Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

1364 Words3 Pages

Why do the Chinese students respect their teachers and parents so much that they try their best obeying every instructions and demands from their superiors without any complains or arguments? It is because students and children are taught in that way in Chinese culture for thousands of years. Taoism and Confucianism, the two most influential philosophies of China have been represented by characters in the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon directed by Ang Lee. Taoism is a philosophy created by Lao-tzu and according to Taoism, the entire universe and everything in it flows with a mysterious, unknown force called the Tao. Taoist focuses on the individual and its place in nature while rejecting government. On the other hand, Confucianism, another driving philosophy of dynastic China, created by Confucius believes each person should act with virtue in all social matters; family , community, state, and kingdom, to ensure order and unity. Moreover, Confucianism focuses on the way humans interact with each other through established customs and rituals, including societal institutions. This movie suggests how rigid Taoism and Confucianism can create problems for people and how we should follow our own hearts.

When the audiences take a closer look at Li Mu Bai, they will discover that Taoist traits are present in his personality, and even in his sword. Taoists believe they overcome problems by yielding and this is similar to how the sword, Green Destiny, works. Compare to other swords, Green Destiny is a bendable sword and by bending, it cuts through other swords like paper. All Taoists including Li Mu Bai are trying to find enlightenment by setting free every attachment they have on this world. Surprisingly, Li Mu Bai surpas...

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... Before Jen jumps off from the edge of the mountain, she asks Lo to make a wish. Jen is doing this for Lo, however, by jumping off the edge, this is similar to letting go of everything. Jen jumps because her heart tells her to, rather than becoming a person with the balance of both Confucianism and Taoism.

Confucius once said that “life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated” by restricting ourselves with traditions and beliefs. We don’t have to follow the popular religions and beliefs because of peer-pressure. Lao zi once said that if we always “care about what other people think[,] we will always be their prisoner” so we should follow our hearts and create our own paths. However, people will also need to think about the consequences of our behaviours before we act or we may cause troubles like Jen in the move Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Michael Vey: Hunt For Jade Dragon
832 Words | 2 Pages
The book Michael Vey: Hunt For Jade Dragon by Richard Paul Evans is about a group of teengers the call themselves The Electroclan. Most of the teens in that group have special powers from a machine that was in use in the hospital that they were all born at. Other teens in the group are friends of members of The Electroclan. A girl named Jade Dragon figured out how to make more electric children, so Hatch wants to hunt her down. The Electroclan’s mission is to rescue Jade Dragon so Hatch doesn’t make an army of electric youth's. The Elgen then attack and capture the Electroclan in their hotel. It seems as if Nichelle sold them out to the Elgen, but she didn’t, she actually helped them. When Michael is captured by the Elgen Tara, Taylor’s twin sister thats works with Hatch, disgued
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Conformity In A Thousand Splendid Suns
594 Words | 2 Pages
The book A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini is one great example of religious and cultural conformity. A young girl living in Afghanistan, Mariam, is sent to live with her father after her mother commits suicide. His wives are not accepting of Mariam because she has not been apart of their happy lives and they don’t want to have a stranger living with them. Also, religious and cultural expectations pressure them to convince Mariam’s father to marry her off to a much older man in Kabul. Her father and his wives conformed to what was socially acceptable in their society. Even though the wives wanted Mariam gone, her father did not, but still gave in. The pressure that made Mariam’s dad and his wives send her off was conformity, or to go with the flow of the rest of society. Their decision ultimately lead Mariam to have to conform to the new culture and role as a wife. The conformity in Afghanistan and more specifically in this book lead a young girl to be separated from her father and placed in a whole new place and had to figure it out basically in her own. Society is based upon different opinions and society should not want conformity because some people are pressured to do things that they don’t have the capability to do or might not agree
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Compare And Contrast Confucianism Daoism And Legalism
516 Words | 2 Pages
To begin, Confucianism is a system of philosophical and ethical teachings founded by Confucius. Confucianism was the code of ethics accepted as the certified religion of most of the immense empires in the territory since the Han Dynasty. Confucianism provided an outline of ethical and religious beliefs that most of the Chinese expanded to make other religions such as Daoism and Legalism. To expand, Confucianism was founded by Confucius and his beliefs on the political and social order of China. Confucius believed that everything would fall into place if children had respect for their parents and if the rulers were honest. In Confucianism, specific roles were followed by each person in the family. The head of the family, the father, was the one primarily in control and then it was the oldest son that was next in line. Confucius had the belief that a ruler has to be everything he wants
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Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
856 Words | 2 Pages
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a martial arts chivalry film released in 2000. It was directed by Ang Lee, who also directed films such as “Broke Back Mountain and “Life of Pi.” The film focuses on the three main characters Li Mu Bai, Shu Lien and Jen. Li Mu Bai stays on a Taoist monastery, and is an expert in sword fighting; famous for his Kung Fu. Unlike Li Mu Bai, Shu Lien is a Confucianist who runs a security company and has deceased fiancé. Another important character, Jen, is from a wealthy family and is taught by Jade Fox, who disguises as a nanny, how to fight. Jen is egoistic and contradicts the rules of both Confucianism and Taoism. Lo, also known as the “Dark Cloud” is a bandit who falls in love with Jen. The film mainly tackled on the importance of Confucianism and Taoism in one’s life and how these two are alike to each other when they are put together. In the film, we will see how they influence the character’s lives having Confucianism and Taoism beliefs performed together. We all know that these two philosophies are different from each other. Confucianism emphasizes morality, familial piety and respect for authorities to create peace and harmony among people. On the other hand, Taoism focuses on the harmony of yin and yang, detachment from worldly things, oneness with the nature and to go with the flow.
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Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
1006 Words | 3 Pages
“In one study of 50 Western American mothers and 48 Chinese immigrant mothers, almost 70% of the Western mothers said either that ‘stressing academic success is not good for children’ or that ‘parents need to foster the idea that learning is fun.’ By contrast, roughly 0% of the Chinese mothers felt the same way. Instead, the vast majority of the Chinese mothers said that they believe their children can be ‘the best’ students, that ‘academic achievement reflects successful parenting,’ and that if children did not excel at school then there was ‘a problem’ and parents ‘were not doing their job.’ … Chinese parents spend approximately ten times as long every day drilling academic activities with their children. By contrast, Western kids are more likely to participate in sports teams” (Chua 5). Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua is an engulfing novel which clearly distinguishes the difference between Western style of parenting and the Chinese style of parenting. The quote stated above shows some of the statistics that we completed to write this book. The story is a breathless and emotional memoir of Amy Chua, consisting mostly her two daughters and husband. While the Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother appears to be about the battle between a parent and a child and the relationship they share, the author, Amy Chua, has actually implied that it is important for the children to start developing skills early on to benefit in the future as well as be successful in their lives.
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1533 Words | 4 Pages
As one of the greatest founding novels of Taoism, Book of Chuang Tzu serves to strengthen Lao Tzu 's arguments in Tao Te Ching and lays the foundation for Taoism 's place in Chinese philosophy. Because Confucianism and Taoism are two competing philosophy schools that share more outstanding differences than similarities, the followers of both schools often refute and evaluate the ideals of the opposite school. However, the constant appearance of Confucius as the main character in more than twenty chapters in Book of Chuang Tzu not only surprises the readers, but also calls for deep analysis of the roles played Confucius in order to understand the true meaning of this ancient literature. While Chuang Tzu criticizes many of the Confucian ideas
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Story of the Stone
1407 Words | 3 Pages
Cao Xueqin’s Story of the Stone is a classic in Chinese literature, showcasing the life and exploits of the wealthy Jia clan during the feudal era. Through Cao’s depiction, the reader is afforded a glimpse into the customs and lifestyle of the time. Chinese mode of thought is depicted as it occurs in daily life, with the coexisting beliefs of Confucianism and Taoism. While the positive aspects of both ideologies are presented, Cao ultimately depicts Taoism as the paramount, essential system of belief that guides the character Bao-yu to his eventual enlightenment. As was the case in China, Cao depicts the two forms of belief existing alongside one another, and not necessarily practiced exclusively to one another.
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Confucianism Vs Daoism Essay
779 Words | 2 Pages
During the Warring States period China was going through chaos. The teachings of Confucianism and Daoism were welcomed by society to bring order, stability and liberate people from the misery and oppression. The rulers were greedy and desirous of political power and their own agendas; however they were looking for a new way to unite their people. It is often said that Confucianism and Daoism are the yang and yin, respectively, of Chinese religion. That is, they are not rivals so much as complementary traditions, working together to produce an overall balance in the lives of the Chinese. This is not true because the two religious philosophies were different from one another. Confucius believed that the traditions and virtues that were studied and taught in the old days by the Ancients was the best way to organize society (trickle-down approach). Also followers of Confucius believed in education, a moral force and human goodness to advance and progress within society. Daoism on the other hand relies on human nature and a balance of good and evil (Yin-Yang) to bring about social order. It neglects education, virtue and cultural norms because it is said that people are born faultless.
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The Change of Confucianism over Time
616 Words | 2 Pages
Confucianism is a philosophy and way of life formed in China by Confucius, an early Chinese philosopher. It began as a simple concept with ideals of personal virtue, simple filial piety, and basic gender distinctions and social inequalities. But, over time with the emergence of Neo-Confucianism it began to transform into a way of life that was degrading towards women with certain hostilities towards rivaling religions. In its early period, from around 500 B.C.E to the Common Era, Confucianism changed in that it became the leading belief system and a major part of Chinese tradition. From the transition into the Common Era to the end of the Classical time period, Confucianism was altered because of a loss of popularity following the collapse of the Han dynasty and the corruption in the governing political system. In its ending period, the post-classical era, Confucianism underwent perhaps its biggest adjustments with the emergence of Neo-Confucianism. The ideas and virtues presented in the “rebirth of Confucian philosophies” of intolerance of foreign religions and extreme filial piety...
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333 Words | 1 Pages
Confucianism is a religious philosophy formed by the Chinese philosopher Kung-fu-Tsu. This philosophy came out of need during the warring states period of Chinese history. K'ung-fu-Tsu was a teacher at the hundred schools. His prime concern was the improvement of society. Confucianism has no gods, and the only written history of this religion is in the Analects, a collection of his responses to his disciple's questions. K'ung-fu-Tsu believed that the improvement of society was the responsibility of the ruler and that the quality of government depended on the ruler's moral character. This new way meant concern for others and adherance to the golden rule. Confucianism has had a greater and longer lasting influence on China than that of any other religious philosophy.
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523 Words | 2 Pages
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980 Words | 2 Pages
Confucianism and Daoism are two influential schools of thoughts that have existed in ancient China around the 6th century BCE. The former, led by the politician and philosopher Confucius, proposed that humans live in society according to a set of predefined rules and that they transform society through political action. Whereas the latter, led by the philosopher Lao-Tzu, promoted the idea of inaction; people should go with the flow instead of taking action to control their lives and dominate their surroundings. Although, at first glance Daoism and Confucianism seem to be two opposing philosophies, a more in depth analysis of two of their key ideas –filial piety and education—reveals that they do share some similarities.
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562 Words | 2 Pages
Confucianism is a moral and religious system of China. Its origins go back to the Analects, the sayings attributed to Confucius, and to ancient writings, including that of Mencius. Confucius was born a mandarin under the name Kongzi. It was developed around 550 B.C. In its earliest form Confucianism was primarily a system of ethical concepts for the control of society. It saw man as a social creature that is bound to his fellow men by jen, or “humanity.” Jen is expressed through the five relationships—sovereign and subject, parent and child, elder and younger brother, husband and wife, and friend and friend. Of these, the filial relation is most important.
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1731 Words | 4 Pages
Confucian culture has persistence, so it does not disappear with the annihilation of the old system. Confucian culture, formed under two thousand years of feudal autocratic rule, not only exists for a long time, but also still has important influence on Chinese contemporary political life and political culture with its strong vitality. The theme of moderation is to educate people consciously to self-improve, self supervise, and self educate, and train themselves have the ideal personality. Fundamentally, the Confucian thinks that the root of governing revolution lies in the will of people, therefore, it should govern from the will of people if it wants to achieve the social governance, which has its profound meaning (Chan, Cho, 2014). The emergence of a lot of social problems, in the final analysis, is due to the lack of governance...
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1609 Words | 4 Pages
For many centuries, Confucianism has been widely revered by the Chinese for its emphasis on morality. Confucius, who lived from 551 to 479 BCE, is different to most philosophers in that he showed no interest questioning his existence, the possibility of a God, or the reality that he seemed to live in; instead he focused on the human relations side of philosophy as it was his belief that people should “give (themselves) earnestly to the duties due to men … (and) keep aloof from (spiritual beings)” (Confucius 195). By negating the metaphysical side of philosophy, he was able to devote himself to mold his disciples into ideal gentleman who were morally righteous, and were able to benefit society. He believed in the importance of individuals who knew their roles in an well-structured society, that was a feudal system. In his opinion, the ideal gentleman should be obedient to his elders, have humanness and be morally righteous. Through his teachings, he was able to reform an entire country; the Chinese found Confucianism to embody practices of humaneness that they could apply in their daily lives through his religion.
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Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Michael Vey: Hunt For Jade Dragon

Conformity In A Thousand Splendid Suns

Compare And Contrast Confucianism Daoism And Legalism