Hello everybody.
Before I start today’s talk, I’d like to ask a few questions.
Be honest now!
Raise your hand if you think history is a worthwhile major.
(laughter)
Raise your hand if you would jump for joy if you or your child
successfully tested into history. (laughter)
Raise your hand if you’ve memorized countless names, places, years, events,
and thought to yourself, “This is useful.” (laughter)
From the show of hands, it’s obvious what people think about studying history.
Many years ago, when the entrance exam results were posted,
people would ask me which university I tested into.
I replied “National Taiwan University” and everyone’s reaction was “Wow!”
Then, they’d ask which major I tested into.
I replied “History”, and everyone’s reaction was “Oh.”
(laughter)
It’s clear from their reactions what they thought.
From that moment, I became interested in researching the following:
What’s the point in studying history?
Think about it.
Ever since we were kids, we had to study history, but why?
We’ve all had to memorize years, locations, people, events,
but why?
After the tests are over, how much do you retain?
Most importantly, even if you remember, what value does it add to your life?
When I thought about these questions, I realized something interesting.
In ancient times, emperors and scholars had to study history
and they thought it was extremely useful.
These days, we’ve all to studied history since we were kids
but we often don’t know why we do it.
Why is there such a huge discrepancy between then and now?
Were all these ancients idiots?
Or is our intelligence a hundred times more advanced than theirs?
I don’t think so.
In the end, I discovered the answer is in the way we study history.
The way the ancients learned history is vastly different than our way.
How so?
When the ancients read history books and they read about a pivotal moment
in an important historical figure’s life, when that person needed to make a choice,
at that point in their studies, the ancients would close their books,
and they imagined themselves in that situation and thought,
“What would I do?”
Only when they thought it out, did they then open the books back up
and see if that person’s decision matched up with theirs.
Why did that person make this decision? Did that person succeed or fail?
What did he lose or what did he gain?
Using this method, we can utilize the ancient’s wisdom
to hone our own intelligence.
Why aren't we using this method today?
Because the goal of our modern education system
is to train workers.
This training, which starts in primary school,
began during The Industrial Revolution.
There was a need to supply the demand for manpower
created by the industrial revolution
so the new education system focused on skills and technology.
It doesn't care how a man becomes fully realized
or how to solve life’s complicated questions.
This system demands that we memorize large swaths of historical knowledge
but never tells us how this information relates to our lives.
Therefore, the pedagogy stresses rote, rote, rote.
Right? This was our schooling.
The ancients needed to train emperors and scholars
so they demanded critical thinking when studying history.
Today, we need to train workers so we demand rote when studying history.
The ends are different so obviously the means are different.
How did I come to this theory?
It actually began with two of my professors from Taiwan
The first is Professor Yu.
Professor Yu was grew up towards the end of the Qing Dynasty.
Born into the royal family, he studied at the imperial school.
Sixty years ago, he arrived in Taiwan and started a private academy,
where I was his student for nearly twenty years.
From him, I learned what real Chinese knowledge is.
I learned that the education the emperor gave his own children
was different from that offered to the commoners’ children.
He taught me that Chinese studies was meant to be practical.
The second is my academic advisor, Professor Jy-Sheng Ruaan.
He spent his life researching historical documents
and taught me how to analyze Chinese historical texts.
He also taught me to analyze and observe, from a historical context,
the thoughts and actions of these ancient emperors and scholars.
It’s because of these two teachers, that I was inspired to bring forth
the wisdom of the ancient emperors.
It should no longer be kept a secret. It should be accessible to everyone.
In order to achieve this goal, and with the enormous support of
National Taiwan University’s Center for Teaching and Learning Development,
we started the first ever, large-scale, free web course
in Chinese literature and history.
Initially, I only wanted to conduct an online teaching experiment.
I wanted to know if old knowledge would be accepted by people today.
Imagine my surprise when over 43,000 students enrolled.
Everything we've talked about up to now has just been principles and theories,
which are meaningless without application.
Next, I’ll show you an example of how the ancient emperors studied history.
How many of you recognize this painting?
Good! You all know this depicts “Yi Shang Na Lu”
which is the story of Zhang Liang retrieving Huang Shi Gong’s shoe.
Most of us have read this as children.
Since everyone is familiar with this story
can anyone tell me what is this story really about?
This is a story about wisdom.
Its moral is certainly not as simplistic as respect your elders, be punctual.
If that's all there was to the story, then Chinese wisdom is way too shallow.
What does this story want to tell us? Let’s take a look.
“One day, Zhang Liang was strolling along a bridge in the city of Xiapi.”
This phrase seems straightfoward enough
but historians interpret this phrase a bit differently
by adding historical context.
When we examine something, we must view it as a moment in time.
What was Zhang Liang doing before he took his stroll?
Well he just committed an earth-shattering crime;
he had attempted to assassinate the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang.
Why did he want the Emperor dead?
Zhang Liang was a descendant of Han state chancellors.
The Qin state destroyed the Han state. Zhang Liang wanted revenge.
To achieve this goal, he wiped out his family fortune and hired assassins,
but the attempt failed and he's a wanted man.
So now, he’s fled to Xiapi.
Now a normal person would be panicking and laying low,
but Zhang Liang is just strolling along a bridge.
From this, you know that this young man is extraordinarily bold.
Then again, you'd have to be extraordinarily bold,
to try to assassinate the Emperor! (laughter)
At this point in time, Zhang Liang meets a remarkable person.
An old man walks towards him and does an incredibly odd thing.
The old man takes off his shoe, throws it over the bridge,
and says to Zhang Liang, “Kid, go fetch my shoe!”
Alright! Time to apply my method.
Everyone, close your textbooks, shut your eyes, and ponder this:
If you were Zhang Liang, what would you do?
Think! Think it through!
Sorry, this talk is only 18 minutes so I have to cut this short.
Ok, let’s see what Zhang Liang does. His reaction is pretty extraordinary.
“Liang was surprised; desired to assault.”
In other words, he wants to beat up the old guy.
We expect this from a fiery youngster but does he follow through?
He doesn't. Why not?
What he says next is very blunt, “He is old. I must restrain myself.”
This is not an easy thing to do. He is forcing himself to tolerate this guy
because remember, he’s still a fugitive,
he’d really be screwed if he accidentally beat an old man to death.
Since he’s decided to hold his temper, he fetches the old man’s shoe.
Then the old man absurdly says, “Help me put it on.”
Ok! Shut your eyes.
If you were Zhang Liang and encountered such a presumptuous old man,
what would you do?
Let’s see what Zhang Liang does. Why he’s the Zhang Liang we know today.
“Liang retrieves the shoe, genuflects at length to help put it on.”
He doesn’t just help put on the shoe. He doesn’t just kneel down and help.
He kneels for a lengthy time and helps the old man with his shoe.
Why does Zhang Liang do this?
Because he knows the first principle the old man is trying to teach him.
Which is, in life, you choose either to not put up with something
or to endure it to the very end.
When we do something, we can choose either not to do it
or to see it through to perfection.
If you’re going to show restraint, bear it to the end.
Since you’ve already fetched his shoe and decided to help him put it on,
you might as well genuflect at length.
This was what the old man wanted to teach Zhang Liang
about the importance of "restraint."
Why did he want to teach Zhang Liang? Let’s take a look at what happens next:
“Satisfied, he smiles, walks away. Liang is stunned.”
Why is Zhang Liang surprised?
When masters match wits, they don’t use lengthy monologues.
Yelling in the streets? That’s for lesser men.
With masters, a few glances, a few words, a few moves,
and they've sized each other up.
When the old man ordered Zhang Liang to fetch his shoe,
he wanted to unnerve Zhang Liang but Zhang Liang wasn’t fazed.
Likewise, when Zhang Liang kneeled at length,
he wanted to unnerve the old man but the old man wasn’t fazed.
Instead, the old man extended his foot, and once shoed, walked away smiling.
What was Zhang Liang’s reaction? "Liang is stunned!"
We know that in this short timeframe, these two have sparred three times.
And the old man has dealt Zhang Liang a crushing defeat.
(laughter and applause)
Why did the old man treat Zhang Liang this way?
Know this, Zhang Liang was highly talented and courageous;
he received the best education money could buy.
In his past, he was always better than everyone
so he never needed to show restraint.
But ever since the old man appeared, he's thoroughly bested Zhang Liang.
This was to teach Zhang Liang that
there will always be someone better than you.
It’s good for young people to be brave
but if you can’t show restraint, then you can’t be prudent.
So restraint is the first principle.
Let’s see what happens next.
The old man walks away, but turns around and tells Zhang Liang “You can be taught.”
That’s why we know the old man is there to train Zhang Liang.
“After five days time, meet back here at dawn. “
Zhang Liang knows that the old man is extraordinary,
so he genuflects and says, “I promise.”
This next passage, I’ll read for everyone.
“At dawn on the fifth day, Zhang Liang arrives at the bridge.”
The old man is there before Zhang Liang and rebukes, “You broke your promise.”
He walks away and says, “Come back at dawn after five days.”
On the fifth day, when the rooster crowed, so it's still dark, Zhang Liang arrives.
The old man is already there before him
and once again scolds, “Come back at dawn after five days.”
Ok, now I’d like to ask everyone,
in these few short phrases, which two words are the most important?
When you read, you must be able to grasp the keywords
otherwise you'll miss the point of the entire essay.
Which two words? “Before” and “after”.
Why stress before and after?
Because the old man is teaching Zhang Liang the art of war.
The art of war states that the first to the battlefield controls
while the army who arrives after will be controlled.
Controlling versus being controlled makes all the difference in the world.
So far, the old man has bested Zhang Liang twice.
So if you were Zhang Liang, what would you do?
Let's take a look.
"After five days, Liang arrives before midnight."
Why before midnight?
We agree to meet on the fifth day, so I arrive before midnight on the fourth day.
There’s no way Zhang Liang can lose.
Even if the old man were already there, Zhang Liang wouldn't be considered late
because they agreed to meet on the fifth day.
As it turns out, the old man wasn’t there first.
"After a while, the old man arrives and happily says, 'This is the correct way.'
He presents Zhang Liang with a book, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War."
Why was the old man delighted?
Because he knew that Zhang Liang has learned the second principle
which is the importance of “striving to be first”.
How do you become first? What does “first” even mean?
If you don't get this concept then you'll miss the point of the story.
Previous students have answered that to be first is to be earlier than others.
But if you’re earlier than others, that’s just a relative first;
that’s not an absolute first.
The art of war demands absolute first.
So what is absolute first?
Absolute first is when you exceed your opponent’s expectations.
Since the old man wasn’t expecting Zhang Liang to arrive before midnight,
Zhang Liang has attained absolute first.
So the crux is how do you exceed your opponent’s expectations?
If you can’t figure this out, then everything else is pointless.
How do you exceed expectations and achieve absolute first?
The answer lies in the first principle that the old man taught Zhang Liang
Only by showing restraint to the end can you then achieve absolute first.
These two principles are clear in Sun Tzu’s Art of War.
Appear as weak as a young maiden, and the enemy, with defenses down,
will open their gates.
The moment the gates are open, charge in as quick as a fleeing rabbit.
Restraint and first are achieved when the enemy can’t close their gates in time.
The essence of the art of war is these two principles.
Are you powerful? Absolutely
Why was Zhang Liang able to destroy the powerful Qin Dynasty?
Because he choose to assist Liu Bang.
How did Liu Bang conquer China?
He proved his legitimacy by being first through the gates of Guanzhong.
But when Liu Bang entered the gates of Guanzhong,
southern Guanzhong was ruled by a general whose forces were much stronger than his.
Liu Bang wanted to attack at once but Zhang Liang advised him not to.
Instead, since the general was rumored to be extremely avaricious,
Zhang Liang proposed that they offer the general a bribe.
With such corrupt leadership, no wonder the Qin Dynasty collapsed.
(laughter)
After the general accepted the bribe, Liu Bang thought they're in the clear.
Zhang Liang disagreed and said they must attack immediately.
Liu Bang asked why?
Zhang Liang replied that even though the general took the bribe,
his subordinates are Qin subjects and they might not capitulate.
But since the general took our bribe, his guard is down.
If we attack now, we will surely win.
So, it's because Liu Bang heeded Zhang Liang’s advice,
that he was able to overthrow the Qin Dynasty.
The Han Dynasty’s four glorious centuries started with
that old man teaching Zhang Liang how to achieve "restraint" and "first."
Now back to our original question.
Why did the ancient emperors and leaders study history?
What’s the point of learning history?
The goal of studying history is to understand human nature.
For millennia, history has been recorded, all the way from princes to paupers,
how they made decisions as the times and their lives changed,
only by studying this, can you fully comprehend human nature.
The purpose of studying history is to inspire wisdom.
We can use the wisdom of the ancients to ignite our own wisdom.
We can use the lives of the ancients as the grindstone upon which
we sharpen the metaphorical sword called our own intellect.
A grindstone can’t cut anything, only a sword can cut.
You must extract wisdom from history, memorizing facts is useless.
Ok, so why do we want to understand human nature and inspire wisdom?
Because when you face a difficulty in your life, trust me,
you're not the first person in history to have encountered this problem.
There have been countless others who have faced this exact challenge.
How did they approach the problem? What was their solution?
When you're filled with hopelessness, remember that there was once a man
who had suffered immense humiliation, but he licked his wounds, regrouped,
and with three thousand Yue troops he overthrew the Wu kingdom.
When you feel that you’ve been taken advantage of,
remember that there was once a clan who'd been mistreated for three centuries,
innumerable soldiers and civilians had been killed.
The day came when they started to believe that they should change their destiny.
When they amassed seven hundred soldiers, they swore to the heavens that
the Qin would control its own fate, the Qin would conquer the world,
and in the end, they united the warring states
and established China’s first dynasty.
When you’re feeling sorry for yourself because your parents aren't good enough,
that life is undependable,
remember that there was once a man,
his dad died when he was three, his mom died when he was a teenager,
he grew up absolutely destitute,
he received no formal education, everything he learned he taught himself,
That man grew up to be one of the most learned individuals in Chinese history,
a sage of the East,
he's influenced Eastern thinking for over two millennia,
that person is Confucius.
And even that Western sage was born in a manger.
(laughter)
When you think that you have nothing left worth living for,
remember that there was once a young man strolling on a bridge in Xiapi,
at that moment, he had lost everything,
but he believed that one day, he would annihilate the Qin dynasty
and in the end, he did the impossible.
He destroyed the world’s most powerful empire,
and became an enduring symbol for Chinese wisdom.
As long as you apply the right method,
history is an unlimited treasure trove filled with wisdom,
it’s a source of inexhaustible strength.
I firmly believe the goal of education
is for people to master knowledge, not for people to be slaves to knowledge.
But to master knowledge,
you must first understand how to ignite your own wisdom.
I hope you can obtain wisdom from history, be the master of your own destiny,
and start living your ideal life.
Thank you! (applause)