chinese literature

• the flag of china was officially adopted on october 1, 1949
• the red of the chinese flag symbolizes the communist revolution
• the large gold star represents communism
• the four small star represent the social classes of the people
• the five stars together reflect the importance placed on the number five in chinese thought and history
• the chinese empire lasted for over two thousand years surviving periods
• t’ao ch’ien (220 A.D - 581 A.D) - lived during the period known as the six dynasties and one of the most tumultuous eras in the chinese history
• shang dynasty (1700-1050 BC) - development of chinese writing and the first dynasty for which there is historical record and archaeological evidence.
• chou dynasty (1045-255 BC) - their dynasty lasted for about 800 years
• ch’in dynasty (221-206 BC) - had big armies and conquered the others.
• han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) - lasted for 400 years. the major contributions were historical texts and scientific works
• t’ang dynasty (618-907) - has a big empire that benefited from trade with the west along the silk road, battled with the tibetan empire and experienced the growing influence of organized buddhist religions.
• sung dynasty (960-1279) - military technology greatly advanced. they traded little with the west due to the presence of warring muslim states on the old trade routes
• the sung dynasty is divided into two eras called the northern sung (960-1127) and southern sung (1127-1279) eras.
• ming dynasty (1368-1644) - the chinese rebelled against the mongols, and began about 1368
• yuan dynasty (1279-1368) - the mongols established the very rich yuan dynasty. the mongols were nomadic people who herded cattle north of the tang empire and wandered over a large area fighting on horseback
• 2nd to 12th centuries A.D. the main chinese poetic from was the shih ching (the book of songs)
• western philosophers - seek out the being of things, the essential reality lying behind appearances
• chinese philosophy - contrast between chinese and western modes of philosophic thinking
• chinese attitudes and beliefs were shaped by 3 religious and philosophical school: taoism, confucianism, buddhism
• taoism - tao-path or the way stresses freedom, simplicity and the mythical contemplation of nature. force that controlled the universe.
• confucianism - how people act-moral behavior.
• buddhism - to lead a moral life.
• red - color of weddings in china
• red - is central to the wedding theme of china. it signifies love, joy, and prosperity and is used in a variety of ways in chinese wedding traditions.
• wedding anniversaries - in china are carefully chosen according to astrological signs. it is also customary for couples to be married on the half-hour or their wedding day rather than at the top of the hour.