprising, and June Democratic Uprising.

April 19 Revolution happened against 1960 vice fraudulent presidential election manipulated by by-then president Rhea. Students and citizens protested against dictatorship of by-then president Rhea which resulted in resignation of Rhea. However, South Korea was soon under dictatorship again by Park Chunk-he who launched a coup d’©tat and established military government. Gangue uprising or May 18th Democratic uprising is a movement in 1980, in which Gangue citizens took up weapons against government troops when the government June Democratic Uprising happened in June 1987.

Large-scale protests by citizens resulted in elections being hold and occurrence of democratic reforms which caused establishment of present democracy of South Korea. Thus, this movement can be viewed as the most significant milestone for establishment of democracy in South Korea. South Koreans democracy was achieved by students’ and citizens’ demonstrations. The intensity of demonstration for democracy strengthened and number of people participating in movements increased as time passes during sass to sass South Koreans establishment of democracy was followed by economic growth.

South Koreans democracy was achieved by students’ and citizens’ demonstrations. According to a reach done by Robert Barron, in general, increase in average income is followed by increase in level of democracy. South Korea is one of the cases. As average income rises, there are more voices for democracy. One possible explanation for this phenomenon is that as income rises, citizens do not worry much about making a living anymore and start to care about right which they had neglected. Democracy confers more right to citizens than authoritarian regimes.

Democracy is desirable In my opinion, democracy is superior to autocracy is that democracy. In democracy, citizens are able to elect or fire their leaders in a regular basis, resulting in having a proper leader who can guide the nation to path of economic growth and good governance. Also, a government represent civilians and protects individual right with decentralized, local government bodies. Also, freedom is often associated with democracy. Democratic country grants citizens freedom of speech and expression, freedom of religion and free media and press.

In non-democratic country, the media is usually not free, and any expression against the government may cause one to be imprisoned. In democracy, people’s will can be expressed though elections and normal citizens can participate in politics. Democracy values cooperation and compromise regardless of gender, age, ethnic group, religion and all other different categories of groups. Democratic government tries to listen to voices of all communities, protecting rights to be different. Chinese government does not want democracy As China is getting more important in the global community, it is becoming more influential on other countries.

One thing that I am worried about a situation in which China being leader of the world is that China is not democratic and it may influence there countries to follow a government form of China’s authoritarian regime or impede other countries being democratic. If China becomes the world leader, some countries’ government might take step back to worse form of governance. In 2005, Beijing released its first white paper on political democracy but stated that their democracy is a “Socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics”.

The communist parties and thus they subdue any opposition movements. Also, China is comprised of majority of Han Chinese and 55 other ethnic minority groups. China includes areas like Tibet, Jinxing and Hong Kong, regions not integrated into Chinese culture. If Chinese government do not block websites such as Google, Youth and Backbone, it will be more difficult for them to govern these areas since Chinese in other regions may hear the news of protests for independence in these areas and there might be people in other areas who listen to their voices.

Freedom of media is one of important characteristics of democracy. If China chooses to be democratic, media will be freer and it is disadvantageous to Chinese government. There will be higher possibility of Tibet and Jinxing to be independent and Chinese government obviously do not want that. It can be concluded that authoritarianism in China might be a necessary evil. China may be democratic in the long run When we consider the Communist Party firm grip on power, demagnification may not occur in near future.

However, As I mentioned earlier, rise in average income result in increase of people wanting democracy. It can be expected that Chinese people will want democracy more as average income rises, as time passes. Also, as Chinese become more affluent, they will travel or study at developed countries which have democracy and learn benefits of democracy. They may want democracy back at home. 989 Chinese Democracy Movement 2011 and Chinese pro-democracy protests show that some Chinese already want democracy.

In the long run, as time passes, Chinese government might be unable to maintain current authoritarian policies of government as there will be stronger demands for democracy from its citizens and there will be larger-scale demonstrations for democracy. It may needs to continuously make more democratic political reforms such as giving citizens more freedom of speech, or loosening censorship on media and the internet, allowing Chinese citizens’ access to websites such as Backbone, Google and Youth. Conclusion Democracy has been accompanied with capitalism and free market in many countries.

The late Zhou period of, also known as the Age of a Hundred Schools of thought, was a turbulent era in Chinese history. Although these schools all contended against each other, they had the same basic goal. To unify China. The three most influential schools of thought that existed were Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism. Although ultimately it was legalist principles and methods that ended the Period of the Warring states, through the eyes of the Confucian thinkers, Qin Shihuandi’s legalist policies may have been a harsh and overtly utilitarian way of unifying China.

Confucianism is a school of thought that developed from one mans want for a more “moral way ” of ruling. Kong Qiu, as he was named before history posthumously named him Kong Fuzi which was later “Latinized into Confucius, was born into an “aristocratic but impoverished family “. His experience with rituals of his native state of Lu in Northwestern China, led him to embark upon a “14 year period of wandering with his students “. Confucius traveled to various small courts attempted to convince their leaders to adopt his philosophies of life and government. He hoped his ideas would return China to a “state of harmony and justice “.

Confucius later returned to his home and remained teaching, believing himself a failure, until his death in 479. In actuality he was far from a failure. His ideas spread throughout the kingdom and played a profound role in shaping Chinese civilization. We must remember that the School of a Hundred thoughts took place during the Period of the Warring states. This was a particularly turbulent period of history where philosophers were trying to come up with anything they could to bring peace and confident rule to China. Many thinkers, such as Confucius, looked to the past to provide examples of for improvement.

The past, especially the Zhou dynasty, was largely mythicized and believed to be a “Golden age of harmony and prosperity “. Confucius believed the Sage kings had it essentially right. A ruler should be like a father figure to his people and lead by example, not by fear. Confucius also drew upon other age-old Chinese virtues such as filial piety or xiao, a moral humanity or ren, and ritual courtesy or li. Confucian thought emphasizes the principle that humans are generally moral creatures and are “by fact, obliged to comport themselves humanely and with integrity.

While Confucianism preached preached a “doctrine of benevolent reform ” based on the virtues of the past, Legalism contrarily emphasized a strict utilitarian regime. Leaders in legalist thought, realized that with the extreme disorder of their present day, new and drastic measures were necessary. For a governing body to succeed, it would depend on a effective system of rewards and punishments. To ensure his power, the ruler had to keep his officials in line with strict rules and regulations and his people obedient with predictably enforced laws.

Shang Yang, Han Feizi gathered that the base of a state’s strength was its armed forces and its agriculture. They then tried to dissuade people from being merchants, scholars, philosophers, or artists because these careers did not “advance the interests of the state “. Legalist’s imposed a strict regime with clearly and strictly defined laws and expectations. Failure to comply even to the most negligible of laws resulted in severe punishment. Legalist thought was that this fear of their leaders would inspire compliance with the laws that govern the state as a whole.

Although the harsh ideals of the legalist school of thought may have later been smoothed out by adopting certain Confucian ideas, they originated as vastly different systems. We can see the legalist polices that Sima Quian recorded in his expansive history of China as they were enforced by Qin Shihuandi. Confucians such as Mencius would have likely disagreed with this style of rule. There are many discrepancies we can see when comparing Sima Quian’s writings and the Analects recorded by students of Confucius. Qin Shihuangdi had a tower built on Mount Langya with clear inscriptions for his people to live by.

One inscription reads ” Great are the Emperor’s achievements, men attend diligently to basic tasks, farming is encouraged, secondary pursuits discouraged. It is made clear that the “great emperor ” wants to suppress his peoples desires to pursue anything but “basic tasks ” that serve the greater good. This would sound preposterous for a Confucian thinker. How can the people build a better society if they are dissuaded from education? They may be forced to build walls or fight wars for the Emperor. Confucians did not believe in “governing with decrees and regulating with punishments “.

They believed that the “people will evade ” their forced work and will have “no sense of shame “. They believed the better way to govern would be to lead by virtue and example. Whereas Qin Shihuangdi may promote a crooked aristocrat to oversee the building of walls, a Confucian would promote an “upright “citizen who was knowledgeable and educated. While the crooked man may punish insubordination with violence to scare others into working, the straight man would “preside over them with dignity, [and his people] will be reverent; if [he] is filial and loving.

His subordinates would want to work for a man who believes in them and they would encourage each to work harder through their respect for one another. “As for sageness and humanity, how dare i claim them? But to learn it insatiably and instruct others indefatigably-that much may be said of me, that is all”,” humbly stated master Confucius. Humility also must have had a different meaning for Qin Shihuangdi as he was quoted “in his sagacity, benevolence and justice to have said: “I humbly propose that all records but those of Qin be burned.

If anyone who is not a court scholar dares to keep the ancient songs, historical records or writings or writings of the hundred schools, these should be confiscated and burned… Those who in conversation dare to quote the old songs and records, should be publicly executed, those who use old precedents to oppose the new order should have their families wiped out. This is a stark contrast to the Confucian beliefs that were composed of many older ideals. Confucians studied ancient texts such as the Book of Documents, and the Book of Songs. The ideals they upheld emphasized the importance of education which came in part from these ancient texts.

How was a man to educate himself and raise his family out of poverty without an education. As Confucius says “If he learns, he will not be benighted “, or ignorant of the rituals that make a virtuousin shi. In a legalist China, where “no evil or impropriety is allowed” and where “kinsman care for each other “, people who were often held to the principle of collective responsibility. All family members were expected to observe others closely, “forestall any illegal activity” and report it. Even if it was against their own family or community members.

If there were such people who knew “of such cases but [failed] to report them, [they] should be punished in the same way. This also is a far cry from the benevolent practice of xiao. In fact, it is fundamentally opposite of the superior teachings of Confucius. Whereas legalist theory believes that children who rebel against their wrongdoing parents will grow to be upstanding citizens, Master You states that “those who are not apt to defy their superiors, but are apt to stir up a rebellion simply do not exist. ” Although this is only a theory, I would say that it should hold more water than Qin Shihuangdi’s.

If the state practices “filial piety and brotherly obedience… [being] the roots of humanity… and the government conducts itself “with [a] virtue likened to the North Star ” one could surmise that it would be a fairly pleasant society to live in. Also inscribed upon Qin Shihuangdi’s stele was the phrase, “The common people know peace and have laid aside weapons and armor; kinsmen care for each other, there are no robbers and thieves: men delight in his rule. ” A Confucian might believe this to be quite an exaggeration for to them there were no “common ” people. Only people who should be treated how you yourself would like to be treated.

In a society of people who are more encouraged to cultivate their own knowledge, and attainment of skilled judgement there would be less of a need for strict rules and guidelines as the people should conduct themselves according to the virtues and morals they have attained through education. The utilitarian procedures of legalism were largely responsible for the general lack of education among the common people of China. As a opinionated Confucian scholar under the reign of Qin Shihuangdi, I would be one of the people getting together to “slander the laws ” and practices set in place by my legalist ruler.

While might be able to agree that a legalist doctrine was responsible for building a unified state with a large-scale political organization that established a tradition of centralized imperial rule, i could speculate that China may have been a very different place had more Confucian values been implemented. As evidenced by the rule of Shang Yang, legalist politics were successful simply through the fear they instilled in the common people. While road work and agriculture was flourishing throughout the dynasty, so was unrest.

Shang Yang was quickly executed upon the death of his patron, his body mutilated and his family annihilated. In the case of Qin Shihaungdi, there were many who welcomed the stability his reign brought, yet still many outspoken scholars, philosophers and others who criticized his regime. As the First Emperor didn’t want his people to be confused with the old teachings of scholars, he demanded that the books be burned and had hundreds of scholars executed. We may never know what China would be like had more of the Confucian teachings survived but i believe that their history might be a little bit less bloody.

Their hiring practices may also sometimes be strange to the West. For example, in Singapore, future government officials are spotted at an early age. When they discover child prodigies, they are groomed, trained and expected to serve their role when they grow up later. And unlike in the West or other parts of the world, where people can assume different kinds of jobs, changing careers for instance from teacher to sales manager, the Yellows tend to frown on functional changes. If you start as a teacher, they expect you to be one all your life because that is your elemental function in an organized and orderly society. It may be organizationally obsessive, but it works.

The Yellows are also known for their work ethic. Confucius’ favorite disciple Yan Hui is a model of Confucian virtue. Confucius says, “What a fine man Hui was! One container of rice, one dipperful of drink, living in a back alley-others couldn’t have endured the gloom of it, but he never let it affect his happiness. What a fine man Hui was!” Consequently, many Yellows work long hours under poor conditions for very little wages. Entrepreneurial Yellows also pad very little profit to their products or services, depending on bulk orders to make ends meet. This has given them a competitive advantage over the West in terms of cheaper labor, facilities, infrastructure, equipment and benefits.

Asian philosophy also affects Asian financial habits. “If a person has too much wealth” states the Tao Te Ching, “it will arouse the envy of others. And through an overly luxurious life, that wealth will eventually be lost.” This teaches them not to show off and to save for the future. Many Chinese firms are not as dependant on debt as their Western counterparts. Even if their stock market crashes, many Chinese corporations will again not be as affected as their Western counterparts because they don’t rely as much on stock market capital compared to the West. China has the highest savings rate in the world-nearly 50% of GDP. Unlike the West, they also don’t allow their currency to float freely because speculative investors (Fire) will often play the money market game or manipulate currency rates to their advantage and to the detriment of society.

This happened during the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997 after the Thai Baht was allowed to float and many foreign speculators pulled out their money all at the same time and devalued many South East Asian currencies. Consequently, the stock market and asset prices dropped while private debt rose. Learning from this lesson, China will unlikely yield to foreign pressure to float the Yuan. China also does not like the idea of speculative foreign investors playing around the Chinese stock market or day-trading for a quick buck. They would prefer real long-term investors; so many good quality Chinese stocks are not available to foreigners.

The stocks for sale to foreigners are usually junk stocks, and it may be difficult to purchase directly. Having to avail it from Hong Kong, the “play” area of China along with Macau, may deter foreign players from manipulating the Chinese market for quick and easy money. Asians usually think long-term. They are willing to sacrifice profit for market share and stability. And this comes from the desire to impose Confucian social order and harmony.

In terms of quality control and management, Asian philosophy has also played a major role. Rene Domingo in Quality Means Survival speaks of Japanese culture, specially the integration of Chan or Zen Buddhism, into quality management. Toyota is best known for Total Quality Management (TQM). The ability of any worker to point out errors without fear of reprisal comes from Buddhist principles where the interconnected and interdependent Self and Other needs to be constantly trained to improve. Miyamoto Musashi’s ancient Book of Five Rings along with the samurai way (Bushido) also dictates their quality culture.

The samurai sword, for example, has been hailed by Westerners as the finest sword ever manufactured since the dawn of time. And the secret is in continuous improvement. Their practice of kyudo, a form of archery where you do not have to hit the target but simply continuously let go, allows one to let go of his or her errors while continuously moving toward perfection. Bushido is also used when negotiating with Westerners. The one who starts has the disadvantage, so the Japanese will usually wait for the Westerner to start, unless the Westerner already knows the Samurai way and waits also (Nihon Services Corporation).

Conclusion

Some may argue that it is actually economic growth that is responsible for culture. However, this is clearly not the case in China. They are unyielding in preserving their values in spite of fast economic growth. In fact that’s why they banned Avatar in favor of Confucius. They are also not flexible when it comes to internet censorship. CNet points out that “sex,” and “porn” are part of the top four keywords that Western children search for on the internet. While it may be a Western value, China thinks it’s “gay” Fire, and prefers to set up a firewall against it. This angered Google lately which accused China of hacking its systems.

A few weeks later though, CNN reports that an Atlanta-based security company confirmed that the alleged China-government hacking was done by amateurs and that the Chinese government is not responsible for it. Time also points out that “Israel and of course the United States Government itself with the largest group of hackers in the world employed by the National Security Agency” are responsible for most hackings in the world. As China says through the BBC, “We need to preserve our nation’s interest, our people’s interest; we cannot be relaxed with any information that will cause harm to the stability of our society, to our system, and to the health of our under-age young people…So, of course, what needs to be shut down will be shut down, what needs to be blocked will be blocked.”

Without a doubt, economic growth doesn’t necessarily transform culture. Quite the opposite is true. Asian culture is the primary driver to the economic success of the Asia-Pacific. The Asians are now also reorganizing the world order. As they promote stronger ties with South East Asia through the ASEAN+3, we may begin to see the workings of a new world order built on Confucian harmony.

References

Bruya, B. (translator). (1996) Confucius Speaks.

Domingo, R. (1998). Quality Means Survival: Caveat Vendidor – Let the Seller

Foroohar, R. ; Liu, M. (2010 Mar 22). It’s China’s World. We’re Just Living in It: The middle kingdom is rewriting the rules on trade, technology, currency, climate-you name it.

Kammerer, P. (2006 Apr 21). The Art of Negotiation. South China Morning Post.

Karabell, Z. (2010 Jan 15). Google and China: Silicon Valley Is No Longer King.

The four-century-long Han rule is divided into two periods: the Earlier or Western Han and the Later or Eastern Han. In between these two was the short-lived Hsin Dynasty (AD 9-23). The Chinese show their pride in Han accomplishments by calling themselves the Han people. Philosophies and institutions that began in the Chou and Ch’in periods reached maturity under the Han. During Han times, the Chinese distinguished themselves in making scientific discoveries, many of which were not known to Westerners until centuries later. The Chinese were most advanced in astronomy.

They invented sundials and water clocks, divided the day equally into ten and then into 12 periods, devised the lunar calendar that continued to be used until 1912, and recorded sunspots regularly. In mathematics, the Chinese were the first to use the place value system, whereby the value of a component of a number is indicated by its placement. Other innovations were of a more practical nature: wheelbarrows, locks to control water levels in streams and canals, and compasses. The Han Chinese were especially distinguished in the field of art.

The famous sculpture of the “Han flying horse” and the carving of the jade burial suit found in Han period tombs are only two superb examples. The technique of making lacquer ware was also highly developed. The Chinese are proudest of the tradition of historical writing that began in the Han period. Ssu-ma Ch’ien (145? -85? BC) was grand historian (an office that combined the duties of court recorder and astronomer) during the time of Wu Ti. His `Historical Records’, which took ten years to complete, established the pattern and style followed by subsequent histories.

In the Later Han, the historical tradition was continued by the Pan family. Pan Piao, the father, started to bring Ssu-ma Ch’ien’s `Records’ up to date. The work was continued by his son Pan Ku (twin brother of the general Pan Ch’ao) and was completed by his daughter Pan Chao, China’s earliest and most famous woman scholar. Unlike Ssu-ma Ch’ien, the Pan family limited their work to 230 years of the Early Han. This was the first of the dynastic histories, subsequently written for every dynasty.

Pan Chao also wrote a highly influential work on the education of women, `Lessons for Women’. Lessons’ emphasized the “virtues” of women, which restricted women’s activities. The Confucianism that the Han Dynasty restored differed from the original teachings of Confucius. The leading Han philosophers, Tung Chung-shu and others, used principles derived from the early Chinese philosophy of nature to interpret the ancient texts. The Chinese philosophy of nature explained the workings of the universe by the alternating forces of yin and yang–dark and light–and the five elements: earth, wood, metal, fire, and water.

The Han period was marked by a broad eclecticism. Many Han emperors favored Taoism, especially the Taoist idea of immortality. Earlier (Western) Han (202 BC-AD 9). The Han Kao Tsu preserved many features of the Ch’in imperial system, such as the administrative division of the country and the central bureaucracy. But the Han rulers lifted the Ch’in ban on philosophical and historical writings. Han Kao Tsu called for the services of men of talent, not only to restore the destroyed classics but to serve as officials in the government.

From that time, the Chinese Empire was governed by a body of officials theoretically selected on merit. Such a practice has few parallels elsewhere at this early date in human history. The new ruler who restored peace and order was a member of the house of Han, the original Liu family. His title was Kuang Wu Ti, “Shining Martial Emperor,” from AD 25 to 57. During the Later Han, which lasted another 200 years, a concerted but unsuccessful effort was made to restore the glory of the former Han. The Later Han scored considerable success in recovering lost territories, however.

Sent to befriend the tribes on the northwestern frontier in AD 73, a great diplomat-general, Pan Ch’ao, eventually led an army of 70,000 almost to the borders of eastern Europe. Pan Ch’ao returned to China in 101 and brought back information about the Roman Empire. The Romans also knew about China, but they thought of it only as the land where silk was produced. The Han Dynasty lasted four hundred years. The term “The Han people” comes from the name of this dynasty. (The English term for “China” comes from the name of the previous dynasty Ch’in). The Han dynasty is the East Asian counterpart of and contemporary with Rome in its golden age.

During this dynasty, China officially became a Confucian state, prospered domestically, and extended its political and cultural influence over Vietnam, Central Asia, Mongolia, and Korea before finally collapsing under a mixture of domestic and external pressures. The Han ruling line was briefly interrupted by the usurpation of a famous reformer, Wang Mang, whose interlude on the throne from A. D. 9 to 23 in known as the Hsin dynasty. Historians therefore subdivide the Han period into two parts, Former (or Western) Han (capital at Ch’ang-an, present day Xi’an) and Later (Eastern) Han (capital at Loyang).