Study Document
Spirit and Characteristic of the Chinese Perspective on History in the Chinese American Community Term Paper
Pages:3 (841 words)
Subject:Countries
Topic:Chinese Philosophy
Document Type:Term Paper
Document:#66142802
Asain Studies
The Chinese people place high regard on tradition, honor, and the ongoing nature of personal relationships to both of these cultural imperatives in order to establish their own identity in the world. When San Francisco was settled by coolie laborers during the 1850's and 1960's, the discrimination which they received encouraged them to band together into a china town settlement. The Chinese were able to create a replica of their homeland in the Chinatown. They were able to maintain their own cultural diversity within the boundaries, and they were able to escape, at least for a short time, the discrimination and harassment which faced them daily in the larger community.
According to the "Letter to Jen An, the writer discusses Chinese personal ethics, and the source of the Chinese identity of a worthwhile personhood. He writes that the Chinese philosophy is built around these 5 tenants:
Self-cultivation is a mark of wisdom
Charity is a sign of humanity
Taking and giving is the measure of decency
A sense of shame is the index of bravery
Making a name for oneself is the end / purpose of conduct.
The author goes on to discuss the difficulty of maintaining what he has learned as valuable and important while in the Chinese-American settlement. He wonders out loud if his life has meaning when it is not able to continue to practice these elements of Chinese identity. His life is governed by the opposition of others, and therefore he is not free to pursue a path that is uniquely Chinese.
The Chinese also hold the idea of personal honor in high regard. A life without honor is often considered to be a life that is not worth living. The writer used this analogy when discussing the role of honor to his Jen An.
"When a fierce tiger is in the depths of the mountain, all the other animals fear him. But he is caught in a trap, he too begs for bread. In light of these examples, bravery and cowardice are a matter of circumstances; strength and weakness depend on conditions. . . Once this is understood, there is nothing to be surprised on their behavior. If by failing to do away with himself before he is in the clutches of the law, a man is degraded to the point of being flogged, and then wished to recover his honor, has he not missed his chance?"
For a Chinese man, caught in the position of having lost, or disgraced his honor, the…
Related Documents
Study Document
History of Construction Technology of
Staircase ramps which are comprised of steep and narrow steps that lead up one face of the pyramid were more in use at that time with evidence found at the Sinki, Meidum, Giza, Abu Ghurob, and Lisht pyramids respectively (Heizer). A third ramp variation was the spiral ramp, found in use during the nineteenth dynasty and was, as its name suggests, comprised of a ramp covering all faces of the
Study Document
Gold Rush the History of
Ah Toy is representative for the way in which immigrants and in her own case the Chinese were treated by the state authorities and the judicial system in particular. It was common practice the discriminatory attitude of the judicial system towards the Chinese immigrants given the fact that, on the one hand the legislature considered the immigrant population to be a threat to the well being of the Americans, and
Study Document
Servant Leadership Does Service-Learning Experience
Conceptually, many agree as to what constitutes a servant leader, although many variations of these characteristics can be found in the literature. The terms "servant" and "leader" may seem contradictory, which is one of the greatest barriers to operationalizing the concept of the servant leader in modern organizations. The following will examine key literature regarding the ability to operationalize the concept of the servant leader. What Distinguishes the Servant Leader? The
Study Document
Jungian Phenomenology and Police Training
and, so that brought in a whole new perspective. I had never realized the degree to which they were afraid of us and often feel as though - now the situation becomes very life threatening for them. Because often they don't know how to follow the protocol, how to properly respond to police officers. and, so it just supercharges the whole event." The training] gave us an opportunity to ask
Study Document
Illegal Immigrants in the U.S.
So who is an American and what an America can or cannot do are questions which are critical to the issue of legalizing immigrants. Does being an American mean you cannot show allegiance to any other country? The images of people raising and waving Mexican flag had enraged many but it need not have. It should be accepted that people who come from different countries would forever hold in their
Study Document
Italian Immigration Late 19th to
The biggest reason for this was financial. Farming takes time to sow, grow and harvest, and there was simply not time for that; the Italian immigrant needed to make as much money as he could in the least time possible; farming simply would not work (2008). Farming also implied a certain amount of permanence, which was not the plan for many Italian immigrants (Mintz 2007). Land in America was also