October 16, 2012
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Wonder Woman – Mencius’ Mother
October 13, 2012, 16:42
By: SERON CHAUSeron dances with Shen Yun’s New York Company, touring Asia this year.
While cleaningout old notes from my locker the other day, I found an old article I wrote titled:“Mencius’ Mother.”
You know thesaying, “Behind every great man there’s a great woman,” right? Mencius’ motheris the perfect example.
I rememberreading about her back in my Chinese Civilization class and thinking: “Whoa,finally, amongst the abundance of men recorded in Chinese history, we have anoutstanding woman!” And perhaps this is just one example of how the women ofChina’s history weren’t as insignificant as they’re sometimes made out to be,and deserve a bit more credit for their contributions.
And so I wouldlike to use this blog entry to praise Mencius’s mum and tell everyone why she’sso awesome.
Her name wasZhang. She became a widow when Mencius was young, and legend has it she movedhomes three times in search for a location suitable for raising her son.
When Menciuswas a child, he came home early one day, obviously cutting class. He walked into find his mother weaving at her loom. Surprised to see him back, she asked ifschool was out early. “I left because I felt like it,” he said. This usuallycalm mother suddenly took a knife and slashed her finished cloth, shaking theliving daylights out of Mencius. After recovering, he asked her why she didthat. She then replied that his skipping school was like her destroying hercloth—all the hard work put in comes to naught if you become slack just because“you feel like it.”
Her advice hitthe spot. Mencius became responsible in his studies and, with his mother’s nurture and wisdom, eventually emerged as one of the greatest philosophersin China and beyond. He was one of the most notable men in Chinese history, butnot without the help of a special woman.
http://www.shenyunperformingarts.org/blog/_xgjxti83iSU/mencius-mother-chinese-wonder-woman.html
