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Chinese Curtailed Verse - Jue Ju - 绝句

In class, we read Matsuo Bashō 's work, Oku no Hosomichi ( Narrow Road to the Interior ) (1694). He is a famous Japanese Edo period poet and considered a master of haiku poetry. His work is truly beautiful, capturing amazing scenes and feelings in his verse. However, this lead our (Chinese) Comparative Lit teacher to talk about the origin of haiku poetry and how Chinese poetry influenced the style. Haiku originated from Chinese jue ju , or curtailed verse in its form. And this is how jue ju came about: China in the post-Han era also absorbed inspiration from Buddhism and writings from India that were translated from Sanskrit into Chinese. Buddhism gained strength in China as disorder increased and the domination of Confucian thought diminished. The first major sign of this influence on literature was the adoption of elements of Sanskrit poetic structure, which resulted in two new Chinese verse forms: jue ju (curtailed verse) and lü shi (regulated verse). Both of the verse forms...
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A Personal Pillow Book

This is my own Pillow Book, inspired by Sei Shōnagon's famous Makura no Sōshi - written during the Heian period while in she served in the court of Empress Consort Teishi. The book was possibly transcribed in a competition against Murasaki Shikibu's work The Tale of Genji . The Pillow Book of Elizabeth Paich 1. The Freshness of the New Season   In the middle of the first month, if one awakens before the sunrise, it is such a delight to witness the thin layer of frozen dew on a freshly trimmed grass field. The morning frost seems like sugar crystals, delicately powdering the deep emerald underneath it. As the sun rises over the mountains, the morning begins to warm up and the sky’s hues slowly turn from the dark indigo of night into the warm glowing peach shades of dawn. I alone enjoyed such a refreshing scene before I would head to school.   But there are other girls, those who attended the same school as I, who spent their idle time dreaming of becoming mothers and rais...
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Chan & Zen Influence in Painting

Chan & Zen Buddhism’s Influence in Painting   Chan and Zen Buddhism’s unique style, because of the traditions’ straightforwardness and distinctive sense of humor, has influenced classical Japanese and Chinese artists alike. Chan and Zen’s limited use of color produces images with an eye-catching high contrast and the fluidity of the brushwork is instantaneous – with the stroke being a spontaneous and quick motion from wrist to brush. The brushwork in Chan and Zen-inspired paintings is not only an immediate action of the artist but also mirrors the calligraphic writing style of China and Japan. Chan and Zen-inspired artists focus on landscapes, figure-studies, and even objects that represent visual koans – or unanswerable riddles. Figure-studies usually include Daoist and Buddhist immortals, classical poets, and Buddhist monks and patriarchs.  Spontaneous Mode and Splashed Ink Style   The two styles of painting that inspired me to create my series are known a...
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About the Author - A Personal Essay

This was my EAP essay to travel to Beijing, Summer 2010 in order to attend Peking University. I got accepted and it was an awesome trip. Now, I am reposting this because it is an excellent bio explaining why I like China and East Asia, even though it was written 8 years ago.   The heat of the air rising from the grey streets of Beijing in the sticky, rainy summer months will be of little worry to me. Simply returning to China’s capital, to study on my own for the first time as a young adult, would be enough to help me to tough out the heat of the classrooms in the summer weather. As an Asian Literature and Culture major on the Chinese track, going to China and taking programs over the summer at Peking University will benefit my studies by diving into Chinese society.   Chinese culture has been a major focus in my life since I began learning the language in high school. When I entered high school, the course was new and I jumped on the opportunity to study the Far East. I s...
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Confucian Exams

Confucian Ideology and Traditional Chinese Politics   In traditional Chinese politics, the autocracy was maintained by Confucian ideology, which preached filial piety. Filial piety promoted a hierarchy of loyalty and respect from younger to elder, and the emperor sat at the top of this system. Filial piety was stressed in official education, which prepared male citizens for the civil service examination. In order to become a bureaucrat and serve in the government, intense memorization and study of Confucian classics were necessary in order to succeed in exams and climb through the degree ranks to secure a bureaucratic position in the government. This process was time-consuming and meant those who spent their lives striving for excellence in the system did not wish to see it falter in any way. For those who did not do as well as they wished in exams, dissenting views would, of course, emerge towards the system, but those who did well nonetheless retained the status, power, and we...
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Daoism and Nature

The Role of the Natural Environment in the Shaping of Daoism  [1]   While the majority of Asian religions and philosophies reference nature, none make nature and naturalness their fundamental focus as Daoism does. Daoism is built upon the belief that the Dao , or the Way, is in harmony with the natural environment and that ziran , naturalness, is the ideal behavior for humans. In the Dao De Jing and Zhuangzi , nature and natural elements are woven into the texts to illustrate Daoist virtues, values, and practices. The Taijitu  ( yin - yang symbol) is an important Daoist image that portrays the continuous transformations and harmonious balance believed to be a way of the natural world. Knowledge of nature and natural ingredients are important for the Daoist practice of alchemy and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In addition, Daoist beliefs criticize development and modernization, because such things are not in harmony with wu wei , non-action. Instead, Daoism promot...
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China's Development - Power Over People

China’s Economy and Development   This essay will look at the role of the state in development by applying the neo-utilitarian and Gerschenkron models of states to China’s current economic circumstances and its government’s decision for nationalization in order to show how China’s decision may be harmful to its development.   The Economist stated that China “remains a place where companies face heavy direct and indirect state control… China has prospered as broader economic freedoms contributed to growth… But over the past year, this reticence has begun to wane… one domestic industry after another has, as in the West, gone back to the government for support.” This is because China is succumbing to criticisms of capitalism as Western economies breakdown in the current economic crisis. However, the Chinese government is supporting this return and suggests further nationalization of its economy. However, if   China proceeds with this nationalization, China will resem...
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