Saturday, February 28, 2009

What should we learn from Zhang Liang


Background Information:
Zhang Liang was a distinguished statesman of the early Western Han period. He was the descendant of a noble family of State of Han during the Warring States Period — his father, grandfather and great-grandfather (a total of five generations) were all royal officials of the state of Han. He later joined Liu Bang in 208 BC to rebel against the rule of Qin and helped him establish the Han Dynasty, after which he soon retired and became a practitioner of Taoism. Zhang Liang was considered one of the Three Pillars of Liu Bang's victories, along with the Han Xin, the grand-general of Han forces and Xiao He, the first Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty. Zhang is regarded as one of the two greatest strategists in Chinese history (the other is Jiang Ziya who helped Ji Fa to establish Western Zhou in 1044 BC), and the legends regarding how he received his strategies(as what I said as my oral report last Wednesday), as well as his later employment of Taoist disciplines, added mysterious and supernatural elements to later views of him.
——mostly cited from Wiki
So, after my oral report in Wednesday, I started to think about what we should learn from Zhang Liang.

Firstly, we should be humble and tolerant. As a noble people, he could condescend himself to pick up the shoes for an unknown old man and endure the insult of putting on shoes for the old man. He was able to control his feeling. To achieve a long-term goal, you should care too much of the small interference. As what the old man thought, it was an essential character for a man who was to succeed. Now, since we are oversea students with poor English, how can anyone be conceited?

Secondly, we should not be jealous and keep in mind what your highest priority is. For Zhang Liang, the good of the state was the most important. He was not jealous of Emperor Liu's other strategists, Li Yiji, Chen Ping, and Lou Jing; rather, he evaluated their strategies in an even-handed manner, supported them when their strategies were correct, and was not afraid to oppose them when their strategies were not. In this way, we should learn from others and accept others’ right suggestions instead of just envying others’ good performances.

Thirdly, we should not be immersed in seeking money and power. When the state was established, he rejected the big land that was given to him and asked for the place of Liu, where he met Liu Bang first. When the state was united and stable, Zhang Liang just left the government, and thus, he succeeded in protecting himself. To give up the money and power was difficult, but it was the way to enjoy your life. Zhang Liang was the only one of the Three Pillars who survived the political intrigue and conflict in early West Han. I think it was because the money and power could always make one lose his senses and do silly things which risked his life. After all, a man is not living only for money and power.

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