Beauty and Confucian Values in Chinese Literature and History

These flashcards cover vocabulary related to the themes of beauty and Confucian values in ancient China, significant literary figures and movements, and key historical events.

Xi Shi

One of the Four Beauties of ancient China known for toppling kingdoms.

Wang Zhaojun

Beauty who married a Xiongnu leader for peace, representing sacrifice for the state.

Diaochan

One of the Four Beauties who caused discord, reflecting suspicion of women’s political influence.

Yang Guifei

Beloved concubine blamed for the downfall of the dynasty, representing beauty as indulgence.

Three Obediences

Cultural expectation for women to obey their father, husband, and son in Chinese society.

Four Virtues

Morality, speech, appearance, and work; qualities expected of women in Confucian culture.

Minguo Style

Aesthetic from the Republic era (1911-1949) characterized by elegance, melancholy, and modernity.

Lu Xun

Influential Chinese writer who critiqued society through literature, exposing superstition and social cruelty.

A Madman’s Diary

One of Lu Xun's main works that critiques Chinese ignorance and societal pitfalls.

Leftist Literature

Reflective and promotional literature advocating social justice and equality, often through radical means.

League of Left-wing Writers

Founded in Shanghai in 1930, it started with over 50 members advocating progressive literature.

The New Year's Sacrifice

Lu Xun's story about a woman's suffering and societal stigma, ending in poverty and despair.

Schopenhauer’s Theory on Tragedy

Belief that tragedy arises not from a single flaw but from universal suffering and character conflict.

Sent-down Youth Movement

Initiative by Mao to send urban youth to the countryside to learn from workers and farmers.

Scar Literature

Genre that emerged after Mao's death, symbolizing emotional and physical wounds from the Cultural Revolution.

Wild Swans: Three Daughters in China

A memoir depicting the lives of three generations of women in China against a historical backdrop.

Cultural Revolution

Movement led by Mao Zedong (1966-1976) to preserve communism by purging traditional elements from society.

To Live Film

Film centered on a man's struggles and family tragedies against the backdrop of the Cultural Revolution.

Great Leap Forward

Mao's campaign for rapid industrialization that resulted in significant famine and death in China.

Jiang Ching

Mao's wife who emerged as a powerful figure during the Cultural Revolution and was later arrested.