Of course the historical background was new and interesting in this session, but the thing that caught my eye (or more specifically--my ear) was the writings of the time period. Being an English teacher--I was intrigued by Hu Shih and the story shared by Professor Dube about Mr. More or Less. It attracted my attention because the main character in the story, Mr. Chabuduo, doesn't seem to take things seriously and seems to float through life. I have students that will come up to me to hand in work and ask if it is "good enough". When Professor Dube related this story I could hear my students asking that question (a pet peeve of mine--I want them to live life, not coast through it). So I asked Catherine if she could get a copy of the story for me, and she did. I want to use this in my classroom. Since my students already seem to have an affinity to Asian culture and literature--it will be easy to get them to buy in to this story. Even better--it comes with the characters and translation. I am excited to share this with my students.

This story was so stressful. It helped me to really understand life from the perspective of someone living under the rule of the Kuomintang. Any time money was made, rather than it going to pay off debts or to be used in payroll to give a job to someone, it had to be given in bribes to the government officials. And then, when money wasn't enough, it was expected that if you wanted help against the kuomintang, you would have to give up your daughter to an illegitimate relationship. What a horrible life. No place or time to rest, ever. I was so relieved when Mrs. Lin took charge and engaged her daughter to Shousheng and she and her father ran away.

I think this would be a great story to share with older students to give them a personal understanding of the stress and tragedy that people have endured in the past, and most likely still endure in many places around the world today. That is the most important connection that young people can make. That the stories they read recounting the difficulties of people in the past, can also be happening right now. Research the conditions that people live in currently, regardless of the year, and discuss the reasons for these situations. Figure out whether anything can be done to make life better for struggling people around the world. Use the tools, intellect and resources we possess to help others. Empathy can be taught, and it's important to do so.
edited by elizabethr on 1/17/2017

I don't really know what to say about this. Lu Xun wrote about a man visiting another man, whose brother had previously been ill, but now he was better and he had left. The man who had been ill was mad, and believed that everyone wanted to murder him and eat him. Then he decided they wouldn't murder him, they would wait until he killed himself and then eat him. Perhaps my brain is tired, but all I can say about this story right now is that I've read it....
edited by elizabethr on 1/17/2017

The China “White Paper” issued by the Truman administration was over 1000 pages long. It was meant to be a frank, transparent account of Sino-American relations with a focus on the Chinese Civil War. However, upon its release it created a furor on both sides of the Pacific. The paper was supposed to explain that the United States had done everything it could to help the Nationalist cause, but that poor leadership, corruption, and a lack of will to fight had allowed for Communist victory over the Kuomintang. However, the release of the paper in August 1949 was attacked by the “China lobby” in the United States as undermining the efforts of the Kuomintang. American conservative Alfred Kohlberg called the paper “the story of the American betrayal of the Republic of China.” In China, Mao Zedong used the White Paper for his own interests, “pointing out the illusions some Chinese still harbored about the United States, recounting the history and ultimate failure of American aggression against China, and dissecting the misperceptions, failures, and confusions plaguing American policy.” What had been an effort to exonerate American policy in China essentially backfired, giving fuel to an already overheated debate over the role of the United States in China.

The treaty of Shimonoseki is a very important document between Japan and China. It was established in 1895 and consisted of 11 articles. I think this is a great piece to teach your students showing the reason for continued tension between the two countries today and treaties in general. In the 11 articles it clearly shows the dominance of Japan over China. I think that in itself would be surprising for students to realize. When most people look at the size of the countries and their proximity to each other you would assume China to be the more dominant force in history. Each article has definite advantages for Japan and robs China of some of their dignity. They needed to sign however to begin the healing and rebuilding that war requires.

The articles were signed by Count ITO Hirobumi and his staff in Japan and Emperor LI Hung-Chang and his staff of China. Article one states that Korea is to remain an independent country. Free to govern themselves. This never really happened in the real sense of independence, but the notion was nice.
Article 2 Had China ceding territories to Japan. There were three areas Japan wanted and so claimed those.
Article 3 set up a committee of both Chinese and Japanese to look at boundaries and redraw territories where necessary.
Article 4 Involved the monetary amount that China would pay Japan. It also set times for installments.
Article 5 Gave the Chinese people that were living in the Japanese controlled areas the right to sell and move if they did not want to be under Japanese rule.
Article 6 simply states that this treaty trumps all others treaties that may have been established in the past.
Article 7 concerns the Japanese military leaving China within three months.
Article 8 piggybacks off of Article 7 and states the military would not leave however until the first two payments had been made and other parts of the treaty were being followed.
Article 9 refers to the release and treatment of any prisoners of war on both sides.
Article 10 states that there are to be no more military missions or operations.
And finally article 11 simply ratifies and provides witness to the former 10 articles.

Japan got a great treaty, but China took a huge hit from this treaty and it still resonates in the telling of the history.
edited by cgao on 12/16/2016

A satire about the American culture, certainly, he does prove his points. Superstitions, is a vignette in which he criticize those who believe in such a things. One thing that I never had thought about is if the time (hour) of birth is important in the Chinese culture? Why? For most of us the most important is the date in which we came to the world, no so much the hour in which we were born. I am curious of why Xu Zhengkeng in his writing referred to Vanderbilt, Gould and Rockefeller as his contemporaneous, when they weren’t. Is this a literary device? I see that, he does it to show the power that money has, I just wonder if in China money doesn’t talk. I thought that money moves the world around it. The vignette that I agree with is Train conversations. Certainly, Professors are the pillars of the nation. They are the source of all other professions, which is one the most important resources of a country.

Xu Zhengkeng’s "Things about American and Americans" was a fun read. One of the first thing he does is lock on to American’s love of business and profit-making, of which he declares “Their whole civilization has its origin in this, and they are first among nations in their emphasis on money.” He goes on to describe how this feature of the American character has supplanted more traditional class distinctions of pedigree and rank. Instead of inquiring about a person’s name, place of origin, or occupation as is customary in China, Xu playfully writes that “Americans” wish only to know “how much have you?” Xu also speaks with accurately about the apparent impatience of many Americans, which he ties to their love of money. He lovingly describes the ingenious ways that Americans have created time and labor-saving contraptions which also turn a profit. Xu does get a little confusing though when he talks about superstitions among American bee-keepers and children’s holidays I am not aware of.