CHINESE LITERATURE

World Literature
(LITT 2)

Chinese Civilization – one of the few ancient civilization to have its individual writing concept.

 The Chinese language has over 20,000 characters, the average Chinese only learns about
5,000 of these in his lifetime.
 The red of the Chinese flag symbolizes the Communist Revolution, and also the tradition
color of the people.
 The large gold star represents Communism (way of organizing a society in which a
government own)
 The four smaller stars represent the social classes of the people.

The Republic of China has an area of 9,597 million sq.km. and the capital city of China is
Beijing.
 The famous landmark in China is the Great Wall of China (also known as the “Ten
Thousand Li Wall.” One LI is equals to 500 meters; the wall is over 1,500 miles in length.
 The administration of China has 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities and
2 special administrative regions.

RELIGION

 The religious and beliefs of Chinese people are Islam, over 22 million, Catholicism is 4
million and Protestant over 10 million.
 There are also Atheist who doesn’t believe in God.
Confucius is a Chinese Teacher, editor, politician and philosopher of the spring and autumn period
of Chinese history.

 Confucianism – an ethical teaching founded by Confucius.

His philosophy emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social
relationships, justice and sincerity. He also recommends family as a basis for local government.
He embraces the well-known principle “Do not do unto others what you don’t want others to do
unto you” – the Golden Rule.

 The opposite of Confucianism is Taoism and the most important religion that encompasses
a variety of tradition and beliefs and spiritual practices largely based on teaching attributed
to the Buddha.
CULTURE AND TRADITIONS OF CHINESE IN WEDDING

 Red is the color of wedding in China because they believe it signifies love, joy, and
prosperity to seclusion.
 Seclusion means away from other people.
 The wedding day is carefully chosen to astrological signs.

 The most important event in China is the Chinese New Year and they are celebrating it on
the 1st day of the year in lunar calendar, usually between late in January or early February.
 They also have the Lantern Festival and they are celebrating it on the 15th day of the 1st
lunar calendar, and in the 5th of 5th lunar month they are celebrating the Dragon Boat
Festival
EDUCATION

 The education in China has always been a highly valued and the great master Confucius
thought that it is a pleasure to learn something and try it out at intervals. Similarly,
numerous students have been convinced that reading books excels all others careers.
The Chinese has 7 dialects and these are:

1. Mandarin
2. Cantonese
3. Hakka
4. Wu
5. Min
6. Xiang
7. Gan

PLANTING A PEAR TREE

By Pu Songling
A countryman was one day selling his pears in the market. They were unusually sweet and
fine flavored, and the price he asked was high. A Daoist priest in rags and tatters stopped at the
barrow and begged one of them. The countryman told him to go away, but as he did not do so he
began to curse and swear at him.

The priest said, “You have several hundred pears on your barrow; I ask for a single one,
the loss of which, sir, you would not fee. Why then get angry?”

The lookers-on told the countryman to give him an inferior one and let him go, but this he
obstinately refused to do. Thereupon the beadle of the place, finding the commotion too great,
purchased a pear and handed it to the priest, the latter received it with a bow and turning to the
crowd said, “We who have left our homes and given up all that is dear to us are at a loss to
understand selfish conduct in others. Now I have some exquisite pears which I shall do myself the
honor to put before you.”
Here somebody asked, “Since you have pears yourself, why don’t you eat those?”
“Because”, replied the priest, “I wanted one of these pips to grow them from.”

So saying he munched up the pear; and when he had finished took a pip in his hand,
unstrapped a pick from his back, and proceeded to make a hole in the ground, several inches deep,
wherein he deposited the pip, filling in the earth as before. He then asked the bystanders for a little
hot water to water it with, and one among them who loved a joke fetched him some boiling water
from a neighboring shop. The priest poured this over the place where he had made a hole, and
every eye was fixed upon him when sprouts were seen shooting up, and gradually growing larger
and larger.

By-and-by, there was a tree with branches sparsely covered with leaves; then flowers, and
last of all fine, large, sweet-smelling pears hanging in great profusion. These the priest picked and
handed round to the assembled crowd until all were gone, when he took his pick and hacked away
for a long time at the tree, finally cutting it down. This he shouldered, leaves and all, and sauntered
quietly away.

Now, from the very beginning, our friend the countryman had been amongst the crowd,
straining his neck to see what was going on, and forgetting all about his business. At the departure
of the priest he turned round and discovered that every one of his pears was gone. He then knew
that those the old fellow had been giving away so freely were really his own pears. Looking more
closely at the borrow, he found that one of the handles was missing, evidently having been newly
cut off. Boiling with rage, he set out in pursuit of the priest, and just as he turned the corner he saw
the lost borrow-handle lying under the wall, being in fact the very pear-tree the priest had cut
down.

But there were no traces of the priest-much to the amusement of the crowd in the market-
place.