Stereotype 09: Stereotypes in Chinese History

Stereotypes in Chinese History

In Chinese history, the health conditions in our country were not as complete as in modern times, as shown in Figure 9-1, children died young, socially violent illnesses occurred frequently, life was then very short, and generally emperors died young. Therefore, ancient cultural thought studied the way of health very comprehensively, advocating a return to nature and keeping nature in the landscape and fields, compared to the pollution of modern society with its profound view of the universe and nature. Ancient thought covers all levels of human beings, as long as we observe carefully, our ideas perceptions are left by the ancients, we think the philosophical truths the ancients have long said, only we have forgotten.

Ancient times mainly considered rich is beautiful, modern basically bone thin. Ancient is gentle, quiet, the piano and calligraphy. Today's people do not see the ancient moon, the moon used to shine on the ancient people. Ancient people believe in feudal superstition, ancient reverence for rituals, long-term compliance with the three virtues, the monarch supremacy, learning the eight-legged essay, more ignorant and backward thinking. China's history is rich in products, commodities, products sold at home and abroad, is the "Heavenly Kingdom". The ancient Chinese did not have a clearly defined private sphere and did not have any individual rights.

The ancient Chinese lived for a long time in a highly civilized country that felt itself to be the "central country", and they were largely isolated from other civilized societies with a high level of spiritual culture and social organization, without much contact. People from other countries were considered to be barbarians and their culture was not as good as ours, and they could not accept the ritual system of other countries, and when people from other countries came to our country, they had to follow our rituals and perform prostrations.

In Chinese history, people thought that the most direct meaning of "the world" was the earth under the sky (the ancients thought that the earth was under the sky), and it meant "the world", but at that time the "world" was actually only China. But the "world" at that time was actually just China, so the "world" was China from the geographical point of view, and the people from the point of view of the people, and not the "people" of the nobility, but the people of the "household". It is often opposed to the "Son of Heaven" and the monarch or even the ruler, which means "society" as opposed to politics and the state. This distinction is most evident in a famous quote by Gu Tinglin. It is worth noting that the "world" as understood by the ancients was quite simple and consistent, as Dong Zhongshu said: "The world of the past is also the world of the present; the world of the present is the world of the past". In contrast to the three dynasties and the latter, Confucius said, "The Yin dynasty was based on the Xia rituals, and the gains and losses were known; the Zhou dynasty was based on the Yin rituals, and the gains and losses were known. This is also known. Those who may have succeeded the Zhou, though a hundred generations, can be known." Today, we can no longer have confidence that any system or society will not change significantly.

Ancient China did have a consistent continuity over thousands of years; not only did the races living on the land remain largely unchanged, but its political system, ideology, beliefs, and culture did not change as much as they have in Western history, and continued unchanged through history.

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（9-2）

Reference.

Xie Yaling, History of Chinese Political Thought [M], Higher Education Press, 2003