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Mencius and Xunzi on Human Nature, 2008.
A discussion of the views of two influential Chinese philosophers from the third century B.C., Mencius and Xunzi, on human nature.
3,570 words (approx. 14.3 pages), 9 sources, MLA, $ 99.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the views of Mencius and Xunzi, Chinese philosophers from c. 300 B.C., who belonged to the school of thought of Confucius (551-479 BC). It compares their differing approaches to human nature and relates that while Mencius saw the individual as fundamentally good, Xunzi's viewed human nature as bad and in need of care and correction. The paper addresses the influence of these two extremely influential philosophers, whose contrasting approaches continue to be seen today in Chinese civilization. The paper concludes that their thoughts on human nature are timeless and, thus, they will continue to be reviewed and discussed for many years to come.
Outline:
Introduction
Human Nature as Corruptible
Man as Weak and Bad
Implications over Time
Concluding Remarks
From the Paper
"Mencius spent years moving from court to court and we presume that he had many chances to see how feudal rulers chose to lead. He was a sought after advisor to different rulers towards much thinking on what worked and what did not to restore order, for example, or prevent future troubles. He seems to have come up with something like the Social Contract that shaped Western thinking in the modern era in a model of a decent kind of leadership and attention to the needs of life and protecting citizens to which individuals could adhere. If a decent environment was not provided, then the people should be expected to overthrow those in power towards new leadership. In the view of Mencius, a ruler must show jen in humaneness, humanity and benevolence, as a very old Chinese concept indeed. (Chan Jen) There should also be the yi of righteousness and a sense of duty, if a ruler wanted to see righteousness, cooperation and industriousness amongst his subjects."
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East Asian History, 2008.
This paper explores the forces behind several events in East Asian history.
1,186 words (approx. 4.7 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 40.95
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Abstract
The paper examines the historical meaning behind several important events in East Asian history through the 'people' perspective and nationalism. The paper argues that although nationalism was the driving force behind these events, particularly in China, diverse events were brought about by different groups of 'people' in that society. The paper focuses on China and Korea and examines the the Japanese colonial rule in Korea, the 1911 Revolution in China and the Chinese May Fourth movement.
From the Paper
"The situation in Korea at the beginning of the 20th century was particularly complex. The Korean peninsula was of interest to both Russian and Japanese imperial interests for economic and strategic reasons. After the Russo-Japanese war (1904-1905) Korea was acknowledged as Japanese sphere of interest by United States and Britain. In 1910 Koreans officially lost their sovereignty when the treaty of annexation was signed. Many see the Japanese rule over Korea as contradictory. Korean people suffered from the police regime the Japanese authorities have established. The punishment for riots and crimes were strict. The Korean participation in all forms of government was cancelled."
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The Chinese Famine, 2008.
This paper examines the reasons behind the famine of China's "Great Leap Forward".
2,809 words (approx. 11.2 pages), 9 sources, APA, $ 83.95
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Abstract
The paper utilizes Amartya Sen's entitlement approach to famine as an explanation of the famine during China's Great Leap Forward. The paper argues that the primary reasons for this famine were the fundamental problems in central planning policy, together with structural inadequacies of the government system of the People's Republic of China in the 1950s.
Outline:
Introduction
The Great Leap Forward
Famine - The Theoretical Literature
Famine as a Crisis in Central Planning
The Relevance of the Sen Model
Conclusion
From the Paper
"In order to understand the famine in China in the late 1950s it is first necessary to understand the political, social and economic context that gave rise to the famine in the first place. With the establishment of the People's Republic of China under a Communist government in 1949, centuries-old traditions of agricultural production and economics were been revised at all levels of Chinese society."
"After 1949 China embarked on a series of Five-Year Plans that were designed to reestablish China's industrial capabilities and increase agricultural production. The shaping of these plans led to considerable political disagreement within the leadership of the People's Republic. The architects of the first of these plans - particularly Chen Yun and Zhou Enlai - believed that material incentives would lead to gradual increases in grain and industrial production (Spence 1990, 575). However, such "gradualism" ran contrary to paramount leader Mao Zedong's "heroic" vision of revolution as "continuing struggle" (Spence 1990, 596)."
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A Review of Tomoko Makabe's Book "Picture Brides", 2008.
A summary and review of "Picture Brides" by Tomoko Makabe, which chronicles the lives of five Canadian-Japanese women.
1,408 words (approx. 5.6 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 46.95
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Abstract
This paper critically reviews "Picture Brides" by Tomoko Makabe, a Japanese woman living in Canada, who became fascinated by the fact that women would go overseas to marry men they did not know. The author of this paper feels that, while the book is interesting to read, a person aware of Japan's 19th and 20th century history, and the longer story of the Japanese in North America will find little that is so 'amazing' in the experience of the five women informing Makabe's work.
From the Paper
"Also, the phenomenon to which Makabe gave her attention involved a range of factors to which she seems not to have given ample thought led by the extreme gaps in Japanese social classes in the 19th and 20th centuries. Young women choosing to marry abroad, as ever, were often people with few or no alternative prospects. Makabe seems not to have considered a number of factors of the kind. For instance, a somewhat irritating aspect of Picture Brides is the author's repeated reference to how courageous the picture brides were, in a manner showing that the author has failed to imagine the turn of the 20th century and the courage that all men and women without prospects in Japan, or anywhere else, needed in order to simply survive. Makabe's informants had come to Canada as picture brides in the 1920s, by which time many Japanese women had undertaken the same sorts of journeys, going to join a settled and working man of whom their families were apt to know little or nothing. In addition to traditional family methods of locating spouses, brokers were often involved, a woman taking some risk as ever in terms of how her husband across the world turned out to be but she went abroad with the approval of her family having settled a daughter and sometimes expecting remittance funds.
As an Oral History volume, Picture Brides would be better if the author had managed a shorter introduction on herself and tried for a briefer introduction to 100 years of Japanese in Canada. More weight should have been placed on events in Japan in the later 19th and early 20th centuries that made becoming a picture bride of appeal. For instance, Makabe notes that the women were from village backgrounds and notes how a newly industrializing Japan had few waged opportunities for women that most could not work beyond the home. She seems not to see either that as elsewhere in Asia, marriage was a necessity for poorer families, and that embarking across the world as a picture bride could solve various family problems. Becoming a picture bride was probably more strategic or simply straightforward than courageous or heroic. One gains the impression that the author was fairly sheltered or had not reflected on social reality of the time in either Japan or Canada when beginning research with the assistance of the Multicultural History Society of Ontario."
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Nuclear Proliferation: India and Pakistan, 2008.
This paper explores the nuclear weaponry proliferation in India and Pakistan.
3,031 words (approx. 12.1 pages), 13 sources, MLA, $ 89.95
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Abstract
The paper examines the nuclear weaponry proliferation from a "collective goods" perspective and explores the many reasons why a nuclear arms race between India and Pakistan will not lead to a stable balance of power in the region. The paper discusses international terrorism, sectarian and ethnic hatreds, deep-seated paranoia and the fact that Pakistan is overly-reliant upon its nuclear weaponry for its defense. The paper therefore argues that India and Pakistan should be discouraged from their present nuclear build-ups.
From the Paper
"To start with, "collective goods" is really a term drawn from economics - albeit it is one that can be applied to a number of different disciplines depending upon the context within which it is being introduced. For our purposes, "collective goods" are really public goods wherein the item in question cannot be withheld from one consumer without also withholding it from all consumers. A classic example of this is national defense whereby a nation cannot defend its borders without also defending all individuals who reside within those borders at any one time - including foreigners or "undesirables". Additionally, the "flip-side" of collective goods is that, not only are they items which cannot practicably be denied to any one person, but they are also items which benefit those who simply refuse to pay for them; suffice it to say, the collective good makes "free-riders" out of many people (Yamagishi & Sato, 67-69). This concept has immediate application to the issue of nuclear proliferation in India and Pakistan."
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Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-Shek, 2008.
A comparison of the personalities of Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-Shek and a discussion of their relationship with each other.
1,394 words (approx. 5.6 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 46.95
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Abstract
This paper compares and contrasts the personalities of Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-Shek. The paper discusses the characteristics and actions of both men and their relationship with each other. After providing examples from their lives, the paper concludes that while their personalities appear to have had some similarities, particularly that both men were resolute, Mao was a far more ruthless and intolerant man.
From the Paper
"On the other hand, the most outstanding aspect of Chiang's personality appears to have been his fixity of purpose. This fixity of purpose played no small part in the fact that Chiang's Kuomintang party became the official government of China in the early 1930's. However, his army was defeated by Mao's army in 1949, clearing the way for Mao to found the PRC. While Mao went on to be dictator of China, Chiang was able to become the dictator of the Republic of China on the island of Taiwan for 26 years. Thus, one thing the two men certainly had in common was that they both came from relatively humble beginnings to eventually be dictators for decades - no mean feat, and certainly a testament to the very strong characters of both of them."
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Buddhism in China, 2008.
An analysis of how and when Buddhism came to China and the obstacles it faced there from the state and Confucian opponents.
1,713 words (approx. 6.9 pages), 8 sources, APA, $ 55.95
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Abstract
This paper looks at how Buddhism came to China and what main problems pertaining to assimilation greeted it once it arrived. Specifically, the paper analyzes when exactly Buddhism made its appearance, what factors in China made it possible for it to establish a toe-hold and what arguments were leveled against it by Confucian opponents. The paper also discusses the role of the Northwestern Purists, as well as what obstacles the state offered.
From the Paper
"Yet, there is still confusion among scholars as to when exactly Buddhism began to eclipse (or at least rival) Confucianism in ancient China. Lewis Hodous seems to place Buddhism's gradual rise during the Han dynasty that extended from the third century BC to the third century AD - which appears to accord with the work of Hawkins insofar as the latter draws the conclusion that 300 AD was right about when Buddhism became pervasive and prominent in China. However, Xinzhong Yao (2000) argues that Buddhism did not really begin to flourish until roughly the end of the fourth century AD - a later date by nearly a century. Ultimately, the imprecision of the dates (and they all do fall within the same general timeframe) can be attributed to the relative scarcity of textual sources and, presumably, to different scholarly preoccupation and emphases. The key point, in any case, is that Buddhism came about because Confucianism's own failings gave it cultural space in which to carve out a niche."
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China-Africa Relations, 2008.
This paper examines three online news articles from the Chinese Peoples Daily; "Chinese President Ends Visit to Zambia," "China, Zambia Vow to Strengthen Cooperation" and "Roundup: China-Zambia Ties Cemented Through Assistance, Investment".
894 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 31.95
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Abstract
The paper reviews three online news articles which illustrate the growing prominence of China in the world as well as its increasingly expansive foreign policy. The paper suggests that China is following very much in the path of the former Soviet Union and notes that African nations like Zambia have made a conscious choice to become allies of the Asian superpower.
From the Paper
"Over the last few decades, China has emerged as a legitimate world power; indeed, China today may be on the verge of becoming the one nation capable of challenging American global supremacy. The confidence that comes with this realization has gradually changed how the Chinese do business with the rest of the world - and the enthusiasm with which they reach out to the rest of the world. Although often overlooked, China's growing relationship with Africa reveals a country that is beginning to see a more expansive role for itself on the international stage - and Chinese dailies like the People's Daily are well aware of this, judging from the attention granted to a recent visit to the African nation of Zambia by President Hu Jintao."
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Families in China and the U.S., 2008.
This paper discusses families in China and the United States, focusing on the issues of poverty, economy and culture.
2,100 words (approx. 8.4 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 65.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the issue of families in relation to China and the United States. The paper further explores the issue of poverty and the struggle of the family unit in both countries in relation to economic concerns. A discussion of families in rural and urban areas, as well as the manner in which families live in these locales is examined. The concept of social class is presented and discussed in relation to how social class impacts the family unit and how societal beliefs exist that create barriers to altering the lives of the poor. Finally, the issue of culture is examined and the differences between China and America with regard to culture and living in the family unit are explored.
From the Paper
"The United States is considered a country that is the leading power in the world, while China continues to experience economic hardships and needed development. In both countries, however, the focus on the family is a concern because the family is believed to be integral to society. The Chinese families that exist in the modern world experience many of the same difficulties that are found by American families in rural and urban areas. This includes poverty, which is the number one social issue that impacts family units in both nations. Additionally, in both countries the issue of social class standing is apparent, with the poor often being outcast from the social order and forgotten. In China there has been a significant push to change the conditions for the poor, however, there are still those families that have been unaffected by governmental programs, which has been the case in the United States for decades. While these similarities exist between Chinese and American families, the greatest factor that separates their place in society is culture. The manner in which families conduct their lives because of social expectations and the beliefs related to gender differences and children impacts families in China differently than in America. However, it is clear that regardless of the cultural variances that affect families in these nations, within both cultures families are consistently attempting to survive and continue the progress of each generation in the hopes that eventually the family will know success."
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Life in A Sinhalese Village, 2008.
This paper paints a picture of the society in a Sinhalese village, Sri Lanka.
702 words (approx. 2.8 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 25.95
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Abstract
The paper discusses the ritual practices common in Sinhalese villages, specifically, the art of "devil dancing". The paper points out the Sinhalese respect and fear for the unknown and abstract. The paper looks at the disparity in formal education systems, the role of family in Sinhalese society and the contested role of women.
Outline:
Ritual Practices-The Devil Dance
Formal Education
Kinship
The Independent Woman
From the Paper
"A large majority of the people of Sri Lanka pratice Buddhism or a synthesis of Buddhism and Hindusim. But throughout history, folk cults stemmed from cultural traditions with beings and deities of supernatural powers that influence day-to-day lives of the people have also been integrated into the Buddhist practices of Sinhalese villages (Baker 39). A great deal of emphasis is placed upon the complex and elaborate rituals needed to pacify evil spirits and to appease the benevolent deities. Although this practice is not condoned by the Buddhist temples, there is a large following of these rituals, especially in the Sinhalese villages."
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