NHÂN VẬT THUÝ KIỀU TRONG TRUYỆN KIỀU TỪ GÓC NHÌN VĂN HÓA NHO GIÁO

Ethical Confucianism in general imparts into Vietnamese cultural life not only moral standards, the embodiment of Confucian morality, but also the embodiment of the people’s morality to dream as it exists in reality and is protected by the Vietnamese people. This article analyzes the following aspects of Thuy Kieu's character: loyalty, honor, chastity, and gratitude from the perspective of interdisciplinary literature and culture, particularly Confucian culture. Nguyen Du's loyalty, honor, chastity, and gratitude in Thuy Kieu, of course, partly comes from the Confucianism tradition, but most importantly, from rich love and humanity; it is what Vietnamese people live for. This article affirms that loyalty, honor, chastity, and gratitude in Thuy Kieu, although called Confucianism, are in fact the qualities of the Vietnamese people. Thuy Kieu's personality shows that Confucian morality has been re-conceptualized by the nation's traditions, by the reality of contemporary society, and also by the living environment of Nguyen Du, himself. And more importantly, that "morality" is inspired again, imbued with a loving soul, a great personality, and a noble philanthropic spirit. This article shows that “The Tale of Kieu” is not simply a copy of an earlier work.

On the Influence of Translations of Religious and Philosophical Texts of Buddhism on the Literature and Art of Medieval China

The era of the Tang dynasty (618-907) was a period of great flourishing of all aspects of Chinese culture, when changes covered the most diverse spheres of philosophy, art and literature. The article examines the role played in this cultural transformation by translations from Sanskrit into Chinese of the religious and philosophical texts of Indian Buddhism. The specificity of the Chinese approach to the translation of Indian texts is demonstrated, when, at the initial stage, many works were translated in a rather free style due to the lack of precisely established correspondences between Sanskrit and Chinese philosophical terms. The authors identify two additional factors that influenced the nature of the translations. Firstly, this is the requirement of compliance with the norms of public, mainly Confucian, morality. Secondly, the adaptation of the Indian philosophical context to the Chinese cultural and worldview traditions, which led to the emergence of new schools of religious and philosophical thought that were not known in India itself, such as Tiantai, Jingtu or Chan, each of which in its own way influenced the art of the Medieval China. Special attention is paid to the activities of the legendary translator, Xuanzang, whose travel to India gave a huge impetus to the development of Chinese philosophy in subsequent centuries, as well as to the contribution to Chinese culture and art, which was made by the translation activities of the three great teachers of the Tang era Shubhakarasimha, Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra.

The Flexibility of Confucian Thought in Times of Crisis

The article is devoted to the crisis of Confucianism in the history of Old and New China, the causes of these crises, and the ability of Confucianism to respond to the demands of the times, to change under the influence of political, historical and ideological metamorphoses. Particular attention is paid to the flexibility of the Confucian tradition, which for thousands of years has remained the main ethical teaching for the Chinese intelligentsia and a fundamental instrument of government. The reasons for the stability of the Confucian doctrine are explained through analysis of the orthodox canons which changed in response to crises. The role of commentators on traditional treatises who greatly enriched the teachings of Confucius and contributed to its flexibility in the face of impending crises is also considered. The article also considers the stylistic changes carried out by the neo-Confucians under the guidance of the famous philosopher Zhu Xi. Those changes temporarily made Confucianism more resistant to all kinds of cataclysms, but in the end it was these changes that played a crucial role in the fundamental crisis in its teachings. There is no denying that the literature of Old and New China exposed all the flaws in Confucian morality. The criticism of Confucianism is especially thorough in the satirical literature that best highlights all the defects of Confucian orthodoxy. The article concludes with an examination of the role of Confucianism in modern China, and Xi Jinping’s new course is analyzed by invoking traditional Chinese thought, which abounds in his works and speeches. The reasons for the stability and flexibility of Confucian thought are explained.by reference to the thumbnail sketch of Chinese history in the article.

The Role of the Guangbao in Promoting Nationalism and Transmitting Reform Ideas in Late Qing China

The Guangbao, published in Guangzhou between 1886 and 1891, was one of China's earliest native-owned newspapers, with a circulation three times larger than the Xunhuan Ribao. The newspaper, founded by Kuang Qizhao, provides important information on the ideas that were circulating at the time in Guangzhou, a place where a number of reformers were beginning to formulate their thoughts. The newspaper may have sown some of the seeds for the nationalism that would become a powerful force after the Sino-Japanese War. The Guangbao protested against the mistreatment of overseas Chinese and printed stories recommending retaliation against Americans. It opposed Western imperialism, advocated a strong national defence, and even suggested annexing Korea. However, the newspaper was not xenophobic and tried to encourage good relations between Chinese and foreigners in China. Unlike future political newspapers, the Guangbao continued to support the existing political system—not because of fear or ignorance, but because of a sense that democracy may not have been appropriate for China at this time. Although Kuang was not a supporter of many Neo-Confucian traditions or beliefs, because he equated Confucian morality with Christian morality, and morality was needed to combat corruption, the Guangbao emphasized Confucian moral training.The newspaper also served as a platform to promote reform ideas. Kuang carefully picked ideas that he felt were appropriate for China, including: free universal and specialized education, women's rights, economic nationalism/industrialization/business, free trade, entrepreneurship through patent and copyright protection, support for the common people versus corrupt officials, and philanthropy.

Materializing Morality

This chapter examines the salt merchants’ role in constructing chastity arches—stone structures honoring women who maintained chaste widowhood—in She county in Huizhou. In the High Qing era, the Manchu court systematically patronized the construction of monumental objects, such as stone arches, with the dual object of inculcating Confucian morality in their illiterate subjects and displaying their imperial legitimacy. The Huizhou salt merchants, seeing an opportunity to expand their influence, devoted themselves to chastity arch construction in the local community of Huizhou, thus publicizing the virtuous deeds that the court rewarded. While these merchants used their economic prowess to participate in the state’s cultivation project, their financial support of these arches was itself a product of the court’s salt monopoly policies. At the same time, these monuments gave these wealthy businessmen the opportunity to bolster their reputations, display their wealth, and lay claim to legitimate dominance in local society.

Retouching the Past with Living Things

Chinese scientists working during the early twentieth century are often understood as radical modernizers. A close examination of research practices in biology at the time, however, complicates such a view. Influential biologists in Nanjing examined in this paper appropriated traditional styles, concerns, and knowledge as crucial constituents in conducting and communicating biological subjects, such as plant taxonomy, comparative anatomy, and goldfish evolution. This paper shows that the prioritized study of those species collected within China was crucial in sustaining traditional styles and knowledge essential to modern biology. As biologists reinterpreted classics, poems, Confucian morality, and historical texts, incorporating them into a scientific life, they changed what it meant to be traditional and scientifically modern at the same time. Particularly, these trends shaped a predominant focus on indigenous species and taxonomic science over experimentation in Nanjing, forging a direction that ran counter to an experimental turn in biology in the wider world. Emphasis on the importance of indigenous species for science, however, added to a full-blown scientific nationalism during the Nanjing Decade (1928–1937), when territorial and economic sovereignty became major concerns for the Guomindang government. With expanding research programs and communities, biologists increasingly presented species within China as potent symbols for national sovereignty in classrooms, at customs, and for museum display. By showing ways of appropriating indigenous species in these scientific and cultural activities, this paper exposes intricate associations between biological things and scientific nationalism in Republican China.