Shan Molu

PART ONE

Street Criers effectively uses sources such as tales and anecdotes, the Shiji,
and sociological surveys to depicts beggar culture and describes the prevalent
impact it has had throughout Chinas history. There are not as many written records
on the life of beggars because of the illiteracy of the beggars. Also, most preserved
records are written about higher classes in society. Street Criers goes into detail
about the infrastructure of beggars guilds and how culture and tradition impacted
mendicancy and also developed from it. According to the book, beggars had been
viewed in many different ways depending on the viewpoint. The publics viewpoints
on mendicants varied from fear to cynicism to pity to sympathy to apathy. The book
states that beggars were not often seen as the lowest class in society, as some saw
them as people who sacrifice basic human integrity, overcome their sense of
shame, and constantly endure the dislike and disapproval of fellow human
beingsfor the sake of sheer physical survival (Lu 41). This sympathy comes from
Confucian, Taoist and Buddhist influences. Because of this, beggars were often
viewed as higher than prostitutes. As guilds of beggars formed, so did social classes
within them. Within these social classes, leaders and policemen were formed and
worked for the government to keep the guilds in order. The attitudes and
personalities of the beggars played an important role in their success. According to
the book, a beggar is a person who takes mendicancy as a way of life (Lu 15).
Beggars eventually started to break away from pure mendicancy and gaining a
larger role in society as they began taking on public service duties. With the amount
of beggars there were in society, it was inevitable that they would have such a large
impact on the culture.
Chinese tradition and culture could be seen in the way mendicancy was
viewed. Street Criers states that many of the people respected by beggars had
religious association like Buddha ad Confucius. It was also noted that many legends
or powerful figures in Chinese history started off poor, just as the beggars were, and
eventually rose to power. Many tales often depict mendicants as deities or
messengers in disguise. Their purpose was to test the morality of others. Those who
showed compassion were said to be rewarded, while others were punished. This
would happen if one were to interact with one of the Eight Immortals who
disguised themselves as beggars. These views on mendicant life are reflected in
Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist views that encourage men to be the best they can.
They also challenge men to be compassionate to others.
Chinese customs and culture also had a large impact on mendicant politics.
As mentioned earlier, social hierarchies were formed within mendicant guilds and
gangs. These hierarchies were very similar to those during earlier periods of
Chinese history. For example, the leader of the guild would arise from the
population to control the people, which is similar to the founder of dynasties rising
up and taking control. Also, the leaders of the guilds could pass their position down
to a successor. However, if a successor was considered weak, a stronger rival could
replace him. This way of succession is very similar to how succession occurred
during the dynastic period. Leaders in guilds also had very similar responsibilities
as emperors. Responsibilities included supervision of the beggars and raising funds
and distributing them. The charisma of the leaders also was similar to emperors, as
they had to be strict and harsh in order to keep control.
As stated earlier, mainstream society looked upon mendicants in many
different ways, ranging from fear and pity to sympathy and respect. This range of
attitudes depended on what social class the view was coming from and defined the
interaction between mainstream society and beggars. If a certain part of society
followed Confucian, Buddhist or Taoist values, then they would probably treat
beggars with respect, as this was a test of morality. However, the common working
people viewed mendicants differently. They criticized mendicancy and often could
not accept it. One reason for this is that some times beggars would make more than
the average worker in a textile mill. Street Criers states, however, that mainstream
society more often tended to view beggars with compassion and pity. The book talks
about how people chose beggars to be foster parents for their children in order to
protect them and keep away bad fortunes. Beggars were also often involved with
events on auspicious occasions events such as weddings, the birth of a child, the
grand opening of a business, anniversaries, and so on (Lu 142). If a beggar received
an invitation to an event, they would send eight. If the people at the events treated
beggars poorly, they would be bringing themselves bad fortune. In association with
auspicious events, sometimes, a bride would wear the coat of a beggar on her
wedding day. The coat was a symbol of protection through the next step in a
womans life. Mendicants were often viewed differently than one may expect.
No matter whether one was in northern or southern China, tales of beggars
tended to be relatively similar. This was because of the common culture and values
that were spread through travel and trade and that were rooted in religion and
politics. Not all beggars were a part of a guild, and even when they were, beggars
often wander about from city to city and bring whatever culture was instilled in
them. As stated earlier, beggar guilds often had leaders, which sometimes worked
for the government. Government was standardized throughout China, so the
subaltern values and culture would also be standardized wherever there was a petty
police chief or any other government leader. Another example of how a
standardized government influenced culture is that for a head beggar to have official
power, he would have to have some sort of official recommendation, which was
established by the government.
Street Criers unveils a whole new world of mendicancy not usually seen by
people today. The book does a great job explaining how mendicancy may not have
been as bad as one imagines. It also explains very well that the roots of mendicancy
came from Chinese culture and values from throughout history. The social
hierarchies in beggar guilds were examples of traditional beliefs. The different
attitudes towards beggars are rooted in Confucian, Buddhist and Taoist values. The
diffusion of culture throughout China also kept subaltern culture consistent too. It is
clear that the values and culture that existed in mainstream society also existed in
the subaltern society.




PART TWO

Many Chinese schools of thought, including Confucianism, Taoism and
Legalism, have origins in Chinese history, especially throughout golden age of
China. Around this time, other religions arrived as well, such as Buddhism.
Buddhism was brought to China from India along the Silk Road during the Han
dynasty. Buddhism focuses on the concept of human suffering and its causes. When
learning about the different schools of thought, Buddhism stood out to me because
of its origin through the interesting life of Siddhartha Gautama, its unorthodox
values and also the perfect timing of its arrival into China to replace Confucianism.
Before considering the Confucian school of thought, it is important to
mention the early sources of from which the many schools of thought arose. The
best known of these sources are The Five Classics and the Four Books. The Five
Classics include the Book of Changes, the Book of History or Documents, the Book of
Odes or Songs, the Book of Ritual and the Spring and Autumn Annals. The Book of
Changes was a book used for divination built on the tradition of oracle bones. The
Book of History or Documents described early sovereigns and officials. The Book of
Odes or Songs is a collection of ceremonial and folk songs. The Book of Ritual is
compilation of history from the middle of the Zhou to the early Han. The Spring and
Autumn Annals are chronicles of Confuciuss state of Lu. The Four Books are all
post-Confucian and consist of the Great Learning, the Mean, the Analects and the
Mencius.
By the time Confucianism had fully developed, it took into account the
spiritual aspirations of man. However, it was confined to an ethical handbook for
scholars and did not appeal to the common worker or peasant. Because of this, along
with constant political and military strife, Buddhisms entry to China could not have
been better. It arrived during a period of suffering for many people and during a
period of declining Confucian influence. Confucianism began dying away mainly
because of its belief that humans are essentially good and the emphasis on mutual
duties between rulers and their followers. Due to all of the suffering going on, the
people of China simply needed to survive and their survival thoughts replaced
Confucian values. The optimism in Confucianism did not bode well with the period
of struggle in China like the more realistic teachings of Buddhism.
Some people went as far as to consider Buddhist teachings pessimistic.
Buddhisms pessimism can lead back Siddhartha Gautamas interesting life.
Gautama grew up well off as the son of a warrior-king. Because of his fathers status,
he was treated to the perks of royal life. He began to later wander the world in
search of understanding. From the things he encountered, he came up with the idea
that suffering lay at the end of all existence. He abandoned his material life to seek
understanding. He began meditating by a tree until he finally understood how to be
free from suffering. The essense of Buddhas early teaching was summarized in the
Four Noble Truths: that life is suffering, that the cause of suffering is desire, that the
answer is to quench desire, and that the way to this end is by the Eightfold Path, a
pattern of right living and thinking.
Unlike Buddhisms realistic ideas, Confucian theories were based on what
Confucius thought to be an ideal world. Confucianism strongly emphasizes respect
for elders or rulers. Confucius believed in a government ruled by an all-powerful
emperor, but did not take into account emperors who do not rule well. It was not
until more than a century later that Mencius argued that if a king is not acting
ideally, he should lose the Mandate of Heaven and be overthrown. This was another
reason why Confucianism was not ideal for China at the time.
When Buddhism became more prominent, which did not take long, the
Chinese became accustomed to a new philosophy of life after death. Buddhism
practices ideas of karma and reincarnation. According to these ideas, karma is the
series of acts which determine characterand thus destinythrough an everlasting
sequence of reincarnations, or rebirths. Confucianism, however, focuses primarily
on secular ethics and morality and does not emphasize death and life after.
While Buddhism provided a more realistic, or pessimistic, view on life, it is
essentially what China needed during its periods of suffering. Buddhism provides
many interesting theories including its view on the afterlife and the concept of
karma and reincarnation. What interests me most, however, is the origin of
Buddhist values. It amazes me how someone like the Buddha, who had everything
he could ask for, was still not satisfied with what he had. He abandoned all of his
luxuries and went into suffering to seek understand and the true meaning of life.
One can learn a lot from both Buddhism and Confucianism. From Buddhism, one can
learn that life is not about the material aspects. One must truly understand what it
feels to suffer to understand life. From Confucianism, one can learn to respect ones
elders and superiors. Both of these schools of thoughts played an important role in
Chinese history, but it Buddhism happened to be introduced to China during a
period it was needed most, ultimately doing away with Confucianism.