Confucianism v. Taoism in Chinese Popular Culture

    Roland, at ESWN, reminds us again of how debates about popular culture in can reveal significant changes in political - or, at least, potentially political - attitudes.   He posts a translation of a Southern Metropolis Daily piece (original Chinese text of article here) about Chinese woman weightlifter, Wang Mingjun, who won a gold medal at the Asian Games in Doha.  Apparently, some Chinese sports officials were mad that, even though she won, she did not display the "proper" dismay when she failed to lift the barbell on her final try (remember: she had already won the competition!).  Indeed, she had the temerity to smile to the audience.

     This all seems insignificant, but here is what the Southern Metropolis commentator, Xiao Shu, makes of it:

So there are standards about how to look when you win, how to look when you lose, how not to laugh when you should cry, how not to cry when you should laugh -- or, at least, there are unwritten rules or customs.  For the longest time, we have seen living our lives according to these types of standards, or perhaps we should say that we were drilled as a group.  After a while, even when we are alone, there is   always an inner voice that reminds us constantly to sit straight, nod, smile or look pensive.  It is like as if an invisible "political comissar" is always following you and directing your thinking and your life.  There is no such thing as full expression of individuality or free flight of the soul.

Other people treat the theater as a living [thing], but we treat our lives as theater.  Everything that we do is   theatrical.  Our smiles are made for television, because we have to live up to those written and unwritten rules.... A normal person would regard Wang Mingjun as a nice person   with a certain childishness and innocence.  She should be praised for being that.  But the opposite has happened and she was criticized and   punished.  A fresh and sincere character was not regarded as a virtue.  Instead, there is a systematic effort to encourage people to be insincere and hypocritical.  Unfortunately, this is our culture. Under such a culture, our characters are distorted and our society cannot be normal.

     On one, unspecified, level, this is a critique of what Confucianism becomes when it hardens into a system of societal "standards" and expectations, and is not driven by sincere motives internal to individuals.   For those familiar with the May 4th movement, this article will resonate with the general rejection of Confucianism of the early 20th century.  Modern Confucians might retort that ersatz adherence to formal expectations of "proper" standards of behavior (in this case how to look sufficiently dejected at athletic limitations) is not really what the philosophy is about.  But I think we have to recognize that there is something about the social practice of Confucianism that can give rise to the kind of enforced insincerity that Xiao Shu identifies.

     Xiao, however, does not invoke Confucianism directly, however much it is lurking in the background, but chooses to bring to the fore the more obvious connection to contemporary political structures: as if an invisible "political commissar" is always following you and directing your thinking and your life.   This reminds us of the peculiar yet potent combination of Marxist-Leninist-Maoist ideology and vestigial Confucian cultural attitudes that has long under-girded Communist Party power.  The Party demands that its definition of virtue be enacted and reproduced and it expects society to follow along in a manner similar to a son following a father.  To disobey the Party is to be fundamentally disloyal, unfilial even.  What is most refreshing about this article is that, by calling attention to the negative social consequences of insincere expressions of "proper behavior," it is indirectly challenging and undermining the overwrought authority of the Party.

      And nothing is better for challenging authority than Taoism, which, without explicitly acknowledging it, infuses Xiao's article:

What is the most important feature of contemporary civilization?  The most important feature is individualization.  What is individualization?  The most fundamental meaning of individualization is that we go back to our true selves.  We guarantee that each person have the personal space to exist independently.  We guarantee that each person is unique.  Every person is the most precious and irreplaceable.  In summary, to be human is to have an individual character.  This is the universal law.  We should not exclude ourselves from this law.  The kind of straight-looking, standardized regimental drills -- the kind in which we are always trapped in a net and we are always being reprimanded against doing this   or that -- should be terminated as soon as possible.  When Wang Mingjun can be free to do what she wants at competitions around the world, to laugh or cry as she feels like and to blow kisses if she wants to, then that is when our international image will be genuinely improved.  While winning gold medals at international competitions is important, it is even more important to show the world about our individualized and humanized daily lives. When the world rates China, they are not looking at how many gold medals we have.  They are mainly looking at our living conditions and they are looking at whether we are free, joyful and happy.

    First, let's point out the obvious: this paragraph, in its celebration of the individual, fundamentally contradicts the Party's notions of "socialism."  This is becoming uttely common in all facets of Chinese popular culture, which allows and encourages expressions of individual tastes and preferences and interests.  It is only a matter of time, and perhaps not that long of a time, that this recognition of individual interests feeds into a more powerful claim of individual rights (I say "more powerful" because this is already happening, as Merle Goldman shows) and political protections of those individual rights in ways that check the Party's power.  Social liberalization works in the direction of political democratization.

      On another level, the critique of socially and politically ossified Confucianism brings us back to Taoism.  Each individual is unique and each person should have the freedom to find his or her distinct presence in the world.  How far is that sentiment from this passage in Chuang Tzu:

...So the real is originally there in things, and the sufficient is originally there in things.  There's nothing that is not real, and nothing that is not sufficient.

   Hence, the blade of grass and the pillar, the leper and the ravishing [beauty] Hsi Shih, the noble, the sniveling, the disingenuous, the strange - in Tao they all move as one and the same.  In difference is the whole; in wholeness is the broken.  Once they are neither whole nor broken, all things move as one and the same again. (23)

      So, maybe China is becoming a Taoist society...

Comments

[casey kochmer]

China is becoming a market base consumer society.

On the surface may look like a taoist culture , yet underneath is far away from Taoist ideals.

Strangely, and this points back to your earlier post, The United States is slowly moving towards a Taoist culture as people begin to reject a consumer based lifestyle and become to explore there own nature instead.

Somewhere in the middle the United States and China will meet and a strange new economic critter will be officially born to Slouch towards Bethlehem..

In the meantime peace Sam

Casey

[Chris]

Casey:

Where exactly are you seeing a move in the US towards Taoist culture? I don't see this as all. If anything, it seems more consumer oriented than ever before.

[casey kochmer]

I wrote a personal Tao to act as a translation to modern culture for Taoism, and in my ramblings as a Taoist in modern culture I watch trends. So you might say my view point is slanted.

Yes: The larger culture is happily churning out televised American dreams for people to be brain dead within the chase of Dollars...

However, more and more people especially the teens and those in a mid life are discovering consumerism doesn't create, define or satisfy the empty space. We are talking 1% or less of the population, but I encounter people on the streets and around the country and I see a undertow trend of hey its time to really be myself...

So Buddhism is most assuredly growing in this aspects, just look at the stories about how people are turning to Buddhism to help still the over active mind in this culture. You can see the trend best in the numbers of people turning to Buddhism.

Look at Yoga and how the practices of Yoga is growing in this country.

However, also watch movies and other mass market trends carefully. Look at how many hidden references to Taoism you are seeing now. I am seeing the Yin Yang symbol in advertisements, and you have the highly visible star wars Yoda and the force message...

I loved it when Oprah mentioned the Tao a year back and watching people rush to find copies of the tao de ching..

It's still very much a subtle under current buts its growing. More importantly its something which will be years in the making and even when it gets more apparent, wont be mainstream.

yet the current is there and over time will influence our culture.

:)

stop by and chat if you are curious at the personal tao site :) I would love to hear your feedback.

peace

[casey kochmer]

Oh i forgot to mention the other major trend

As the US government becomes more dictatorial, (which it is still going down that road) . People will turn to religious and spiritual practices that teach personal freedom and source of balance. Taoism in some respects is the ultimate practice of personal expression. I see more people coming to me with questions for this reason.

[litos]

By saying that the U.S is slowly shifting to taoism would agree that is doing so from confucianism? or that there aren't any signs of confucianism int the U.S?

[Timothy Jordan]

In the west there is an increasing need to live as though you were on camera, or being watched. Yet, is seems a shame that an athelete has to adhere to those standards in moment of competition.

[tabatha johnson]

you just got served

The rise and fall of San-tsing Mountain is connected closely with the rise and fall of Taoism. The Taoism culture of San-tsing Mountain was started by Ge Hong in Jing dynasty, so Ge Hong had a special position in the history of the mountain. According to historical records, between the year of 357 and 361 in East Jing, Ge Hong who was a pills of immortality maker and famous medical professor climbed up the mountain to make pills of immortality with Minister Li. They wrote books to expound the religious doctrine of Taoism advocating that human being can de immortal. The remains of well and stove for making pills of immortality are still remained up to now, especially the well. It can still keep not drying up all year long after more than one thousand years. Because of the fresh water in it, it was called “immortal well” by descendents. Therefore, Ge Hong became the founder of the mountain and Taoism in the mountain.
Taoism was respected as the state religion in Tang dynasty. With taoist priest traveling to and from between north and south, Taoist in San-tsing Mountain became more and more popular. In the year 639, in order to strengthen rule, the royal court combined south part of Jiangshan, west part of Changshan and east part of Yiyang to be a new town—Yushan which had the jurisdiction of San-tsing Mountain. Then, necromancers built up the first Taoism construction in the mountain in the place where Ge Hong made pills of immortality which is called the place of perfect happiness now. It further consolidate the important position of San-tsing Mountain in the history of Taoism.
Ning Zhen emperor in North Song dynasty believed in Taoism and respected Lao Zi as the Most Exalted Lord Lao. At that time, in order to commemorate Ge Hong, necromancers built up a temple to consecrate Ge Hong and Minister Li. At the same time, Fuqing Temple and Lingji Temple were built up too. What worth being mentioned specially is that necromancers built up the six-floor and five-face Wind and Thunder Tower with natural granite at the top of Sky Gate Peak. This tower keeps standing lofty and firm after thousands of years of wind and rain, so it was respected as a brilliant jewel in Taoism construction of San-tsing Mountain.
In Yuan dynasty, royal court took Taoism as a thought weapon to control the Han nationality and Taoism were attached more importance to. At that time, there appeared necromancers who believed in Quanzhen sect in San-tsing Temple (they renounced family). They were engaged specially in Taoism activities. More necromancers believed in Zhengyi sect (they didn’t renounced family). They were restrained by Taoism classical religious discipline. Since they were proficient in every kind of religious rites, they were engaged in Taoism activities among the people. One is being engaged in secret matters and redeeming lost souls by making offerings and saying prayers. The other one is being engaged in positive matters. According to <>written by Lu Qiyuan in Yuan dynasty, San-tsing Temple was extended at that time. There consecrated Ge Hong, Minister Li, Golden Boy, Jade Maiden and supreme commander Pan in the temple. Scenic spots and places were also named after Taoism appellation, such as Immortal Bridge, Thunder God Stone and the Judge in Hades Stone. Thus it can be seen that it was very prosperous in the mountain at that time.
As a emperor of Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang especially recommended Taoism. Heavenly Teacher Zhang was the national founder of Taoism. Dragon and Tiger Mountain in Guixi became the activity center all over the country. With a distance of only 150 kilometers away from Dragon and Tiger Mountain, San-tsing Mountain had a very close connection with it and was frequently visited by necromancers. Taoism activities in San-tsing Mountain were under direct control of Heavenly Teacher Zhang. At that time, it was very popular to worship in the mountain. necromancers and believers living scattered in Jiangxi , Zhejiang , Anhui , Fujian, would organize pilgrimage every September " towards San-tsing one year , towards Shaohua the other year ". They band together to walk, clear the way with San-tsing statues and flags , light the fragrant candle, lift various kinds of sacrificial offerings of cattle and sheep, ring three blunderbusses and cheer , mix it with the strains of music accompanied by drumbeats, blow and beat, set out vast and mightily to San-tsing Mountain, as many as ten thousand people at most every day, at least thousands of people.
The Ming Dynasty was the most prosperity period of the Taoism activity of San-tsing Mountain. Taoism building on the mountain appear in a large amount like the mushrooms after rain too. To Jingtai, there had already built up Dragon and Tiger Hall, Necromancer ascending to Heaven and becoming Immortal Jar , Jade Temple, Picket's Office , Perform and Teaching Hall, Nine Sky Yingyuan Mension , Pangong Hall , Stone Workshop in Gate to Heaven , Flying Immortals Platform, a thousand wonderful step door and bridge of rosy clouds in the mountain, San-tsing Temple had been rebuilt. The palace of the Ming Dynasty is very unique in architecture: Two enter from beginning to end, seat the north towards the south, made of granite in the mountain, stone roof beam and stone pillar, mix with the stone wall all around, worshipYuqing, Shangqing and Taiqing inside, 130 of carving stone and engraving statue , 45 of precipice inscribe.

[tim tebow]

gators r gunna beat them sooners!!!!