The only reading we had this week was part of an activity on how to read and evaluate an article. The article I read was about how contemporaries viewed Empress Wu, her legacy, and why she was viewed the way she was. It’s a pretty good article for a general audience who want information on… Continue reading Weekly Progress Report: Week 6
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Weekly Progress Report: Week 5
This week I read about an economic debate between legalists and confucianists. They talked about trade, taxes, and monopolies. I found the part about funding war to be interesting because it still applies today. There is still an insane amount of money going towards the military and the justifications are also the same of needing… Continue reading Weekly Progress Report: Week 5
Weekly Progress Report: Week 4
This week I read excerpts from two masters of efficiency: Guan Zhong and Shang Yang. The excerpts talk about the laws of the land and how Shang Yang views the general people and what he believes their purpose is. I find it interesting how Shang Yang cares so little about people. His only interest is… Continue reading Weekly Progress Report: Week 4
Show and Tell 1: The Use of Music in the Zhou Dynasty
Music in China began with a legend of a man named Ling-lun who blew through the bamboo, creating music. Using the sounds of two other birds near him, Ling-lun created a chromatic scale. By the Zhou dynasty, music had become much more important, thanks in no small part to Confucius considering music to promote harmony… Continue reading Show and Tell 1: The Use of Music in the Zhou Dynasty
Weekly Progress Report: Week 3
There were three readings this week. The first was the second chapter in An Outline History of East Asia to 1200. The chapter focused on the Zhou dynasty, from the victory over the Shang to the political and societal history, to the philosophy of Confucius. An interesting point brought up is that a lot of… Continue reading Weekly Progress Report: Week 3
Weekly Progress Report: Week 2
For this week, I read four texts. The first first built off of the idea of complex societies by talking about Taosi. Taosi was an extremely large and complex area from the 2600-2000 BCE. Tying into what was defined as a complex society from last week, Taosi fits the definitions to a tee. It had… Continue reading Weekly Progress Report: Week 2
Weekly Progress Report: Week 1
For this course, I watched a documentary called “Chinese Heroes, Kings and Destroyers” and read the introduction of Pre-Industrial Societies: Anatomy of the Pre-Modern World. The documentary covers ancient Chinese myths that have been passed down to this day. These include Nu-Gua who is pictured above, Fu-Xi, and the Great Sage Kings. While these characters… Continue reading Weekly Progress Report: Week 1
Cats Can Be Smart.
This cat spreads a good message. You should commit to a goal.
