David professor at the Harvard University divinity school. Chapman, during a lecture, to the audience of nearly a thousand students share, Chinese interpretation of myth, not ten times with passionate tone Chinese myth summary: Chinese characteristics of kernel.
In his emotional atmosphere has been driven by rising blood.
One
He said: "our mythology, the fire is from God; in Greek mythology, Plo Michel J fire is stolen; and in China mythology, the fire is out of their firm and indomitable Zuanmuquhuo friction! This is the difference, they warned descendants using this story, Struggle with nature! "(Zuanmuquhuo)
"In the face of the end of flood, we took refuge in Noah's ark, but Chinese mythology, their ancestors conquered the flood, see, is still a struggle,Fight against the disaster! "(King Yu combating the flood)
"If you read Chinese myth, you will feel that their story is unbelievable, put aside the story, find the performance of cultural core of mythology, you will find only two words: Fight!
If there is a mountain in front of you, you are choosing to move or dig a tunnel? Obviously, the move is the best choice. However, in the Chinese story, they put away the mountain (great determination and courage)!
Unfortunately, such a spirit, our mythology does not exist, our mythology is obeying God's arrangement."
Two
"Every country has the sun god legend in the tribal era, the sun god has absolute authority, across all of the sun god myth, you will find that only Chinese mythology has dared to challenge the God of the sun: the story of a person because the sun is too hot, to catch the sun, want to take the sun off. (in pursuit of the sun).
Of course, he finally exhausted, I heard a lot of people laugh, this is too bad, because you laugh at this person is that you Too Big for Her Skin, no challenge consciousness.
But China myth, people regard him as a hero to praise, because he dared to look hard to overcome and power struggle.
In another story, they finally put down the sun (Hou Yi day), Chinese ancestors told generations using this story: You can lose, but cannot yield.
Chinese grew up listening to this myth, the courage to fight the spirit has become genetic, they are not aware of, but as strong as ancestors. So now that you are about Chinese stubborn unyielding spirit, it is easy to understand, this is the reason why they are standing still."
Three
Professor David's lecture video was posted on social networking sites, attracting foreign friends lively discussion.
"A girl from drowning, she turned into a bird life, want to fill the sea - this is a struggle!" (dogged determination)
"Because a person might be cut off the challenge of the head, but he did not die, but wielding an axe to fight!" (Borner)
Have to say, the professor David Chapman China interpretation of myth angle is novel, is also in place. We often say that the Chinese nation for thousands of years, and is constantly by natural disaster, environmental struggle to continue until now, but some people think, Chinese which lasted for thousands of years of struggle spirit is how to keep down?
Four
Myth of each culture has its own brand, but there are so many of us struggle story you've ever seen battle with heaven and earth in which national mythology?
Lao Tzu "heartless world, to all things for the straw dog", that is to survive on our own, not by the heaven. This is "love of God" sounds cruel, but very practical.
The Taoist classic "the West rise", "my life" chapter said: "I am in my life, do not belong to the world. I don't know as to God, not born, and with long. I and the world a rule, too sober."
"My life is not in my day", is one of the important doctrines of Taoism, Taoism is also acts to death war slogan for personal life with the world, are made by natural gas, if the person with the wisdom of nature through science, steal the Yin and Yang of the machine, keep order, return the roots can and way with Tianchang, fifty-four cases. The emphasis on individual life, can be self determined, not by heaven and earth master. This is a kind of life for the positive attitude, certainly the value of life.
"My life is not in my day", pointed out that the person's life is not decided by heaven and earth, but in our own hands, emphasizing the importance of nurture and play to people's subjective initiative. In the development of science and technology, China positive outlook on life and the correct concept of fame and protect the ecological environment and other aspects of this idea, it has a positive role. "My life is not in my day" thought is a kind of practice, a positive outlook on life.
Five
We have heard the word of mouth, and to the next generation of these myths reflect not only the story is so simple. At the beginning of each civilization is theism, but our civilization fear God, perhaps because of the words that we understand Lao Tzu, so our ancestors never live their hope in God, so many people say Chinese without faith. Oh, no belief in the nation can survive for 5000 years?
In fact, the courage to fight, not afraid to lose, but will not admit defeat, is the national spirit of our nation, the Chinese nation is our belief. We will carry forward the national spirit and national belief!
Chinese in the end there is no faith?
2017-10-19 05:30http://www.chinaisgood.com/wn/12/zcbiend.html?
Recently, a Harvard professor who emphasizes the belief China interpretation, who said Chinese without faith, without faith is 5000 national standing endures! Sounds very mention gas.
Harvard professor David Chapman found the core spirit of Chinese China from fairy tales, that is The courage to struggle, indomitable spirit !
He said: in our mythology, the fire is from God; and Chinese said, the fire is out of the friction! This is the difference, they warned descendants using this story, in order to survive to fight with nature (Zuanmuquhuo)!
Face the end of floods, we expect to escape or wait for God in Noah's Ark to help, but in Chinese mythology, their ancestors conquered the flood with wisdom, and the struggle (King Yu combating the flood disaster)!
If there is a mountain in front of home, we think that the best choice is to move or pray for god. However, in the Chinese story, they put away the mountain (great determination and courage)!
Have the sun god legends in many countries in the tribal era, the sun god has absolute authority, across all of the sun god myth, you will find that only Chinese mythology has dared to challenge the God of the sun: the story of a person because the sun is too hot, to catch the sun, want to take the sun off. (in pursuit of the sun).
Unfortunately, he finally exhausted... We have... People will laugh this is proof that we Too Big for Her Skin, lack of awareness of the challenge. But China myth, people regard him as a hero to praise, because he dared to look hard to overcome and power struggle.
In another story, they finally put down the sun (Hou Yi day)!
Chinese ancestors told generations using this story: in the face of difficulties can lose, but cannot yield. Chinese grew up listening to this myth, the courage to fight the spirit has become genetic, they may not realize it, but as strong as ancestors. Therefore, when we see Chinese stubborn unyielding spirit, it is easy to understand, this is the reason why they are standing still.
A girl drowned by the sea, she turned into a bird life, want to fill the sea (dogged determination)!
One of the challenges of heaven because Shenwei was cut off his head, but he did not die, but wielding an axe to fight (Borner)!
Have to say, the interpretation of the myth of the professor David Chapman China angle is novel, also very deep.
Every nation has its own national culture myth of the brand, but there are so many Chinese struggle story you've ever seen battle with heaven and earth in which national mythology?
Lao Tzu said: heartless world, to all things impartially. That is, people want to survive, not by the heaven, rely on their own. This is "love of God" sounds cruel, but this is reality.
Chinese heard growing up, and word of mouth to the next generation of these myths reflect not only the story is so simple. At the beginning of each civilization is theism, but China civilization fear God, Chinese ancestors never gave birth to hope in god.
In fact, the courage to fight, not afraid to lose, will not yield, it is Chinese national spirit, but also Chinese faith.
If you love this article, remember to share a circle of friends oh! Share the wisdom, good luck with you!
Chinese mythology
Fake news about China's 'ighting spirit'
Jun 23, 2017 (WiC 371)
https://www.weekinchina.com/2017/06/chinese-mythology/
Last week an unsourced article with the headline “Harvard Professor: a national characteristic unknown even to the Chinese has kept the nation standing” went viral across China’s social media sphere. It alleged that a theology professor from Harvard called David Chapman gave a lecture eulogising China’s “unyielding” and “fighting” spirit as reflected in ancient Chinese mythology.
The well-known mythological stories quoted by the professor included Rubbing the Wood to Get Fire 鑽木取火, Dayu Regulating Floods大禹治水，and Yugong Moves the Mountain愚公移山. “In our (Western) mythology, fire was given to us by God; in Greek mythology, fire was stolen by Prometheus; but in Chinese mythology, fire was created by people persistently rubbing the wood. This is the difference! They teach their descendants to fight with nature!” the professor was quoted as saying. “When facing epic flooding, we (Westerners) chose to escape on Noah’s Ark, whereas the Chinese chose to fight with the flood and control it. When you read Chinese mythology, you may be incredulous, but if you discard the plots, you will find a cultural core which is ‘fighting’. If there is a mountain blocking your house’s view, you may choose to move home. Yet the ancient Chinese chose to cut down the mountain. We lack such a spiritual core – as our mythology prefers to let God arrange everything. Since the Chinese grow up with these kind of stories, with the ‘fighting spirit’ imbued in their DNA – even though they may not realise it – they can be as tough as their ancestors. Therefore, it’s no surprise that today’s Chinese inherited the unyielding spirit and today’s China is still standing high.”
After echoing the professor’s “passionate” preaching, the article concluded with this defiant paragraph: “Every civilisation began with theism, but only our civilisation is not afraid of God. Our ancestors never put their survival in the hands of God. Many people say the Chinese have no spiritual belief, but how can a nation last for 5,000 years if it doesn’t have spiritual belief? In fact, ‘dare to fight’ and ‘unyielding’ are both our national characters and our spiritual belief.”
The article went viral on both Sina Weibo and WeChat and I read it from reposts by multiple friends, including one of my university professors. Most people liked the story for its “inspiring theme”, which goes perfectly with Xi Jinping’s ‘China Dream’ concept with an emphasis on a national rejuvenation of the economy, the military and promoting “soft power”.
But I pointed out to a friend that it seems such “fighting spirit” had only been directed to the natural world and not toward the brutal rule of man which stipulates, “If the Emperor orders you to die, you won’t dare not to die”. My big question was this: was this fighting spirit the reason that China could survive largely uninterrupted for 5,000 years or was tolerance and endurance the reason?
I also got suspicious about the authenticity of the speech, especially when I read that “the audience was ‘hot-blooded’ and ‘high-spirited’ all through the lecture”. That doesn’t sound like a Harvard audience. I went ahead to look up Harvard Divinity School’s faculty list and couldn’t find any David Chapman. I Googled the name and found the only famous David Chapman is the American who killed John Lennon.
Later I found out on a weibo page that the picture of the so-called Harvard theology professor is actually MIT professor Richard Larson giving a lecture in Chongqing in 2014.
And the so-called “American students’ enthusiastic comments – one example is “Suddenly I admire the Chinese” – were also fabricated. So who created this fake news (and why)? Is it another demonstration of China’s conflicted national psyche which displays signs of both superiority and inferiority (see WiC367 for more discussion on this topic)? What’s evident is that it fooled a lot of people.
A native Chinese who grew up in northeastern China, Mei attended an elite university in Beijing in the late 1980s and graduate school in the US in the early 1990s. Over two decades she has worked in the US, Hong Kong and mainland China, both in the media and with two global investment banks, where she has honed her bicultural perspective. If you’d like to ask her a question, send her an email at askmei@weekinchina.com
