Twenty-five centuries ago, power corrupted China. Multiple states battled each other while tiny provinces tried to stave off invasions from the larger barbarian regions that surrounded them. Treaties and alliances shifted back and forth like a pendulum. Warlords from different regions started wars for the slightest reasons, with the backing of their corrupt allies in government. The emperor was a pawn of the various powerful countries’ lords, who were sometimes pawns of their own officials. This is the world Confucius was born into and the world he tried to change. Confucius is the wisest and most influential figure in Chinese history. He still has sway over the lives of the Chinese people and he has stood the test of time with flying colors. He was a common man during his lifetime, and for that reason the Chinese have always related well to him. His philosophies are encompassing of all people, not just the Chinese. He may have lived in that country, but his sayings are true for all cultures and all times. His principles of uprightness, fairness, self-improvement, and respect for his fellow man are the ideals under which many governments have been founded. Democracy and Communism, two great rivals, have both used Confucius’ influence in their causes. Communists chose some of his philosophies and manipulate them towards their own ends to prove that Confucius was an advocate of Communism. Democracy uses his philosophies, if unknowingly, in its everyday operation. If a Chinese person immigrates here, they will still be aware of Confucius in their everyday life. Confucian philosophy has become so ingrained in the Chinese that even those who leave their homeland cannot escape his influence.
Confucius was a complex man, yet he was simple his dealings with life. He was a music lover and played guitar and sang. He was capable of intense study and thought, but he was still humorous and laughably witty. He was frank when speaking of someone, but he respected everyone who deserved respect, and he also knew when to keep his mouth shut. In the presence of someone who did not want to help himself he would refrain from trying to reach out and talk to them, but in the presence of one who sought knowledge he would sometimes still remain quiet in order to let them learn for themselves. He was a highly educated man, but he never lost his will to learn and never shied away from admitting when he was wrong. He preached trying to become a perfect gentleman and also trying to find The Way.
The Way is the way in which Confucius thought that individuals, states and the world should conduct themselves and be conducted… It was a vision of a cooperative world… It was the conviction that antagonism and suspicion, strife and suffering, were largely unnecessary. It was a profound faith that men’s true interests did not conflict but complemented each other, that war and injustice and exploitation injured those who profited by them as well as those they caused to suffer. (CCW 123)
This was the underlying thread in all his convictions and ideals; that men were instinctively good to each other and that they should conduct themselves as such. He was fully determined to end the era of strife in China by gaining power in government and then spreading the philosophy of The Way. He would also encourage each man to find his own Way, so that all would be happy in themselves, and therefore come to respect each other. He worked his whole adult life to reach this goal of changing the government of the day, but he failed to even garner a respectable position in government. The most he achieved in his lifetime was to gather a following of disciples, have some of his sayings written down for future generations, and get an office in government that informed him of important events, but didn’t let him do anything about them. His failure to achieve his aims in his lifetime only makes him a greater symbol of perfection for the modern Chinese populace.
When coming to America, modern immigrants are thrown into a new type of government. They’re used to the oppressive communist regime that monitors their activities and tells them what to do with their lives, but also one that provides security for people’s homes, jobs, and futures. In democracies there is no one monitoring your life or telling you what to do, but there’s also no one giving you a steady income and a house for the rest of your life. Despite the fact that the world is now more connected than ever, and foreigners are showered with American products and influences, the move here is still quite drastic step. When they move, they go from looking at Confucius’s views with red-colored glasses to looking at it with natural 20/20 vision. The communist slant on his sayings is removed and they can see what he envisioned when they look at American government. Confucius can actually be considered one of the first people to believe in a democratic-style government, as is seen here: “He emphasizes the necessity of self-examination, of the cultivation of virtue, and of education…[He] specifically denounced blind personal loyalty, of the feudal variety…This allegiance to principle rather than to persons is essential to democracy; without it, the state is constantly at the mercy of any general or politician who may accumulate a following.” (CCW 129). He thought that in order to have a good government, the people must be looked after as the most precious commodity. They should be brought up to be the best they can be, so that they will be loyal to the principles of the government that they were brought up in, rather than swearing loyalty to whichever warlord is currently on the throne. If a warlord takes power and keeps the same style of rule, the people will be happy, but if he becomes tyrannical, they will rebel. By putting its focus on the welfare of the people, a democracy will propagate itself in the minds of the people, and they will direct the government in the right direction in the future. This is what Confucius wanted to happen - and what he fought for - in his home state of Lu, and throughout China. He thought this type of government would put an end to the constant war that ravaged the smaller nations of China, such as Lu, and built up the power of the larger nations that surrounded them. By forming democracies, the ruler of a nation would be obligated to shelter and look out for the people, who in turn would ensure his place on the throne. They would crush any challenge to the throne by forming armies, or by usurping anyone who managed to occupy their land. A secure government would cause people to move to that land and it would bolster the economy while increasing the nation’s might. This new security would then end the smaller nations’ dependence on the large barbarian nations and they would no longer be forced to go to war on the slightest whim. The end of warlord rule in China, and the end of the suffering that accompanies it, was one of Confucius’ major aims. His ideals and teachings, more than any other person, lead to its demise a few hundred years after his death.
Confucius’ sayings are so legendary because of their ability to stand the test of time and to cross cultures. They are quite narrow in scope, dealing mostly with what Confucius himself experienced during his life, but they are also very broad and encompassing of the human condition. Their appeal is that they can talk to any individual person in any time or culture; anyone can relate to how Confucius felt. Since he never had an official teacher, he gleaned all his knowledge from books, ancient sages (Yao and Shun), and his life experiences. Some of his sayings are now antiquated - those dealing with the proper way to bury family members, how to conduct oneself in court, and how to bow when inviting guests into your house - but most are still relevant. Many of his arguments deal with becoming a perfect gentleman. Over and over, his disciples ask, “What is it to be a perfect gentleman?” His answers are varied, but a few are repeated a lot, such as, “Do not be concerned if you win no recognition; only seek to make yourself worthy of it.” (TBC 130), which stresses self-improvement and humility. Also repeated is, “The true gentleman, in the world, is neither predisposed for anything or against anything; he will side with whatever is right.” (TBC 134), which says that you should not be biased for or against anything and that, after careful consideration, you should choose what you feel is right for your Way. He even used a world-renowned idiom to describe the perfect gentleman. “‘The truly virtuous man,’ he said, ‘desiring to be established himself, seeks to establish other; desiring success for himself, he strives to help others succeed.’” (CCW 132) Even in his time, he recognized that the golden rule is very important. He can also relate to us with other modern idioms like “actions speak louder than words” and “he’s got the whole world in his hands.”
Another key to his appeal is the logic of his sayings. Some are so obvious and taken for granted that people forget to live by them, and are their meaning is lost. It took him to say things like, “Juniors are to be respected. How do we know that in future they will not be our equals? If, however, at forty or fifty they have no reputation, they need no longer be respected.” (TBC 85) and, “A commander may be snatched away from his army, but will cannot be taken from the humblest man.” (TBC 85-6) These remind people of the fundamentals of their lives, which are more important than appearances or money or power. To have love and respect for your offspring, to have accomplished something noble in your life, and to take pride in your power over yourself; each of these is important to people, but they sometimes forget that. These simple tasks are basic components of happiness, but few have been able to live up to Confucius’ ideals despite their simplicity. It seems that it may be easy for someone to do the right thing occasionally, or even most of the time, but it’s near impossible to the right thing all the time. As he once said, only one of Confucius’ disciples (Yen Hui) was able to think of nothing but being the perfect gentleman for more than a month, and he only made it for three months at a time. Therefore, the question of the worthiness of their actions must be constantly in the back of Chinese people’s minds.
Confucius was a very open thinker. He was willing to take in new ideas and discard old ones. He thought things through and only acted after doing so. He was a witty character, and sometimes hid his ignorance at the expense of others having their own ignorance revealed, but anyone with brains can figure out that these comments are in jest. They show his cleverness and willingness to learn, and that he admits it when he is wrong. He never said he was a great sage, like the ancients he studied, and he never professed superiority over his students. Instead, he sought to question them so that he, and they, might learn from each other and from themselves. He said “There may be some who create things without knowledge, but I am not of that type. After being taught much I selected the best and followed it; I observed much and remembered it. This is second-rate knowledge.” (TBC 69) He said that there are four types of people in the universe – Those born with understanding, those who gain understanding through study, those who study with great difficulty, and those who find it too difficult to even study. He was of the second type, while the ancient sages he studied were of the first type. His students were of the second and third types, while the men who did not seek his knowledge were of the fourth type. While he never praised himself, when he died, his students praised him to no end. Some mourned for up to three years, while others compared him to the sun and his genius to the stars. When he died he was not well known to most of China, and his popularity only began a few centuries later with writing of a few books about him (The Analects, The Poems, and Mencius). Since then it has only increased and spread. It’s hard to escape such an influence as Confucius’ when moving to another country. Immigrants would have to brainwash themselves to forget him.
In his struggle to change China, Confucius recognized that people would have to change themselves before anything could be done about the government. If the people knew what it was like to experience his ideal lifestyle, then would surely want to change the government to compliment it. Confucius was very big on self-improvement and striving to be a “perfect gentleman” who is “manhood at it best.” Some qualities he thought achieved manhood at its best were: uprightness, devotion, intelligence, placing family before state, being easy to serve but hard to please, being sparing in words but prodigal in deeds, being unbiased, being truthful with friends. Being in awe of the commands of Heaven, important people, and the words of the sages was also admirable. Being affectionate toward the young, not engaging in strife, not joining cliques, not being gullible, not being fawning or flattering, not acting rashly or in haste, not taking advantage of situations, not gossiping, not seeking wealth, having many friends of the highest caliber, having a willingness to change, having filial loyalty, enjoying music and following the rites, recognizing fate, knowing the value of words, pointing out the faults of your friends and bringing them skillfully into the right path, ignoring superficial complaints, avoiding alcohol, avoiding immorality, becoming skilled in The Way, improving your high moral conduct, expounding ones learning, bringing security to the aged, wholeheartedly trying to be a perfect gentleman, studying and thinking about what you’ve studied, siding with what is right, seeking not recognition but seeking to make yourself worthy of it, examining yourself, cultivating virtue, and changing what you can while not bothering with what you can’t; these qualities define what the perfect gentleman is in China, and also pretty much anywhere else in the world. Anyone can follow this list, no matter what. You can’t help but follow these values no matter where you live, and that’s how immigrants are still connected to China even after they leave.
There are many examples of Confucius’ influence in Typical American, On Gold Mountain, and The Woman Warrior. The Chinese-American characters and people in these books show a strong tendency to act like they’re Confucius’ disciples, but in a bad way. The only downside to Confucian philosophy is his shunning of women. He hardly ever mentions them (three times in two books). When he does mention females, it’s either talking about marrying off his daughter and niece to worthy disciples, denying having an affair with a notorious Lady he visited, or putting them down. “Only women and the mean men are hard to have around the house. If you become close to them, they turn non-compliant. If you keep them at a distance, they turn resentful.” (TBC 172) This implies that he found women to be a hindrance to his study, and he used them a prizes for disciples who he thought deserved good wives. This objectification of women as possessions instead of people is common throughout the stories from class. Females are the least respected members of a family, especially when they are young. When girls are young, they are often sold into slavery or even left by the side of the road simply because of their gender. If they make it into the family, they are treated as though they have no mind of their own. They perform menial tasks like cooking and working in the fields. Some of their feet are bound, in an effort break their spirits and keep them close to home, like some disobedient animal that needs a leash. When the date of their arranged marriage finally arrives, they are expected to love and serve the husband, no matter how cruel he his. If they are lucky, their elders will have picked an amiable or even caring man for them. After marriage, their only jobs are to take care of the man’s aging, usually domineering, parents, and to give the man sons. If the man is infertile, it is blamed on the wife, and her parents-in-law chew her out day after day, telling her to give them grandchildren and telling her she’s not good enough for their son. When the wife grows old, she becomes like the crabby old grandmother she served before, and makes her new sister-in-law serve her, thereby continuing the tradition of female subservience.
The idea of female subservience is evident in On Gold Mountain when Fong See leaves Ticie over an argument about his son. They’re in China and she doesn’t want Eddy to stay with Fong See, she wants him to go back with her to California. Fong See has usually been lenient and gone along with what Ticie has recommended for his business, but when it comes to family, he reverts to Chinese custom. Family is paramount in Confucian lifestyles, and when Ticie takes Eddy and the kids back to the US, Fong See sees this an intrusion on his authority as head of the family, and he decides to let them go forever. He couldn’t control them, so he got rid of them. Then he took another wife, Ngon Hung, who was beautiful and about the age of his own children, and she obeyed him unquestioningly. She spent most of her life under the watchful eye Fong See, rarely doing anything she wanted to, and when he died, she was a hunched, withered old maid. He used her, and at least one other woman, as possessions and drained the life right out of them, until they knew nothing but how to serve his family.
In Typical American, Ralph dominates the household, where he is the only man among two women and, later, two girls. He treats his wife and sister poorly and orders them around a lot. He does have good times with them, but he also bad times with them. He disowns his sister after she has an affair with a man he is jealous of (Old Chao). He throws his wife out the window after she says she had relations with Grover and then drives into his sister during his rage. The women took him into their home and saved him from probable ruin, and he repaid them by being an incompetent, selfish, volatile guy. His one saving grace is that he brings in the money, but after Grover tricks him, he ends up throwing away their money and two mortgages on their house. This displays a flaw in the Confucian philosophy of the male-dominated house; if you can’t handle the responsibilities of leadership, admit it, and let the women have their say.
In Woman Warrior, there are two stories about aunts who are treated inexcusably. One is forced to have sex with a stranger, while her husband’s away. She becomes pregnant and is shunned by the villagers, disowned by her family, and finally commits suicide and kills the baby too. Even though it was not her fault, the villagers assumed she was to blame for being unfaithful to her husband. In the second story, the aunt is left in Hong Kong while her husband moves to America. He sends her money for the next few decades while she sits there and gets old. When she meets him at last, he barely recognizes her and acts like she hasn’t existed the past years. He is somehow able to live with treating her like a pet that can be appeased with treats, when in fact he has caused her life to amount to nothing. The final insult is that his rejection at their meeting causes the old aunt to realize her worthlessness, and she sinks into madness. The fact that Confucius rarely mentioned women and treated them as possessions has surely contributed their plight as slaves to the men in their lives.
Things are improving for Chinese women immigrants, however, as authors like Maxine Hong Kingston are getting the message of their oppression out to the masses. The deprivation of women is the only major flaw in Confucian philosophy. In the modern world, we are finally trying to set that right, but he has had such a large influence that immigrant men still treat women poorly here. That’s not to say that women aren’t treated badly by Americans, too, but it’s more of an accepted practice in China. There the government is in everything, including the treatment of women. Confucius tried to change the government during his time and failed, but centuries later his efforts succeeded. This is one way he can give women heart to fight for their own freedom and respect. In fact, Confucian philosophy is closer to Democracy than to Communism. It may be close to Communism in theory, with a country sharing it profits and losses equally, but it’s not near the actual, practiced Communism; the one with supreme governmental authority in all matters. He believed that there should be a strong government, but not a dominating (actual Communism) or feeble (theoretical communism) government. He wanted a democratic nation, and so when immigrants come to America, they can escape China, but they can’t escape Confucius.
Bibliography
Writing Page
Home Page
