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Hello everybody.

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Before I start today’s talk, 
I’d like to ask a few questions.

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Be honest now!

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Raise your hand if you think 
history is a worthwhile major.

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(laughter)

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Raise your hand if you would jump for joy 
if you or your child

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successfully tested into history.
(laughter)

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Raise your hand if you’ve memorized 
countless names, places, years, events,

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and thought to yourself, “This is useful.”
(laughter)

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From the show of hands, it’s obvious 
what people think about studying history.

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Many years ago, when 
the entrance exam results were posted,

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people would ask me 
which university I tested into.

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I replied “National Taiwan University”
and everyone’s reaction was “Wow!”

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Then, they’d ask 
which major I tested into.

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I replied “History”,
and everyone’s reaction was “Oh.”

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(laughter)

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It’s clear from their reactions
what they thought.

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From that moment, I became interested 
in researching the following:

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What’s the point in studying history?

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Think about it.

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Ever since we were kids, 
we had to study history, but why?

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We’ve all had to memorize 
years, locations, people, events,

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but why?

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After the tests are over, 
how much do you retain?

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Most importantly, even if you remember, 
what value does it add to your life?

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When I thought about these questions, 
I realized something interesting.

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In ancient times, emperors and scholars 
had to study history

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and they thought it was extremely useful.

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These days, we’ve all to studied history
since we were kids

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but we often don’t know why we do it.

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Why is there such a huge discrepancy 
between then and now?

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Were all these ancients idiots?

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Or is our intelligence a hundred times 
more advanced than theirs?

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I don’t think so.

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In the end, I discovered the answer
is in the way we study history.

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The way the ancients learned history 
is vastly different than our way.

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How so?

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When the ancients read history books
and they read about a pivotal moment

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in an important historical figure’s life,
when that person needed to make a choice,

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at that point in their studies, 
the ancients would close their books,

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and they imagined themselves 
in that situation and thought,

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“What would I do?”

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Only when they thought it out, 
did they then open the books back up

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and see if that person’s decision 
matched up with theirs.

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Why did that person make this decision?
Did that person succeed or fail?

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What did he lose or what did he gain?

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Using this method, 
we can utilize the ancient’s wisdom

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to hone our own intelligence.

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Why aren't we using this method today?

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Because the goal 
of our modern education system

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is to train workers.

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This training, 
which starts in primary school,

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began during The Industrial Revolution.

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There was a need to supply 
the demand for manpower

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created by the industrial revolution

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so the new education system 
focused on skills and technology.

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It doesn't care 
how a man becomes fully realized

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or how to solve 
life’s complicated questions.

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This system demands that we memorize 
large swaths of historical knowledge

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but never tells us 
how this information relates to our lives.

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Therefore, the pedagogy stresses
rote, rote, rote.

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Right? This was our schooling.

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The ancients needed to train 
emperors and scholars

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so they demanded critical thinking 
when studying history.

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Today, we need to train workers
so we demand rote when studying history.

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The ends are different 
so obviously the means are different.

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How did I come to this theory?

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It actually began with 
two of my professors from Taiwan

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The first is Professor Yu.

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Professor Yu was grew up 
towards the end of the Qing Dynasty.

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Born into the royal family, 
he studied at the imperial school.

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Sixty years ago, he arrived in Taiwan 
and started a private academy,


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where I was his student 
for nearly twenty years.

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From him, 
I learned what real Chinese knowledge is.

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I learned that the education 
the emperor gave his own children

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was different from that 
offered to the commoners’ children.

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He taught me that Chinese studies 
was meant to be practical.

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The second is my academic advisor, 
Professor Jy-Sheng Ruaan.

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He spent his life 
researching historical documents

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and taught me 
how to analyze Chinese historical texts.

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He also taught me to analyze and observe,
from a historical context,

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the thoughts and actions 
of these ancient emperors and scholars.

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It’s because of these two teachers, 
that I was inspired to bring forth

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the wisdom of the ancient emperors.

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It should no longer be kept a secret.
It should be accessible to everyone.

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In order to achieve this goal, 
and with the enormous support of

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National Taiwan University’s Center 
for Teaching and Learning Development,

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we started the first ever, large-scale, 
free web course

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in Chinese literature and history.

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Initially, I only wanted to conduct 
an online teaching experiment.

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I wanted to know if old knowledge 
would be accepted by people today.

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Imagine my surprise when 
over 43,000 students enrolled.

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Everything we've talked about up to now 
has just been principles and theories,

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which are meaningless without application.

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Next, I’ll show you an example of how 
the ancient emperors studied history.

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How many of you recognize this painting?

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Good!
You all know this depicts “Yi Shang Na Lu”

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which is the story of Zhang Liang 
retrieving Huang Shi Gong’s shoe.

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Most of us have read this as children.

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Since everyone is familiar with this story


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can anyone tell me 
what is this story really about?

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This is a story about wisdom.

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Its moral is certainly not as simplistic 
as respect your elders, be punctual.

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If that's all there was to the story, 
then Chinese wisdom is way too shallow.

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What does this story want to tell us?
Let’s take a look.

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“One day, Zhang Liang was strolling 
along a bridge in the city of Xiapi.”

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This phrase seems straightfoward enough

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but historians interpret this phrase 
a bit differently

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by adding historical context.

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When we examine something, 
we must view it as a moment in time.

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What was Zhang Liang doing 
before he took his stroll?

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Well he just committed 
an earth-shattering crime;

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he had attempted to assassinate 
the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang.

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Why did he want the Emperor dead?

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Zhang Liang was a descendant of 
Han state chancellors.

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The Qin state destroyed the Han state. 
Zhang Liang wanted revenge.

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To achieve this goal, he wiped out 
his family fortune and hired assassins,

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but the attempt failed and 
he's a wanted man.

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So now, he’s fled to Xiapi.

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Now a normal person 
would be panicking and laying low,

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but Zhang Liang is just 
strolling along a bridge.

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From this, you know that this young man 
is extraordinarily bold.

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Then again, 
you'd have to be extraordinarily bold,

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to try to assassinate the Emperor!
(laughter)

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At this point in time, 
Zhang Liang meets a remarkable person.

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An old man walks towards him 
and does an incredibly odd thing.

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The old man takes off his shoe, 
throws it over the bridge,

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and says to Zhang Liang, 
“Kid, go fetch my shoe!”

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Alright! 
Time to apply my method.

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Everyone, close your textbooks, 
shut your eyes, and ponder this:

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If you were Zhang Liang, 
what would you do?

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Think! Think it through!

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Sorry, this talk is only 18 minutes 
so I have to cut this short.

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Ok, let’s see what Zhang Liang does.
His reaction is pretty extraordinary.

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“Liang was surprised; desired to assault.”

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In other words, 
he wants to beat up the old guy.

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We expect this from a fiery youngster
but does he follow through?

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He doesn't. Why not?

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What he says next is very blunt, 
“He is old. I must restrain myself.”

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This is not an easy thing to do. 
He is forcing himself to tolerate this guy

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because remember, he’s still a fugitive,

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he’d really be screwed if he accidentally 
beat an old man to death.

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Since he’s decided to hold his temper, 
he fetches the old man’s shoe.

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Then the old man absurdly says, 
“Help me put it on.”

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Ok! Shut your eyes.

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If you were Zhang Liang and encountered 
such a presumptuous old man,

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what would you do?

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Let’s see what Zhang Liang does.
Why he’s the Zhang Liang we know today.

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“Liang retrieves the shoe, 
genuflects at length to help put it on.”

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He doesn’t just help put on the shoe.
He doesn’t just kneel down and help.

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He kneels for a lengthy time and 
helps the old man with his shoe.

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Why does Zhang Liang do this?

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Because he knows the first principle 
the old man is trying to teach him.

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Which is, in life, you choose 
either to not put up with something

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or to endure it to the very end.

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When we do something, 
we can choose either not to do it

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or to see it through to perfection.

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If you’re going to show restraint, 
bear it to the end.

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Since you’ve already fetched his shoe 
and decided to help him put it on,

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you might as well genuflect at length.

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This was what the old man 
wanted to teach Zhang Liang

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about the importance of "restraint."

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Why did he want to teach Zhang Liang?
Let’s take a look at what happens next:

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“Satisfied, he smiles, walks away. 
Liang is stunned.”

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Why is Zhang Liang surprised?

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When masters match wits,
they don’t use lengthy monologues.

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Yelling in the streets? 
That’s for lesser men.

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With masters, 
a few glances, a few words, a few moves,

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and they've sized each other up.

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When the old man ordered Zhang Liang 
to fetch his shoe,

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he wanted to unnerve Zhang Liang 
but Zhang Liang wasn’t fazed.

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Likewise, 
when Zhang Liang kneeled at length,

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he wanted to unnerve the old man 
but the old man wasn’t fazed.

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Instead, the old man extended his foot, 
and once shoed, walked away smiling.

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What was Zhang Liang’s reaction? 
"Liang is stunned!"

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We know that in this short timeframe, 
these two have sparred three times.

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And the old man has dealt Zhang Liang 
a crushing defeat.

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(laughter and applause)

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Why did the old man 
treat Zhang Liang this way?

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Know this, Zhang Liang was 
highly talented and courageous;

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he received the best education 
money could buy.

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In his past, 
he was always better than everyone

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so he never needed to show restraint.

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But ever since the old man appeared, 
he's thoroughly bested Zhang Liang.

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This was to teach Zhang Liang that

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there will always be someone
better than you.

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It’s good for young people to be brave

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but if you can’t show restraint, 
then you can’t be prudent.

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So restraint is the first principle.

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Let’s see what happens next.

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The old man walks away, but turns around
and tells Zhang Liang “You can be taught.”

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That’s why we know 
the old man is there to train Zhang Liang.

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“After five days time, 
meet back here at dawn. “

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Zhang Liang knows that the old man 
is extraordinary,

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so he genuflects and says, “I promise.”

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This next passage, I’ll read for everyone.

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“At dawn on the fifth day, 
Zhang Liang arrives at the bridge.”

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The old man is there before Zhang Liang 
and rebukes, “You broke your promise.”

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He walks away and says, 
“Come back at dawn after five days.”

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On the fifth day, when the rooster crowed,
so it's still dark, Zhang Liang arrives.

201
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The old man is already there before him

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and once again scolds, 
“Come back at dawn after five days.”

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00:12:02,122 --> 00:12:03,693
Ok, now I’d like to ask everyone,

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in these few short phrases, 
which two words are the most important?

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When you read, you must be able 
to grasp the keywords

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otherwise you'll miss 
the point of the entire essay.

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Which two words?
“Before” and “after”.

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Why stress before and after?

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Because the old man is teaching 
Zhang Liang the art of war.

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The art of war states that 
the first to the battlefield controls

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while the army who arrives after 
will be controlled.

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Controlling versus being controlled
makes all the difference in the world.

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So far, the old man has bested 
Zhang Liang twice.

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So if you were Zhang Liang, 
what would you do?

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Let's take a look.

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"After five days, 
Liang arrives before midnight."

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Why before midnight?

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We agree to meet on the fifth day, so I 
arrive before midnight on the fourth day.

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There’s no way Zhang Liang can lose.

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Even if the old man were already there,
Zhang Liang wouldn't be considered late

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because they agreed to meet 
on the fifth day.

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As it turns out, 
the old man wasn’t there first.

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"After a while, the old man arrives and 
happily says, 'This is the correct way.'

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He presents Zhang Liang with a book, 
Sun Tzu’s The Art of War."

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Why was the old man delighted?

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Because he knew that Zhang Liang 
has learned the second principle

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which is the importance of 
“striving to be first”.

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00:13:20,479 --> 00:13:24,785
How do you become first?
What does “first” even mean?

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If you don't get this concept
then you'll miss the point of the story.

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Previous students have answered that 
to be first is to be earlier than others.

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But if you’re earlier than others, 
that’s just a relative first;

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that’s not an absolute first.

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The art of war demands absolute first.

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00:13:40,523 --> 00:13:42,922
So what is absolute first?

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Absolute first is when you exceed 
your opponent’s expectations.

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00:13:46,867 --> 00:13:50,404
Since the old man wasn’t expecting 
Zhang Liang to arrive before midnight,

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Zhang Liang has attained absolute first.

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00:13:53,291 --> 00:13:57,108
So the crux is how do you exceed 
your opponent’s expectations?

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If you can’t figure this out,
then everything else is pointless.

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How do you exceed expectations 
and achieve absolute first?

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00:14:04,936 --> 00:14:10,150
The answer lies in the first principle 
that the old man taught Zhang Liang

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Only by showing restraint to the end 
can you then achieve absolute first.

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These two principles are clear in
Sun Tzu’s Art of War.

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Appear as weak as a young maiden, 
and the enemy, with defenses down,

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will open their gates.

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00:14:26,792 --> 00:14:31,970
The moment the gates are open, 
charge in as quick as a fleeing rabbit.

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Restraint and first are achieved when 
the enemy can’t close their gates in time.

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The essence of the art of war 
is these two principles.

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Are you powerful? 
Absolutely

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00:14:43,809 --> 00:14:46,813
Why was Zhang Liang able to destroy 
the powerful Qin Dynasty?

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Because he choose to assist Liu Bang.

252
00:14:48,927 --> 00:14:51,211
How did Liu Bang conquer China?

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He proved his legitimacy by being first
through the gates of Guanzhong.

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00:14:54,737 --> 00:14:57,087
But when Liu Bang entered 
the gates of Guanzhong,

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southern Guanzhong was ruled by a general 
whose forces were much stronger than his.

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00:15:01,188 --> 00:15:06,835
Liu Bang wanted to attack at once but 
Zhang Liang advised him not to.

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00:15:06,835 --> 00:15:10,973
Instead, since the general was rumored
to be extremely avaricious,

258
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Zhang Liang proposed that they
offer the general a bribe.

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00:15:16,648 --> 00:15:20,460
With such corrupt leadership, 
no wonder the Qin Dynasty collapsed.

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00:15:20,460 --> 00:15:21,420
(laughter)

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00:15:21,420 --> 00:15:25,034
After the general accepted the bribe, 
Liu Bang thought they're in the clear.

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00:15:25,034 --> 00:15:28,296
Zhang Liang disagreed 
and said they must attack immediately.

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00:15:28,296 --> 00:15:30,251
Liu Bang asked why?

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00:15:30,251 --> 00:15:33,388
Zhang Liang replied that 
even though the general took the bribe,

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his subordinates are Qin subjects 
and they might not capitulate.

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00:15:36,465 --> 00:15:39,235
But since the general took our bribe, 
his guard is down.

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00:15:39,235 --> 00:15:41,192
If we attack now, we will surely win.

268
00:15:41,192 --> 00:15:43,781
So, it's because Liu Bang 
heeded Zhang Liang’s advice,

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that he was able to 
overthrow the Qin Dynasty.

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00:15:46,031 --> 00:15:48,658
The Han Dynasty’s four glorious centuries 
started with

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00:15:48,658 --> 00:15:52,128
that old man teaching Zhang Liang 
how to achieve "restraint" and "first."

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00:15:52,128 --> 00:15:53,762
Now back to our original question.

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Why did the ancient emperors and leaders 
study history?

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00:15:57,644 --> 00:16:00,584
What’s the point of learning history?

275
00:16:00,584 --> 00:16:04,894
The goal of studying history 
is to understand human nature.

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00:16:04,894 --> 00:16:10,936
For millennia, history has been recorded,
all the way from princes to paupers,

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00:16:10,936 --> 00:16:18,456
how they made decisions 
as the times and their lives changed,

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00:16:18,456 --> 00:16:22,271
only by studying this, 
can you fully comprehend human nature.

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00:16:22,271 --> 00:16:26,922
The purpose of studying history 
is to inspire wisdom.

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00:16:26,922 --> 00:16:31,413
We can use the wisdom of the ancients
to ignite our own wisdom.

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00:16:31,413 --> 00:16:34,718
We can use the lives of the ancients 
as the grindstone upon which

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00:16:34,718 --> 00:16:38,583
we sharpen the metaphorical sword 
called our own intellect.

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00:16:38,583 --> 00:16:42,528
A grindstone can’t cut anything, 
only a sword can cut.

284
00:16:42,528 --> 00:16:47,457
You must extract wisdom from history, 
memorizing facts is useless.

285
00:16:47,457 --> 00:16:52,802
Ok, so why do we want to understand 
human nature and inspire wisdom?

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00:16:52,802 --> 00:16:57,090
Because when you face 
a difficulty in your life, trust me,

287
00:16:57,090 --> 00:17:03,631
you're not the first person in history 
to have encountered this problem.

288
00:17:03,631 --> 00:17:08,552
There have been countless others 
who have faced this exact challenge.

289
00:17:08,552 --> 00:17:15,292
How did they approach the problem?
What was their solution?

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00:17:15,292 --> 00:17:20,562
When you're filled with hopelessness, 
remember that there was once a man

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00:17:20,562 --> 00:17:26,996
who had suffered immense humiliation,
but he licked his wounds, regrouped,

292
00:17:26,996 --> 00:17:30,097
and with three thousand Yue troops 
he overthrew the Wu kingdom.

293
00:17:30,097 --> 00:17:33,571
When you feel that 
you’ve been taken advantage of,

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00:17:33,571 --> 00:17:37,881
remember that there was once a clan 
who'd been mistreated for three centuries,

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00:17:37,881 --> 00:17:41,001
innumerable soldiers and civilians 
had been killed.

296
00:17:41,001 --> 00:17:44,930
The day came when they started to believe 
that they should change their destiny.

297
00:17:44,930 --> 00:17:48,330
When they amassed seven hundred soldiers,
they swore to the heavens that

298
00:17:48,330 --> 00:17:53,443
the Qin would control its own fate,
the Qin would conquer the world,

299
00:17:53,443 --> 00:17:56,218
and in the end, 
they united the warring states

300
00:17:56,218 --> 00:17:58,093
and established China’s first dynasty.

301
00:17:58,093 --> 00:18:01,869
When you’re feeling sorry for yourself 
because your parents aren't good enough,

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00:18:01,869 --> 00:18:03,899
that life is undependable,

303
00:18:03,899 --> 00:18:05,734
remember that there was once a man,

304
00:18:05,734 --> 00:18:09,009
his dad died when he was three, 
his mom died when he was a teenager,

305
00:18:09,009 --> 00:18:10,734
he grew up absolutely destitute,

306
00:18:10,734 --> 00:18:16,344
he received no formal education, 
everything he learned he taught himself,

307
00:18:16,344 --> 00:18:20,134
That man grew up to be one of the most 
learned individuals in Chinese history,

308
00:18:20,134 --> 00:18:21,686
a sage of the East,

309
00:18:21,686 --> 00:18:24,496
he's influenced Eastern thinking 
for over two millennia,

310
00:18:24,496 --> 00:18:26,276
that person is Confucius.

311
00:18:26,276 --> 00:18:29,642
And even that Western sage 
was born in a manger.

312
00:18:29,642 --> 00:18:30,672
(laughter)

313
00:18:30,672 --> 00:18:34,858
When you think that you have nothing 
left worth living for,

314
00:18:34,858 --> 00:18:40,049
remember that there was once a young man 
strolling on a bridge in Xiapi,

315
00:18:40,049 --> 00:18:43,318
at that moment, 
he had lost everything,

316
00:18:43,318 --> 00:18:48,298
but he believed that one day, 
he would annihilate the Qin dynasty

317
00:18:48,298 --> 00:18:51,227
and in the end, he did the impossible.

318
00:18:51,227 --> 00:18:54,094
He destroyed the world’s 
most powerful empire,

319
00:18:54,094 --> 00:18:56,554
and became an enduring symbol 
for Chinese wisdom.

320
00:18:57,044 --> 00:19:00,275
As long as you apply the right method,

321
00:19:00,275 --> 00:19:03,390
history is an unlimited 
treasure trove filled with wisdom,

322
00:19:03,390 --> 00:19:06,854
it’s a source of inexhaustible strength.

323
00:19:06,854 --> 00:19:09,839
I firmly believe the goal of education

324
00:19:09,839 --> 00:19:17,409
is for people to master knowledge, 
not for people to be slaves to knowledge.

325
00:19:17,409 --> 00:19:20,088
But to master knowledge,

326
00:19:20,088 --> 00:19:24,067
you must first understand 
how to ignite your own wisdom.

327
00:19:24,067 --> 00:19:29,933
I hope you can obtain wisdom from history,
be the master of your own destiny,

328
00:19:29,933 --> 00:19:32,229
and start living your ideal life.

329
00:19:32,229 --> 00:19:34,185
Thank you!
(applause)