White Jade Design Int'l

CULTURAL BASICS IN ASIAN CULTURES
Excerpt from East Asian Personas 101
By Juru Biya/Jin Ming-Yue aka Laurel Rockefeller

Here are four basic things to know when playing an Asian or to be polite among Asians (mundanely and in society).

Kongzi, not Confucius

We hear the jokes about Confucius, but Kongzi (let's be Asian here and not use Latin) was a shrewd politician from the 6th century BCE (before common era-we don't use BC and AD when discussing Asian history-CE is common Era-as in the last 2003 years). He lived in the central province of Zhong Guo (Middle Kingdom) that was back then a virtual rain forest. Kongzi was mostly interested in getting power for himself from all the main kings of Han ethnicity and Han influence (remember Han is the ethnicity of ancient Zhong Guo). His main contribution to world history was that he read many books and decided that five most deserved to be preserved of all the ancient texts (texts that were no less than 1000 years old at the time he read them). Together, the five books he considered critically important for all were called thereafter the CONFUCIAN CLASSICS. These are the books that great pains were taken to keep preserved when Qin She Huang went book burning and destroyed most of the ancient texts written during the many millennia the Chinese kingdoms and peoples had known long before. Thus, the books of Kongzi's choosing are among the oldest (if not the oldest) complete works still in existence.

The Way of Daoism

Laozi is the name given to the unknown author (probably female) of the Dao de Jing, another cornerstone of Asian culture. Filled with paradoxes that make you think, the Dao de Jing is mystical, common sensible, and deeply philosophical. Whereas the books chosen by Kongzi are largely about how to interact with other people socially and how governments should rule, the Dao de Jing and Daoism as a whole is about cultivating the inner person and pursuing Enlightenment. Yin (pronounced eeen) and Yang (pronounced Y ah ng) come from the DDJ. Dao means "way" and is part of the word "to know" (zhidao). Daoism is fundamentally scientific and requires a person to observe the world around her or him in order to understand the paradoxes. Its teaching is largely about balance and harmony, probably the two virtues most valued in Asian societies and the foundation of Asian psychology. Science, religion, art, music, medicine, martial arts, even politics-these are all Daoist in nature, following the principles in a myriad of ways.

Because Asians believe so strongly in harmony, balance, and individual enlightenment, aggression, especially warfare, has been very limited. Ethnic and religious based aggression are almost unheard of because of these critically Daoist values. Dynastic cycling was one thing; invading another country with anything but ideas and loaning technology, that was completely another. Military actions against other countries were rare and today is still considered a big no-no (current Chinese foreign policies remain very Daoist, very anti war). In the Ming dynasty (1369-1644 officially), China had the power to conquer Europe-but didn't-and pulled back its exploration vessels that went to Europe and Africa. Exploring was considered a waste of money; there was nothing to gain for China by doing so. In a culture where religion was and is considered a strictly PERSONAL matter, where people had superior technology compared to their neighbors, and where they could make domestically everything anyone wanted or needed, there was simply no reason to war with neighbors, colonize other areas, or work to subjugate another people. Lucky for Europe and unlucky for China!

Trade-don't war-with your neighbors.

Whereas Europeans have had a history of fighting with their neighbors-another clan, another religious group, another country-over things like religion, territory, and personal rivalries, the Asian habit has largely been acceptance of the differences and trading. No area shows that principle better than clothing. Han Chinese clothing tended to be bulky-in the Ming dynasty, a single coat might include more than 10 meters of silk. Mongol and Jurchen/Manchu clothing, however, tended to be economical, originally being made of furs and leathers. Whereas with time, the Jurchen/Manchus began using woven fabrics, the Han and other groups adopted closer fitting garb for military use, seeing the advantages Jurchen hunters and warriors gained by light and close fitting clothes. Just imagine trying to fight a battle with huge sleeves! Han warriors fought better thanks to Jurchen sensibilities. Chinese armor owes much to Jurchen design. And of course it is important to note that the clothing most people associate with China is not Han at all-but Manchu. Likewise, the Korean dress is actually Han from the Han dynasty that was adopted through trading.

Table Manners-fingers are for chopsticks and spoons-not food!

Especially in SCA period, Asians tended to look down on Europeans because of table manners. If there was any way at all to avoid it, food must NOT be touched by the fingers while dining! That's what chopsticks, knives, and bowl-like spoons were for. For sanitary reasons, most food was briefly seared to kill bacteria (stir frying) and eating food purely raw was avoided lest illness occur. Using lots of utensils kept the food very clean-though interestingly enough, most people would share bowls with another unless there was a good medical reason for it. Shallow bowls were/are used instead of plates to make eating with chopsticks and spoons easier. Dishes tended to be make of ceramic materials-stoneware for everyday and porcelain for special occasions like Spring Festival (Chinese New Year).