Daoism

DO NOW: Daoists may sit wherever you choose. I trust you to make good choices! Daoists DO NOT want to brnig attention to themselves, so chose a seat where you will not do so. You may sit ANYWHERE (except my desk)

Snow on the River Over thousands of mountains, no bird flies DO NOW: Get a piece of white paper from the table. Draw an illustration of this poem on one side of the white paper. Snow on the River Over thousands of mountains, no bird flies Over thousands of paths there is no trail of footprints. On a lonely boat sits an old man with bamboo hat and cape, Fishing silently in the snowy river.

Daoism: philosophy that believes that the world has a natural balance of good and evil, a government isn't needed to keep order, and to let nature to take its course. Daoism's symbol is the Yin-Yang.

What do you notice about these Chinese Landscape Paintings?

How do the paintings reflect what they know about Daoist attitudes? How might Chinese artists have illustrated the poem?

Daoists feel that we are less important than nature Daoists feel that we are less important than nature. We are only but one small part of nature. That is why the people are so much smaller than the natural surroundings of the paintings!

The snow has gone from Zhongnan; spring has almost come. Lovely is the distance its blue color against the brown of the street. A thousand coaches, ten thousand horsemen pass down Nine Roads; Turns his head and looks at the mountain, not one man! Jot down what you think this poem means! What is the poet's attitude toward the troops? Toward the mountain?

READ 21.4 Calmly, Quietly, Peacefully (Both Pages)

Do you think Daoism thinks humans are too nice? Why/Why not? “If you poke at a fish too much, you will kill it.” How is this a Daoist view? Do you think Daoism thinks humans are too nice? Why/Why not? Is there really a “natural” yin and yang that we can’t do anything about? Why might Daoism have become popular under dynastic rule?

Now use what you know about Daoism and redraw your first picture as a Daoist would. What’s different?