Eastern Wu

According to Li Xiu-ying, a bearer of the act of foot binding, “I knew that already because every woman I ever saw had bound feet. Before the Communists came I never even heard of a woman not having bound feet.” Foot binding began in tenth century China and was very popular during the Song and the Qing dynasties. Although it caused many health complications and lifelong disabilities, foot binding became popular by a process of displaying status and also embraced as a symbol of beauty in Chinese…

The concept of dao (the Way) has been a fundamental component to various schools of Chinese philosophy, in particular the school of Confucianism and Daoism. Xunzi, a Confucian scholar, and the Laozi, the Daoist text otherwise known as the Daodejing), illustrate how the concept of dao integrated in all aspects of life of ancient Chinese civilians. Though they share similarities in the audience consuming their working definition of dao, there are certainly disparities in the ideologies of the Way…

Tang Yin (1470-1523), also known as Tang Bohu or Tang Ziwei, was a famous artist of the middle Ming dynasty. Interestingly, his names are not only associated with the historical figure of a recognized painter and poet, but also with numerous fictions that feature him as the protagonist, ranging from Ming dynasty novels to modern television shows. Within the Tang Yin scholarship, studies are therefore sometimes divided into the ones on his biography and oeuvre and those on the fictional or…

Empress Wu was probably the most controversial woman emperor that was able to reign china for many years. Empress Wu Killed many I mean many people in her circle, but She still was a Buddhist in everyone’s eyes which surprises me.The once reigning Emperor of China became a Buddhist because of her more than slight obsession of power and becoming the emperor of China. The buddhist religion was her weapon to get the Chinese people to believe that she was the next emperor of china chosen by god and…

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu can be translated as The Book of the Immanence of the Way or The Book of the Way and of How It Manifests Itself. Lao Tzu, author of the book, can also be known as “The Master”. He has a form of government planned and wishes to everyone follows and support this plan. His main goal is simplicity and naturalness. When he thinks of a way to govern someone it comes to his mind the idea that the more rules and obligation you put to a person, the less they will do it. He just…

Modern life is filled with stress. From the clamor of traffic to florescent lights at all hours of the day, the entire world is filled with tension-inducing sights and sounds. Imagine for a moment that you could go back to a simpler time when nighttime meant stars glimmering above your head. For a moment, consider how it feels to be harmonious with the world around you. You are a natural part of the world. Like every other animal on earth, humans were designed to live harmoniously with nature.…

Seinfeld and Non Action: the Philosophy of Nothing One of the best Kanye West tweets is “I want to publicly apologize to Seinfeld, I used to think it was a show about nothing but then I realized it’s a show about everything”. Jerry Seinfeld and Laozi hold plenty of similarities. This paper will identify the similarities between Seinfeld and Daoism theoretically, with examples from the show to back it up. It will also explore how western culture has unknowingly embraced some Daoist concepts,…

Taoism is believed to be China oldest philosophy and religion. The founder of Taoism and the author of Tao-Te -Ching (Book of way) Leo-Tzu was born 601 B.C. in Henan during the Zhou Dynasty. There is much speculation whether Leo-Tzu was an actual person or a combination of different philosophers it will forever be a mystery. The legend surrounding his birth goes: a woman leaned against a plum tree and give birth to a child that had been conceived six-two years before. His mother had admired a…

carefully considered, can lead to serious repercussions. An action that can cause a tilt in the normal status of the earth can result into an avalanche of tribulations beyond control. He argues that the very best thing human should practice is “not-doing” (wu wei). As Lao Tzu states, “Practice not-doing, and everything will fall into place” (Lao-Tzu). But in case an action is to be done, it should be undertaken with utmost moderation, and only if…

Wu Zetian was the first and only women in China that ruled in her own right. Though, she did really bad things to get to that position. However, I believe that even though Wu Zetian did many bad things to became an empress, she ended up doing more good than bad for China. Wu Zetian was born during the Tang Dynasty. She was the daughter of a minor general called Duke Ding on Ying. Wu was born into a rich and noble family and was taught to play music, write, and read Chinese classics. By the age…