STEPHANIE N.

BONGOLAN Quiz #6 SSE105

BSE SST 1-2 May 7, 2021

Define the following:

A.Read on the history of China and answer the following: ( 5 points
each)

1.What is Confucianism? What makes it different from other Asian

philosophies?
Confucianism differs from other religions in three aspects (1) it has no deity
but is based instead on rules of conduct; (2) it was not established in a way
that competes with other religions; and (3) it has no large-scale institutional
'church' with priests and ceremonial and a laity.

2.What is Taoism? What are some of its distinct features?

Taoist thought focuses on genuineness, longevity, health, immortality, vitality,
wu wei (non-action, a natural action, a perfect equilibrium with tao),
detachment, refinement (emptiness), spontaneity, transformation and omni-
potentiality.

3. What role did the imperial government play in China’s history?

The political systems of Imperial China can be divided into a central political
system, a local political system, and a system for the selection of officials.
There were three major tendencies in the history of the Chinese political
system: the escalation of centralisation, the escalation of absolute monarchy,
and the standardisation of the selection of officials. Moreover, there are the
ancient supervision system and the political systems created by ethnic
minorities, as well as other critical political systems.

4.What are the four classes in early Chinese society?

According to the traditional Confucian view, society is made up of four classes:
government officials, farmers, artisans and merchants.
This scheme exalts public officials as shepherds of the flock; it esteems farmers
as the economic basis for the whole of society; and recognizes artisans as
being of some use; but it denigrates merchants as being greedy, parasites on
the rest of society, making themselves rich by making others poor.
The view of society reflected Confucian ideals much more than it did social
realities at any time in Chinese history. However, it does express a basic truth –
that Ancient China was (like all ancient societies) a hierarchical society. It
contained different social groups, with differing levels of wealth and influence.
The roles of these different groups – their composition and relative position in
relation to one another – was always changing.
B.Read on Japanese history and answer the following:

1. What is Buddhism? What are its origin and who founded it? (5
points)

Buddhism, a religion that more than 300 million people currently practice,
was founded in northeastern India by Prince Siddhartha in the sixth
century B.C. Having achieved enlightenment, he became known as
Shakyamuni and preached a path of salvation to his followers.
Buddhism denies a supreme deity. Its earliest form was based on
Shakyamuni's teaching and moral code and stressed that everyone,
through concerted individual effort and action, could achieve
enlightenment. This form of Buddhism called Hinayana or, in the Pali
tradition, Theraveda (the Way of the Elders) is practiced in most of
mainland Southeast Asia. The sect requires disciples to become monks and
concentrate solely on reaching nirvana, the ultimate state of bliss that
transcends suffering.

What is Shintoism and how is it different from Buddhism? (5 points)

There are many types of organized Buddhism whereas Shintoism is
whatever you want it to be. Buddhism has a clear doctrine and rules.
Shintoism is more ambiguous, with no religious texts or set doctrine. As a
polytheistic religion, it allows more freedom for believers to worship the
kami or other deities of their choosing

What role does the following Japanese social classes played in

Japanese history and what are the distinct characteristics of each? (5
points each)

Samurai
The samurai (or bushi) were the warriors of premodern Japan. They later made
up the ruling military class that eventually became the highest ranking social
caste of the Edo Period (1603-1867). Samurai employed a range of weapons
such as bows and arrows, spears and guns, but their main weapon and symbol
was the sword.

Samurai were supposed to lead their lives according to the ethic code of
bushido ("the way of the warrior"). Strongly Confucian in nature, bushido
stressed concepts such as loyalty to one's master, self discipline and
respectful, ethical behavior. Many samurai were also drawn to the teachings
and practices of Zen Buddhism.
Farmer
Peasants (heimin) were sixth on the Tokugawa class hierarchy and first of
the commoner classes.
Peasants were held in high regard as commoners by the Tokugawa because
they produced the most important commodity, food. According to Confucian
philosophy, society could not survive without agriculture. Life
for rural peasants focused on farming in and around their villages. Peasants
rarely moved beyond their villages, and journeys and pilgrimages required a
permit, but young people occasionally sought seasonal employment outside
of their village. As a result, people were highly suspicious of outsiders. Social
bonding, critical to the survival of the whole village, also reinforced through
seasonal festivals. Villages were highly collective; there were strong pressures
to conform and no room to deviate from custom. Though there were conflicts,
they were seen as disruptive to the village and order and were to be limited as
much as possible

Artisan
Artisans were seventh on the Tokugawa class hierarchy and second of the
commoner classes. Artisans were placed below the peasants because they
were producers but they produced non-essential goods. Artisans typically
lived in urban areas, and by 1800, as much as 10% of the population of Japan
may have lived in large urban areas, one of the highest levels in the world at
the time.The daimyōs and their samurai did not produce any goods
themselves, but they used the tax surplus from the land to fuel their
consumption. Their needs were met by artisans, who moved to be around the
castles and were restricted to living in their own quarter.

Merchant
Merchants were eighth on the Tokugawa class hierarchy and third of the
commoner classes. Merchants were placed at the very bottom of the official
system because they did not produce any goods, and due to their low status,
were forced to hustle trading local and regional goods. Merchants, similar to
artisans, typically lived in cities within their own quarter. Merchants grew
increasingly powerful during the Edo period, in spite of their social standing,
and the top merchants commanded a certain amount of respect,
with Osaka and later Edo having concentrations of the merchant class.
Wealthy merchant houses arose to organize distributors and hold legal
monopolies. As their wealth grew, merchants wanted to consume and display
their wealth in the same manner as the samurai, but laws prevented them
from doing so overtly. Still, their consumption combined with that of the
samurai served to reinforce the growth of the merchant and artisan classes.

References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_systems_of_Imperial_China
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edo_society
https://www.timemaps.com/encyclopedia/ancient-china-society/
#:~:text=Class%20in%20Ancient%20China,%2C%20farmers%2C%20artisans
%20and%20merchants.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_philosophy