Extensive Background about Daily Life in Ancient China

Chinese Art
Teacher's Resource
Lesson Plan: Daily Life in Ancient China
Lessons submitted by: Patti Burkhardt

Goal:
These various activities will ready Grades PreK-12 students for their visit to the Naples Art Museum where the Gow Collection will be explored. Four lessons are included: one each for Grades PreK-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, and Grades 9-12.

These four lessons all share the following background information.

Background
The ancient Chinese invented paper, gunpowder, matches, the compass, a seismograph to measure earthquakes, the umbrella, and more! They created profound philosophies, gorgeous art, and great legends. Even their money was neat. Coins had a hole in their center. There were not any banks, so people stored and kept their coins by running a string through the center. A thousand coins strung together was called a string of money. Ancient China is a fascinating mix of extreme extravagance and extreme poverty. It covers 11,000 years of history which are divided into big blocks of time.

A great example of the extravagance some emperors enjoyed can easily be shown by the outrageous lifestyle of Hu the Tiger. This emperor lived during the "Age of Division". Hu the Tiger was so fat that it took 20 men to carry his litter to the royal hunt. He had a revolving couch built, so men could spin it around, to allow him to shoot in any direction. Hu the Tiger had an all girl orchestra with 500 members. He had battalions of female soldiers who wore sable furs and gold rings and carried bows and arrows painted yellow. He had a bathhouse, air-conditioned with a creative system of running water.

Who's Who in Ancient China
A Quick Glimpse into the Time Periods (

Dynasties)

Early

  • 10,000-1500 B.C. Xia (Hsia) Lungshan people, the great engineers
  • Silk, potters wheel, baked brick houses, flood control, irrigation

    Daily Life in Very Early China

    • Chinese civilization "started" around 10,000 BC, when a group called the Yangshao (pronounced yahng shou as in shout) settled near the Huang He River. Archaeologists have uncovered many Yangshao villages in northern China. In one village, they found the remains of farmhouses, built partly underground, with plaster floors, and roofs held up with wooden posts.
    • About 3,000 BC, another farming group appeared, the Lungshan people. The Lungshan were very advanced for their time. They harvested silk and used it to weave fine fabrics. They used the potters wheel. They baked strong bricks in ovens and used them to build their homes. They worked together on flood control and irrigation projects. They had great engineering skills. Legend has it that their "Great Engineer", Yu, founded the Xia (sometimes called the Hsia) Dynasty in about 2,000 BC. There are no written records. Our knowledge of their life comes from ruins of their town, ancient stories and legends. This story tells us quite a bit about ancient life in Xia times.
    • Ancient Story:
      On a warm spring day, in Xia times, some children went out in the fields to play. In those days, if you had a problem you went to see the local wise woman. In this village, the wise woman's name was Loawnu. Alarmed at what they saw in the fields, the children ran up the hill to Loawnu's house. "Loawnu," they shouted. "The sky is falling down!" Loawnu smiled at the children. "Don't be worried. Find all the pieces of sky that have fallen, and bring them to me. I'll sew them together again in time for the festival."
      The spring festival was nearing. This was a time when the young people gathered from many villages to meet one another and to find husbands and wives. The children's village had been honored this year as the meeting village. It would be a horrible time for the sky to fall down. The village would be disgraced! Off the children ran to pick up the pieces. But some were missing! "Loawnu!" cried the children, as they tore up the hill, breathing heavily. Loawnu only smiled.
      The next day, the children ran outside and looked up. The sky looked as it always looked on a warm spring day, clean and fresh and blue. They were so happy. That night, they were amazed! The sky had always been dark at night. That night, it was filled with light! Loawnu had patched the missing pieces of sky with bright twinkling light! How beautiful! How clever! We shall have the happiest spring festival in all the land! How lucky we are to know Loawnu! All the village agreed.

     

Bronze Age

  • 1500-600 B.C Shang
  • Chou (Zhou) Rich Nobles & Poor Farmers
  • Oracle Bones (Shang)
  • Mandate of Heaven (Chou)
  • Ancestor worship, chariots, bowmen, great royal hunts, bronze candlesticks, feudal lords, jade carvings, chinese writing (pictographs), calligraphy

    Daily Life during the Shang & Chou Dynasties

  • The two ruling families of Shang and Chou controlled much of ancient China for about 1,500 years. Daily life was much the same during both dynasties. Shang and Chou times are known for their use of jade, bronze, horse-drawn chariots, ancestor worship, highly organized armies, and human sacrifice. Cities were surrounded by protective walls. One city was surrounded by a wall 30 feet high, 65 feet thick, and 4 1/2 miles long. Inside these walled cities lived the rulers, priests, and warriors. Merchants and craftsmen lived in mud houses built up against the outside walls of the cities. Farmers lived in nearby villages. Chopsticks were invented, which changed the way people ate their food.

  • Family: For both the rich and the poor, the family was all important. The oldest male was the head of the family. If one member of a family did something wrong, the entire family was in disgrace. In the noble families, marriages were arranged to strengthen them by creating a union between two clans or families. The young obeyed their parents without a fuss. This was animportant part of ancestor worship. Even a wealthy noble with many servants might patch his father's robe with his own hands. Children looked forward to the day when they would be parents, and their children would honor them. The role of the woman was to be gentle, calm, respectful, and to obey her husband. In ancient China, home and family were so important that they were nearly sacred.

  • Ancestor Worship: Ancestor worship was very important to the early Shang kings and nobles. It was a way of life. When a man died, the ancient Chinese believed his spirit lived on in the afterworld. They believed their ancestors had magical powers that could punish them or could help them make wise decisions. To keep their ancestors happy, they brought gifts of food and wine to special places or temples. They held many celebrations to honor their ancestors.

  • Oracle Bones: To communicate with their ancestors, the Shang kings used oracle bones. (Sometimes called dragon bones). Here's how it worked: The king or emperor would ask a question, for example, will it rain tomorrow? The priest would carve the king's question on an oracle bone, which was just an animal bone or turtle shell. (Will it rain tomorrow?) Then, the priest would heat a bronze pin and hold the hot pin to the bone. This created a pattern of cracks over the bone. The priest (who was usually a woman) would study the cracks, to find the answer to the question.

  • Archaeologists have found over 100,000 oracle bones. Since many questions were asked about daily life, we know something about this civilization. The thing is, they didn't exactly ask "Will it rain tomorrow?" Oracle bones say things like: "If we sacrifice 10 men or 5 oxen, will it rain tomorrow?" The Shang Kings sacrificed a great number of people to talk to their ancestors. Some of those sacrificed were enemies, captured in war. Some were slaves or people who were sick or deformed. Some were merchants, craftsmen, or farmers who had upset the nobles. Some were nobles who had upset the king.

  • Shang & Chou kings and nobles: The rich lived in large homes and palaces made of mud and wood. They had tall bronze candlesticks. They used bronze drinking cups. (Shang leaders were famous for their drinking bouts.) They loved to hunt. Their bronze weapons were decorated with elaborate designs. Horseback riding was very popular, both as a sport and, in late Chou times, as a method of war. (Chariots had not worked very well as the landscape was rugged.) The nobles wore elaborate gowns of silk and lived in large, brick homes with tiled roofs. They were lavishly decorated and furnished. Jugs of wine lined the walkways. The air was scented with flowers in the gardens and spices from pots of food steaming on stoves. They were buried in lavish tombs. Unlike the ancient Egyptians, the Shang and Chou were buried with living people. In their tombs, archaeologists have found entire chariots, objects of art, and the remains of guards and dogs who accompanied kings to their graves.

  • Warriors: The leaders of different clans were continually waging war with each other. Warriors were knights in bronze armor who went to battle in horse-drawn chariots made of wood and bronze. They wore bronze helmets and carried daggers, spears, and axes. Each chariot had a driver, a spearman, and an archer. Behind them came the foot soldiers, who were usually peasants, forced to leave their fields. Foot soldiers wore tunics and trousers.

  • Farmers: Most people were farmers (peasants). Their life was very hard. Farmers lived in nearby villages. Their homes were very simple. In the summer, peasants lived on the land near their fields. Summer homes were made of bamboo branches. In the winter, they moved to their permanent homes in the villages. Winter homes were drafty, one room houses with thatched or tile roofs, dirt floors and no furniture. The walls were made of mud. Doors faced south. Each family had their own winter home.

  • They farmed small plots of land with primitive stone and wood tools. They did not own the land. They worked the land assigned to them by the royals and the nobles. They had to give the nobleman part of the food they grew. They were also expected to give gifts to the nobleman of wine or silk. They worked without pay on the noble's house, roads, and bridges. They pretty much worked all the time.

  • Their gods were the gods of nature, the river god, the rain god, the earth god. They believed in many gods, but the most powerful was the sky god, T'ien, the king of gods. To the peasants, T'ien was more brilliant and more powerful than any earthbound king.

  • They still enjoyed the Spring Festival. At about age 15, children from several villages would gather for the Spring Festival. Unlike the nobles, marriages were rarely arranged. Boys and girls met each other at the Spring Festival, when the young boys and girls found husbands and wives.

    Merchants and Craftsmen: Since this group did not produce food and were not part of the nobility, they were outside the class structure. Like slaves, they were hardly considered men. In times of war, when the city was attacked, they were not taken inside the protective walls, but were left to fend for themselves as best they could.

  • Quick Shang & Chou Times History Note
    Shang Dynasty About 1700 BC to 1100 BC The kingship was very odd. Instead of going from father to son, it went from brother to brother or from brother to nephew. Two of the most important contributions of the Shang Dynasty are the use of bronze and a system of writing.

  • Chou (also called Zhou) Dynasty
    About 1100 BC to 250 BC This dynasty was divided into feudal states. Literature flourished. People began to study astronomy. Roads and canals were built to move supplies over long distances.

Classical Age

  • 600 B.C.- 200 A.D Late Chou
  • Confucius & Daoism (Chou)
  • Ch'in (Qin) Dynasty 221-207 B.C .
  • Quick Qin Times History Note
    This dynasty only lasted about 15 years, but a great deal happened.
    This emperor readied China to be pulled together as one country.
    End of the Feudal System
    Forced labor to build the First Great Wall
    Standardized money and system of measurement
    Burned books, including Confucius texts

  • Han Dynasty: About 200 BC to 200 AD
    Daily Life in Han Times
    This was not the Golden Age of China, but life was very good for many of the people because of the demand for Chinese silk and the creation of the major trade route, the Silk Road. Construction of the Silk Road allowed trade to flourish more easily with the Roman Empire. People bonded together into one civilization during Han times. They had a common culture. Even in remote sections, district officials copied the manner of the imperial court. Peasants built homes and plowed their fields in the same way all over China.

  • Han writing tells us little about their daily life. Han tombs, however, tell us quite a lot. The Han people buried clay models of their homes and belongings in their tombs. Models included details like little clay furniture and little bronze oil lamps.

  • The Arts & Sciences: So much was lost during the book burnings of the Qin Dynasty. The Han people tried very hard to replace the literature that was lost during Qin times, especially the works of Confucius. They created new works of literature and music. Beautiful murals were painted on the walls of palaces. Scroll painting began. Craftsmen made jade jewelry and carvings, gold ornaments and belt hooks, delicate paintings with wire thin brush strokes. Iron was used for making plows and other cast iron objects. Glazed pottery was brightly painted with lively hunting scenes, mountains, trees, clouds, dragons, tigers, and bears. Their medicine was advanced. They invented acupuncture. Their science was also advanced. During Han times, these ancient people invented paper. They also invented an instrument that told them when an earthquake was happening somewhere in the Empire, so they could send troops and food to help.

  • Public Schools: One of the Han emperors (Emperor Wu di), around 100 A.D., agreed with Confucius that education was the key to good government. He started a system of public schools, for boys only, taught by Confucian teachers. The teachings of Confucius were nationally honored. Schools were set up in each province. There was a major school, called the Grand School, in the capital. In the beginning, only 50 students were allowed to study at the Grand School. In less than 100 years, enrollment at the Grand School was over 30,000 students.

  • Jobs: Jobs were given to educated people, as well as nobles. People were paid for their work.

  • Life in the Cities: Only about 10% of the population (1 out of 10 people) lived in the cities. Cities were neatly laid out with main streets and alleyways. Each city was surrounded by a strong wall, made of earth and stone. As cities are today, the ancient Han cities were centers of government, education, and trade. Most marketplaces, throughout the city, had free entertainment. Musicians played bells, drums, and string instruments, and jugglers and acrobats performed.

  • The Poor lived in houses packed together. They had very little food, and little to no sanitation. Many of the young males joined street gangs. Gangs wore distinctive clothes and armor that identified their gang. Teen gangs roamed the cities, terrorizing people.

  • The Rich: The rich rushed to imitate the imperial palace. They built elaborate homes decorated with drapery and cashmere carpets. They furnished family tombs with stone lions. On the lions, and on other sculpture, they added inscriptions mentioning how much each item had cost! The rich lived in comfortable, large houses with many rooms and fireplaces. Each home was built around a central courtyard. They had elaborately carved furniture that showed Greek and Roman influence and painted stuccoed walls with floral designs. Other walls were left bare to display paintings or bronze mirrors. Dinner was elaborate. Kids were tutored in science, math, literature, art, religion, and music. Some studied in their homes, and some, at the home of their tutor. The rich did not use the public schools. They wore belted robes with long sleeves lined with silk. When it was cold, they wore warm fur coats, made of squirrel and fox skins and leather slippers.

  • Merchants & Craftsmen: As in Shang times, merchants were hardly recognized as men. However, once the canals were built, some merchants and craftsmen became rich. A really successful merchant might ride in a cart with a coachman, buy a title from an emperor, and build a mansion surrounded by pools and gardens. This absolutely infuriated officials and peasants. (The merchants didn't till the soil. They weren't nobles. There ought to be a law to stop them from doing this, and for a while, there was a law, forbidding them from riding in carts and chariots.)

  • Life in the Country: Country folk were farmers. They lived in one or two story mud houses with tiled or thatched roofs. They had curtains on the windows. Barns and other buildings surrounded the house. Several families lived in one house to allow them to work their fields together. They still did not own their farms, but farms were larger in size, because families had learned to team up. This solved a major problem. Together, they were able to produce more food, some years, than they needed, which allowed them to trade food for other items. They still worked very hard. They went to bed at dark and got up at dawn. They dressed in simple clothes. Both men and women wore shirts and pants made of scratchy cloth and sandals made of straw. They stuffed their clothes with paper and cloth, to stay warm in the winter. They steamed much of their food over boiling water on stoves. In the south, they ate rice, steamed dumplings, and fish, flavored with garlic and onions. In the north, they ate much the same, only they ate wheat instead of rice.

  • This story below tells us quite a lot about daily life in Han times, in both the city and in the country. Find and list thirteen items revealed within the ancient story; answers can be found at the end of this article.

    Ancient Story: A simple man named Wang lived in a village in long ago early Han times. Only a narrow, rough path led to this village, so merchants, officials, and travelers rarely visited. To sell his charcoal, Wang knew he must become the traveler, and make the journey to the city.
    Wang shouldered his long carrying pole. At each end swung wide bamboo baskets stacked high with charcoal. What present would you like me to bring you, he asked his pretty young wife. "A comb!" she cried. "A beautiful comb like those of the imperial court!" The combs they used in the country at that time were made of wood. "A comb like that!" she cried, pointing to the crescent of the golden moon.
    After a long trip, Wang arrived safely at the city gates. He sold his charcoal for a good price. Made bold by the string of cash he now carried, he looked around the city for his wife's present. The city was so very pretty with banners of red and yellow and green and blue hung from shop fronts and balconies. It was very noisy with the racket of shopmen and shouting buyers.
    Wang rubbed his chin. What was it his wife had wanted? He had forgotten! Perhaps a pair of leather slippers? Or a warm fur coat? It was getting dark. The shops would soon be closed. Early in the morning, he had to return to the village. Suddenly, he noticed the moon. It was round, so very round. She wanted something round, he thought. He looked in shop after shop for something to make his young wife happy.
    Suddenly, he spotted the perfect gift. He wrapped his purchase in a piece of cotton cloth, and hurried off, with only one bow to the shopkeeper. Wang had bought a mirror. He did not even know what a mirror was. He only knew that it was round.

    Quick Han Times History Note
    Although outsiders call this land China, after Ch'in (Qin) times,
    the Chinese, still today, call themselves Han people.

Age of Division

  • 200-600 A.D
  • A bunch of dynasties
  • Hu the Tiger
  • Invention of gunpowder(at the end of this period, which helped to end it!)
  • Tea! (Confucius probably never tasted tea, and it really didn't become popular until T'ang times, but this era is when it first started to be enjoyed.)

Early Medieval Period

  • 600-900 A.D. T'ang
  • The Golden Age!
  • Furniture, ceramics, spoons, amber, turquoise, gold, silver, goblets, teacups, sports, games, music, dancing, even a kind of football, and a neat form of air-conditioning. Fancy hats, silk robes, jade belts, Buddhism
  • Daily Life in T'ang Times: Around 600 A.D., the T'ang managed to pull China together once again. Under T'ang leadership, ancient China entered her Golden Age. China was the wonder of the world. It was a time of prosperity and gaiety and experimentation. People tried new things like bananas.
  • Examination Day: You did not have to be a noble to hold a high position. To be assigned a job in high office in one of the many towns and villages, you had to pass the government exams. It was a route to riches and fame. On examination day, the day the tests were given, horses and coaches thronged the road to the city.
  • A famous poet of T'ang times is Po Chu-I (772-846) Po, like many Chinese, liked the simple things of life best. Although fame and fortune are nice, the joy and pride his parents might have in him and the joy of a beautiful spring day, were more important. This is his poem, about examination day in the city.
  • After passing the examination (by Po Chu-I)
    For ten years I never left my books,
    I went up...and won unmerited praise.
    My high place I do not much prize;
    The joy of my parents will first make me proud.
    Fellow students, six or seven men,
    See me off as I leave the City gate.
    My covered coach is ready to drive away;
    Flutes and strings blend their parting tune.
    Hopes achieved dull the pains of parting;
    Fumes of wine shorten the long road...
    Shod with wings is the horse of him who rides
    On a Spring day the road that leads to home.
  • The Arts: The T'ang Empire is famous for its brilliant stories, literature, dancing, music, and art. A special room was set aside in the imperial palace for training singers and dancers. Talented dancers and singers came from India and Korea to study singing and dancing in China. Scroll painting became very popular. Painting, like everything else, blossomed in the T'ang Dynasty. Brushes were used to make thick lines and filled in color. Sculpture, especially Buddhist sculpture (statues of Buddha) were extremely popular. Pottery was painted with representations of musicians, maidservants, soldiers, domestic and miraculous animals, minor deities, and signs of the zodiac. Huge orchestras with as many as 700 instruments performed at the imperial court. Tea drinking and tea ceremonies became all the rage. Craftsmen worked with iron, bronze, copper, gold, silver, and other metals.
  • Capital city: Ch'ang-an, the capital city, was a rather big town of over one million people! The city was designed like a checkerboard with broad wide streets, side streets, and city blocks. There were 110 blocks, each like its own village with a marketplace and temples. Throughout the city, residents and visitors could enjoy tea shops, cake shops, gem dealers, pawnbrokers, street acrobats and storytellers, colorful banners, lots of bazaars. It was a lively place.
  • Houses: Households in the large capital city of Ch'ang-an had baths, heaters, mechanical fans, fountains, ice-cooled rooms, mirrors, musical instruments such as the harp, ceramics, spoons, goblets of gold and silver. The rich were waited on by servants and slaves. The pagoda look became popular during T'ang times. Homes of the wealthy and of the nobles were very large, with several rooms, built of wood and brick. Farmers' homes were made of sun dried brick and bamboo. They were very simple, one-room homes.
  • Clothing, Hair and Cosmetics: Men had topknots. They shaved their heads except for the hair right in the center of the top of their head, which they let grow long. Then they wrapped it up in a knot. This was called a topknot! They used gold and decorated hair pins to keep them in place. On their heads, women balanced jeweled crowns with little jingling bells dangling from the edges. Women used little make-up boxes that held a mirror, rouge, and lipstick. Eyebrows were carefully designed. In T'ang times, they were shaped like little mountains, like this ^. (Eyebrows have always been part of ancient Chinese fashion. In the 2nd Century B.C., eyebrows had sharp, pointed tops. In the 2nd Century A.D., eyebrows were gently curved.)
  • In T'ang times, shoes were really important. They were a sign of status. Peasants wore straw sandals. Nobles wore fine cloth slippers. Nobles wore turquoise colored features in fancy hats and silk robes with jade belts. Clothing was made of silk for the rich and ramie cloth for the poor (woven from a plant called ramie, rough, coarse, used to make farmers' clothes.)
  • Entertainment and Sports: The T'ang played board games such as backgammon, and a game called "go", (which is now the most popular game in Japan!) Music, dancing, hunting with falcons, and archery were all popular. They played a kind of football and enjoyed polo, which had been introduced from India. They had national celebrations, such as the Emperor's Birthday, which was enjoyed by rich and poor alike.
  • The Family: The days of human sacrifice were long over, but honoring one's ancestors was still very important. Family members were expected to help each other and care for each other. When a girl married, she went to live with her husband's family. Only boys could go to school. They did not have to go to school, but it was free and encouraged. Girls learned at home. Education was very important. Teachers were one of the five objects of worship. (The other four were heaven, earth, the emperor, and parents).
  • Religion: Buddhism had been introduced in 1AD, but it really took hold during T'ang times. Confucianism was very strong, and so was Daoism. These three philosophies were known in T'ang times as the Three Doctrines or The Three Teachings. Still, if you were to ask someone in ancient China, even as late as 8th century A.D., "What is the official religion of China?," they probably would not have mentioned Buddhism, Confucianism, or Daoism. They would probably have said something like this: The proper and seasonable worship of the gods of the rivers and mountains, and wind and moon, and of our noble ancestors. Many of the celebrations and festivals that honor these ancient gods are still celebrated by the Chinese today. Honoring gods and ancestors was very much a part of ancient Chinese daily life.
  • Farmers: Eastern T'ang: In spite of the wonderful Golden Age enjoyed by the rich in the cities, most of the people in T'ang times were farmers. For a while their life was a bit improved.
    At least they owned the land! The early T'ang people distributed the land equally to create a nation of free farmers. Each farmer received one ch'ing of land, about 15 acres. (In later years, this system of family farms broke down. Landlords and nobles took back the land. China reverted to feudal times, where nobles owned and peasants worked.)
    They ate beans, turnips, barley cakes, melons, peaches, bits of pork and chicken, plums, lots of fish, and drank wine. In the north, still, they ate breads made of wheat. In the south, still, they ate rice.
    Although they worked hard, they were not unhappy. For the most part, they were not at war. They had developed a culture rich with ancestor worship and festivals and customs. They were simple people, who enjoyed simple pleasures. They were richly aware of the many beauties of nature.
  • T'ang: Countryside
    Make a Present of Sunshine
    In olden times there was a peasant in the state of Song who wore clothes woven with tangled hemp and barely made it through the cold winter. When spring came, he enjoyed the warmth of the sun while working in the fields. He did not know that in this world there are tall buildings and cozy, warm houses, and he knew nothing about clothes with silk wadding or furs made from the skins of foxes and raccoon dogs. The peasant turned to his wife and said, "It is so warm under the sun. I don't think other people know about this. If we present this to our king, we are sure to get a rich reward." Written by Lie zi

  • Quick T'ang Times History Note
    Western T'ang was peopled with nomads. The nomads did not grow food. They moved from place to place, tending herds of horses, goats and sheep. Their homes were huts on wagons on wheels, so they could move their homes easily. Clothing was made of wool or animal skins. They ate milk and meat. They were traders and traded with wandering merchants for other things they needed. Sometimes, they traded along the Silk Road.

THE THREE TEACHINGS
Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism
In T'ang times, Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism became known as the "Three Doctrines," or the "Three Teachings." In T'ang times, a man might honor his ancestors by following the rigid rules of social behavior as dictated by Confucianism, attend a Buddhist pageant, and practice Daoist breathing exercises, all in the same day. These three doctrines were an important part of daily life.

  1. Confucianism
    Confucius was born around 551 B.C. in Chou times. His parents were nobility, but had become poor when the empire disintegrated into feudal states. When he was about 15 years old, he became quite interested in learning. In those days, only the nobility and royals were allowed education. All the teachers were government officials. It was hard for him to find a way to learn. To solve this, he went to work for a nobleman. This gave him the opportunity to travel to the imperial capital.

    Confucius studied and learned until he probably was the most learned man of his day. People heard of his knowledge and sent their sons to study with him. He was the first private teacher in China. Confucius taught anyone who was eager to learn. His ideas, called Confucianism, stress the need to develop responsibility and moral character through rigid rules of behavior.
    Confucianism is not, properly speaking, a religion; it's a way of behaving, so you'll do the right things. Excerpt from "The Analects of Confucius," ca.400 B.C.
  • Do not do unto others, what you would not want others to do to you.
  • If you make a mistake and do not correct it, this is called a mistake.

    Confucianism, in T'ang times, was a social code of behavior, a very set and rigid code of behavior, that honored ancestors and ancient rituals. Everything had to be done a certain way. One of his rules, for example, was that gentlemen could only display their skill as archers on three hunts a year, in the spring, autumn, and winter. There's a saying about Confucius: "If the mat was not straight, the Master would not sit." Today, the Chinese celebrate Confucius's Birthday (Teacher's Day), in honor of their ancestor, the teacher, Confucius.

  1. Daoism & Winnie-the-Pooh
    Dao (pronounced to rhyme with cow) means The Way (to happiness). This sounds very nice, but what is the Way? It is easy to begin to understand Daoism. There is a great teacher, Winnie-the-Pooh! There is a delightful book by Benjamin Hoff, called "The Dao of Pooh" (Penguin Books, 1982). If you are familiar with A.A.Milne's enchanting characters, Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Rabbit, Owl, Tigger, and Eeyore, you'll be surprised if you read "The Dao of Pooh" at how easy it is to learn about Daoism! It's also a great deal of fun, which is very Daoist, as Daoists are firm believers in joy and laughter.

    Daoism is not a religion. It's a philosophy, a way of looking at life and a way of thinking about things. Daoists believe if you look at life and think about things in the right way, you'll be much happier.

    Here are three Daoist philosophy statements and three conversations from The House at Pooh Corner, by A.A. Milne. Can you guess which Daoist philosophy statement might go with which conversation? In other words, can you match them up? For the answers, see below.
    Daoist philosophy : A clever mind is not a heart.
    from The House at Pooh Corner :
    "Rabbit's clever," said Pooh thoughtfully.
    "Yes," said Piglet. "Rabbit's clever."
    "And he has a Brain."
    "Yes," said Piglet, "Rabbit has a Brain."
    There was a long silence.
    "I suppose," said Pooh, "that that's why he never understands anything."

    Daoist philosophy : There is more to knowing than just being correct.
    from The House at Pooh Corner :
    "Lot's of people talk to animals," said Pooh.
    "Maybe, but..."
    "Not very many listen, though," he said.
    "That's the problem," he added.

    Daoist philosophy : The wise know their limitations; the foolish do not.
    Roo and Tigger were walking along the forest one morning, and Tigger was talking about all the things that Tiggers can do....
    "I can swim," said Roo. "I fell into the river, and I swimmed. Can Tiggers swim?"
    "Of course they can. Tiggers can do everything."
    "Can they climb trees better than Pooh?" asked Roo, stopping under the tallest Pine Tree, and looking up at it.
    "Climbing trees is what they do best," said Tigger. "Much better than Poohs."
    And the next thing they knew, they were stuck in the tallest pine tree.

Nothing tricky here. Like Daoism, it's simple! They're already matched up properly. Daoists believe it's very important to understand The Way Things Are. This does not mean that there are not things we need to change about ourselves, but it's important to recognize and trust our own Inner Nature, and discover who we are. In the story of "The Ugly Duckling," when does the duckling stop feeling ugly? When he discovers he's a Swan. When he recognizes who he really is, a beautiful swan, he finds his Way to happiness.

We hope this section has encouraged you to learn more about Daoism. It is an absolutely fascinating ancient Chinese philosophy. And, we hope you will revisit the timeless and delightful stories of Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Rabbit, Owl, Eeyore and Tigger, who can all be found in The House at Pooh Corner, by A. A. Milne.

  1. Buddhism
    "Enlightened One" (Buddha): Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who would one day be known as the Buddha, began his life as a prince in a kingdom in ancient India. He was born about 553 B.C. He had parents who loved him, many servants to wait on him, the finest clothes, and a different palace for each season of the year. Yet, he found his world full of suffering. It upset him that painful old age, sickness, and death were all part of life in this world. One day, he met a monk. He was amazed that this monk could find calm and peace in a world filled with such sufferings. That day, he made a very difficult decision. He decided to leave his wealth, his comfort, his wife, and his newborn son, to become a monk.     For the next six years, he traveled throughout India. But the answers he found were not enough. One day, while sitting under a fig tree, an understanding came to him. This understanding was a way to end suffering. That was the day Prince Siddhartha Gautama began to earn a new title, the Buddha, which means "Awakened One". His journey to find the meaning of life had concluded. The Buddha realized that life is ruled by Four Noble Truths:
  • Life is filled with suffering
  • Suffering is caused by people's wants.
  • Suffering can be ended if people stop wanting things, like more pleasure or more power.
  • To stop wanting things, people must follow 8 basic laws, called the Eightfold Path.

Eightfold Path: In brief, these are the laws of the Eightfold Path:

  • To know the truth
  • To intend to resist evil
  • To not say anything to hurt others
  • To respect life, property, and morality
  • To work at a job that does not injure others
  • To try to free one's mind from evil
  • To be in control of one's feelings and thoughts
  • To practice appropriate forms of concentration

The Middle Way: The Eightfold Path was designed to guide people without making life too strict or too easy. The Middle Way is the name Buddhists call lives guided by the laws of the Eightfold Path.

Buddha spent the rest of his life traveling around India and sharing his message with everyone. He had many followers, who lived according to his Four Noble Truths. Some of his followers became Buddhist monks. They gave up all they owned and depended on other followers and kind hearted people to give them food. Their message was one of love. After the Buddha's death in 483 B.C., Buddhism spread rapidly throughout Southern and Eastern Asia.

Proverbs: Buddhists everywhere live by Buddha's teachings, which were written down as proverbs. Here are two of Buddha's proverbs, from an ancient Buddha text written about 100 B.C. As a solid rock is not shaken by the wind, even so the wise are not ruffled by praise or blame. Hatreds never cease by hatred in this world; by love alone they cease. This is an ancient law.

The Growth of Buddhism: Buddhism values love, wisdom, goodness, calm, and self-control. Buddhists believe that Buddha and his teachings should be honored, that people should try to end suffering, that they should follow the Eightfold Path. In T'ang times, people thought of Buddhism as a chart of behavior that they could follow to lead them to a life beyond the grave. Today, Buddhism is a major world religion. There are over 330 million Buddhists in the world.
See The Life of the Buddha (from BuddhaNet) to learn more.


Answer Section
What can be found in the Han times story about daily life:
1. long carrying pole
2. bamboo baskets swinging at both ends
3. charcoal
4. wooden comb
5. copying imperial fashion (by wanting an imperial style comb)
6. city gates
7. string of cash
8. decorated city, with banners
9. balconies
10. leather slippers
11. fur coat to purchase
12. only one bow. (rhymes with cow) Did good manners dictate more? Probably.
13. mirror - unknown in the remote areas of the countryside, but possibly new to this time

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http://www.ucf.edu)

Four lessons are included concerning Ancient Chinese daily life: one each for Grades PreK-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, and Grades 9-12.