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Foreword

Honor we cherish, heroes we respect

In Book 8 of the Confucian classic Zuozhuan, an ancient Chinese narrative history that is traditionally regarded as a commentary on the chronicle Spring and Autumn Annals 《春秋 》, we find the following story: after the battle at Bi between kingdom Jin and kingdom Chu, kingdom Jin started to decline. When Duke Jing ascended to the throne in kingdom Jin, he took lessons from past events and made various efforts to revive kingdom Jin, including the attempt to establish an alliance with kingdom Qi, which was then on good terms with kingdom Chu. However, kingdom Qi’s Duke Qing insulted kingdom Jin’s envoy, because Duke Qing didn’t believe there was a need for a kingdom as large and strong as Qi to show respect for a battle loser. Infuriated, Duke Jing sent Commander Yu Ke and General Fan Xie of the Upper Battalion to attack kingdom Qi, which they defeated at An (now located in Jinan, Shandong province). The then routine for returning troops was that the general would enter the capital city first. Fan Xie’s father, waiting at the city gate, saw Yu Ke rather than his son Fan Xie enter the city first. The father thought his son must have died in the battle, and was very surprised to see his son enter the city later. “My Son, you know how eager I have been to see you!” the father exclaimed. Fan Xie replied, “Yu Ke is the commander this time. After such a victory, he should enter the city first. If I had entered the city ahead of him, the people’s attention would have all been on me. That would have transgressed against the rules governing hierarchical positions.” His father heard the explanation and complimented him on his modesty and courtesy.

When commander Yu Ke went to the court to attend an audience with Duke Jing, the Duke exclaimed, “Such a victory! The credit is yours!” But Yu Ke replied, “What I did was just to take orders from you, and the soldiers followed the instructions of your orders by fighting bravely. How could I take the credit for the victory?” Then General Fan Xie of the Upper Battalion came to the court, and the Duke again greeted him with “Such a victory! The credit is yours!” Fan Xie answered, “What I did was just to take orders from the Commander, and the soldiers followed the instructions of the Commander’s orders by fighting bravely. How could I take credit for the victory?” Finally, General Luan Shu of the Lower Battalion came to the court. Duke Jing again uttered, “Such a victory! The credit is yours!” Yet Luan Shu replied, “What I did was just to take orders from the General of the Upper Battalion, and the soldiers followed the instructions of the ←xv | xvi→General of the Upper Battalion’s orders by fighting fiercely. How could I take the credit for the victory?”

The above story reflects how the Chinese have viewed “honor.” The Chinese word “Shede” (舍得, meaning to “give away” or “being willing to part with”) unfolds the wisdom of making choices, as the word is formed with two characters of contrasted meanings: She (舍) means “give”; De (得) means “take/gain.” Throughout the country’s long history, most persons, especially the generals, ministers, Confucian scholars, and civilians have been working to achieve victories and accomplishments and henceforth the ruler’s due rewards. However, Yu Ke, Fan Xie, and Luan Shu have demonstrated that they had both the bravery of taking responsibilities and defeating enemies, but also the wisdom of coordinating the team, uniting the troops, and declining credits. What they gave away were credits for the victory, but what they gained were the Duke’s trust, the troops’ devotion, and the people’s support, and furthermore the revival and prosperity of kingdom Jin. Their conception of honor has been henceforth thought highly of and become an important moral value for China.

Chinese culture has been placing emphasis on the conception of honor, which extends to the adoration of heroes/heroines. In the country’s cultural memory, honor and heroes/heroines are closely intertwined: in the ancient era, there were heroes and heroines such as the mother goddess Nü Wa, who repaired the four broken pillars of Heaven, the mythological archer Hou Yi, who saved humankind by shooting nine suns, the 90-year-old Yu Gong, who was determined to remove a mountain for the villagers’ livelihood, and Yu the Great, who made every effort to control flood water. In the long feudal period, the peasant Chen Sheng courageously revolted against Emperor Qin’s ruthless tyranny; the renowned Tang dynasty General Zhang Xun sacrificed his life to defend Suiyang city against ferocious traitors, making it possible to “save one city, secure the whole nation.” The patriotic Southern Song dynasty General Yue Fei was determined from his youth to serve the country faithfully and to “regain the lost land.” Qing dynasty General Shi Kefa defended Yangzhou city, swearing “to die with the city.” In modern China, the Chinese United League (founded in 1905) member Zhang Zhongduan majestically went to his execution after being arrested for organizing revolts against the last feudal government; General Ji Hongchang donated all his money to purchase weapons for the troops, and made enemies tremble with fear on hearing his name; Yang Jingyu exhausted all available resources to combat the Japanese invaders, and was highly admired as a representative, anti-Japanese war hero; and the New Fourth Army’s General Peng Xuesang, who had brilliant commanding strategies and tactics, died a martyr. They are the soul of the nation, immortal with highest honors.

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The “Honors List” has been growing longer through China’s over-5,000-year history. The denotation and connotation of the word “honor” change with time, while some common features remain. Firstly: loving the nation, loving the people. The nation’s interest and the people’s well-being have been priorities in all the hero stories from ancient anecdotes to the cultivation of heroes in the long feudal period, the modern war era, and the peaceful modern times. Secondly: striving hard, stressing self-support. All the heroes in the nation’s history have had firm beliefs, held down-to-earth attitudes, performed their duties scrupulously, and never ceased to believe in hard work. While making adjustments according to the circumstances, they never succumbed to difficulties and those in power. Thirdly: honesty and righteousness. One reason for the heroes’ ability to enjoy particular honors is that they abide by higher criteria to evaluate their deeds, and adhere to strict moral rules. They keep their promises, and sacrifice their own interests and even lives. These are not only the core values of honor, but also important characteristics of Chinese culture and the core of the national spirit.

Without the conception of honor or respect toward heroes/heroines, it is hard for a nation to possess high spirits or noble characters, let alone to have a unique position among nations in the world. Heroes/heroines and honor are both symbols for humanity’s elevated spirit, and they embody its hopes. In modern China, wars and battles are over and gone, but heroic spirits and the stern and challenging standards related to honor are indispensable to our nation and society.

Honor is thus a priceless spiritual asset. It can consist of the following aspects:

Firstly, an unbending and indomitable spirit. Such a spirit resides in the following heroes/heroines, of whom we have already spoken: Nü Wa, the woman who melted five-color stones to repair Heaven; Yu Gong, the old man who each day dug out a part of a mountain; and Yu the Great, the ruler who was too busy controlling flood waters to enter his own house when he passed it. We can add Kua Fu, the man who chased the sun. Their daring to battle against any challenges and even Heaven are encouragements for the Chinese to advance indomitably to construct a better country.

Secondly, an anti-invasion and anti-tyranny spirit. When the peasant Chen Sheng, as we have seen, for the first time in China’s history roared out his determination to revolt against a tyrannical government, thousands of people followed him and soon ended the seemingly formidable Qin dynasty. His question to the crowd, “Are ministers and generals born a superior breed?” resonates through history until today.

Thirdly, sacrifices of individual property and life. With a mere 10,000 poorly-equipped soldiers, Tang dynasty general Zhang Xun (born in Dengzheng), ←xvii | xviii→already mentioned above, defended Suiyang city for ten months against a well-provided army of 100,000 soldiers led by the traitor An Lushan. After the city was finally broken into, Zhang Xun, together with the last 36 soldiers, refused to surrender, whereupon they were put to death. The famous writer Han Yu (768–824 A.D.) recorded his execution scene: “Not a slice of fear or nervousness showed in him.” Zhang Xun’s way of facing death unflinchingly symbolizes honor.

Fourthly, hatred of evil and restoration of justice. Song dynasty politician and judge Bao Zheng (999–1062 A.D.) was well known for his impartiality. He enforced the law strictly, staunchly, and uprightly. A poetic line “Bribery and connections won’t work, Judge Bao is King of Hell” was created and soon became popular. He became a model for ancient officials, and an idol for young scholars. Judge Bao’s upright, unyielding, and impartial way of conducting law is a legacy which modern China’s officials, especially judges, cherish and of which they feel proud.

Fifthly, the pride of joining the battlefield and dying for the nation. The legendary Northern and Southern dynasty woman Hua Mulan (purported to have been born in Yu Cheng) put on male clothes to enable her to join the army when her father was too aged for the battlefield. We have already met with two further honorable leaders: Song dynasty General Yue Fei, at a critical moment for saving the nation from being destroyed, swore to regain the land occupied by the kingdom Jin, and repeatedly defeated enemy troops that were themselves famous for brilliant battlefield performances. His poem The River All Red, which is full of daring, has been passed on from generation to generation. Ming dynasty official Shi Kefa, without military supplies or relief troops, defended Yangzhou city against an invading Qing army until the last minute of his life. Reading their stories, our hearts are filled with inspiring thoughts and emotions, and we are motivated to advance bravely. The sense of honor reflected in such stories is a valuable part of Chinese culture and the Chinese national spirit.

Honor is an eternal topic. Different histories have shaped different conceptions of it. Therefore, each culture has its unique sense of honor, and has different hero/heroine images. Cultures in the East and cultures in the West are different, as are religions. Such differences have a foundation in reality. There have been single-handed fighters and individualistic heroes in China, but in traditional Chinese culture they are not the mainstream; Western cultures admire heroes and cherish honor, while Western heroism appears more in individuals, similar to “Xia Ke” (侠客, similar to knight-errant) in China’s tradition. This is a certain cultural difference. Therefore, a book that highlights the keyword “honor” and centers on comparative culture studies in the East and in the West – like this book – is of great value. The research methodology of this book ←xviii | xix→is representative in contemporary cultural studies, as conceived by British cultural study researcher Raymond Williams. The authors Mine Krause, Yan Sun, and Michael Steppat have been doing research in the field for years, they have similar experiences in knowledge structure and education, while they are from different cultural and academic backgrounds. This book is thus a perfect platform for intercultural studies, as it extends the study of “honor” to a new sphere and expands the readers’ scholarly insight. I strongly recommend this book, and am very happy to have the chance of writing a Foreword to it.

MA Chi

Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences

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