This report will depict some of the social relationships and family structures in traditional Confucian-oriented Chinese society through the presentation of the following stories: "My Old Home," by Lu Hsnn, "The Lamp," by Shen Ts'ung-wen, "A Slave-Mother," by Jou Shih, and "Hsiao-hsiao," by Shen Ts'ung-wen. These stories were written in the period between 1919 and 1949, a transitional period in China, when the inhumane nature of traditional values was being challenged.
"My Old Home" was written by Lu Hsnn in 1921. The story was about a trip back to his old home and the difficulty he faced in communicating with his childhood friend. Not having seen his friend for more than 30 years, he found the intimacy of childhood had faded away. Jun-tu addressed his old buddy, not by his name, but by the term "master." The gap between the two men was more than a difference of class: they were, in fact, strangers to each other. They had nothing in common. Lu Hsnn and Jun-tu's backgrounds were very different: the educated intellectual versus the ordinary illiterate. The only thing they could do was cherish each memory of the time they had spent together before things had changed. At the end of the story, their two children, Hung-erh and Shi-sheng, were getting along well and becoming friends. The author hoped that, if there were a reunion of the two children, they would not be betrayed by time and still could maintain their friendship.
Under Confucianism, there are five archetypal human relationships: Ruler/Minister, Father/Son, Elder Brother/Younger Brother, Husband/Wife, Friend/Friend. These relationships were arranged in order of priority and, with the exception of the last one, were all superior/inferior relationships. They were intended to give guidance on the correct weight for any relationship.
In "The Lamp," the relationship between the old soldier and his young master was somewhere between the Ruler/Minister and...