Lesson 2: Modern China

• European missionaries and traders gradually found their way to China, exposing the Chinese to foreign culture
• The Great Wall extends about 6,500 kilometers across Northern China
• Cultural Revolution

  The new government demanded that literature should serve the aims of the state
• Mao Zedong (Mao Tse-tung) came to power


  1949
• Most published works during the Cultural Revolution were written by unskilled workers due to the persecution of intellectuals
• Chinese literature is on its way to claiming its place under the sun today
• Lu Hsun wrote satiric short stories of social criticisms
• Some writers dared to write on political and social themes criticizing the government after 1976
• A story told in the third person point of view has the narrator not as a participant in the story
• Lu Hsun attained success in 1918 when his short story, The Diary of a Mad-man, was published
• Pitch refers to the loudness and softness of the voice
• The tz'u is a form of Chinese poetry that became widely spread during the latter part of the T'ang Dynasty
• Similes are comparisons of unlike objects expressed through the use of like or as
• TQLR stands for Tuning, Questioning, Listening, and Reviewing
• Stressing words correctly is part of good pronunciation
• By the early 1900s, many Chinese authors showed the influence of Western literature in their works
• A Cultural Revolution took place after Mao Zedong came to power
• The ancient Chinese constructed the Great Wall to keep out invaders from their land
• Until the 1800s, China was almost isolated from other countries
• Lu Hsun received a traditional education before enrolling in new style schools in Nanking
• Chinese citizens held rallies at Tiananmen Square in Beijing demanding greater democracy
• The government eased restrictions on literature

  1976
• Mao Zedong's government

  Ordered writers to produce works easily understood by peasants, soldiers, and workers
• Lu Hsun, pseudonym of Chou Shu-jen, was the most important Chinese author of the early 1900s
• Deng Hainan, born in 1955, is a member of the Jiangsu Provincial Song and Dance Troupe
• The tz'u is usually sung to the tune of popular songs and has a folk song quality
• To be a good listener, one should be observant, courteous, and cultivate a sincere interest in what is being said
• A story told in the first person point of view has the narrator as a participant in the story
• Correct pronunciation while speaking is important for good communication
• The TQLR method is used to gather information, organize material, and retain what you read
• Religion answers the basic needs and provides a moral order
• Unhappiness and sorrow come as a result of not following the natural course of life
• Simple Predicate

  The circled verb in the sentence that is the main verb of the sentence
• A simple sentence may have a compound subject and a simple predicate
• A simple sentence may have a simple subject and a compound predicate
• The Classics, which were supposed to have been edited by Confucius, became the outstanding literary contribution of the Classical Period to Chinese Literature
• Ways to begin a composition

  • An original general statement
  • A direct quotation
  • A rhetorical question
  • A quotation or proverb
• The Tang Dynasty (618-907) is considered by scholars as the "Golden Age of Chinese Poetry." It produced a star-studded list of poets who composed to perfection Lu Shieh (regulated poems), a stanza of eight lines with five words or seven-word lines and an intricate pattern of tonal contrasts. Great literary achievements came with the Tang Dynasty. Literary developments were associated with religious freedom and goodwill
• Much of the literature during the early period was concerned with three major religions in the land — Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. The earliest printed books were Buddhist and Taoist scriptures. Chinese literature is extensive. It includes almost every form known, namely, poetry, drama, history, philosophy, letters, plays, and travel stories
• Chinese literature generally commences with the Classical Period (600-200 B.C.), which began with the Chou Dynasty (1122-256 B.C.). This was the period of great intellectual awakening; that is why it was called the Classical Period