30 August the family1 Ancestor worship  How is lineage determined? (32)  Thompson identifies two principles important not only to ancestor worship but to Chinese culture. What are they? –Li 禮, “ritual,” “ritual propriety,” “proper conduct”  In practical terms, what did it mean for ancient Chinese people? –To what cultural spheres did it apply?

30 August the family2 “The Mandate of Heaven”  From the Shu jing, or Classic of History –Compiled in the Han dynasty –This section probably composed in the Zhou era ( BCE)  Set the scene: who’s talking to whom, and why?  What is Yi Yin’s standing?  Page 2, para. 2 – what principle is he stating?  How would you define good and evil in Chinese terms?

30 August the family3 Ancestor worship  Xiào 孝, filial piety –How is it related to Li? –What do you reckon its cultural consequences to be?  For marriage?  For women?  How would you describe the status of the ancestors? –What is the relationship between the living and the dead? –How is that relationship conducted by the living? (44f)