Histories of other countries always seem so much more ancient than history of the U.S. -- perhaps because the U.S. has only been around for a few hundred years, as opposed to China, which had been under imperial rule for over 2,000 years before 1911. For example, I was astonished to read that "intellectual activity was prized over applied and manual work" (363) in Imperial China. Contrasted with my own life, being brought up as an American means you always strive for the best, which can vary considerably, but generally means finding a good job. In the U.S., going to school and college is extremely important; not for the "intellectual activity," but for the competitive advantage of being able to find a decent, steady job after graduation. Also, we are always encouraged to "think outside of the box" to come up with our own ideas and solutions. This is why it surprised me when I read that state examinations in Imperial China were studied for by memorizing ancient Chinese literature (emphasizing cultural preservation). In fact, the examiners cared more about this ability of recalling texts than the ability to solve problems.
When thinking back to Gutek's chapter on the U.S., I believe that this may have also been the case in early colonial America. The best male students went into Harvard and studied art, philosophy, and history, just as the ancient imperial Chinese did. However, young adults in early America were not as constrained as the Chinese. They had the freedom to express their own views, and thus were able to expand to science and technology. In Imperial China, this was limited by the Confucian ethical code, which created a hierarchial ladder of subordination. Since sons had to obey everything their fathers said, and fathers had to obey everything the emperor said, then there was not much room for the freedom of thinking on one's own. As Gutek states, historical views still linger and are evident in modern China, as currently students must often still recall masses of information for university entrance exams.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I do not think that it should be that surprising that they were not taught to think outside of the box in China. The emperor has a strong influence on what is studied and the Chinese did not want to lose their history. It seems to be in line with their political system for students to be told what to learn and not think outside of the box too much.
ReplyDelete