DOCSLIB.ORG

1. Learning Objectives and Prerequisites

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
1. Learning Objectives and Prerequisites Программа учебной дисциплины «Религии и общество в Китае» Syllabus for the course Religions and Society in China Утверждена Академическим советом ОП Протокол №3 от 30.08.2019 Кылосов Андрей Александрович, Разработчик тьютор, Школа востоковедения Число кредитов 4 Контактная работа (час.) 2 Самостоятельная работа (час.) 150 Курс, Образовательная программа 3 курс (Б), ОП «Востоковедение» Формат изучения дисциплины С использованием онлайн курса 1. Learning objectives and prerequisites This course provides an introduction to the study of the history, major teachings, and practices of the major Chinese religions and spiritual practices and is deigned to give conceptual tools to appreciate diverse religious practice in East. It covers the development of Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism and wide range of popular and local religions. From historical perspective we will also explore the development of key theological, religious and philosophical doctrines as well as associated practices. An effort will be made to spend time on each tradition according to its importance to Asia as a whole. We will explore the role of religions in politics and social relations in East and South, South East Asia and China in particular, and will analyze the origins, central teachings, divisions and branches, rituals and practices, influences on culture, and responses to modern challenges for each tradition. The emphasis throughout the course is on the hermeneutic difficulties’ attendant upon the study of religion in general, and Asian religions in particular. We will explore new Asian religions as dynamic, ongoing forces in the lives of individuals and in the collective experience of modern societies. Discipline is aimed at 3 grade 1 module students. Format of the program is online platform (https://www.coursera.org/learn/chinesepolitics1) - Coursera. 1. Course Plan Total Control hours forms Topic lct Content sem onl/slf About the Course Module 1 Main Topics and Objectives: the Introduction Quiz Main Notions of Chinese Religions (20min) Foundations of 65 min Religions in China Religions and Ancestors Teacher in the Chinese Religious Tradition Syncretism of Tradition Module 2 Taoism: Introduction Quiz Sources of Taoism (20min) Before Taoism: Five Elements and Five Phases Taoism in China 79 min Before Taoism: Early Cults Lao-zi and the Beginning of Taoism Taoism and the Natural Order of Universe Notion of Dao Taoism and the Idea of Immortality Module 3 Alchemy in Taoism Quiz Taoism in Chinese Taoist Practices: Mind and Body (20min) society: main religious 67 min Main Cults of Taoism practices Main Schools in Taoism Modern Schools of Taoism Confucianism: Introduction Module 4 Main Ideas Quiz Confucianism in Main Principles (20min) Chinese society: from 68 min Confucius and Confucianism sacrality to morality Sage Confucius: Ideas, Beliefs and Moral Followers of Confucius Confucian Canon Buddhism in China: Introduction Module 5 Basic Principles of Buddhism Quiz Buddha and Buddhahood (20min) The Way from India to China Buddhism in the 82 min Fundamental division: Theravada, Mahayana, Chinese Tradition Vajrayana Transition to China: Ways and Problems Transition to China: Missionaries and Translators "Sinicization" of Buddhism Schools and Texts - Part Module 6 Schools and Texts - Part Quiz Main Ideas of Chan Buddhism (20min) Sinified Buddhism as Teachers of Chan an almost independent 90 min History of Chan tradition Doctrine of Chan Chan Practice Buddhism in Art and Culture Buddhism in Modern Culture Chinese Mythology Module 7 Creator Deities: Fu Xi and Nu Wa Quiz The Myth of Pangu (20min) Progenitor Deities: Huang-di Chinese Mythology 90 min Progenitor Deities: Xiwang-mu Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors Myth, Hero and Tribe Mythical Creators Cosmological Deities Basics of Chinese Folk Religions The Idea and Society of Salvation in Chinese Folk Religion Chinese folk religions: Sects and Syncretism Module 8 ancestor worship, 88 min Representative Cases of Syncretic Sects Quiz temples, festivals and Xiantiandao and Yiguandao Sects communal identities (20min) Initiation and Secret Societies Local Cults and Traditions - Part Local Cults and Traditions - Part People's Republic of China: Religious Policy Buddhism and Taoism in Modern China Traditions of the Minorities Module 9 Modern China and its 74 min Islam in China Quiz attitude to religions Christianity in China (20min) Western Religions in China Popular Religions in Modern Chinese Culture lct - Total number of hours (1 module) sem - onl/slf – 703 min The formats of the learning: lct (lections) – online sem (seminars) – online onl / slf – self-study of the students. 2. Grading system The grading system includes In-class period control and Final control. In-class control aims to organize the self-study work of the students and is carried out in the written form. It includes: - Studying step by step the online course alongside with solving some tasks for each topic - Successful completing of the online courses Final control is carried out by taking part in the debates. Before final grading the students must be got acquainted to the results of their participation in the debates. Debates missed by a student for a good reason (illness, scientific or academic trip, participation in a conference, etc., documented to the training office), if agreed with the teacher, may not be taken into account and the weight will be redistributed to all elements of the online course control. The retake of the exam is possible in accordance with the “Regulation on the organization of intermediate certification and ongoing monitoring of student performance at the Higher School of Economics”. Blocking controls are not provided. Grading formule: Gres = 0,15•Gth.1 + 0,15• Gth.2 + 0,15• Gth.3 + 0,15• Gth.4 + 0,15• Gth.5 + 0,15• Gth.6 + 0,1•Gdeb, where Gres – resulting grade, Gth.1 – summing grade for the theme 1, studied online, Gth.2 – summing grade for the theme 2, studied online, Gth.3 – summing grade for the theme 3, studied online, Gth.4 – summing grade for the theme 4, studied online, Gth.5 – summing grade for the theme 5, studied online, Gth.6 – summing grade for the theme 6, studied online, Gdeb – grade for taking part in debates, If a student gets grade less than “4” (40), he doesn`t get an automatic failing grade, as this grade does not have a status of the blocking element and, due to the summing grade for the online course, this student gets his final result. Table of correspondence of grades on a and five-point scale Ten-point scale Five-point scale 1 – very poor 2 – poor Fail 3 – bad 4 – nearly satisficing Marginal pass 5 – satisficing 6 – good Good 7 – very good 8 – almost excellent 9 – excellent Excellent 10 – extremely excellent During monitoring, remote support is provided via e-mail. Grades on the current and final control can also be pre-communicated to students using electronic mailing. Formation of an assessment in a 10-point scale takes into account the scale of translation of estimates. 3. Reading list 3.1. Required 1. Георгиевский, С. М., Принципы жизни Китая: культ предков, многобожие и философия / С. М. Георгиевский. – Изд. 2-е. – М.: УРСС: ЛЕНАНД, 2015. – 279 с. – (Сер. "Академия фундаментальных исследований". Этнология). - 25 экз. уч.ф. Мясн. - ISBN 978-5-9710162-3-6. 3.2. Optional 1. Katz, Paul R.. Religion in China and Its Modern Fate, Brandeis University Press, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/hselibrary- ebooks/detail.action?docID=1524276. 2. Modernisation of Chinese Culture: Continuity and Change, edited by Jana S. Rošker, and Nataša Vampelj Suhadolnik, Cambridge Scholars Publisher, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/hselibrary- ebooks/detail.action?docID=1800453. 4. Special Equipment and Software Support № Name Access demands 1. Microsoft Windows 7 Professional RUS Inner University access (according to Microsoft Windows 10 contract) Microsoft Windows 8.1 Professional RUS 2. Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 Inner University access (according to contract) 5. Professional data base, online resources № Name Access demands Internet resources (electronic educational resources) 2. Coursera https://www.coursera.org/ 5.1 Technical equipment for the discipline Classrooms for lectures used during the discipline provide for necessary aims and demonstration of thematic illustrations corresponding to the program of the discipline: - PC with Internet access (operating system, office programs, antivirus programs); - multimedia projector with remote control. Classrooms for seminars and self-study in the discipline are equipped with a personal computer, with Internet access and access to the electronic information and educational environment of the Higher School of Economics (LMS). Computer classes are equipped with personal computers with Internet access, operating systems and software necessary for mastering the discipline. If necessary, it is allowed to replace equipment with its virtual counterparts. 6. Specifics of the organization for training people with disabilities. If necessary, students with disabilities (at the request of the student) and for persons with limited abilities (at the request and also in accordance with an individual rehabilitation program for a disabled person), may be offered the following options for the perception of educational information taking into account their individual psychophysical characteristics, including using e-learning and remote technologies: 6.1.1. For persons with visual impairments: in print in large scale; in the form of an electronic document; in the form of an audio file (translation of training materials into audio format); in printed form in Braille; individual consultations with the involvement of a tiflos sign language interpreter; individual tasks and consultations. 6.1.2. for persons with hearing impairment: in print; in the form of an electronic document; video materials with subtitles; individual consultations involving an interpreter; individual tasks and consultations. 6.1.3. for persons with disorders of the musculoskeletal system: in printed form; in the form of an electronic document; in the form of an audio file; individual tasks and consultations. .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Full Spectrum of Selves in Modern Chinese Literature: from Lu Xun to Xiao Hong
    UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Full Spectrum of Selves in Modern Chinese Literature: From Lu Xun to Xiao Hong Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5022k8qv Author Ho, Felicia Jiawen Publication Date 2012 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Full Spectrum of Selves in Modern Chinese Literature: From Lu Xun to Xiao Hong A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in East Asian Languages and Cultures by Felicia Jiawen Ho 2012 © Copyright by Felicia Jiawen Ho 2012 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Full Spectrum of Selves in Modern Chinese Literature: From Lu Xun to Xiao Hong by Felicia Jiawen Ho Doctor of Philosophy in East Asian Languages and Cultures University of California, Los Angeles, 2012 Professor Shu-mei Shih, Chair Despite postcolonial theory’s rejection of legacies of Western imperial dominance and cultural hierarchy, the superiority of Euro-American notions of subjectivity remains a persistent theme in third world cross-cultural literary analysis. Interpretations of the Chinese May Fourth era often reduce the period to one of wholesale westernization and cultural self- repudiation. Euro-American notions of the self often reify ideologies of individuality, individualism, rationalism, evolution, and a “self-versus-society” dichotomy, viewing such positions as universal and applicable for judging decolonizing others. To interrogate this assumption, I examine the writing of Lu Xun and Xiao Hong, two May Fourth writers whose fictional characters present innovative, integrated, heterogeneous selves that transcend Western ii critical models. This “full spectrum of selves” sustains contradicting pulls of identity—the mental (the rational, the individual), the bodily (the survivalist, the affective), the cerebral (the moral), the social (the relational, the organismic), as well as the spiritual and the cosmic.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Article
    International Conference on Arts, Design and Contemporary Education (ICADCE 2016) Ancient Emaki "Genesis" Exploration and Practice of Emaki Art Expression Tong Zhang Digital Media and Design Arts College Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications Beijing, China 100876 Abstract—The ancient myths and legends with distinctive generation creators such as A Gen, sheep and others, and a Chinese characteristics, refers to myths and legends from dedicated serial picture book magazine "Paint Heart", Chinese Xia Dynasty until ancient times, it carries the origin of "STORY" appears, the delicate picture and vivid story make Chinese culture and it is the foundation of the Chinese nation, it Chinese picture book also developing rapidly and has formed a influence the formation and its characteristics of the national national reading faction craze for outstanding picture books. spirit to a large extent. The study explore and practice the art expression which combines ancient culture with full visual 1) Picture book traced back to ancient Chinese Emaki: impact Emaki form, learn traditional Chinese painting China has experienced a few stages include ancient Emaki, techniques and design elements, and strive to make a perfect illustrated book in Republican period and modern picture performance for the magnificent majestic ancient myth with a books. "Picture book", although the term originated in Japan, long Emaki. It provides a fresh visual experience to the readers and promotes the Chinese traditional culture, with a certain but early traceable picture books is in China. In Heian research value. Kamakura Period Japanese brought Buddhist scriptures (Variable graph), Emaki (Lotus Sutra) and other religious Keywords—ancient myths; Emaki form; Chinese element Scriptures as picture books back to Japan, until the end of Middle Ages Emaki had developed into Nara picture books.
    [Show full text]
  • Social and Political Criticisms Embedded in Chinese Myths and Legends
    https://doi.org/10.7592/FEJF2019.75.xiyao SOCIAL AND POLITICAL CRITICISMS EMBEDDED IN CHINESE MYTHS AND LEGENDS HE Xiyao School of English Studies Zhejiang International Studies University Hangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected] Abstract: Chinese myths and legends, as popular cultural products, may be subjected to the analytical methods of cultural studies, which is the approach this study adopts when investigating their complex relationship with Chinese society and history. In particular, the social and political criticisms embedded in these myths and legends are studied, and this is done through exploring the reasons for the prominence of the embedded criticisms in Chinese myths and legends, and sorting out the general trend of their development. The prominence is accounted for by the harsh censorship and the influence of the Chu spirit and Taoism on Chinese culture.1 In the development of these criticisms, four stages are marked, each (cor)responding to the historical circumstances and with its own distinct feature. The study concludes with the historicity of Chinese myths and legends; the criticisms are embedded in them and they, in turn, are embedded in Chinese society and history. Keywords: censorship of culture, Chinese myths and legends, Chu spirit, cultural studies, social and political criticisms, strategies and tactics, Taoism APPROACH ADOPTED IN THIS STUDY Among the various approaches to the study of Chinese mythology – and of mythology in general – an important one that has persisted throughout the last century and has remained influential to this day is to study the complex relationship between mythology and society, i.e., how the two have affected, structured, and shaped each other.
    [Show full text]
  • Mythical Image of “Queen Mother of the West” and Metaphysical Concept of Chinese Jade Worship in Classic of Mountains and Seas
    IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) Volume 21, Issue11, Ver. 6 (Nov. 2016) PP 39-46 e-ISSN: 2279-0837, p-ISSN: 2279-0845. www.iosrjournals.org Mythical Image of “Queen Mother of the West” and Metaphysical Concept of Chinese Jade Worship in Classic of Mountains and Seas Juan Wu1 (School of Foreign Language，Beijing Institute of Technology, China) Abstract: This paper focuses on the mythological image, the Queen Mother of the West in Classic of Mountains and Seas, to explore the hiding history and mental reality behind the fantastic literary images, to unveil the origin of jade worship, which plays an significant role in the 8000-year-old history of Eastern Asian jade culture, to elucidate the genetic mechanism of the jade worship budded in the Shang and Zhou dynasties, so that we can have an overview of the tremendous influence it has on Chinese civilization, and illustrate its psychological role in molding the national jade worship and promoting the economic value of jade business. Key words: Mythical Image, Mythological Concept, Jade Worship, Classic of Mountains and Seas I. WHITE JADE RING AND QUEEN MOTHER OF THE WEST As for the foundation and succession myths of early Chinese dynasties, Allan holds that “Ancient Chinese literature contains few myths in the traditional sense of stories of the supernatural but much history” (Allan, 1981: ix) and “history, as it appears in the major texts from the classical period of early China (fifth-first centuries B.C.)，has come to function like myth” (Allan, 1981: 10). While “the problem of myth for Western philosophers is a problem of interpreting the meaning of myths and the phenomenon of myth-making” as Allan remarks, “the problem of myth for the sinologist is one of finding any myths to interpret and of explaining why there are so few.” (Allen, 1991: 19) To decode why white jade enjoys a prominent position in the Chinese culture, the underlying conceptual structure and unique culture genes should be investigated.
    [Show full text]
  • Chinese Mythology 神话
    Chinese Mythology By: Andy R. and Kyle A. 神话 What is it? 这这是什么？ • Chinese mythology is a collection of cultural history, folktales, and religions that have been passed down through generations. • Chinese mythology is passed down through speech or written words. • Much of Chinese mythology is about creation myths (how the world and people were created) and gods • Many myths concern the creation myths (创世神话) of the Chinese state and culture. How they were spread 他们是如何传播的 - Chinese mythology began in the 12th century BCE. - The myths and legends were passed down orally for thousands of years until they were written in books like the Shan Hai Jing (山海经), which means Classic of the mountain and Seas - Other myths were passed down in the form of songs and theater. - Many myths were in the forms of poems(诗) Examples of Chinese Myths -- Poems like Heavenly Questions and Jiu Ge- Investiture of the Gods, are mythological fictional stories dealing with the founding of the Zhou dynasty • -- Other important mythological works are Journey to the West and Bai She Zhuan Creation Myth of China http://www.mythicjourneys.org/bigmyth/myths/english/2_chinese_ful l.htm - Recap: The world was created from an egg. Inside the egg was yin and yang and they were constantly fighting. Yin and Yang fought so much the egg cracked and out came a dragon called Pan-gu. The dragon grew 10 feet a day until the sky was 30,000 miles above the ground. When he stopped growing, he created the mountains, river, and flat lands. One day he grew old and died, when he died his blood became the rivers and one eye became the sun and the other became the moon.
    [Show full text]
  • Oriental Mythology Free Encyclopedia
    FREE ORIENTAL MYTHOLOGY PDF Joseph Campbell | 576 pages | 01 Sep 2011 | Souvenir Press Ltd | 9780285640566 | English | London, United Kingdom Chinese mythology - Wikipedia Salvation churches and sects :. Confucian churches and sects:. Chinese mythology includes many varied myths from regional and Oriental Mythology traditions. Chinese mythology is far from monolithic, Oriental Mythology being an integrated system, even among just Han people. Chinese mythology is encountered in the traditions of Oriental Mythology classes of people, geographic regions, historical periods including the present, and from various ethnic groups. China is the home of many mythological traditions, including that of Han Chinese and their Oriental Mythology predecessors, as well as Tibetan mythologyTurkic Oriental MythologyKorean mythologyJapanese mythology and many others. However, the study of Chinese mythology tends to focus upon material in Chinese language. Much of the mythology involves exciting stories full of fantastic people and beings, the use of magical powers, often taking place in an exotic mythological place or time. Like many mythologies, Chinese Oriental Mythology has in the past been believed to be, at least in part, a factual recording of history. Many Oriental Mythology involve the creation and cosmology of the universe and its deities and inhabitants. Some mythology involves creation myths, the origin of things, people and culture. Some Oriental Mythology the origin of the Chinese state. Some myths present a chronology of prehistoric times, many of these involve a culture hero who taught people how to build houses, or cook, or write, or was the ancestor of an ethnic group or dynastic family. Mythology is intimately related to ritual. Many myths are oral associations with ritual acts, such as dances, ceremonies, and sacrifices.
    [Show full text]
  • World Religions.Pdf
    DedicatedTeacher.com < eBooks and Materials for Teachers and Parents > Thank you for purchasing the following book - another quality product from DedicatedTeacher.com To purchase additional books and materials, please visit our website at: http://www.dedicatedteacher.com/estore Please e-mail us at: [email protected] for further information about: • Using School or School District Purchase Orders • Purchasing Site Licenses for Materials • Customer Service To subscribe to our monthly newsletter - The DedicatedTeacher.com eNews - please visit: http://www.dedicatedteacher.com/newsletter Contributing Author Rabbi David J.B. Krishef Interdisciplinary Thematic Unit Editor Dona Herweck Rice Editor-in-Chief World Religions Sharon Coan, M.S. Ed. Grades 6-8 Illustrator Agnes S. Palinay Cover Artist Keith Vasconcelles Art Director Elayne Roberts Product Manager Phil Garcia Imaging Alfred Lau James Edward Grace Publisher Author Mary D. Smith, M.S. Ed. Gabriel Arquilevich Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 6421 Industry Way Westminster, CA 92683 www.teachercreated.com ISBN 13: 978-1-55734-624-7 ©1995 Teacher Created Resources, Inc. Reprinted, 2007 Made in U.S.A. The classroom teacher may reproduce copies of materials in this book for classroom use only. The reproduction of any part for an entire school or school system is strictly prohibited. No part of this publication may be transmitted, stored, or recorded in any form without written permission from the publisher. Table of Contents Introduction................................................................................................................................................4
    [Show full text]
  • Handbook of Chinese Mythology TITLES in ABC-CLIO’S Handbooks of World Mythology
    Handbook of Chinese Mythology TITLES IN ABC-CLIO’s Handbooks of World Mythology Handbook of Arab Mythology, Hasan El-Shamy Handbook of Celtic Mythology, Joseph Falaky Nagy Handbook of Classical Mythology, William Hansen Handbook of Egyptian Mythology, Geraldine Pinch Handbook of Hindu Mythology, George Williams Handbook of Inca Mythology, Catherine Allen Handbook of Japanese Mythology, Michael Ashkenazi Handbook of Native American Mythology, Dawn Bastian and Judy Mitchell Handbook of Norse Mythology, John Lindow Handbook of Polynesian Mythology, Robert D. Craig HANDBOOKS OF WORLD MYTHOLOGY Handbook of Chinese Mythology Lihui Yang and Deming An, with Jessica Anderson Turner Santa Barbara, California • Denver, Colorado • Oxford, England Copyright © 2005 by Lihui Yang and Deming An All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Yang, Lihui. Handbook of Chinese mythology / Lihui Yang and Deming An, with Jessica Anderson Turner. p. cm. — (World mythology) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-57607-806-X (hardcover : alk. paper) — ISBN 1-57607-807-8 (eBook) 1. Mythology, Chinese—Handbooks, Manuals, etc. I. An, Deming. II. Title. III. Series. BL1825.Y355 2005 299.5’1113—dc22 2005013851 This book is also available on the World Wide Web as an eBook. Visit abc-clio.com for details. ABC-CLIO, Inc. 130 Cremona Drive, P.O. Box 1911 Santa Barbara, California 93116–1911 This book is printed on acid-free paper.
    [Show full text]
  • Representations of the Origin of the Universe in Ancient and Centrasiatic Mythology
    e-ISSN : 2620 3502 International Journal on Integrated Education p-ISSN : 2615 3785 Representations of the origin of the universe in ancient and centrasiatic mythology Musurmanov Erkin1 1Researcher, Uzbekistan. Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT This article discusses the interpretation of the main gods of the Uzbek (Turkic) and Chinese mythology, their similar and distinctive features. Comparing the deities of Chinese mythology Pangu and Uzbek mythology Tengri, as well as the goddesses of Chinese and Uzbek mythology Nyuva and Umai, it is concluded that there is the unity of the genesis of the main gods of the pantheon of mythology of the two peoples. Keywords: Central Asian mythology, first egg, Pangu and Tengri, Umai and Nyuva, their similarity and difference. 1. INTRODUCTION The main gods in Chinese and ancient Uzbek (Turkic) myths, their creation, there are certain similarities in their activities in the creation of the universe and man. The first material matter was the secular egg, the first creator-man: Pangu in Chinese mythology, Tengri's tearing out of the egg in Turkish mythology, the activities of both in the creation of being; secondary female goddesses: the creative and patronage functions of Nyuyva and Umayyad; the third world - the images of the rulers of the underground kingdom Xi Wanmu and Erlik’s activities in their own worlds are an example of this. According to Xu Zheng (3rd century) in the San u li tzu (Chronological Records of Three Rulers and Five Emperors), “In ancient times, in the Pacific region, the universe consisted of darkness reminiscent of a large egg. In that world a great hero named Pangu is born.
    [Show full text]
  • The Chinese Concept of Tian (Heaven): Part 2 by Yao Jiugang
    [AJPS 21.2 (August 2018), pp. 47-58] The Chinese Concept of Tian (Heaven): Part 2 by Yao Jiugang (Stephen) In Part 1 of this paper, we mentioned three differing ways of viewing Tian: as one god among many, as an indifferent creator, or as the approachable God of the Bible. The paper reviewed God’s accessibility, and how He reveals Himself to mankind. In the following pages we will consider the controversy over Tian in depth. On the one hand, both Communism and some Christians posit that Tian is a god/an idol. The author observes that some Christians take Tian as a grandpa god, but neglect the fact that there are no images of Tian. In this part, we will investigate how some communist scholars take Tian as a god who is either superior or inferior to other gods. On the other hand, influenced by animism, some people view Tian as a distant Being from humankind, yet many Christian scholars believe that Tian is the God revealed by the Bible, approachable and accessible. Is Tian distant from humankind or is Tian the Eternal God, approachable and accessible? The author makes his case for a correct understanding of God point-by-point using evidence regarding God’s lordship. The Controversy Over Tian Controversy is not always harmful, for through controversy we may come closer to truth. Thus, by exploring different views of the Chinese concept of Tian, this paper aims to know deeper about Tian as God, rather than as a god, or an indifferent God. Presented first is an overview of the three views of Tian to be followed by a detailed explanation of each one.
    [Show full text]
  • Gender and Folk-Religion in Western China: a Case Study of the Tu of Qinghai
    religions Article Gender and Folk-Religion in Western China: A Case Study of the Tu of Qinghai Haiyan Xing * and Gerald Murray College of Philosophy, Law & Political Science, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China; murray@ufl.edu * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 2 August 2019; Accepted: 10 September 2019; Published: 12 September 2019 Abstract: This paper deals with analysis of gender issues in an ethnic religious system in Western China, the religion of the Tu ethnic group. We focused on gender in Tu religion, which entailed documenting gender dynamics in three major ethnographic domains that have been present in religious systems around the world and through time: spirit beliefs, rituals, and specialists. Though examined gender dynamics as they occur among the Tu in all three of these niches, we found that in the Tu spirit world, there are major male and female spirits who are viewed as having equal status and equal power over the weather. However, in the domain of ritual specialists, the gender situation changes. As for gender-differentiation in rituals, we found practices that excluded women from entering temples and from participating in public emergency rituals associated with weather crises. In addition, we have attempted to identify the multiple causal factors that that may have affected the evolution of Tu. Keywords: gender; folk-religion; religious specialist; Chinese ethnic groups 1. Introduction 1.1. Purpose of the Article These pages will deal with analysis of the multiple causal factors that influence the evolution of gender issues in a religious system. We will do this via focused analysis of gender issues in an ethnic religious system in Western China, the religion of the Tu ethnic group.
    [Show full text]
  • Jade Myths and the Formation of Chinese Identity
    Journal of Literature and Art Studies, April 2017, Vol. 7, No. 4, 377-398 doi: 10.17265/2159-5836/2017.04.001 D DAVID PUBLISHING Jade Myths and the Formation of Chinese Identity YE Shu-xian LIU Wan-er Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China Reality is constructed by societies, whose process must be analyzed by the sociology of knowledge. The “reality”, taken as granted by the public, has sharp contrast from one society to another. By Peter Berger and Thomas Luckman: The Social Construction of Reality Chinese civilization is the only surviving one that has a continual history that lasts for several thousand years since the Stone Age. What’s the secret of its lasting cultural vitality? How can it live through numerous military conflicts and political transitions and still firmly hold a large population of various ethnics within its administration? A long-established cultural centripetal force, i.e. cultural identity shared by multi parties, shall be the key to former questions. According to current focus of cultural research, this force is termed as “Chinese identity”, which explores the formation and continuation of Chinese civilization from the perspective of cultural identity. What is cultural identity? A simplified answer is: Cultural identity fundamentally refers to ethnicity. This characterizes a group whose members claim a common history or origin and a specific cultural heritage, no matter that the history or origin is often mythicized or that the cultural legacy is never totally homogeneous. The essential thing is that these common elements are lived by the concerned group as distinctive characteristics and perceived as such by others1.
    [Show full text]