Author: admin

When I chose to take the class “China’s Magical Creatures” I was honestly unsure of what I was going to learn or what the class would be like at all. Despite my initial skepticism and confusion about the class curriculum, I have learned a great deal of valuable information about current and ancient Chinese culture. This objective has been achieved through reading texts such as The Classic of Mountains and Seas and the Tribute of Yu. Through reading and analyzing these texts along with weekly class discussions, I realized that there is a long history of belief in magical creatures in China. It seems strange to me now that I have never heard of the belief in mythical foxes and monkeys and made up creatures considering I have heard countless tales of goblins and fairies. While the class is mostly focused on ancient China, the myths/beliefs in these fantastical creatures still permeates in modern Chinese society. This is one of the many times this class has made me think about cultural comparisons between the U.S. and China. Before taking this class I thought that reading children’s stories about fairies, goblins, witches, and vampires was a universal experience. I did not realize that different versions, or completely new types, of these made up creatures exist in different cultures around the world.

Another cultural comparison that has stuck with me after taking this class is the belief in luck in Chinese culture compared to that of the United States. Both cultures have seemingly strange ideas about what is lucky and what is not such as the number 13 and especially Friday the 13th being unlucky in the U.S. In China. the year of the dragon is especially lucky, and it is a sign of luck if people were born in that year. While at the surface these ideas seem trivial, this class has made me want to further explore the history behind these concepts and see what they say about each culture.

While I may never call myself a Chinese historian, I am glad that this class has made me more aware of both past and present Chinese culture and that it opened my eyes to the many comparisons one can make between various aspects of different cultures.

Introduction: The immense amount of time and money spent on physically protecting world leaders today typically ends either a few years after their reign, or at the latest at their time of death. This was most certainly not the case in ancient China as there was a belief that people continued to live, and thus needed to be protected, in the afterlife. The terracotta warriors built for the tomb of the first emperor of ancient China, Qin Shi Huang, exemplifies the power the head of the country had. These highly detailed warriors were built during the Qin dynasty (221-206 BC). The army also highlights the exploitation of the thousands of workers whose lives were uprooted to protect a single individual in the afterlife. While the craftsmanship of the warriors, horses, and weapons found in the tomb are undoubtedly beautiful to study and admire, the lives of the people who made these sculptures was anything but. This section looks at the different types of tomb workers and their daily lives while creating the terracotta army.

Section 1: Explain the different types of workers who built the army.  abilities and working conditions of the various types of people that created the emperor’s tomb. There were state artisans employed by royal workshops as well as artisans who normally worked in their own private shops. This was the more fortunate group as the other workers consisted of criminals forced to do less desirable tasks under worse working conditions. I intend to use this section to highlight the socioeconomic differences in the labor force who built the first emperor and to examine specific differences between the lives of employed artisans and forced laborers during this time.

Section 2: Explain how the warriors were made. Include how each one is individualized and was originally painted.

Section 3: This section will talk about the origin, diet, and rank of prisoners and workers who built the emperor’s tomb. Through biological analysis it is revealed that millet was a staple crop for prisoners who did not have a varied diet. This analysis also reveals that prisoners from various regions of China were forced to work on the tomb. A sense of cohesiveness between prisoners from the same region was maintained as they worked together as a group and were even buried together. I intend to use this information to highlight the intense amount of planning and forced labor that went into creating the emperor’s tomb.

Conclusion: This will wrap up the main ideas of the text. Through focusing on the individuals who built the warriors, intense socioeconomic differences in ancient China are highlighted. While the great beauty of the terracotta army can never be taken away, analyzing these statues through the lens of artisans and forced laborers shines a different light on them.

Bibliography

Ma, Ying, Benjamin T. Fuller, Weigang Sun, Songmei Hu, Liang Chen, Yaowu Hu, and Michael P Richards. “Tracing the Locality of Prisoners and Workers at the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang: First Emperor of China (259-210 BC).” Nature Research, June 2, 2016. https://www.nature.com/articles/srep26731.

Barbieri-Low, Anthony J. Artisans in Early Imperial China. University of Washington Press, 2007.  https://doi.org/10.1038/srep26731 .

Ledderose, Lothar. Ten Thousand Things : Module and Mass Production in Chinese Art. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2000. https://muhlenberg.on.worldcat.org/oclc/41439723

Through our class discussion on zoom and looking at my classmates responses in the discussion board, I learned that there is a strong connection between power and these mountain creatures. These creatures are strange, ferocious, and wild which pose a threat to the ruler as they are misunderstood. The inability to control these creatures would be seen as an incredible weakness to the emperor, and other people in power, which is why exorcisms were performed.

I am impressed with the amount of different magical creatures that were said to exist in ancient China. It must have taken a degree of creativity to assign these creatures different characteristics and powers. It is also important to note that these creatures may have been based off of birth defects, distinct physical traits of foreigners, or combinations of two or more animals. These creatures can be compared to goblins and fairies in Europe. I find it to be very interesting how different cultures come up with different mythical creatures and what these creatures say about the society. For example, in ancient China the strangeness and fear of these creatures may be a reflection of the fear of foreigners who they deemed barbaric. There are even some forms of magical creatures in modern American society such as the tooth fairy, vampires, and zombies. While many people do not actually believe these creatures exist, it would be interesting to analyze them with the goal of figuring out what they say about our society.

I will be writing a chapter in the class textbook about the terracotta warriors. More specifically, I will be focusing on the artists and workers who built the large number of warriors, horses, and weapons for the emperor’s tomb. My argument is that the hardship and intense labor endured by the workers who built the terracotta army is overlooked by the great beauty of the warriors. The upended lives of thousands of workers to build a tomb for a single person calls into question the morality of the project and highlights the significant differences in power and freedom in ancient China’s social classes.

I am going to explain the purpose of the terracotta army, which was to protect the emperor against the many enemies he made during his time on Earth in the afterlife. I will also briefly explain the process used to make and paint the warriors and other objects in the tomb.

I hope readers of this chapter learn that while the idea for this army may have been the first emperor’s, the carrying out of this project rested in the hands of not only expert artisans, but also low class workers. While the emperor may viewed himself as above everyone else, without the help of average citizens he never would have had a massive army to protect himself in the afterlife. It is not only the first emperor, but the roughly 720,000 people who built this army, that should be credited for this impressive feat.

Before reading about the history and meaning of foxes in ancient China, I had no idea they were a part of their culture. What stood out to me the most is that not all, but many, foxes were female and most likely represented the manner in which women were treated in China at this time. Miss Ren, the fox, is passed around to different men to engage in certain activities with her most prized value being her beauty. There is even one part of the story where it seems like the fox woman is being raped by a man. I am glad that many of my classmates were also bothered about the treatment of and sexism towards Miss Ren. It did seem strange though to me that even Miss Ren talked about other fox women as if they were objects, such as when she said she could easily get a fox woman for a man if he wanted one. I do not think that Miss Ren does not have respect for women, but rather the way in which she talks about other women is a product of the place and time period she was living in.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn during our class zoom session about Empress Wu who proclaimed herself emperor and was a capable monarch. While she was an outlier in terms of women being in power during this time period, it makes me wonder if there are other outliers in history like her. I want to know more about this woman and how she defied the odds in a male-dominated world.

The big lesson that I learned that I will carry forward for the rest of the semester is that foxes play a part in Chinese culture. Foxes represent the slyness and importance of not trusting everyone in society. Miss Ren seems too good to be true, because she is in fact not a human, but a fox.

During this first week of online classes I learned that I need to find a quiet space in my house to do my work. When I was at school I either worked in my dorm room or the library which are both quiet places conducive to studying. Since I have been home I realized how many distractions there are from my dad randomly singing to my grandmother asking me multiple times throughout the day if I am doing homework or not. My parents set up a table and chair for my siblings and I to work in our basement during this time which has been very helpful.

This experience has taught me that in-person classes are much more valuable than I realized. Some days when I was at school I would have loved having an online 8 AM class instead of having to get up that early in the morning. Now, with my professor for this 8 AM class expecting students to continue to do the assignments without any form of instruction, I would gladly wake up at 8 AM. Teaching myself the material for my 8 AM class is difficult and frustrating. Thankfully, all of my other professors have continued to teach online either through zoom calls or pre-recorded videos. I have also learned that watching pre-recorded videos are much better for me than participating in zoom calls. With posted videos on course websites I can watch them on my own time and not worry about calling in for a class at a certain time. It also allows me to pause the video and take a break in order to re-gain my focus which I cannot do in a synchronous class.

While continuing my coursework online had definitely been a challenge, I am very grateful to be together with my family during this time. We have all been very supportive and caring towards each other and continue to embody the meaning of family.

I would like to do my final project on the terracotta warriors. While everything that I have learned so far in this course has been interesting, the information I learned about the terracotta warriors is the only topic I discussed with people outside of class. I was genuinely enthusiastic to call my mom right after class and impress her with my new knowledge on this topic. Another reason why I want to choose this topic is because I had the chance to see a few terracotta warriors in person. I went to a museum in Philadelphia a few years ago that had a traveling exhibit of a number of terracotta warriors on display. Of course touching them was forbidden and they were behind glass, but it was amazing to see them in real life. I considered choosing other topics such as the concept of yin and yang or fangshih, but it is much harder for me to relate to those topics. The terracotta warriors are tangible objects that for me, as an American who is not familiar with Chinese culture, can relate to.

I am excited about the possibility of learning more than just the basic facts about the terracotta warriors. Many people know that they were buried in the tomb of the first emperor of China, but I want to go beyond that. I want to know what the worker’s day to day lives were like when they were making these warriors, how much training artists received for this project, and so much more. I am not yet sure what aspect of the terracotta warriors I am going to focus on, but at this moment I definitely want to include a paragraph or so about the workers lives making these warriors. I currently do not see a chapter on the terracotta warriors and would love to have this topic included in the open textbook.

The first ancient Chinese emperor had an elaborate and decadent tomb made for himself. This tomb included hundreds of terracotta warriors that were placed in and around the emperor’s tomb to protect himself against the enemies he made during his lifetime. The enemies of the first emperor are many as he unified China, and thus took over many people’s land and power. Other objects besides the individualized and impressive warriors lay in the tomb such as weapons and chariots also used to safeguard the emperor. Decorative and more practical objects have also been found within the tomb.

If I were to design a tomb for someone on the same scale as the first emperor of China, I would make one for former president Obama. He is worthy of a tomb on this incredible scale because of the leadership, compassion, and strength he showed as the head of the United States for eight years. While he did not unify a country as the first emperor did, his achievements are significant and impactful for everyone in the U.S. His many accomplishments as president includes leading the U.S. out of a major recession, signing affordable care act, supporting marriage equality for the LGBT community, and modernized the auto industry. While not everyone may agree on his policies and democratic views, it is certain that he progressed the U.S. forward.

Obama’s tomb complex would be in the shape of the state of Illinois where he served as a senator in congress from 1997-2004. Just as the first emperor of China had a re-creation of rivers and the landscape of China in his tomb, a re-creation of the layout of the White House will be in Obama’s tomb. Another room would be a re-creation of his childhood bedroom in Hawaii. The other rooms would not be re-creations, but rather used to display objects that represent significant times or accomplishments throughout his life. The first display room would honor Obama’s commitment to supporting the LGBT community. Objects would include a pride flag, a copy of the HUD’s national study of discrimination against LGBT people, and other LGBT related legislation Obama endorsed and helped pass. The second room would include copies of documents relating to all of the other important legislation and accomplishments of Obama such as the affordable care act, the 2010 tax cuts, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and more. These two rooms will highlight the impact he had on a diverse group of Americans, during and after his presidency.

While there will be no buildings on top of the tomb, there will be a grave marker. This will be a large statue of Obama hugging his wife and daughters. There is no need to create a man-made mountain as the first emperor order people to do, but instead a statue will suffice. This statue will highlight Obama’s personal life while his tomb is more reflective of his political life.

Bibliography

Amadeo, Kimberly. “What Has Obama Done? 14 Major Accomplishments.” The Balance, December 14, 2019.

Perry, Tod. “28 Of Barack Obama’s Greatest Achievements as President of the United States.” Good, September 12, 2018.

Fei Changfang was believed to be a magician in ancient China. One day he saw an old man who, unbeknownst to him, is an immortal spirit. Fei saw this man jump into the ground every day after the market Fei worked at closed. This odd behavior caught his attention which prompted the old man to bring him into the ground with him. There lied spectacular gems and gourmet food, but Fei was sworn to secrecy regarding this treasure.

The old man finally confessed to his true identity as a spirit and stated that this was his last day of being in exile as a punishment for a wrongdoing he committed. Fei wanted to adventure along with the spirit, but he feared his family would not be accepting of this decision. Fei’s radical solution was to fake his death, which his family fell for.

The spirit put Fei through a series of fearsome and gruesome tests, of which he failed the last one. Due to his failure to pass all of the tests, Fei was sent back home where the uncomfortable task of admitting to faking his death fell upon him.

Fei did come back with good news, as he was able to cure diseases and had control over a variety of aspects from demons to rainfall. Unfortunately, Fei eventually lost his powers and was murdered by a group of ghosts.

This text was written by people who were biased against fengshi practices, and serves to create a sense of fear around people who engage in fengshi.

Bibliography

Minford, John, and Joseph S.M. Lau. “‘Doctors, Diviners and Magicians.’” An Anthology of Translations: Classical Chinese Literature, Vol. 1: From Antiquity to the Tang Dynasty, 2000.

One of the most important pieces of knowledge for time travelers going back to ancient China to know is that ancestors went from being feared and respected to being seen as pitiful. From the Shang through the warring states period ancestors were seen as powerful beings worthy of fear and respect. During the Han dynasty, people were more dependent on their ancestors than respectful or fearful of them. What I mean by this is the ancient Chinese during the Han dynasty viewed ancestors as pathetic ghosts and depended on them to not pass down punishments to the living. People tried their hardest to appeal to their ancestors by providing them with sufficient offerings to help sustain them in the afterlife. Offerings to the dead in their tombs are referred to as mingqi which is a broad category consisting of replicas of servants, weapons, and utensils. If you do not want to be punished by an unhappy ancestor I highly recommend giving him/her plenty of objects and tools for him/her to have a successful and happy existence in the afterlife.

Another important aspect of the afterlife to be aware of is that commoners had a more grim view of life after death than elites did. This is attributed to the fact that commoners did not have as many burial goods provided to them as elites did after they died to help sustain them in the afterlife. No matter what a person’s rank in society was, he/she certainly believed that life did not end after a person died, but merely continued in the afterlife. When visiting ancient China it is not advised to make jokes about the afterlife or ancestors as this is inappropriate and could get you in trouble. Also, remember that many ancient Chinese people had tough lives and needed a concept of life after death to cling onto, even if it was not ideal. Good luck and have safe travels!

Bibliography

Colburn Clydesdale, Heather. “The Vibrant Role of Mingqi in Early Chinese Burials .” The MET, April 2009. https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/mgqi/hd_mgqi.htm.

Von Glahn, Richard. “The Han Cult of the Dead and Salvific Religion.” In The Sinister Way: The Divine and the Demonic in Chinese Religious Culture, 45-77. University of California Press, 2004. Accessed February 8, 2020. www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/j.ctt1pp0n9.8