Traditional Chinese Heroes
A self-sacrifice chivalrous spirit was respected in ancient China.
Sima Qian (Shibasen in Japanese, ca. 145 or 135 BC – 86 BC), the greatest ancient Chinese historian, wrote about some persons with a self-sacrifice chivalrous spirit in his great history book called Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian).
Those people with a self-sacrifice chivalrous spirit acted for others. They sacrificed their interest, profits, merit, and money so as to help others who were inflicted unreasonable burdens, pains, and losses by bad guys, rich people, or men in power on.
Sometimes they resorted to violence, but their execution of violence is different from that by gangsters.
When they used violence, it was to redeem his honor, save a victim, or avenge the wrong they had suffered. But, Sima Qian made a distinction between those with a self-sacrifice chivalrous spirit and a peaceful mind and others with a chivalrous spirit but an aggressive or guileful mind.
But in either type of men with a self-sacrifice chivalrous spirit, they collected many guests, spongers, and free-lance politicians. They fed them and provided accommodations for them for free. They helped those guys in their mansions get a chance to be employed by a king, a feudal lord, or a local governor. They were not titled aristocrats but were treated as such by a Chinese emperor and kings.
This concept of a man with a self-sacrifice chivalrous spirit has become an underlying cultural feature of China through its long history. However, it is sometimes adopted by gangsters for their disguise. But many of poor men who eventually became gangsters understand value in being men with a self-sacrifice chivalrous spirit. If they did nit respect law and order, they would respect a self-sacrifice chivalrous spirit.
In addition, though originally some people with a self-sacrifice chivalrous spirit followed Confucius, Confucianism later came to neglect or deny merit of existence of men with a self-sacrifice chivalrous spirit.
But, the fact that China underwent a communist revolution might mean that most of men with a self-sacrifice chivalrous spirit turned to be mere gangsters around WWII. If so, the fall of the Chinese Communist Party might indicate revival of a good and old Chinese tradition of men with a self-sacrifice chivalrous spirit.
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Mat 6:26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Mat 6:27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
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Mat 6:26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Mat 6:27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?