{"id":1893,"date":"2012-08-18T19:08:35","date_gmt":"2012-08-18T23:08:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/web.colby.edu\/eldercare\/?p=1893"},"modified":"2013-06-11T19:12:23","modified_gmt":"2013-06-11T23:12:23","slug":"the-new-24-exemplars-of-filial-piety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/eldercare\/2012\/08\/18\/the-new-24-exemplars-of-filial-piety\/","title":{"rendered":"The new 24 exemplars of filial piety"},"content":{"rendered":"

Offbeat China,\u00a0\u00a0August 18th, 2012\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Filial piety<\/a>\u00a0is possibly the most important and fundamental virtue that has been governing the Chinese society for thousands of years. The concept applies not only to family settings but also encompasses almost all aspects of social life in China. To put it in a simpler way, filial piety means a general obedience of authorities, may it be at home, at work or at a national level. \u00a0Sometimes, it\u2019s even blind obedience, which is why the concept of filial piety explains so much about why China, both politically and socially, is what it is now.<\/p>\n

As a \u00a0classic, filial piety has been studied for thousands of years and one of the most influential teachings is the\u00a0Twenty-four Filial Exemplars\u00a0<\/a>written by Yuan Dynasty scholar Guo Jujing. Filial piety stories used to be the first things kids learn at school. But in modern China, a country that has been said to gradually lose all its virtues, filial piety has not been a word you hear very often now.At the same time, as\u00a0China is aging at an unprecedented pace\u00a0(26%<\/a>\u00a0of China\u2019s total population will be over 65 by 2050) and as the care for the senior has increasingly become a social problem, there is definitely a need to revisit the concept of filial piety.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Twenty-four Filial Exemplars<\/p>\n

Old principles won\u2019t work anymore. In a time when younger generations are born the only child of their families and raised as little emperors and empresses, it\u2019s hard for parents to be seen as the absolute authorities in family. In a time when authorities (the government) lose its credibility and individualism is rocket high, obedience is the last thing young people would pick up. In a time when 4-2-1 family structure is the norm (four grandparents, two parents, one child), it\u2019s hard to say how much support seniors can expect. And in a time when millions of workers look for opportunities in a handful of big cities and leave their parents inempty nests<\/a>, it\u2019s hard to practice filial piety exemplars.<\/p>\n

In early August, China\u2019s National Bureau of Senior Affairs (\u5168\u56fd\u8001\u9f84\u529e) released the\u00a0New 24 Filial Exemplars<\/a>. Some articles in the new exemplars are even included in the new draft of Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Seniors. The New 24 Filial Exempars not only shows how the dynamics of family and of the parent-child relationship have changed in China, but also subtly tells a story of modern China as it is today.<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0Regularly bring spouse\/significant other\/partner and children home<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0Spend holidays with parents as often as possible<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0Hold birthday parties for parents<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0\u00a0Cook for parents<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0\u00a0Give a call to parents during weekends<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0\u00a0Pocket money to parents is never too much<\/p>\n

7. Set up \u201ccare cards\u201d for parents<\/p>\n

8. Sincerely listen to parents\u2019 life stories<\/p>\n

9. Teach parents how to surf the Internet<\/p>\n

10. Regularly take pictures of parents<\/p>\n

11. Tell parents that you love them<\/p>\n

12. Help parents to finish their unfinished dreams<\/p>\n

13. Support parents\u2019 hobbies<\/p>\n

14. Support widowed parent to re-marry<\/p>\n

15. Regularly take parents to physical checkups<\/p>\n

16. Buy appropriate insurances for parents<\/p>\n

17. Regularly communicate your thoughts with parents<\/p>\n

18. Take parents to important events<\/p>\n

19. Let parents visit where you work<\/p>\n

20. Travel with parents<\/p>\n

21. Do exercises with parents<\/p>\n

22. Participate in parents\u2019 social events<\/p>\n

23. Accompany parents to visit old friends of theirs<\/p>\n

24. Watch an old movie with parents<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Are you a filial son according to these exemplars?\u00a0Reactions<\/a>\u00a0to the new exemplars are mixed. Some call them filial piety 2.0 that does a good job of capturing the modern meaning of showing care for one\u2019s parents. Some others, on the other hand, think the new exemplars should not be released as behavior guidance because filial piety is much larger than 24 suggestions.<\/p>\n

[Background: Wikipedia has a very good summary of what being filial means:\u00a0\u201cIn more general terms, filial piety means to be good to one’s parents; to take care of one’s parents; to engage in good conduct not just towards parents but also outside the home so as to bring a good name to one’s parents and ancestors; to perform the duties of one’s job well so as to obtain the material means to support parents as well as carry out sacrifices to the ancestors; not be rebellious; show love, respect and support; display courtesy; ensure male heirs, uphold fraternity among brothers; wisely advise one’s parents, including dissuading them from moral unrighteousness; display sorrow for their sickness and death; and carry out sacrifices after their death.\u201d]<\/p>\n

The old\u00a0Twenty-four Filial Exemplars<\/a>:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The Feeling of Filial Piety Moved Heaven (Xi\u00e0o G\u0103n D\u00f2ng Ti\u0101n \u5b5d\u611f\u52d5\u5929)<\/li>\n
  2. Her Son Tasted Soups and Medicine (Q\u012bn Ch\u00e1ng T\u0101ng Y\u00e0o \u89aa\u5617\u6e6f\u85e5)<\/li>\n
  3. Zengzi<\/a>\u2018s mother: She Bit Her Finger and Pained His Heart (Ni\u00e8 Zh\u012d X\u012bn T\u00f2ng \u5699\u6307\u5fc3\u75db)<\/li>\n
  4. He Obeyed His Mother in Simple Clothes (D\u0101n Y\u012b Sh\u00f9n M\u016d \u55ae\u8863\u9806\u6bcd)<\/li>\n
  5. He Shouldered Rice To Nourish His Parents (F\u00f9 M\u012d Y\u00e0ng Q\u012bn \u8ca0\u7c73\u990a\u89aa)<\/li>\n
  6. He Sold Himself To Bury His Father (M\u00e0i Sh\u0113n Z\u00e0ng F\u00f9 \u8ce3\u8eab\u846c\u7236)<\/li>\n
  7. He Fed His Parents Doe\u2019s Milk (L\u00f9 R\u016d F\u00e8ng Q\u012bn \u9e7f\u4e73\u5949\u89aa)<\/li>\n
  8. He Hired Out To Support His Mother (X\u00edng Y\u014dng G\u00f2ng M\u016d \u884c\u4f63\u4f9b\u6bcd)<\/li>\n
  9. He Concealed Oranges To Present To His Mother (Hu\u00e1i J\u00fa W\u00e8i Q\u012bn \u61f7\u6a58\u907a\u89aa)<\/li>\n
  10. She Suckled Her Mother-In-Law (R\u016d G\u016b B\u016b D\u00e0i \u4e73\u59d1\u4e0d\u6020)<\/li>\n
  11. He Let Mosquitoes Consume His Blood (Z\u00ec W\u00e9n B\u0103o Xu\u0115 \u6063\u868a\u98fd\u8840)<\/li>\n
  12. Wang Xiang<\/a>\u00a0Lay on Ice in Search of Carp (W\u00f2 B\u012bng Qi\u00fa L\u012d \u81e5\u51b0\u6c42\u9bc9)<\/li>\n
  13. He Buried His Son for His Mother (W\u00e8i M\u016d M\u00e1i \u00c9r \u70ba\u6bcd\u57cb\u5152)<\/li>\n
  14. He Strangled A Tiger To Save His Father (\u00c8 H\u016d Ji\u00f9 Q\u012bn \u6424\u864e\u6551\u7236)<\/li>\n
  15. He Abandoned His Post To Seek His Mother (Q\u00ec Gu\u0101n X\u00fan M\u016d \u68c4\u5b98\u5c0b\u6bcd)<\/li>\n
  16. He Tasted Dung With an Anxious Heart (Ch\u00e1ng F\u00e8n Y\u014du X\u012bn \u5617\u7cde\u6182\u5fc3)<\/li>\n
  17. He Amused His Parents With Play and Glad Clothes (X\u00ec C\u0103i Y\u00fa Q\u012bn \u6232\u5f69\u5a31\u89aa)<\/li>\n
  18. He Picked Mulberries To Serve His Mother (Sh\u00ed Sh\u00e8n G\u00f2ng M\u016d \u62fe\u6851\u4f9b\u6bcd)<\/li>\n
  19. He Fanned the Pillow and Warmed the Quilt (Sh\u0101n Zh\u0115n W\u0113n Q\u00edn \u6247\u6795\u6e29\u887e)<\/li>\n
  20. The Fountain Bubbled and the Carps Leapt Out (Y\u014fng Qu\u00e1n Yu\u00e8 L\u012d \u6d8c\u6cc9\u8e8d\u9bc9)<\/li>\n
  21. He Heard Thunder and Wept at the Grave (W\u00e9n L\u00e9i Q\u00ec M\u00f9 \u805e\u96f7\u6ce3\u5893)<\/li>\n
  22. He Carved Wood To Serve His Parents (K\u0113 M\u00f9 Sh\u00ec Q\u012bn \u523b\u6728\u4e8b\u89aa)<\/li>\n
  23. He Wept Till the Bamboo Sprouted (K\u016b Zh\u00fa Sh\u0113ng S\u016dn \u54ed\u7af9\u751f\u7b4d)<\/li>\n
  24. He Washed His Mother\u2019s Bedpan (D\u00ed Q\u012bn Ni\u00e0o Q\u00ec \u6ecc\u89aa\u6eba\u5668)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Offbeat China,\u00a0\u00a0August 18th, 2012\u00a0 Filial piety\u00a0is possibly the most important and fundamental virtue that has been governing the Chinese society for thousands of years. The concept applies not only to family settings but also encompasses almost all aspects of social … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":295,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40874,40877,40871],"tags":[97087,43361],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/eldercare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1893"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/eldercare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/eldercare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/eldercare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/295"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/eldercare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1893"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/eldercare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1893\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1894,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/eldercare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1893\/revisions\/1894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/eldercare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/eldercare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/eldercare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}