core case study china

• Confucianism is a system of thought and behaviour or a social and ethical philosophy that establishes the social values and institutions originating in ancient China 

  • constructs and promotes elitism in social classes, elevating the roles of male nobility such as gentry (ruling class), scholars and those in official positions – considered superior 
• Features of Confucianism:

  • Filial piety: the importance of family and respect for parents and ancestors
  • Frugality: living with minimal requirement and to not indulge in unnecessary accomplishments
  • Modesty: to act and dress in a conservative manner and demonstrate humility in accomplishments
  • Self-restraint: to control reactions and emotions
• History of China:

  • Ruled by emperors up until 1912
  • Was in civil war + occupied by Japan until 1940 when the “Free China Nationalist Party” was formed, later combining with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
  • CCP has ruled since 1949
• Impact of Confucianism on boys:

  • kept on family name
  • kept land and property within the family
  • responsible for taking care of family members
  • were leaders
  • breadwinners
  • education for boys only 
• Impact of Confucianism on girls:

  • subordinated under Confucianism with practices that reinforced the patriarchy
  • submission to male leadership
  • division of labour meant that women were economically and socially dependent on men
  • foot binding = higher status – deformity = limited mobility, therefore menial roles and domestic tasks,
  • considered property of men – reinforces these expectations
• NATIONALISTS VS COMMUNISTS = CCP WON – indicates the role of power and authority changing in 20th century

  Nationalism: a belief and force to build a strong national identity that seeks to put the nation’s interests first.

  Communism: a political view that seeks to create a non-hierarchical social structure by the state controlling all economic structures and means in order to redistribute wealth.
• Nature of CCP’s AUTHORITY:

  • Strict
  • Irrefutable
  • All-consuming for Chinese lives
  • Threatening → regularly showing itself capable of brutality in any challenge to the authority
• Nature of CCP’s POWER:

  • Invasive: restricting freedom of speech through censorship at a micro level
  • The name of an anti-communist activist Ai Wei Wei is banned on the Chinese internet
  • Tiananmen Square protests for democracy and freedom of speech on 1989 resulted in a violent crackdown by the Chinese military – this event is completely censored from the internet and education system; indicates the eradication of its existence at an institutional level
  • strong correlation between increase in wealth and increase in incidents of social unrest