Tolerance to Infinity Guest Post by Bob Grant

March 13, 2010

Originally published at Speak Without Interruption on February 17, 2010 by Bob Grant — publisher/editor for Speak Without Interruption. Posted on iLook China, 3/13/10 at 08:00

(Note: There are more photos at the original site. The Nanjing Road photo here does not appear at Speak Without Interruption.)

Wherever people normally congregate in groups—shopping areas, elevators, subways, airports, city streets, and the like—there are a lot more people in China congregating in those same places.  Again, I can only use my own experiences – in these types of crowds in China – but I was amazed how tolerant people were of each other.  In some cases I was squeezed to the people next to me so closely that I could almost feel their hearts beating.  In these situations – personal space was at zero.  I was crammed into a subway once and could literally stand – without holding on to anything – because we were packed so close together (not that I really had anything to hold on to anyway).  The exit from this subway was orderly and people were polite to each other – and me.  At our stop, we had to ask people to move, which was difficult for them, but we got off with no problems or delays.

Nanjing Road, Shanghai - this is the normal crowd

 I am not certain the Chinese people have a choice living – and working – among that many other people.  However, I saw it as another attribute of China and its people.  As a “Westerner” I could have easily been accosted by anyone in these large crowds as most of the time I was the only non-Chinese among them.  But this never happened.  No one stared at me or otherwise acknowledged me as anything other than one of them.  Perhaps I am reading too much into these situations, but I will go with my feelings here and believe this is a nation of extremely tolerant individuals. 

 Places I went did not always have these types of crowds, but in the locations where large crowds congregated, I was always impressed by the politeness of my fellow “Crowdies”.  I can’t say the same for other crowds, in which I have found myself, in the US and other parts of the world.  I think China is unique in this area and its people have Tolerance to Infinity.

 Read China Trip 2008 at  http://wp.me/pN4pY-c

 

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Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

Pearl of China

March 12, 2010

“From the bestselling author of Red Azalea and Empress Orchid comes the powerful story of the friendship of a lifetime, based on the life of Pearl S. Buck.”

“In this ambitious new novel (Pearl of China), Anchee Min brings to life a courageous and passionate woman who is now hailed in China as a modern heroine. Like nothing before it, Pearl of China tells the story of one of the twentieth century’s greatest writers, from the perspective of the people she loved and of the land she called home.” Source Bookbrowse

At Bookbrowse, thirty-five early, reader reviews rated Pearl of China an average 4.5/5 stars.

In the southern town of Chin-kiang, in the last days of the nineteenth century, two girls bump heads and become thick as thieves. Willow is the only child of a destitute local family. Pearl, the headstrong daughter of zealous Christian missionaries, will become Pearl S. Buck, Nobel Prize-winning writer and activist. Their friendship will be tested during decades of great tumult, by imprisonment and exile, bloody civil war and Mao’s repressive Communist regime.

Pearl S. Buck won the Pulitzer Prize in 1932, the Howells Medal in 1935, and the Nobel Prize for literature in 1938.

Read International Women’s Day where Anchee Min was a guest speaker http://wp.me/pN4pY-ft

 

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Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

International Women’s Day

March 12, 2010

March 8, marks the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. Nations that officially honor women, range from China and Russia to Macedonia and Vietnam.

In Imperial China, women could not hold positions of power. They were considered “objects” to be sold into marriage or to serve men as concubines or prostitutes. However, while men ruled the world outside, women ruled the home. The head wife dictated who went where, how much money was spent on household needs, what education the children received, and ultimately the fate of the lives of the other wives and concubines beneath her.

When the Kuomintang ruled China, rural women were expected to stay home and care for the family, while women in the major cities were given a chance to have a formal education. When Mao came to power, he eliminated these differences between men and women. Afterwards, many women marched beside their fellow comrades in the same uniforms. They went to school and worked at jobs.

Today, Chinese women can be seen in all aspects of life. They are famous actors, accomplished musicians and skilled scientists. They are award-winning writers and politicians. Two successful Chinese women will be speaking at the Women in the World Summit  (starting the evening of March 12 to 14). The schedule of speakers and events shows that these two notable Chinese women will be speaking Saturday afternoon, March 13.

Wei Sun Christianson

Wei Sun Christianson, head of Morgan Stanley China manages all aspects of the firm’s China business. She has helped start many of the landmark privatizations critical to China’s economic progress.

Anchee Min

 Anchee Min is the author of the bestselling memoir Red Azalea, the story of her childhood in communist China. At age 17, Min was sent to a labor camp during Mao’s Cultural Revolution. In 1984, with help from a friend, Min went to America. At the time, she spoke no English, but within six months taught herself the language. Her next novel, Pearl of China, is a fictional account covering the 40 years Pearl S. Buck lived in China. The novel will be released in April by Bloomsbury.

Hillary Clinton will also appear. She said, the world “can’t solve problems of financial crisis, climate change, disease and poverty if half of the population is left behind.” The International Women’s Day doesn’t get much attention in the United States.

Discover China’s Modern Women

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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. 

If you want to subscribe to iLook China, there is a “Subscribe” button at the top of the screen in the menu bar. 

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Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

The Influence of Confucius

March 11, 2010

Confucius (551-470 B.C.E.) lived during the warring states period before China was unified as one nation. Confucius is considered the founder of the Chinese ethical and moral system based on the family and his Five Great Relationships:

1. between ruler and subject
2. father and son
3. husband and wife
4. elder and younger brother
5. friend and friend

In each pair, one role was superior and one inferior; one role led and the other followed. Yet each involved mutual obligations and responsibilities. Failure to properly fulfill one’s role could lead to the termination of the relationship.

Confucius

Did you notice that religion and God are not mentioned among the Five Great Relationships?

Discover The Meaning of “Honor” to Most Chinese

______________

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. 

If you want to subscribe to iLook China, there is a “Subscribe” button at the top of the screen in the menu bar. 

1 Comment | China, Chinese Culture, Chinese history, family values, religion | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

Morality in China

March 10, 2010

I find it interesting when the Western media talks about how Communist China prevents or represses freedom of religion as if that were unique to today’s China. The truth is, China has a history of intolerance toward God based religions that tend, by their nature, to interfere with Chinese culture and family based morality. 

Religions like Buddhism and Taoism, which are similar, are not as aggressive as Christianity or Islam. That explains why Buddhism is the dominant religion in China today. Maybe that is why China’s top political advisor Jia Qinglin recently called on the country’s Buddhists to contribute to ethnic unity, social stability and national unification.

Reclining Buddha In Shanghai

Buddhist and Taoist influence on art and poetry have been a powerful influence on Chinese culture and entered mainstream Chinese tradition more than two thousand years ago.

Estimates say that about one hundred million Chinese follow Buddhism while the second largest religion is Taoism. A few million followers of Islam live in the northwest. Christians claim to be the fastest growing religion, but there are no facts to support this.

On the other hand, a recent survey found that eight hundred million Chinese say they belong to no religion. That does not mean that these Chinese have no morality since Confucianism is not a religion but is a lifestyle.

Discover Barbarians – a Matter of Opinion

______________

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. 

If you want to subscribe to iLook China, there is a “Subscribe” button at the top of the screen in the menu bar.

2 Comments | Chinese Culture, Chinese history, Chinese minorities, Christianity, family values, Islam, parenting, religion, Taoism | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

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