contrary to what the hard sell chinese culturalists try to feed us (ok that's a gross pun considering the title of this article), the chinese people were no better or worse than any other group when it came to the most grotesque practice of mankind- human sacrifice.
yes, it seems that many groups in china practiced it. one must define for himself the meanging of chinese people, however. is to be chinese to mean only the Han people? the Hans themselves inter-married with the other groups. i doubt very seriously that there is such a thing as "pure Han". also, the name "Zhong Gouh" literally means a conglomeration of all the peoples living in that area (zhong he gouh), not the "center of the earth/ middle kingdom" as many writers would have us beleive.
so many of the tribes in china practiced it. but how late? and did the han practice it also?
Confucious knew of the practice and wrote/taught about it, forbidding it. his primary audience was the Han people (unless you han-ites want to disclaim Kong Dz as "yours"). so at least as late as confucious's time, it was still being practiced, presumably by the Han people themselves.
there are accounts of it being done as late as 1395 (the so called glorious MING dynasty). the Ching also practiced it until it was banned by Kangxi in 1673.
1673! for crying out loud! the Baroque period! 200 years after the west rose as a world power. that's pretty late in the game to be playing pagan.
no wonder western culture won.
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I can't tell if you are being sarcastic here - obviously China had a problem with being closed off from the rest of the world, so while other countries were sharing ideas and inventions and growing more powerful, China was stuck in traditional ways. But "no wonder western culture won"? Sounds like typical American elitism. Besides, what about things like lynching? That happened way after 1673.
ReplyDeletelynchings were acts of racism and crime that eventually went punished.
ReplyDeletehuman sacrifice was a ritual that the chinese thought would bring good luck and fortune to the nation. that puts them in the pagan department.
and to say that pointing out that the west won is elitism is blind. western culture did win, and continues to win because they espouse superior values.
PS. thanks for coming by
ReplyDeleteI wasn't saying that the west didn't win, that would be rewriting history. I said that when you say "no wonder western culture won" it sounds like typical American elitism...as in: America is BETTER than everyone else, BECAUSE WE JUST ARE kind of mentality. I mean, I assume you didn't mean it that way, I'm just pointing out that that's how it sounds. You know, like "some cultures are better than others" uneducated type people (I'm actually a Republican, but Michele Bachmann and her popularity scare the sh** out of me). Honestly, I think China will eventually catch up to and overtake the Western world, but not for a while, and especially not quick enough for all the fear mongering and racism that's sprung up to be even slightly logical.
ReplyDeleteAlso, although Confucianism and Daoism (and pagan sacrifice etc) have kept China/Taiwan/Asia in general back historically, I think it's really sad how now people are trying to westernize and get rid of even the good aspects. Filial piety (to an extent that's reasonable, like taking care of your elderly parents/grandparent instead of shipping them to a community) and just simple respect towards other people/elders are some of the best aspects of Asian culture, but I was on a bus the other day and these two mainland Chinese guys (I could tell by their really strong Beijing accents) were sitting ignoring the elderly couple standing in front of them. Of course, in America elderly are more likely to be insulted you think they are too old to be standing on a bus, but I still found it odd that the two young guys didn't even ask. Then again, it might be different in China because of the one child policy, which results in some pretty spoiled kids. What is your take on Taiwan?
Lastly (this has been really long, I know) did you copyright your music before you sent in demos? It will be a few years before I finish school and I'm even close to ready to send things anywhere, but you said one of your solos got copied, yeah? Taiwan's not part of the Berne Convention are they?
yo, welcome back! my friend, your demo will either:
ReplyDelete1. not be heard OR....
2. put in a pile and eventually heard when you call them to let them take notice of it
the result of which will be... nothing. or your idea showng up in a song somewhere.
you are not "one of them". even if you were full TWese, you wouldn't be one of them. takes a relationship that they're scared of losing to be that.
i suggest you home record your work, make some CDs, and sell them in your park show. buy a small street amp and do that. don't waste your time with these fuckers.
you CAN get placement in record stores. find one that will take your CD and allow you to put a poster in their window. afterall, you just paid for their advertising.
ReplyDelete