Self-Respect: A Chinese Value Transcended Through Literature

Confucius once said, “Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts?” He was considered the father of “wen”- a concept described as the natural order and a sudden realization that a person needs growth. With growth, they can lead a life of warmth and love.

A lesson in self-respect

As a teacher, you want to ensure that students fully grasp the concept of self-respect, which is a component of self-esteem, so if we want to boost respect, we need to boost self-esteem. This lesson focuses on the literature, “The Boat of Cypress” and “The Story of Yingying”. In both stories, the main characters are faced with the struggles of respecting themselves and what they wish to do in life. The author of “The Boat of Cypress” talks about not being able to communicate effectively and is therefore emotionally suppressed. In “The Story of Yingying”, the author discusses the long-lost romance between a boy and girl, and the boy respectfully chose to walk away from the relationship so he could pursue his own life. In China, self-respect is not seen in the same way as western cultures. Chinese see self-respect as an evaluation of performance. However, to reach that point of high performance, one must be able to prove they are emotionally connected with themselves.

Engage students by having them follow this lesson of “Steps to Boost Self-Esteem/Respect”:

  • Write down 5 struggles they currently face.
  • Label them from least to most severe.
  • Circle the first least severe struggle.
  • Set a short-term goal in which they overcome the struggle.

By applying this strategy, students can learn to let go of little struggles that hold them down and become emotionally resilient.