中国传统文化讲义-1-Introduction-and-Chinese-myths

1、中国传统文化讲义-1中国传统文化讲义-1Why do we study the traditional Chinese culture?1. We are Chinese people.2. Traditional Chinese culture has become popular around China.Why do we study the traditionaWhy do we study the traditional Chinese culture?3. Traditional Chinese culture has become popular abroad.Why do we

2、 study the traditionaWhy do we study the traditional Chinese culture?4. The viewpoints of Jaspers, Einstein and Joseph Needham Why do we study the traditionaAlbert Einstein(18791955)He was a German-born American theoretical physicist whose special and general theories of relativity revolutionized mo

3、dern thought on the nature of space and time and formed a theoretical base for the exploitation of atomic energy. He won a 1921 Nobel Prize.Albert Einstein(18791955)He wJoseph Needham(1900-1995 )Dr.Joseph Needham was a well-known British scientist and professor in Cambridge，who had been devoted to t

4、he study of Chinese history of scientific technology. His main works is Science and Civilization in China.Joseph Needham(1900-1995 )Dr.JWhy do we study the traditional Chinese culture?5. The requirements of self-improvement, cross-cultural communication, international cooperation Why do we study the

5、 traditionaDirections: Write an essay of 160-200 words based on the following drawing. In your essay, you should 1)describe the drawing briefly 2) explain its intended meaning 3) give your comments.Directions: What are we going to study?Traditional Chinese philosophyTraditional Chinese religionTradi

6、tional Chinese literatureTraditional Chinese artsChinese folk cultureChinese geographical cultureChinese architecture and gardeningTraditional Chinese medicine, etc.What are we going to study?TraHow shall we study the course?LecturesPresentationsDiscussionsDebatesQuestions and answersHow shall we st

7、udy the course?How will the marks be given?Attendance 10%Assignments 10%Presentation 20%Final examination 60%How will the marks be given?AtRequirements for presentations1. the topic in traditional Chinese culture2. bilingual language (English is necessary)3. three minutes for each team member4. accu

8、rate content based on a serious discussion and comprehensive research5. clear and fluent statement based on a good preparationRequirements for presentationsThe Origin of Chinese CultureThe Origin of Chinese Culture1. Pan Gu separating the skyThe sky and the earth was one blurred entity like an egg i

9、n which Pan Gu was born. After sleeping in it for about 18,000 years, he woke up and found that he was surrounded by darkness. Greatly annoyed, he split the entity up with his gigantic hatchet. Then the light and pure substance rose to become the sky. The heavy and murky one sank to form the earth.

10、Nobody knows how many years passed and then Pan Gu finally fell down. 1. Pan Gu separating the skyThPan Gu separating the skyJust before his death, the earth underwent a miraculous change: Pangus breath turned into wind and cloud, his sound thunderbolt, his left eye the sun, his right eye the moon,

11、his four limbs the four corners of the sky, his five body constituents the Five Famous Mountains in China, his blood the rivers, his veins the roads, his muscles the fields, his hair and moustache the stars, his teeth and bones the metals and jades, and his sweat the rain. Pan Gu separating the skyJ

12、ust 开天辟地的传说天地混沌如鸡子，盘古生其中，万八千岁，天地开辟，阳清为天，阴浊为地，盘古在其中，一日九变；神于天，圣于地。天日高一丈，地日厚一丈，盘古日长一丈，如此万八千岁，天数极高，地数极深，盘古极长。 三五历纪 开天辟地的传说天地混沌如鸡子，2.Nwa Making Man It is said that there were no men when the sky and the earth were separated. One day, for feeling lonely, Nv Wa came to a pond. Taking her own appearance as

13、a model, she created many figures with yellow clay. When finished, she blew a puff to the nostrils of these clay figures, them all of them became alive. 2.Nwa Making Man It is said Nwa Making ManFor she got tired, she dipped a rope into the mud and them lifted it. The mud that dripped from the rope

14、also became human beings.-Taiping Anthologies for the EmperorNwa Making ManFor she got tirThe Creation in the BibleThe earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. 1. Then God said, Let there be light; an

15、d there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day, and the darkness He called night And there was evening and there was morning, one day. The Creation in the BibleThe eThe Creation in the Bible2. Then God said, Let there be an

16、 expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters. God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. The Creation in the Bible2. ThThe Creation in the Bible3. Then God said, Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into on

17、e place, and let the dry land appear; and it was so. God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. Then God said, Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with see

18、d in them; and it was so. The Creation in the Bible3. ThThe Creation in the Bible4. Then God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; God made the two great lights, the greater light

19、to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He also made the stars. God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, The Creation in the Bible4. ThThe Creation in the Bible5. Then God said, Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds f

20、ly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens. God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. The Creation in the Bible5. ThThe Creation in the Bible6

21、. Then God said, Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind; and it was so. Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of t

22、he sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. The Creation in the Bible6. ThThe Creation in the Bible7. By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then

23、 God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. The Creation in the Bible7. By3. Nwa mending the skyOne day, Gong Gong, the water God, fought with Zhu Rong, the fire God. In his rage GG knocked his head against Buzhou Mountain

24、, breaking this pillar of the sky. As a result, the northwestern part of the sky collapsed and the southeastern part of the land sank. A great fire raged; a fierce flood raced about. Savage beasts devoured innocent people; vicious birds preyed on the weak and old. 3. Nwa mending the skyOne day Nwa m

25、ending the skyThen Nwa melted rocks of five colors and used them to mend the cracks in the sky. She supported the four corners of the sky with the legs she had cut off from a giant turtle. She killed the black dragon to save the people, and blocked the flood with the ashes of reeds. Thus the sky was

26、 mended, its four corners lifted. Nwa mending the skyThen NwaThe first resultHowever, the sky and land were not patched up perfectly. The sky tilted towards the northwest; therefore the sun, the moon and the stars moved in that direction. As the earth sank in the southeast, all the waters and muddy

27、contents of the rivers flowed southeastwards. -Huai Nan Zi (Writings of Prince Huai Nan)The first resultHowever, the s4.Fu Xi and his inventionsIt was said that Fu Xis mother, Huaxu, got pregnant when she stepped into a footprint of the God of Thunder by chance. She then gave birth to Fu Xi. The God

28、 of Thunder was a huge dragon, so Fu Xi was a dragon with a mans head. 4.Fu Xi and his inventionsIt wFu Xi and his inventionsHe did great contributions to human being including the Eight Diagrams, fishing and hunting tools, the rites for marriage and some musical instruments.Fu Xi and his inventions

29、He didFu XiFu XiFu Xi and Nv WaLater Fu Xi got married with Nwa. Fu Xi and Nv WaLater Fu Xi gotFu Xi太昊在位执政虚记四十三年，卒于太昊四十二年（甲午，前7527），终年六十七岁。遗体葬在宛丘太昊陵，尊号白帝、帝太昊。太昊陵，即“三皇之首”太昊伏羲氏的陵庙，位于河南省淮阳县城北1.5公里，国家级重点文物保护单位。中国18大名匿之一。因其是中华民族“人文始祖”之陵庙，故称“天下第一陵”。 Fu Xi太昊在位执政虚记四十三年，卒于太昊四十二年（甲午，5. the Yellow Emperor The

30、Yellow Emperor was said to be the ruler of both heaven and the human world . In the human world, his major triumphs were the two huge wars with Emperor Yan and Chiyou, which took place on the plains of what is present-day Hebei. The fight involved ferocious animals and birds. Even the gods joined in

31、 later on. The Yellow Emperor was triumphant. 5. the Yellow Emperor The Yellthe Yellow EmperorLegend has it that the Yellow Emperor and his ministers were responsible for the invention of clothing, the calendar, land vehicles, the boat, and the bow and arrow. The Yellow Emperor is said to have ultim

32、ately ascended to heaven, escorted by the divine dragon, where he attained immortality, along with some of his followers. the Yellow EmperorLegend has i6. Emperor YanEmperor Yan was the brother of the Yellow Emperor. Although he lost the war to rule the world, his contribution to humanity was no les

33、s. He initiated farming and Chinese medicine. In order to test the effects and efficacy of herbs, he once poisoned himself seventy times within a single day. He taught the people the technology of agriculture and irrigation and has since been revered as “the Sacred Farmer.” Thats why we Chinese are

34、called the “descendants of Emperor Yan and the Yellow Emperor.” 6. Emperor YanEmperor Yan was 7. Hou Yi shooting the sunsAccording to the legend, the sun god Di Jun and his wife Xi He bore ten sons, i.e. ten little suns. Xi He bathed them every morning in a lovely pond to restore their brightness be

35、fore they set out , one each day. The nine suns which were not on duty would perch on a giant Fusang tree on the eastern edge of the world.7. Hou Yi shooting the sunsAcc帝俊的传说山海经记载：“大荒之中有山曰天台（高）山，海水入焉。东南海之外，泔水之间，有羲和之国，有女子曰羲和，帝俊之妻，生十日，方浴日于甘渊”。 帝俊的传说山海经记载：“大荒之中有山曰天台（高）山，海水Hou Yi shooting the sunsWhen Y

36、ao was the leader of the confederation of tribes, ten suns appeared in the sky. The crops were scorched and the grass and trees were destroyed. The common people were starved to death. At the same time, the monsters and demons ran wild and did great harm to the people. Yao sent Hou Yi to kill them.

37、Hou Yi shooting the sunsWhen YHou Yi shooting the sunsHou Yi killed the cruel dragon in the turbulent river, captured the storm demon in the valley of Qingqiu Mountains, cut the longest snake in Dong Ting Lake . After destroying all the monsters, he shot down the nine blazing suns and killed the hug

38、e rat deep under the ground. People were all greatly pleased and they supported Yao as the Son of the Heaven. Yi became the hero eulogized by the later generations.Hou Yi shooting the sunsHou Yi8. Chang E Flew to the MoonYi got some elixir from the Queen of the West, but his wife Chang E stole it an

39、d flew away with it to the moon. Thereafter she lived on the moon, and was called the Moon Spirit and suffered great loneliness there.嫦娥应悔偷灵药，碧海青天夜夜心 。问讯吴刚何所有，吴刚捧出桂花酒 。8. Chang E Flew to the MoonYi The origin of Mid-autumn FestivalThe Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th of the eighth lunar month.

40、In terms of its origin, this festival can be dated back to the Han Dynasty, though at that time, celebrations were held on the White Dew Daythe 15th of the 24 jieqi, which normally falls around the sixth day of the eighth lunar month. During the Tang Dynasty, while the White Dew Day was celebrated a

41、s before, the practice of enjoying a full moon outdoors on the 15th day also became popular. The origin of Mid-autumn FestiThe origin of Mid-autumn FestivalDuring the Song Dynasty, celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival was very popular and during the reign of emperor Taizong, the 15th day of the ei

42、ghth lunar month was stipulated officially as the Mid-Autumn Festival. The origin of Mid-autumn FestiThe origin of Mid-autumn FestivalThere are mainly two reasons why the 15th day of the eighth lunar month could become a grand traditional Chinese festival: first, due to the regular movement of the h

43、eavenly bodies, the moon always appear bright and full on the 15th or 16th day of the eighth lunar month. Second, mid-autumn is at the end of the harvest season, it is a perfect time for people to relax and enjoy themselves after more than half a years hard work. The origin of Mid-autumn FestiCelebr

44、ation activitiesActivities includes offering sacrifices and paying homage to the moon, enjoying the full moon, eating moon cakes, drinking wine fermented with sweet-scented osmanthus flowers, and playing games throughout the night. Celebration activitiesActivitioffering sacrifices and paying homage

45、to the moonoffering sacrifices and payingEnjoying the full moon Enjoying the full moon eating moon cakeseating moon cakesdrinking wine fermented with osmanthus flowersdrinking wine fermented with o9.The Great Yu conquering the floodLegend in Book of Mountains and Seas and Huai Nan Zi has it that fou

46、r or five thousand years ago there came a flood in the Yellow River Valley which rose as high as the sky, washing away whole villages with their houses and inundating large areas of cropland. Many people lost their lives in the flood and those who were fortunate enough to survive were forced to aban

47、don their homes and go and live on hillsides or migrate to places far away. 9.The Great Yu conquering the The Great Yu conquering the floodBefore, under Guns leadership, the people spent nine long years building dams and dykes to stop the flow of the rivers. All the efforts had however ended only in

48、 more disastrous floods. Yu abandoned Guns method of building dams and dykes to stop the flow of waters. Instead he led his men in digging ditches and canals to divert the flood and also in dredging the river channels so as to provide outlets for the flood into the sea. The Great Yu conquering the f

49、lThe Great Yu conquering the floodHe was so dedicated that it was said that he had three times refrained from entering the door of his home when he was passing by. After thirteen long years of continuous efforts, Yu and his men succeeded in dredging all the rivers, big and small, and in doing away w

50、ith the evil of flood. After the death of Shun, Yu became the head of the tribal confederation. The Great Yu conquering the flQuestions ?1. Why is it there hasnt been a systematical record of Chinese mythology?2. In China we have the story of the Great Yu conquering the flood, while in western socie

51、ty there is Noahs Ark. Do you think it is just a coincidence or a historical truth?Questions ?1. Why is it there Question 1Speculation 1: The early dwellers in the Yellow River valley were not an imaginative people.Speculation 2: Confucius disapproved of talk of the supernatural, the old myths were

52、not quoted by Confucian scholars so many of them were lost.Question 1Speculation 1: The eQuestion 2 Noah vs. the Great Yu(1) God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. Question 2 Noah vs. the Great Noahs ark(2) And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the surface of the earth; both man, and be