儒家的教义 （The Doctrine of Confucianism）

Okay, so China has been really awesome and really fun. Every day is filled with new experiences and new realizations not only about myself but about China as well. For instance, two Sundays ago, I went to visit the Confucius Temple where emperors taught Confucianism to the smartest kids in the country at the time. One of Confucius's most famous quotes translates to something like "In a group of three, at least one must be a teacher." I gather his philosophy in this quote is that we are all one another's teachers and one another's students, so we must mutually learn from one another. That seems kind of obvious, but in reflecting on this quote and then thinking about the current educational system in China, I see it differently. Confucius’ teachings aren’t so easy to apply to the contemporary world. For instance, in order to get into college every June each Chinese high school student takes the same college entrance exam that determines where they can (and sometimes will) go to college and what they're major will (or should) be. These kids spend their entire elementary, junior high, and high school careers preparing for this single exam; it determines their entire lives. 

Now, although it is a very fair method because everyone has the same standard to achieve; however, this is why many Chinese students lack social skills and work experience; they often don't seem to be interested in things other than studying. It’s not because Chinese kids don’t have interests other than studying, it is because they haven’t had the opportunity to find their hobbies. Modern China has, in many facets, completely misconstrued the meanings of Confucius' quotes. For instance, his theories on filial piety and other forms of social order were used to establish stability in ancient empires, but now are used to keep order in society, thereby causing women's rights, human rights, and other social issues to run rampant. Okay, enough about sociology and politics. I'm done. I’m teaching a course on the influence of world religions on Chinese society tomorrow, this is just a bit of practice. I'll let you know how it turns out in the next blog. I'm so nervous!