East Asian Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

East Asian Studies - Essay Example Confusian teachings often concentrated on the development of the intellect rather than innovation and this ensured that many Chinese chose to remain in an almost static state (Confucious 13). Because of the influence of Confucianism, it became the norm for many of the Chinese people to want their lives to remain the same. The system of government of the land did not change because despite there having been many dynasties which ruled China from the ancient to the modern period. One will find that despite these numerous dynastic changes, none of the administarative rituals nor the system of governance was significantly changes to encourage the growth of the society (Holcombe 6). The elite consisting of the imperial family and the nobility, remained the same and it is these who competely dominated all matters of importance in the society. It was in the interests of these individuals to ensure that everything remained the same because it is the established system which ensured that their power was secure (He and Warren 272). It is possible that it is the elite which fostered the static nature of Chinese society since it allowed them to remain dominant while at the same time keeping the lower classes of the society subservient to their interests. The other reason why China was not able to achieve a powerful status on the global state which would have spurred its modernisation was its aversion to matters concerning the military. The Chinese society frowned upon the development of the military because the latter was considered to be a cause of instability rather than a guarantor of security (Ebrey 478; Paludan 136). Consequently, the military was extremely underfunded and its main role in the society was essentially ceremonial. It is possible that aversion to the military was based on the history of the nation where at the end of certain dynasties, the

Second Generation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Second Generation - Essay Example It depicts the Asian community differently from the way we know it. It has themes such as authentic lives of Asians, British Asian underground music and romance amongst teenagers. The writer Neil Biswas wanted to give a picture of Asian community as it really is, as opposed to how it is perceived on TV. The director Jon Sen sought to address the world’s fascination of Bollywood as it has packaged their culture as a fashion with celebration and vigor (Sandhu, 1). With this production, they depict the seriousness of their Hindu and Islam religions, as the West does not understand the seriousness of it. The epic drama serves to inform and educate its audience, while opening doors to the lives of teenagers in Whitechapel (Sandhu, 1). The main character, Sam, a young boy rapper uses his own money to start up a record label to promote raw talent in the hope that his music will elevate him. His friends however, contact other record labels and turn the music into something commercial. The teenagers in the streets use music to express their feelings of anger and rebellion (Sandhu, 1). The stars in the drama are distinguished actors and actresses, well known to the Asian community and have a list of big productions under their belt. The drama unlike others is not about problems of assimilation, but of position and influence (Sandhu, 1). The article describes the misleading fallacy that has existed for a long time concerning Asian women. In episode 1 of Second Generation, Heer is depicted as an independent woman living with her fiance as opposed to the Asian home portrayed by other media. She is however forced back into her family life when her father falls into a coma. Heere is Sam Khan’s first love and their romance is rekindled after they reconnect. The themes of this episode are love and family. In many Asian stories that have been told in the past, the subject of love and romance is always never brought up. Mostly, they shy away from showing such topics and we as the viewer have concluded that it’s not a topic for dinner time discussion (Channel 4). The article describes an area that is not common in Asian programs or dramas. It is safe to say that it is a result of multiculturalism. It gives us an impression of a black neighborhood with the underground music scenes. Furthermore, there are aspects of multiculturalism that the second-generation teenagers have adopted, different from their predecessors such as music, especially rap (Sandhu, 1). Minority media and diasporic media represent media of a minor community found in a greater region. Their role is to keep the identity of the minority within the new community. Older generations have a problem with recognition as the amalgamation of people and culture fosters aspects such as mixed marriages. Therefore, there is fragmentation of the original culture and a rise of multicultural democracies. The British Asians of the Second Generation drama have adopted a new culture and p lace a risk of fading away of their original culture. The author, Eugenia Siaperain in her book, Cultural Diversity and Global Media: The Meditation of Difference looks into media production and the role the internet has played in diasporic communication. The internet has opened up a new world of communication (Sandhu, 1). According to the article, Second generation has tried to describe Asians in their true form. In episode 1, we see aspects of love and family which are not different from any other