ipl-logo

Yang Guangxian Analysis

431 Words2 Pages

Portuguese traders began arriving in China around 1515. They were interested in trading new goods but also intended to spread Christianity, so they brought Jesuits along with them. Matteo Ricci, the leader of the Jesuits, aimed to convert members of the elite, who he hoped would then assist in spreading his religion among the Chinese people. The Jesuits were highly educated and served the Ming and Qing emperors as advisers, astronomers, cartographers, and painters, but they were generally unsuccessful in converting. They attempted to explain how the people can believe in both Confucian and Christian teachings.
Yang Guangxian (1597-1669) wrote “I Cannot Do Otherwise” in response to the Jesuit teachings between 1659 and 1665. He, along with the majority of Chinese officials, was in opposition to the Jesuits and denounced Christianity. In the first paragraph, Guangxian restates that the Jesuits claimed that “the Qing dynasty is nothing but an offshoot of Judea.” He does not like how the Jesuits were trying to persuade “the people of Qing into rebelling against the Qing” dynasty and following Christianity. Confucian teaching emphasizes relationship hierarchy and being respectful to elders. In the second paragraph, Yang criticizes Jesus for not recognizing these relationships between ruler and subject because he was crucified for plotting against his country. Guangxian did not understand how Christians could …show more content…

He says, “those who argue like this [Christians] are no more than beasts able to speak a human language.” Even though Ricci and other Jesuits attempted to convert the Chinese people by emphasizing the similarities between the two religions, there were too many differences between the two teachings to create a significant impact. Yang Guangxian demonstrated that asking someone to abandon so much of their beliefs is quite

Show More
Related

  • Dbq Essay On Buddhism And Confucianism

    1732 Words  | 7 Pages

    Buddhism, since it is a foreign religion can never match the true beauty and value of a religion such as Confucianism that is a classic in Chinese culture. An anonymous Chinese scholar once argued about how “If Buddhism is the greatest and most venerable of ways, why did the great sages of the past and Confucius not practice it? In the Confucian Classics no one mentions it” (Doc 3). Not only did the anonymous Chinese scholar consider Buddhism as “outlandish”, but he makes an argument stating that if it was so great, why were the principles of Buddhism not incorporated into Confucianism, a religion that has been around much longer and has had greater influence. Buddhism also did not bode well with the reemergence of the imperial authority as jealousy arose among the elites since Buddhist monasteries were able to evade taxes, but continue to gain funds and riches.

    Read More

  • Buddhism Dbq Essay

    1137 Words  | 5 Pages

    By calling Buddhist followers Barbarians in an angry tone, it challenges the ideas taught by Buddha, Confucianism protects their culture (Document 5). The emperor of China, Emperor Wu in the year 845 CE would address the people of China showing how the Mandate of Heaven would incorporate Confucian ideas showing these were better for China. Angrily he challenges Buddhism and he orders the people of China to follow the ideologies of the emperor. In China, Buddha was never spoken of before the Han dynasty so because of this no one should follow Buddhist ideals, because it will continue to ruin the Chinese country (Document 7). Buddhism during the Tang Dynasty was seen as a threat to the traditional lifestyle of the Chinese society, and thus receive constant attacks from the emperor and

    Read More

  • Review Of Honorable Merchants: Commerce And Self-Cultivation In Late Imperial China

    1495 Words  | 6 Pages

    The main sources that the author relies on are the merchant manuals, for they were likeminded and resembled Confucius philosophy. The author uses these manuals, which “were imbued to some extent with the desire to teach Confucian morality,” to support his main argument. The foremost purpose of these merchant manuals in late imperial China was “to help people achieve success and attain wealth through commerce.”

    Read More

  • Unit 7 Han Dynasty

    509 Words  | 3 Pages

    The main theme that entangles itself in all of the source material is the idea of how governments should be run in such a powerful empire, such as Imperial Rome and the Han Dynasty. Starting with the first source, it is evident that the first Qin emperor believed that only the orthodox teachings should be tolerated, which meant that the works of the Five Classics and its teachings were to be extinguished. The next primary source serves as a supplement to explaining the fall of the Qin dynasty due to its warring ideas and Jia Yi argues that if Confucius teachings were implemented then the dynasty would have still been intact. The third source explains how the Qin dynasty was unjust in its equal appropriation of punishment against criminals regardless of motives or social class. Essentially, Dong Zhongshu believed that a dynasty could not be successful if it failed to establish a fair and righteous justice system for its citizens.

    Read More

  • Dbq The Development Of Monarchical Control: Early Modern Era

    727 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ming China followed Confucianism during this era. The reason these people were forced to read these four books regarding Confucious before they even knew the characters was so that once they learned them, they would only know of Confusism. Had they been taught before, they may have had the ability to read scriptures of other followings; or foreign culture. During this era, spread of foreign ideas was exactly what China was trying to avoid. The purpose of this document is to point out

    Read More

  • Spread Of Buddhism Dbq Essay

    687 Words  | 3 Pages

    The religion of Buddhism first appeared in India during the sixth century B.C.E and its teachings migrated to China by the first century C.E., gradually winning over the Chinese people following the collapse of the Han dynasty in 220 C.E. Buddhist influence continued its expansion in China for several centuries. Throughout Chinese history, China reacted to the spread of Buddhism within its empire in several ways: some valued its policies for their implications in Chinese culture, others condemned Buddhist ideals for not being original to the empire, while many remained indifferent towards Buddhism and its spread. Support for the spread of Buddhism became most evident among Chinese scholars. An anonymous scholar believed that the old Confucian philosophies of China were nothing in comparison to the greatness of Buddhism, even going as far as to compare the sages to the Buddha as swallows to a phoenix (document 3). Additionally, he admires the dedication that the Buddhist monks showed; the monks enjoyed the act of living and inaction, freeing themselves from worldly pleasure.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Aztec And American Empires

    1608 Words  | 7 Pages

    In return, the Chinese merchanted supplied the VOC with silk (furthering the silk trade). In the Americas the indigenous peoples were forced to convert to Christianity, in Africa many kingdoms accepted Christianity, and in Asia there was a similar response. A Jesuit named Matteo Ricci established the Jesuit Catholics in China. Instead of forcing the native people to convert, he immersed himself in Chinese language and culture. This made him more respectively and compelling for people to convert to his religion.

    Read More

  • Spread Of Buddhism Dbq

    1110 Words  | 5 Pages

    Following the fall of the Han dynasty came the decline of practicers of the Confucian philosophy because of the downfall of the elite class and a centralized government. Buddhism, a religion with it’s roots from north India, has found its presence in China during the time when trade, along the silk roads, was crucial in all parts of Eurasia. Although the spread of Buddhism in China was greeted with devotion from new converts who supported the religion by spreading it and combining their cultures with the religion, it also was rejected by the ruling elite who opposed the spread of the religion that impacted China for the next following centuries.

    Read More

  • Buddhism Dbq Essay

    762 Words  | 4 Pages

    The perception of Buddhism varied greatly from the collapse of the Han Dynasty to the formation of the Tang Dynasty in China. At the same time, the perception towards Christianity in the Roman Empire was undergoing similar changes. Emperors saw the religion as a threat, lower classmen saw it as a path to salvation, while scholars, as a whole, were indecisive. Those in power perceived Buddhism as a strain on China’s society and economy as well as a threat to their rule.

    Read More

  • Spread Of Buddhism Dbq Essay

    964 Words  | 4 Pages

    Other religions such as Islam and Confucianism were flourishing around this time as well. Buddhism arriving in China resulted in various responses, some were positive and accepted the religion, but after a while

    Read More

  • Buddhism Dbq Essay

    1226 Words  | 5 Pages

    Buddhism, being founded by Buddha, spread through many trade routes religious missionaries sent by Ashoka. Through these Missionaries, Buddhism was able to reach many places, with one of these places being China. When Buddhism first arrived to China, it was met with mixed reactions which soon define Buddhism rough transition and diffusion into Chinese custom. Buddhism's advancement into China was a direct result of Buddhist monks emphasizing the spiritual benefits of Buddhism. In response to this; Buddhism was accepted by some while Confucian scholars and other high officials rejected it because they believed it was detrimental to China.

    Read More

  • Gene Luen Yang's Boxers Chapter Summary

    600 Words  | 3 Pages

    The goals of the western powers were not strictly economic, but also prescribing to their ideas of Christian exceptionalism. As stated by Thomas David Dubois, “during the late eighteenth and especially nineteenth centuries, Catholic and Protestant missions from throughout Europe and North America brought their faith and civilization to every corner of the globe. This reach was facilitated by the penetration of imperial military power, leading to the frequently evoked image of the missionary arriving with the Bible in one hand and a gun in the other” (Dubois 127). This was the situation in China which eventually incites the Boxer rebellion and showdown at Peking. Yang simplifies the imperial conflicts in China through the symbolic events in Bao’s life which lead him to fight.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Ibn Battuta And Marco Polo

    742 Words  | 3 Pages

    As possible as it was for them to have different experiences it was also possible for them to somewhat have similar experiences. Due to them both being in China, although in slightly different times, it is easy to compare their travel accounts. A similarity that occurred in both of their travel accounts is that they both wrote from what they knew. All that they had observed was mainly because of the way and where they had been raised and how that triggered their train of thought. Another similarity is that in both travel accounts religion was discussed.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Ibn Battuta And Marco Polo

    793 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ibn Battuta and Marco Polo are both known for being the world’s greatest long distance travelers, however, because of their different backgrounds it had influenced the way in which each traveler wrote about their experiences in China. This contrast is dominantly believed to have been influenced by their different religious backgrounds, and how each had viewed the world. This was ultimately is influenced by ones cultural and religious background. In this essay I will examine the different experiences that both Ibn Battuta and Marco Polo had experienced during their visits in China. Ibn Battuta, a well-educated Islamic scholar born and raised by a wealthy family in Tangier, Morocco, he had begun his journey at the age of 21.

    Read More

  • Saying Goodbye To Yang Analysis

    1212 Words  | 5 Pages

    In the story "Saying Goodbye to Yang," written by Alexander Weinstein, and the story "St. Lucy 's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves," written by Karen Russell, there are several ways these stories could be seen as humorous or funny/not funny. Each story that we have read is unique in that they each had some sense of humor about them, whether it be witty humor, dry humor, or maybe even the funny/not funny kind of humor. Different types of humor can be interpreted from each of the stories we have read this semester. Yes, these stories can be seen as a joke but there are serious ideas about them. Each story undoubtedly has important concepts intertwined into them.

    Read More

More about Yang Guangxian Analysis

Open Document