To the “Reacting” Community: We are pleased to announce a new travel grant opportunity for students interested in the “Reacting” Study Abroad Program in Paris sponsored by Queens College. Undergraduate students from all "Reacting" institutions are eligible to apply. Please see the announcement below for additional information.

Best wishes,
Dana M. Johnson

Coordinator, Reacting to the Past
Office of the Provost
Barnard College
3009 Broadway
New York, NY 10027-6598
Tel: 212.854.6627


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Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité

Join us to study the French Revolution in Paris in this exciting new “Reacting to the Past” Queens College Study Abroad Course.

Registration and Fees:

Queens College is proudly offering three “Reacting” study abroad opportunities for undergraduates including the French Revolution Game to be played in Paris, June 29-July 31. Undergraduate students from all colleges and universities in the US with a GPA of 2.8 or above may apply.

The original cost of the program was $3338. Now, the course can be offered to students from any "Reacting" campus for $2479. The price includes airfare, housing, tuition, and cultural programs.

Contact Information:

There is limited space, so interested students should contact Gary Braglia, the Director of Education Abroad at QC, ASAP: 917-208-6963. The deadline is May 11.

Additional information is available on the web at http://qcpages.qc.cuny.edu/studyabroad.

Course description:

During our stay in Paris, we will study the background and history of the French Revolution, including the Enlightenment. We will “react” in the historical moment of the meetings held by the National Assembly in 1791. The French Revolution game will plunge students into the intellectual, political, and ideological currents that surged through revolutionary Paris that summer.

Students will become leaders of major factions within the National Assembly (and in the streets outside) as it struggles to create a constitution amidst internal chaos and threats of foreign invasion. They will face questions such as: Will King Louis XVI retain power? Will the priests of the Catholic Church obey the “general will” of the National Assembly or the dictates of the pope in Rome? Do traditional institutions and values constitute restraints on freedom and individual dignity or are they its essential bulwarks? Are slaves, women, and Jews entitled to the “rights of man”? Is violence a legitimate means of changing society or of purging it of dangerous enemies?

Some of the highlights will include walking tours of revolutionary sites in Paris, including The Louvre, Les Invalides, the Bastille, the Palais-Royal, the Conciergerie, and the “revolutionary 6th” arrondissement, and day trips to Versailles and the Royal Palace of Fontainebleau. A special feature will be the opportunity to experience the celebrations of Bastille Day on July 14th, France’s national holiday, first hand.

What happens now to the blog? I wonder if it will fade into obscurity like so many blogs throughout history...I had a lot of fun in this class. Bye bye!

bye bye.

I enjoyed playing the Follower of Hai Rui, but he was a tough roll to play. He seemed to at his core go against the very Confucian he claimed to want to uphold. He was supposed to be loud and riotous, quite unlike the calm and benign ideal Confucian. It was rather difficult for me to play that kind of hypocrisy. It was also difficult to know how to act while being my character. It was not until after the memorials had been criticized and I had bowed to the Emperor that I found out I had the choice not to do so. It was not until three sessions later that I learned I did not have to play according to ‘decorum’.
There is no excuse for me not fulfilling the role I was given. I should have been more assertive in conversations and I should have known more about the Chinese systems if only so I could find fault in them and blame their faults on the Emperor. Not knowing I could speak out of turn and refuse to follow orders does not excuse me from not speaking aggressively when I was called upon. Even if I fulfilled my victory objectives, I do not think I won. I would not have even stood up on my last day alive if it had not been for our guest and the persuasion she gave me.
I like to think that I did gain a better understanding of Chinese history and philosophy in this game. I think all of us have “raise up the strait and set them over the crooked” burned into our memories for the rest of our lives. I know I have a better grasp of the Analects than I do of Socrates’ teachings. I also like the Analects better than I like Socrates’ teachings because according to my understanding, the Analects teach that men do not have to be “small” men and that they can learn from their mistakes and from each other in order to become true gentlemen; whereas Socrates teaches that men are static and the only reform they can make is by devoting themselves to one trade and becoming great at that trade alone. Confucius’ words seem more optimistic to me.
I enjoyed the China game. I cannot say I enjoyed it more, for I know my performance was less than it should have been and as a pivotal character I should have been able to change the slow, monotonous quality of the game. I think I probably felt more relief than one should have upon my character’s death, and I cannot explain why. It was interesting to say the least. It was nice not having to try and calculate point totals, but that made it somewhat harder to know where people stood. But the game was all the more challenging and more mysterious for it. It is a shame the game is over.

John Nelson
Confucian Purist
April 23, 2007

I really enjoyed the ancient China game this semester. In fact, I think I enjoyed it more than the ancient Greece game. The thing I think that made it most enjoyable for me is that no one had an upper-hand before the class began, because very few of the Grand Secretaries had immense knowledge of the Analects or ancient China in general. We were all learning about the detailed world of ancient China in the Ming Dynasty at the same time, and it was enlightening to learn from my fellow students as well as the historical documents.
My primary objective in my packet is to PERSUADE the Emperor to name Changluo as his successor and heir. After a few of the sessions of the Grand Secretariat had taken place, however, I saw that this was going to be pretty difficult. It was not until Julianna resigned and the Emperor insisted that she stay, that I realized that persuading the Emperor was going to be impossible. My backup objective is to embarrass the Emperor in order to show him the Way, which will cause him to open his eyes and name Changluo as his successor and heir. My second memorial attempts to do just that, but it fell on deaf ears because the First Grand Secretary and the Emperor were in cahoots.
The last three sessions of the Grand Secretariat were very enjoyable. I absolutely loved it when I stood and argued about the eunuchs because it was very invigorating. Those last three sessions made ancient China come alive for me, because I sincerely felt that my involvement in the sessions was integral for the Emperor to make the right decisions. I did a lot of research and had a good understanding of past policies. I feel that I did a much better job in this game than in the ancient Greece game.
My biggest regret about the game is that the purists, especially myself, waited too long to break decorum and rebel. I felt like I still had to persuade the Emperor, even though I came to realize how impossible that was. I wish that I could have started arguing with Julianna way before I did. Julianna did a great job of keeping the Grand Secretariat on a short leash, but I feel that if the purists really understood that we had to ruffle the feathers of the Emperor and First Grand Secretary then the game would have been very different. The ending of the game was a huge surprise for me, because I did a lot of research and I figured we would not conclude the game until the last day of classes. Having the Civil War uproot our bureaucracy is an interesting way for the game to end to say the least! All in all, it was a very pleasant experience and I learned a great deal about ancient China, much more so than if I were in a typical lecture course.

Since the culmination of the China Game, I have continuously asked myself which game I enjoyed more. Both were challenging and fun; however, the two are extraordinarily unique. Due to having specific goals, the China Game offered more structure and, in turn, was immensely more enjoyable. Nevertheless, I can understand how the majority were probably much less enthusiastic than me. My character was the only one who was a Legalist wanting Civil Service Examination reform. The China Game encouraged me to put more effort due to challenges integrally different than the Athens Game and caused a surreal atmosphere.

During the Athens Game, I was quite lost. Being a Legalist in the China Game allowed me to establish clear goals. For instance, regardless of the costs, I needed to support the First Grand Secretary. If she asked me to find some analects pertaining to a topic, then my goal was to not only find said analects but interpret them appropriately as well. I thoroughly enjoyed the inability of the Purists to match the preparation I had. Although my goals were not met due to the collapse of the Ming Dynasty and the Emperor along with all in the Forbidden City, Julianna, Marie, and I devised plans to lead the game in our favor. For example, regarding the secret society, I suggested sending a mole into the Purist “faction” to determine who was a member of the society. We decided on using Melissa because she was in a position where she would do anything for the Emperor but possessed a Purist mentality. This plan was never carried out.

In regards to the memorials, I feel vastly more accomplished than in the Athens Game. Due to my support of the Emperor and First Grand Secretary, my words were taken very seriously, and if we all had not died, would have been implemented. Specifically, my second memorial was heavily researched, thus lengthy. Regarding my character’s desire to reform the examination system, I succeeded. The one regret that I have is the unused research and solution I produced for the last session. Expanding David’s idea to eliminate tax corruption, I established an outline that could easily be turned into another memorial. Including timing, member qualification, approximate population numbers, and Confucian quotes, my notes were more than a page of a detailed, practical solution.

While aiding Marie with her Yellow River presentation, I remember glancing at a Purist’s notes; next to my name, the words “suck-up” were emphasized. Slightly hurt, I removed myself from the game mentality and thought, “yes, I am being a suck-up. I’m supposed to be.” From that instant, I realized many were taking the game very personally. By no means were the majority of the memorials unprepared. Julianna, and the rest of the Legalists, needed to shake the Purists and keep them off-balanced. We did so by sticking to pragmatic topics. Julianna beautifully quieted the Purists down whenever they spoke of the Succession issue or Wanli as a poor ruler. Every time the game commenced, I could feel either boredom or a hidden beast waiting to lash out. All of the Legalists were extraordinarily engaged in each session. The time during the China Game truly transported me into a completely separate state of mind.

The China Game required many outside of class research hours and was equally thrilling to the Athens Game even with the lulls. I prepared more for this game than I have for any other class. Regardless of the hard work and hard feelings, I have had the most fun learning history than ever before. If given the opportunity to play again, I would.

Upon completion of the game and overthrow of the emperor and the corrupt First Grand Secretary, I had an immense feeling of relief and satisfaction. It seemed like the past weeks of frustration were finally worth it. As a purist, the First Grand Secretary made it difficult for me to have my views heard. I personally should have studied the Analects more. I also would have done well to determine my allies more quickly.
My strategy was to not criticize the emperor very harshly or openly. I attempted to keep my faction a mystery, especially when discussing the game with my roommate who was a legalist. However, I believe that I was not successful. The First Grand Secretary would often ignore me when I attempted to speak which leads me to believe that “he” was well aware of my Purist status. This was very frustrating. In order to follow my role, I should obey decorum and ritual or otherwise be a hypocrite. Some of my fellow faction members resorted to breaking decorum which was hypocritical but I feel that they had no choice. Eventually, we uniformly took a stand which I believe was less of a break in decorum and was justified due to the corruption we were against, also known as the First Grand Secretary.
Often in class, an argument would arise which I could support or counter with an Analect of which I had knowledge but not the location. I could not find it in the book. By the time I located the analect, we were far from the topic. Fearing criticism of the First Grand Secretary, I chose not to reintroduce the topic. I also felt that we were accomplishing little as a council and I did not want to further the lack of accomplishment by reintroducing a pointless argument devised by the First Grand Secretary in order to take up time and prevent the Purists from discussing succession. I personally feel that I should have known the Analects better but I do not feel that my knowledge was poor, merely my memorization of the analect numbers was lacking.
Due to the ambiguous quality of some members of the secretariat, I had trouble determining my allies. Some where very clear. Emily's harsh denunciation of the emperor in her very first memorial made it clear that she was a fellow Purist. However, I struggled over whether or not Secretaries Katie and Erin were allies. I only figure this out about a week before the last session. Had I known who my allies were, I would have been able to meet with more of them and formulated stronger arguments to achieve our goals as Purists.
Overall I'm satisfied with my performance. However, there is always room for improvement, as I have outlined in my preceding remarks. While these were certainly not the only areas in which I could have improved, these were the main three. As a whole, I found the China game to be a challenge but one that was not impossible or negative. The game was an excellent learning experience and at times very fun (the introduction of Dr. Felson). I found this class to be a very unique method of teaching but also very effective. I would recommend this class to other students, especially those needing skills in public speaking. Throughout this course I have noticed a significant improvement in both my public speaking and my extemporaneous speaking. I would definitely like to take another “Reacting” course. Though, perhaps next time, I won't be in ancient China and will be able to pronounce all the names correctly.

Only twelve of the twenty-two thousand civil servants in the Middle Kingdom were appointed to positions in the Grand Secretariat, and they arguably held as many, if not more, responsibilities as the Son of Heaven. In the beginning, my role was to convince or persuade the Emperor to shun the legalist and immoral influences of the First Grand Secretary and Lady Zheng. All the players at the onset were told there were no factions in this game; however it became clearer with each session that imperial ferment and corruption had already infected Wanli beyond reparation. There was, as Shen Hsing stated in the 1587: A Year of No Significance, “a cleavage from the top to the bottom.” In spite of this scenario, factions did not appear, even though the role sheets and manual encouraged secret societies. The Emperor, having made a pact with the First Grand Secretary in the game, was invariably tied to the legalist principles of autocracy, practicality, and efficiency. It was this pact that made the primary objective of persuading the Emperor to name Chungluo his successor an implausible one. The secondary objective was to impose with moral force the principles of tradition and Confucianism to a sinecure, or else depose he who had forgotten that his appointment was attained by the Will of Heaven and not by merit. The fact that no secret societies existed in the game signals a success on behalf of the Purists, as the balance was restored to the kingdom without treasonous acts.
The initial interview process served to expose those who were dedicated to the Way, and First Grand Secretary Julianna used a utilitarian strategy (public humiliation and punishment for those who would not show deference to the wishes of the Emperor) to silence the Confucian Purists. At first, my character sought to obey the Confucian principle of showing deference to the Son of Heaven, but that functioned only to empower the objectives of the legalists. The purists were forced to inquire, “How is the Emperor exhibiting the qualities of benevolence?” The execution of two secretaries who spoke against the corruption in the kingdom and bureaucracy indicated that the Mandate of Heaven was lost, along with the necessity for imperial deference and decorum. At this point in the game, it became clear that the First Grand Secretary would seek to control the memorial and discussion sessions. Decorum, along with observance of ritual, had to be bypassed to restore order and balance.
The lull created by technical pursuits regarding floods, piracy, taxation, and famine had hypnotized the Grand Secretariat. The first memorial of my character, which was an attempt to illuminate Wanli’s lack of devotion to the Way, was met with condemnation on behalf of the Emperor. The First Grand Secretary dismissed it as an idealistic interpretation of the Master’s words. With consternation, my character played the “game” of deference to the point of near objective failure. It was after studying closely the Book of Mencius, the Book of Odes, and the Great Learning that my character realized that he did indeed have the power of moral force behind his efforts. My second and final memorial, a poem composed to the statue of Confucius at the steps to the Forbidden City, was written specifically to rouse Purist conviction and encourage more secretaries to proactively speak against Wanli’s immoral and un-Confucian behavior. The last years of his reign is known to scholars as the Dreaming Period, because, riddled with unhealthy habits, Wanli rarely even left his chamber to attend ceremonies or meetings. “The Wind Steps Behind the Statue,” which sought to reinforce the words of the ancients with referentiality, also contained many puns on the Emperor’s political attitude and lifestyle: the “bulky tree,” “artifice dreaming,” “weight of a thousand catties,” “the middle, choking sonorously,” as well as pointing out the legalist tendency to “study the tips of Autumn hair without seeing the cartload of faggots.” The Ming game was, much like the Athens game, seemingly designed to precipitate specific outcomes with clearly-defined victors. Interestingly, both games ended with relative ambiguity. Besides obtaining extensive knowledge from these two historical epistemes, I can happily conclude that my public speaking ability has improved drastically throughout the semester. The assertive performance of my character in the Middle Kingdom proved to be a complimentary endeavor to the cagey act of my character in the Athens game.

The China game was a unique experience. I feel I learned a lot through the eyes of Jinshi from WuChang. My character's family was from a fishing background and grew up on the coast. My character had a lot of promise as a boy and was taught the art of calligraphy by the time h was 5. My character was slightly confusing in one aspect he was a Purist, and in another way he seemed to enjoy supporting the emperor on many occasions as well.
My character seemed confused on the issue of succession and had to make his decision by the second memorial. My character chose to leave the issue of succession open, because he thought it was necessary for the best person to have the job and not someone with the right blood line. Jinshi was able to use his thoughts on succession to persuade the emperor to give him an audience concerning the Jesuits.
The main Jesuit that Jinshi was interested in was a man by the name of Matteo Ricci. Matteo Ricci was a Jesuit who had lived his later life in the southern part of China until he was forced to leave by a new viceroy in the area. Ricci wanted to convert people to Christianity, but he was mostly scribe and wished to study Chinese culture. Ricci's real character wrote the first map of China ever published, learned Chinese and was the official correspondent to the Vatican about all things Chinese. He lived in the Forbidden City until his death. Ricci taught the Chinese court algebra, western philosophy, and tried to explain Christianity in Confucian terms so that he was not seen as such a controversial character. Ricci never had an audience with the emperor, but his presence was felt throughout the empire, and still is today.
As far as my role was concerned I thought I helped the other players, to keep their minds open about succession. I thought if Confucius was able to pick and choose a man based on his merit, then the empire should be able to do so as well. I was not confused about my goals in this game. My character wanted to allow Matteo Ricci to establish an outpost in Peking. And if the game had not ended so abruptly I am sure that he would have been able to achieve this goal. The emperor had already sent an embassy and determined that the intentions of Ricci were not harmful to the Middle Kingdom.
I think overall my character achieved his goals. I only wish I had introduced the Jesuit embassy a little earlier in the game. Then I think that the Middle Kingdom would have been left with the historical information that Ricci had to offer instead of with floods and famine.

My role in this game was a Purist defender of the examination system. I feel I did not adequately exploit the potential of this role. This was in part due to my lack of understanding of the game, and part due to my understanding of the historical period.
The rigid formality reiterated early on in the game gave me a false impression of the protocol. I understood this decorum to mean that speaking out of turn would result in almost certain execution from the game. This was actually not so far from the truth considering Emily’s fate. This fact realized, I did not pursue the issues at hand in the correct fashion. I tried to accommodate when I should have been attacking. Instead of appeasing I should have been conniving. The fact that the iron grip of the Grand Secretary struck fear into my purist heart might have contributed to my weakness. According to the events of the last session the Grand Secretary was on more precarious ground than I thought. My second memorial sharply criticized the Grand Secretary as an immoral influence on the Heavenly Sovereign. She attempted to resign, but the Son of the Most High rejected it. This was more suited to the game than my first memorial. It had been an attempt to accommodate immorality in return for practicality. Knowing what I do now I would have worked to have the Grand Secretary removed far earlier.
The role I had placed me in direct conflict with what I already knew of the period. I had to discourage all commerce which could be taxed to make the empire the most prosperous in the world. The master says that “profit will incur much ill will,” and as a purist the master is my guidance. Further, the purist character was supposed to defend an absolutely terrible institution. By this time the examination system was utterly corrupt. Talking of the master delegates reality from one’s mind, but does not change the facts of reality. The examination system was far to ineffective in either discovering truly practical talent, or from keeping out blatant nepotism. Wealth was the law of Ming China, with it anything could be purchased. Conflicts such as these made me think differently, but did not change reality in my mind. In my first memorial I tried to call to a higher benevolence in which I could accommodate immorality for practicality. I tried to place my family’s holdings and wealth in a salt producing region in order to justify immoral support for salt monopolies. In session I advertised a practical solution to what I thought in reality would work. This does not work with a character who’s beliefs are not very based in reality. I would have gone about that very differently in retrospect. My second memorial I feel was more apt for the game. It openly challenged the immorality of the highest counsel to carefully criticize the heavenly sovereign. My first memorial should have been in this tone. I would have accomplished more in my character’s role with this approach. Also, I did not actively pursue the Donglin conspiracy enough. It could have proved a worthy ally against the all powerful Grand Secretary. These various shortcoming on my part influenced how I played the game.

Review of the Ming China Game

In my role as one of the Confucian purists in the Hanlin Academy of the Grand Secretariat, it's difficult to say just how we preformed in the "China Game". Our greatest obstacle to success could be divided into two things—a strong First Grand Secretary who was secretly allied to the Emperor himself, and our initial decision to respect the rules of etiquette and decorum.

Historically, the sort of bond forged between the First Grand Secretary and the Emperor himself could not have existed—essentially, there was a promise that the First Grand Secretary would not betray the Emperor's interests under any circumstance, and at the same time, that the Emperor himself would not accept the First Grand Secretary's "resignations", no matter how often they came. Our calls for the First Grand Secretary to resign probably would not have made a difference, whether we had made three or thirty—our Emperor placed an unshakable faith in his First Grand Secretary, much to the Secretary's advantage—unless there was direct intervention from the game-masters on the matter.

However, from another standpoint, we had also handicapped ourselves—the First Grand Secretary, through strong force of will and our own complacence, had managed to distract us from our chief concerns (the crisis of succession), and instill a need (or even a fear) to maintain decorum in us for some time. If we had pressed harder and earlier, we might have been able to force the hand of fate (even if we couldn't get the Grand Secretary to actually resign). We were able to overcome our initial restraint and make direct challenges to the First Grand Secretary, which seemed to surprise her initially (though it might have been too little, too late). However, it did successfully force the Emperor to order executions to try and maintain the dignity of the First Grand Secretary, which brought about the collapse of the dynasty—hardly the ideal consequence, but it did cruelly validate the warnings of us, the purists.

As a purist, my views remained unchanging—however, given my character's deep respect of the traditions and rituals, I was very reluctant to break with decorum (a mistake on my part, in retrospect—if I had been more loud and boisterous, I could have better pressed my case). As the Grand Secretary from Kaifeng, I was hurt by the destruction of farming properties around Kaifeng—my family was no longer wealthy entering the game, and was probably bankrupt by the time of the new flood. Had the First Grand Secretary came directly at me with a bribe, I probably would have been forced to accept it. I also wish that I had harder press the connection between the declining state of the Empire and the Emperor's refusal to follow traditions—in my typical modern mind-set, it was difficult to connect the flooding of the yellow river with the Emperor's neglect of his first son, but I should have pressed the issue harder.

-Kainien Morel

I thought this passage (ch.4,v.6) from Meng Tzu to the Duke of Ching in the Bk. of Mencius was an appropriate one considering the context of the game:
'"Now, the state of things is different.-- A host marches in attendance on the ruler, and stores of provisions are consumed. The hungry are deprived of their food, and there is no rest for those who are called to toil. Maledictions are uttered by one to another with eyes askance, and the people proceed to the commission of wickedness. Thus the royal ordinances are violated, and the people are oppressed, and the supplies of food and drink flow away like water. The rulers yield themselves to the current, or they urge their way against it; they are wild; they are utterly lost:-- these things proceed to the grief of the inferior princes.

Wanli Emperor-

“Tzu-lu asked about the way to serve a lord. The master said, ‘Make sure that you are not being dishonest with him when you stand up to him.” (XIV.22)

My lord, why have you changed so? There was a time when you were very much distressed by official corruption, concerned about bribery between government officials, took the rituals seriously, wondered why so many officials absented themselves from your morning audience, and showed displeasure when your officials did not drill themselves to perform their part in ceremonies with flawless perfection (Huang 103). In the first decade of your reign nomadic invasions no longer threatened our northern frontier, pirates disappeared from our eastern coasts, and after this long period of peace the treasury had silver bullion to spare (Huang 14)! Why have you changed my lord? Why have you strayed from the benevolent path, choosing instead to consort with women and eunuchs?

I know you would not hear me ask you this. I know you would prefer that I devise a so-called “practical solution” to the problems facing our empire. I know some have told you that the faults of your kingdom lie in the small people, the common folk. They have told you that the people must be punished for erring, that pirates from our lands must be branded or conscripted into the army, and foreign pirates must be beaten and killed. They tell you that we should redouble our military forces in order to fight the raiding barbarians. They tell you that we should work to impose heavier taxes on the landowners in order to fill our treasury for such military excursions. Yet I must beg the question, why? Why must all these things be done when only five years ago, none of these issues were a problem at all? None of these things were a problem when you were a benevolent ruler. None of these things were a problem when you kept the people in line with the rites (II.3).

Now instead, you sit in the courtyards, watching eunuchs toss pieces of silver while your empire slides into the abyss (Huang 103). Now you no longer actually choose who in your bureaucracy may be promoted, demoted, or transferred, you cast lots and allow chance to make that choice (Huang 76). In some matters you even allow eunuchs to wield the vermilion brush for you (Huang 76). You often did not attend your tutoring sessions when you were young, which causes great concern to many in your court, particularly when the palace eunuchs reveal that instead of being ill like you have claimed, you were riding horses and drinking and dallying with the palace ladies (Huang 47). Your mere attendance at the tutoring sessions would show that you are subjecting yourself to cosmic order and moral law, and the fact that you are not attending these sessions indicates that you are directly opposing them (Huang 47). If these habits persist, they could be most detrimental to both your moral character and your empire. You have neglected your duty, my lord.

I cannot claim to know why you have become this way, my lord. But I fear that what the Master said in Analect 18, book nine, applies even to you, “I have yet to meet the man who is as fond of virtue as he is of beautiful women.” It appears to many that your love for your consort, Lady Cheng, has blinded you to the cosmic order and moral law. You wish to make her son, your third-born, heir because you believe it would please her (Huang 75). The entire population knows that fathers must be impartial to their sons, that elder brothers are supposed to command and lead their younger brothers, and that men of rectitude, yes, even you my lord, should never be swayed by women to modify their public obligations because of sentiment (Huang 84), for the Master said, “In one’s household, it is the women and the small men that are difficult to deal with. If you let them get too close, they become insolent. If you keep them at a distance, they complain” (XVII.25). Some have speculated, Myriad Years, that you are being forced against your better judgment by this woman (Huang 85). I only hope this is the case, and if it is, I suggest that you remove her from your presence as quickly as you can so that you can be free to do as you should, and put your son Chang-lo as your heir, start acting like an emperor, and shoulder some responsibility.

Worthy Emperor,

I am here today to discuss the arrival of the Jesuits. It is my concern that we are not being cautious enough about the situation at hand. For the past few years, Matteo Ricci has been petitioning our government for permission to establish a missionary residence in our capital city, Beijing. Before making any rash decisions we need to look at this situation through his point of view and ask ourselves, what are his motives and why does he want to set up this residency in Beijing? What is wrong with the residence he already has on the southern coast at Macao? And what is his ultimate goal?
I would like you to remember that the master said, “Claims that are made immodestly are difficult to live up to” (14.20), and it is our duty as secretaries to make sure we do not make arrogant claims as well. We must be certain that we are approaching this situation in the appropriate manner. Although currently, and for millennia, we have been the center of the universe, with rich resources, benevolent rulings, and enlightenment in the Confucian teachings, we must not be too proud. Foreigners wish to come here and benefit from our blessings, but we must still be strong and wary of who we allow in our city walls. I agree that we should teach foreigners and barbarians the world’s greatest known culture, but we cannot sacrifice upsetting our entire Confucian order that our society and culture has been founded on.
I know that some of you think that we need to be quick with our actions and set an example for the common people. I too agree that we need to send a message to the people, but lets avoid making a huge mistake and take the time to send out the right message. I do not think that allowing Matteo Ricci and the Jesuits into our city sends the right message, and it has too much potential to be disastrous and disrupt harmony. Instead, I propose that we send a group of officials to Macao to investigate the Jesuits. We need to learn their motives and consider what they have been doing in Macao for the past few years. We need to question the Jesuits as well as the Chinese people in Macao to ensure that we have both sides of the spectrum. The only way to make sure we are not sending the wrong message is by allowing them into our city and to make sure that they do not contaminate the common people while on their visit. We will be receiving the same knowledge without letting them into our city.
Some of you may wonder why I feel it necessary to be so cautious of these Jesuits. It is because I looked to the words of the master when he was walking in the company of two men and said, “I am bound to be able to learn from them. The good points of the one I copy; the bad points of the other I correct in myself (7.22)”. I then applied this to what I know about the past. St. Francis Xavier, a Christian missionary who had a vision to spread his foreign religion of the single god. He was successful in Japan and India, but failed in China before his death in 1552. Matteo Ricci is a fellow Jesuit of the same St. Francis Xavier! It would be an intelligent assumption to presume that his goals are the same as his companion; to impose his barbarous religion, Christianity, onto all of China, not to learn the Confucian principals as we would have hoped.
I understand that it is easy to be deceived by the Jesuits. We would hope that we could enlighten them, and they seem like they have potential. Matteo Ricci has been studying our language, but only in preparation to enforce his beliefs onto China so that we will understand. He has also been studying our classics and our society. Why do you think he is taking such an interest in our culture? We must not be naive and look under the surface. He wants us to trust him and be appealing to our ways. Because he knows our society, he knows that to convert our common people, which is the majority of China, he must first convert the imperial court and then work his way down. The master did say, “The common people can be made to follow a path but not to understand it” (8.9). Our common people do not have to understand what he preaches; Matteo Ricci knows that the common people will follow the emperor regardless. I honestly believe that his plan is to convert our vast dynasty and disrupt our harmonious balance. Matteo Ricci has studied the words of our master, “Men of antiquity studied to improve themselves; men today study to impress others” (14.24). He is smart; he knows our ways and what we want to hear because he has studied us and now wants to convert us as if we were barbarians. That is why he preaches in private discussions, because that is what we are accustomed to. He dresses in the dress of the scholars to appeal to our customs and he has already converted many to his devious ways.
I do understand that we could learn a great deal about war, business, and economy from foreigners; however, I do not believe that these missionaries are the foreigners to learn from. Their knowledge is not only a risk with disastrous potential, but it also comes at a very high price that the Ming dynasty cannot afford. The possibility of failure outweighs the danger this risk could bring by a considerable amount. I refuse to give up my Confucian principals for their commercial greed that is sure to disrupt harmony at an irreversible measure. I will leave you with the words of the master, “If I took anyone it would have to be a man who, when faced with a task, was fearful of failure and who, while fond of making plans, was capable of successful execution” (7.11).

David Dennard
Memorial 2
There is a great danger in our midst. It threatens the very order of our families, our government, and our society. The mandate of heaven is in danger. I refer to the Grand Secretary’s poisoning of our sovereign’s morality. Why does the son of the most high show interest in Lady Zheng and his illegitimate son? Why does he ignore his rightful heir? It is because our worthy sovereign has been taught incorrectly, or worse our Grand Secretary is some manipulating him. How can there be any doubt to the correct action? If the Grand Secretary had done the correct job of tutoring our benevolent Wanli he would surely act according to tradition. Our benevolent leader must be reminded of the teachings of the master since it appears the Grand Secretary is not of the moral quality to do so. Our duty as members of the bureaucracy is to remind the son of the most high of the correct action. The correct action is to recognize the legitimate heir, and to remove the immoral influence.
The master teaches deep reverence for honoring one’s superior. Son to father, wife to husband, younger to older brother, and subject to emperor is the order the master taught. This is how things have been for generations. Without this order society would cease to function. The master says, “As your father and elder brothers are still alive you are hardly in a position to put into practice what you have heard.”(11:22) This line from the master illustrates how a younger brother is corrected in his wish to take over the role of his superiors. As long as the father and older brother live the younger brother must respect their position of superiority. If the Grand Secretary had given correct counsel our benevolent Wanli would have already realized this. The master chastises a young man who, “presumes to take a seat and walk abreast his seniors.”(14:44) He reminds us that those who try and ignore the order of things are only looking for quick advancement. They have no benevolence, or understanding of the way. Our son of the most high must come to understand what the master has taught. The bureaucracy must teach morality since the Grand Secretary is unable, or unwilling to do so.
I fear for the consequences if we do not act. If a third born son could be named heir by the son of the most high then what will occur across the empire? First born sons will be murdered by their younger brothers! Younger brothers will be murdered to ensure the eldest son’s position! The tradition respecting the legitimacy of the first born will deteriorate. Violence will plague the countryside!
This is not all that will happen if something does not change. If the first wife can lose her position in the emperor’s household than anywhere the first wife can be replaced. Who will lead the household, or participate in ancestor worship? Soon concubines will be overseeing the rites of ancestor worship! Wives conniving and scheming will increase to unseen proportions. A second wife will take this example as justification for removing the first wife, or even removing the male head of the household. Family will fall apart. All family order and stability will cease without Wanli’s correct example. It is integral to the mandate of heaven to set the example of the master. Ignoring this will bring ruin for us all. The time for action is now. Send away the false manipulative counsel! Remove the conniving woman who is only interested in power. Lady Zheng only cares for her son. Wanli has a duty to care for his subjects. When the duty is ignored the mandate is gone. Honorable son of the most high you must act to save the empire. I trust our son of the most high is indeed benevolent. The empire will soon see if this is true.

No colored ribbons adorn thee,
O Still erect Statue, when will your edges crumble?
Pillar of profundity, careful deliberation, and virtue,
Behind you, we have followed in two rows of cattle,
And just out of your eternal periphery,
Embroidered men ascend these steps to both ends.

Present me to Goodness and Purify Me,
That I may be in discipline and endure,
Be tranquil and sincere for a sinecure,
Whose root we must protect for spring,
As naturally as your folded hands.

The heart that has the royal sway,
Will bend the kingdom in two plays, first,
A thousand catties weighed
Out of petty cleverness and indulgence,
Ignores the sage and moral deference.

Ren, serenity, or blind luck:
By which of these did your words prevail?
The Way out the door, now locked
In the curve of your honest smile,
Is kept in secret investigation;
By lamplight we study the tip of Autumn hairs.

Drinking the waters of the Will of Heaven,
The Middle, choking sonorously, neglected,
Believe they must carry the Mountain
Over the North Sea, or break a branch,
Or consecrate a bell with blood.

O Master, your stone facade
Was once Heaven’s wooden tongue, bereft
Of pretense in discourse. What waters sipped
That very tongue, to keep you in daylight
And away from artifice dreaming?

Present me to Goodness and Purify Me,
Virtue and filial duty, like the mulberry,
Must be pruned before the same wind
Whose force is felt over the mountain,
Blows silken harmony over the sea in symmetry,
And uproots the bulky tree.

Son of Heaven, the Master tells us that only the mosy virtuous of rulers attain the reverence and respect of the people. As the Master says in Analects Book II, XX"Chi K'ang asked, "How can one inculcate in the common people the virtue of revernce, of doing their best and of enthusiasm?"The Master said, "Rule over them with dignity and they will be reverent; treat hem with kindness and they will do their best; raise the good and instruct those who are backward and they will be imbued with enthusiasm." The virtuous leader is one of constancy, one of revernce, one who is a gentleman, and one who follows the Way. As the master said in Analects Book II, I"The rule of virtue can be compared tot he Pole Star which commands the homage of the multitude of stars without leaving its place." The virtue of the ruler transcends much like the Pole Star and radiates throughout the empire with the will and mandate of heaven. If the ruler is not virtuous and does not stand with constancy, the empire's harmony is disrupted. When the harmony is disrupted, chaos will abound in an effort to regain homeostasis.
Therefore, Son of Heaven, is it not important, as the future of the Middle Kingson dwells in the body of the emperor, that he be the most virtuous that he can possibly be? Clearly, the Master believed that virtue did not come frombirth, but rather from the cultivation and environment of the person. As the Master says in Analects, Book VI, XXVII< "The gentleman widely versed in culture but brought back to essentials by the rites can, I supposed, be relied upon not to turn against what he stood for." The system the Master reated when composing the Analects, took the terms which had largely been used before only among thee aristocracy and applied them to the common man. One example of such a term that the Master used quite frequently is the term of gentleman, which prior to Confucius was used only to represent someone of noble birth. As the Master comments again in Analects, Book VII, and XXV"The Master instructs under four heads:culture, moral conduct, doing one's best, and being trustworthy in what one says." The Master has made it clear that he selects menof virtue and moral character nased not on their birth but on their individual merit.
If the Master can choose the best men based on their merits, should we not as loyal children respect the teachings of our father? Should we not follow the great example which the Master has demonstrated so brilliantly before us? should we not choose for the most important role iin the entire world, the Son of Heaven, the man of greatest virtue, and greatest pupil of the Way? The action of choosing a leader based on merit is not without precedent in our kingdom. The founder of our gracious Ming dynasty was CHu Yuan-chang, who from 1328-1398, became the Son of Heaven through his military sucesses, and his cultivation of knowledge in a Buddhist monastery. Emperor Yao was not satisfied with his choices for an heir. His son Zhu, who he found quarrelsome, he looked within his own administration and his advisors suggested he consider the Minister of Works. The emperor did not find the Minister of Works to be satisfactory either, calling him respectful only in appearance . Next, the council and the ministry suggested a man by the name of Gun. he was assigned a task for the emperor and the work was never completed. Finally, the court suggested a man who was poor called Shun of Yu, he was known for his character. Shun of Yu was the son of a blind man, his father had no principles, and his mother no morals. However, Shun of Yu was a perfect example of fillial piety. The emperor chose to marry his daughter to this man, who became the next Son of heaven.
Son of Heaven, I ask not that as heir we pick someone who is not of royal blood. I ask simply that the best man for the job be chosen. The holder of the Mandate of Heaven must clearly be a man who is schooled in the ways of the Master, a gentleman, a man of benevolence, a man of virtue, and a man who waslk in the path of the Way, Therefore, he might, as a good father, lead his subjects in the examples of constancy and virtue. And down the path to benevolence and Enlightenment. I ask simply that the best man hold the mandate of heaven, and that the best man for the job lead the subjects of the Middle Kingdom. Therefore, the issue of sucession ,must be left open.

John Nelson
April 16, 2007

Worthy Emperor Wanli, Son of the Most High: Today it is my aim to influence you to name Changluo your successor and heir. “The Master said, ‘The gentleman can influence those who are above him,’” (4.24). I believe that in this Grand Secretariat and in my private life I humbly consider myself a gentleman. Having achieved this status in my character I now call attention to what Confucius said about gentleman. “The Master said, ‘A gentleman is ashamed to let his words outrun his deeds,’” (14.29). I would be remiss to not take a stand now and relate to you my counsel on this serious subject. I am willing to take any punishment you decide to levy, just as long as I can say what needs to be said.
“The Master said, ‘So long as the ruler loves ritual, the people will be easy to handle,’” (14.44) Well, Emperor Wanli, the people are not easy to handle. There is corruption in all levels of the bureaucracy and some of our own people have become pirates. Worthy Emperor, you cannot even handle those you have direct contact with, namely the swindling eunuchs whose authority goes unchecked (The Glory and Fall of the Ming Dynasty, Albert Chan 155). All of this corruption must be coming from somewhere. “The Master said, ‘He who will not worry about what is far off will find something worse than worry close at hand,’” (15.11) For so long, you have put the decision to name Changluo your successor off, and now you must make a decision. You are now thinking about elevating Lady Zheng to imperial consort, when the honor should go to Lady Wang, the mother of your first-born. Consider our history before you make a terrible mistake.
The An Shi Rebellion was a terrible time in our past. Over 36 million of our people died during this rebellion. An Lushan, the commander had control over the whole north of China, and decided to attack the city to capitalize on their decadence. He was in league with Yang Guifei, Emperor Xuanzhong’s imperial consort. Her corruption led to the death of so many people (Encyclopedia Brittanica 139). Consider also Lady Li in the Han Dynasty. She secured high-ranking positions for her brothers from the Emperor. The brothers turned out to be criminals and were justly executed (). So you see, Emperor Wanli, the influence of women can easily lead to destruction.
You were the first-born to your father and were rightly named his successor, because it is one of the most standard practices to honor the elder son. So how could you possibly be thinking about turning your back on your first-born son Changluo? It is not too late to amend all of this. Perhaps you can change this dangerous path that the Middle Kingdom. “The Master said, ‘If you have made a mistake, do not be afraid of admitting the fact and amending your ways,’” (9.24). Emperor, I plead with you to first admit that you were mistaken to ever think about elevating Lady Zheng to imperial consort. Next, you need to amend your ways by naming Lady Wang imperial consort and naming Changluo your successor and heir. If anyone is advising you differently, they are either ignorant or corrupt and should be fired. Do with me what you wish, but do the right thing and name Changluo your successor. Thank you.