Run for Emperor of Chinese

¶ … run for Emperor of Chinese History, an election in which all people throughout Chinese history will be able to vote. You're particularly concerned about women voters, and want to put together a team that will help you strategize on how to understand and appeal to women voters. The seven people below have applied. Which three of them would you hire for your team and why? Be specific about the perspective and knowledge they will bring to the team. Also be specific about your overall campaign strategy which will provide the conceptual framework within which to frame your answer to this question.

It's crucial to put together a team of people that instills confidence in all the people of China. This necessity is especially aggravated when it comes to women voters, as the needs of women are generally under-represented in China. Having representatives on my team who make it clear that the interests and needs of women are important to them is vital for a successful campaign. Having people on my team that women voters feel they can trust is absolutely vital for their success.

The first person I would select would be Mencius's mother. This woman has proven herself to be the bearer of sage advice, constantly bestowing wise and sound advice upon her son. Her advice is so good, and Mencius respects her so much that he always follows her advice and events reconcile themselves in a more cohesive and structured manner because of it. For example, she asserts, "Your neglecting your studies is very much like my cutting the superior person studies to establish a reputation and gain wide knowledge. He is calm and poised and tries to do no wrong. If you do not study now, you will surely end up as a menial servant and will never free from troubles. It would be just like a woman who supports herself by weaving to give it up. How long could such a person depend on her husband and son to stave off hunger? If a woman neglects her work." This advice made her son work harder and he was better for it. In a likewise fashion, the Widow Wu demonstrated that she had strong character and was honest and hard-working and favored by a range of supernatural forces in her life, being bestowed by gifts. Having her on my campaign team would no doubt be a sign of luck and good fortune, something that I believe would mean a lot to the Chinese people.

Finally, I would select "Chaste Woman" Shi to be the final member of my team. I would feel like she would be a wise addition to my team as she represents traditional Chinese values in a gentle and graceful manner. As much as the women of contemporary China today desire change and progress, there are still some classic cultural values that are important to people to uphold. Women, as much as they want and deserve equality, still value chastity and the standard values of the home. As a member of me team, lady Chi represents that.

2) You have been given special powers to recall individuals from the past to the present. You have assembled the following people in a room and you ask them to vote to decide which person among them is most Chinese. They cannot vote for themselves and they must vote until they reach a majority. Give the outcome of the vote (including each round of voting if there is more than one round) and provide reasons for the vote(s) of each voter. Note, this is your evaluation of who they think is the most Chinese.

If all of the main characters of this story took a vote as to who was the "most Chinese" they would have very differing opinions about this issue, as they're all drastically different people. For example, Yurang would vote for Xiaowan as a result of the fact that their values most strong overlap. Yurang values strength, perseverance and loyalty and Xiaowan embodies much of that sense of perseverance and loyalty via her tremendous suffering. Xiaowan suffers so much throughout her story, and yet she maintains her fortitude and her grace, bearing an extreme burden. It would be difficult to determine who Seng Baozhi would vote for, but I think that for him he would most likely vote for Xiaowan as well. I believe that Baozhi would see much grace, and inner peace in the simplicity of her struggle and pain, and view that inspirational for Buddhism. In Buddhism there is a perfection in dedicating oneself to all tasks fully, even the task of suffering. In that light, I think that Xiaowan would vote for Baozhi as well, labeling him the most Chinese. I think she would view his devotion to Buddhism and his reverence of it as something she very much respected and something which is representative of a good national, Chinese person.

Alternatively, I believe that Marshal Huang of the Ming Dynasty and the narrator from "March Forward…" would vote for each other as the both reflect the nationalist values that they both treasure. They both believe in the importance of integrating with the Chinese people (even commoners). They both believe in the protection of the Chinese people and their responsibility in providing that. These are extremely nationalistic values and things which they both prioritize and are things that they would no doubt value highly and appreciate in one another as strongly Chinese.

) Assume that you are a young woman about eighteen years old from an elite family. Rank the following five periods from one to five with one indicating the period in which you would have most liked to have lived and five indicating the period in which you would have least liked to have lived. Be sure to justify your reasons for each ranking.

The Han Dynasty 5

The Song Dynasty 2

The Ming Dynasty 1

The Republican period 4

The Post-Mao period after 1980 3

This question is especially challenging as to truly answer it properly, one needs to know more about this particular young woman and her values and priorities. But assuming that she enjoys the finer things in life, the era of the Ming Dynasty would be her first choice, followed by the Song Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty signaled a time when things were calming down in China with the expulsion of the Mongols. Trade with Europeans and contacts with missionaries also furthered this sense of calm, and wider involvement with the outside world. Porcelain and architecture garnered attention, as did the novel and drama. It was a time of extreme culture and variety in life, something that a girl from an Elite family could have truly enjoyed. The period of the Song Dynasty was marked by tremendous political and social transformation, something which could have been rather stimulating and riveting for a woman at this time. Finer things of life were beginning to be cultivated like tea and cotton which a girl from such an elite family would have had access to. The next choice would be the Post-Mao period after 1980, as this is the most modern time and represents a period where a girl from such a family would have the highest amount of rights or possibilities for her future. The post-Mao period offers the highest level of autonomy for women in China and this would no doubt excite this girl. This would be then followed by the period of the Han Dynasty where Confucianism was introduced, porcelain developed and Buddhism emerged. The last period a girl of this nature would want to be a part of would be the Republican period, one which was categorized by a greater level of oppression and government involvement and which offered women less opportunity or career possibility.