The White Lotus Mutation

April 24, 2010

Persecution of the White Lotus Society started during the Yuan Dynasty (Mongols 1271 – 1368). Due to this, the White Lotus Society changed from one of peace and tranquility and organized protests against the Mongol rulers, the first non-Han to rule China.

Since Yuan Imperial authorities distrusted the White Lotus Society, the Dynasty banned them, and the White Lotus went underground.  The White Lotus also started to predict that a messianic (Christ like) figure would come and save them from persecution.

White Lotus Rebellion

A White Lotus led revolution started in 1352 around Guangzhou. A Buddhist monk, Zhu Yuanzhang, joined the rebellion. Soon, he became the leader by forbidding his soldiers to pillage, in observance of White Lotus religious beliefs.

By 1355, the rebellion had spread through much of China. In 1356, Zhu Yuanzhang captured Nanjing and made it his capital. Then Confucian scholars issued pronouncements supporting Zhu’s claim of the Mandate of Heaven, the first step toward establishing a new dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang liberated China from the Mongols and became the founding Emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1643).  

At this point, you may see the danger of allowing a religious cult like the White Lotus to have any power.

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Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

The Millennium Cult

April 23, 2010

Religions, as Christians, Jews and Muslims practice them, have never played a “major” role in Chinese Culture and Politics. Even today, more than 800 million Chinese say they do not belong to any religion and the largest religion in China is Buddhism (about 10% of the population of China).  Even during Imperial times, most members of government did not belong to organized religions. The same is true today with the Communist government.

China’s struggle with pagan cults (like the White Lotus Society) reaches back almost a thousand years. The White Lotus Society appealed to poor Han Chinese peasants and more so to women, who found peace in worshiping the Eternal Mother. It was believed that this Eternal Mother would gather all her children at the millennium into one family.

The Eternal Mother

White Lotus Societies started out seeking tranquilly through a combination of Buddhism with some elements of Daoism (Taoism) and other native Chinese religions. Even in the 12th century, the Yuan Dynasty was distrustful of the Yellow Lotus Society, which didn’t fit comfortably with Confucianism and the five Great Relationships.

See A Visit from the Falun Gong

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Lloyd Lofthouse is the award winning author of the concubine saga, My Splendid Concubine & Our Hart. When you love a Chinese woman, you marry her family and culture too. 

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3 Comments | China, Chinese Culture, Chinese history, Confucianism, cults | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

Going through Customs in China

April 22, 2010

“Reach the head of the line at immigration at Beijing airport and you see something unexpected: On a little ledge just below the officer’s line of sight is a small machine showing an array of buttons. Atop the buttons is a legend inviting travelers to rate the work of the officer: very satisfactory / satisfactory / not satisfactory / slow or rude. As soon as the officer places his or her stamp in the passport, the buttons go active. The lines did move fast.” Source: Frum Forum

Beijing International Airport

I’ve pushed those buttons. Considering how rude the Chinese can be to each other (not foreigners like me­—we get the polite treatment), that was a good idea.

Beijing International Airport

Maybe rating systems like these also motivate China’s homeland security to be more efficient than what I’ve experienced in the US.  For example, I always carry a 16 GB USB thumb drive with me when I travel. All my backup files are on that drive. If the house burns down or is robbed, I won’t lose any of my computer files.

During our last trip to China, no one at San Francisco’s international airport asked to see the USB drive in my loose-change pocket. When I arrived in China, security at Pudong airport asked to see what I had in that pocket.

See “Dragon Air” http://wp.me/pN4pY-lD

 

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Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

The First Emperor: The Man Who Made China – Part 7/9

April 22, 2010

By 215 BC, Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi’s tomb is almost finished. The chamber where his body will rest is the size of a football field and will be hermitically sealed.  Then the tomb will be covered with a million tons of earth creating the hill we see today.

View of Qin Shi Huangdi's tomb

However, the Emperor doesn’t plan to die. Seeking advice from his doctor, he is given mercury capsules. At the time, it was believed that mercury would increase longevity.  Having lots of sex with multiple partners was also considered another way to increase life. The emperor follows the doctor’s advice and sends the doctor on an expedition to find an elixir for immortality.

The emperor isolates himself and delegates the power to rule the empire to those he trusts most. These men suppress free thought. Entire libraries are burned. Those who try to hide documents are branded on the face and sentenced to a life of force labor–mostly on The Great Wall. Anyone who resists is buried alive.

Professor Jeffrey Riegel, University of California, Berkeley, says that Chinese archeologists have no immediate plans to unearth the tomb, because there is no way to safeguard the contents from decay.

Go to Part 8 for The Man Who Made China or return to Part 6

View as Single Page

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Lloyd Lofthouse is the award-winning author of the concubine saga, My Splendid Concubine & Our Hart. When you love a Chinese woman, you marry her family and culture too. 

To subscribe to “iLook China”, look for the “Subscribe” button at the top of the screen in the menu bar, click on it then follow directions.

 

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Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

Blending the Law

April 21, 2010

The legal system in the United States comes primarily from English Common Law (influenced by Roman law and Greek teachings). English Common Law is a system based on the principle that the rulings made by the King’s courts were according to the common custom of the realm. Common law is grounded in precedent and local tradition stressing community and individualism.

Is Justice Blind?

Legalism, the foundation of Chinese law, emphasizes the need for order above all other human concerns. The founder of the Legalistic school was Hsün Tzu (312–230 BC). He believed that humans are inherently evil and inclined toward criminal and selfish behavior. Since morality does not exist in nature and humans are part of nature, the only way to control behavior was through habit and harsh punishment. Without this, the result would be conflict and social disorder.

Even though both Confucianism and Legalism called for tradition and governmental control, the difference between the two is that Confucius (551–479 BC) advocated ruling benevolently by example. Both theories still play an important role in the cultural and legal development of China.

However, the legal system in the People’s Republic of China is currently undergoing gradual reform since international trade and globalization are influencing changes. What is evolving is a blending of English Common Law and Legalism.

Here is a good Blog to learn how to navigate through China’s legal system: http://www.chinalawblog.com/
See “China Law and Justice System” http://wp.me/pN4pY-hH

Sources used for this post:

2 Comments | China, Chinese Culture, Chinese history, Confucianism, legal system | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

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