The Great Wall and Buddhism in China

Watch: In Search of History: The Great Wall

Read Selections from Mouzi .

Answer the following questions and post your responses here.

Please remember to follow MLA guidelines when submitting your response.

Answer the following questions:

1) Many experts have questioned the usefulness of the Great Wall of China. Do you believe the Great Wall was meant to be a stationary defense against invaders or did the Great Wall serve as a spiritual barrier against evil spirits? Which opinion do you support? Explain your reasoning.

2) Mao Tse Tung’s Cultural Revolution condemned the Great Wall as a symbol of classist oppression. But after the Cultural Revolution, the Great Wall became an object of national pride. Provide an example of an American artifact or iconic symbol that was in favor, and now is not or provide an example of an American artifact or iconic symbol that was out of favor, but is now accepted or endorsed.

3) How does the fact that the funerary complex of Qin Shihuangdi was largely invisible to the general public affect your understanding of its function? How might ordinary Chinese have viewed the construction of this complex even before it was completed?

4) What strategies does Mouzi use to respond to charges that Buddhism contradicts the moral principles and ways of living set forth by Confucianism? (Cite specific evidence from the document to support your analysis).

5) Does Mouzi reject Confucianism and Daoism? Why or why not? (Cite specific evidence from the document to support your analysis).

6) Are Mouzi’s arguments convincing? Why or why not? (Cite specific evidence from the document to support your analysis).

7 Why do you think Buddhism was so appealing to the people of China? What did it offer them, that Confucianism, Legalism, or Daoism did not?