China:The Glorious Tang And Song Dynasties - Asian Art Museum ...

This sense of "filial duty" is then not limited to family, but expands to encompass an ever-growing
network of interactions that dictate one’s behavior toward other people in general. After all,
everyone is a member of someone’s family. Therefore, you must treat them with the appropriate
respect relevant to their generational position.
CONFUCIAN PRECEPTS
My parents always talked about li-mao and zuo-ren. Li refers to one of the central tenets of
Confucian teachings, having respect, or “propriety/proper duty.” Having respect for someone leads
to knowing proper behavior. The idea of “propriety” is very, very important to Chinese. It is not
enough to be “right,” honest, or true. Having integrity means not only being “right” and honest,
but also behaving appropriately, that is, your righteousness must also be expressed in a righteous
manner.
These expectations are suggested by ren, another central Confucian tenet. Zuo-ren literally
translates into “being or making a person” and means things like being courteous, kind, compassionate,
hospitable, dignified, and even "humane."
In order to achieve proper li and know how to conduct oneself according to zuo-ren, education
is essential—and not just any education. Education is about those very basic Confucian tenets illuminated
in what is known as the Da-xueh, the tenets of “cultivating the person,” “rectifying the
mind,” “making intentions sincere,” “extending knowledge,” and “investigating things,” in order to
bring harmony to the household and to society at large.
All of these tenets are circular in relationship to one another. For example, only through study
and discipline, which rectify the mind, can one make intentions sincere, thereby cultivating one’s
self. Only by investigating things can one extend knowledge, thereby serving society. And through
sincere service to society, one rectifies minds, extends knowledge, and cultivates one’s person all over
again.
This means that studying is very important to the average ABC (American Born Chinese) kid.
We also have to “cultivate” ourselves by learning art and music, minimizing small talk, and always
showing respect for our elders, regardless of whether or not they are Chinese. As a child growing up
in this culture, life was a pretty serious existence.
When it came to social and political issues, however, we were discouraged from getting too
involved. From my parents’ perspective, the violent political turmoil China had suffered over the
last century was a result of not enough individuals having followed through with cultivating themselves,
investigating things, and extending knowledge. Similar to their counterparts in the Song
dynasty, their generation was particularly concerned with making progress in the material disciplines,
the sciences and technology. They were particularly wary of religion and the supernatural,
believing that China’s absorption into these areas had caused her to fall behind in science and technology,
thus becoming vulnerable to invasion and foreign occupation. Hence, just like their Song
counterparts, my parents and others of their generation were particularly secular in their interpretation
of Confucian teachings. It was all about school and science. Only through school and science
could you be any good to society.
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