The Education and Lifestyle of the Chinese Literati. Lesson Plan.

This teaching package describes the education and lifestyle of the Chinese literati, popular from the Ming to the Qing dynasties (1368-1911). It consists of four lesson plans and a teacher's guide to a slide set. The latter illustrates painting formats popular during the late Ming period (1573-1644), hanging scrolls, handscrolls, the album leaf, and the fan. The tools used to create these works are also on slides and their functions are described. The lesson plan section provides background information on Chinese literati education including: who was educated; the importance of education; the curriculum and teaching methods; and the lifestyles of the students when preparing for the civil service examinations. The curriculum consisted of five Chinese classics, four books that provided the moral rationale for an educated elite, and a set of personal values that at the same time justified the political system. One lesson describes the lifestyles of the literati after they passed the examination. Questions follow each lesson to help students discuss what they have read and to compare the Chinese literati education and lifestyle with their own. A 7-item bibliography, a resource list, and a glossary also are included. (KM)