X02: Final review

High-level indicators

• Critically engages with the text and draws plausible historical inferences
• Connects the document to broader historical events, contexts, themes
• Reflects on the quality and value of the evidence
• Registers assumptions of the author
• Considers our own baises and/or external factors that affect understanding
• Draws conclusion with caution

Low-level indicators

• More descriptive than analytical
• Fails to see the document’s interest and potential value
• Accepts the author’s statements and judgments at face value
• Makes no attempt to evaluate the nature and quality of evidence, or merely asserts “bias” without qualification
• Concludes too emphatically without qualification

• Links the system of merits and demerits to popular interpretations of Confucianism and Buddhism.
• Contextualizes the emergence of moral ledgers within the burgeoning publishing market of the Ming dynasty, highlighting how this system of moral accounting—tracking debits and credits for individual actions—aligned with societal commercialization.
• Investigates the valuation of moral actions while emphasizing the importance of family and lineage practices, particularly in relation to women and children.

• Explores the tension between virtuous actions that require monetary investment or offer rewards: How can we reconcile worldly ambitions with spiritual karma?
• Relates the practice of moral accounting to other forms of moral education in late imperial China, such as village schools.

• Offers limited insights into how morality books inform the daily lives of ordinary people, particularly regarding their pursuit of Confucian and Buddhist ideals.
• Neglects to address the socio-economic factors that contributed to the rise of popular morality books.
• Provides scant examination of the content of moral ledgers, especially regarding female morality, child education, and family honor.

• Does not acknowledge the contradictions inherent in virtuous actions that involve financial costs or rewards.
• Overly dismissive of the value of popular sources in understanding the practical application of Confucian and Buddhist beliefs.

• Acknowledges Ge Zhaoguang’s definition of China as a nation-state rooted in a diverse imperial legacy.
• Analyzes the cultural development process, noting how Chinese culture gradually expanded outward, creating a relatively distinct cultural realm.
• Places Ge’s argument within the larger context of Chinese nation-building since the 19th century.

• Examines the author’s claim of Chinese exceptionalism against the backdrop of a rising, increasingly nationalistic China.
• Reflects on the interplay between scholarship and politics, highlighting the role of intellectuals in shaping discourse.

• Fails to engage with Ge Zhaoguang’s crucial argument that “Chinese culture” consists not of a singular culture, but rather a community formed by the integration of Han culture with various other cultures.
• Offers limited insights into the processes of cultural assimilation, expansion, and the conflicts between China proper and its neighboring regions.

• Neglects to address the contributions of intellectuals to nationalism and their personal perspectives.
• Dedicates excessive attention to moral judgment or indignation regarding national history and/or nationalism.
• Maintains an overly critical stance on the document’s intellectual significance and its potential value.

• Provides an in-depth analysis of the poem and painting: The central figure is a solitary woman at her hearth, completely alone. She gazes at the water with hills in the background, playing the zither for her own enjoyment, subtly connecting with her surroundings.
• Explores Chinese landscape painting as a significant genre: For literati elites, reflections on mountains, rivers, and clouds served as vital sources of inspiration and philosophical contemplation.
• Examines how Liu Rushi challenges gender norms by portraying a woman, rather than a man, as the zither player. Through her music, she forges a connection not only with her inner self but also with the essence of nature—an aspiration traditionally pursued by male elites.

• Connects the spiritual landscapes depicted in the poem and painting to the domestic, social, and public lives of women.
• Investigates the valorization of “talented women” in late imperial China and how female education was framed within a gendered hierarchy.
• Disaggregates women’s experiences by considering factors such as age, class, and social status, including courtesans, concubines, and wives.
• Explores how women created rich cultural expressions and meaningful lives despite the constraints imposed by a patriarchal Confucian society.

• Offers limited analysis of various motifs—such as trees, geese, lotus, and the zither—and their ability to evoke a poetic mood while embodying spiritual and moral qualities typically associated with male scholar-officials.
• Primarily summarizes the poem and describes the painting, lacking insight into the social, emotional, and intellectual experiences of women within the complexities of ideology, practice, and self-perception.

• Neglects to compare Liu Rushi with women from different social and class backgrounds in late imperial China.
• Provides minimal commentary on the rise of “talented women” and their efforts to gain literacy and carve out new freedoms within the male hierarchy during the economic transitions of Ming China.
• Presents a largely pessimistic perspective on women’s status in late imperial China.