As a photographer I really enjoyed the discussion about Kodak film as the patron that started the newspaper Shen Bao. We see how these brothers that started Kodak film using their power and money to attempt to create a market for American products in China. We see personal moments being glorified in the image of a middle class woman taking a photograph of her adorable child creating a Kodak moment. This was very applicable to my field of study and was interesting to see a film company using its strength to gain financial success. I loved the detail of the color of the box being yellow and Fuji film being the color green. Through my career I have seen the film companies go from dominating an industry to becoming almost obsolete. This could be used to teach how technology has changed the photography business and to talk about what the next photography revolution may look like.

I knew Mei Lanfang as the the most famous actor in Peking opera was known by most of the Chinese. 

I was amazed to learn something new about him which is very interesting: he graduated from Pomona College, and received USC honorary doctorate in 1990. Professor Dube shpwed some photos of him with Charlie Chapline and some other American celebrities which revealed he was also influenced by American education.

Chen Kaige, a famous Chinese director had produced a movie about Mei Langanf in year 2008 which was casted by Liming and Zhang Ziyi, two of Chinese famous actors. However, besides the luxury casting and director, this movie did not succeed in China's box office. The leading actor was criticized by the Chinese reciewsers mostly.

I really enjoyed reading about the stories of peasants and their perspective of China during the 1940s.  It gives the reader an inside look of how life was really like for the citizens who were living in the rural parts of China.  It was really sad to read how many peasants were living a desolate and horrendous life because the Nationalist government was busier with the Americans and Communist Party than to deal with its own internal problems.  I would use certain selections of the readings to use in my class.  For example, "the Nationalist government didn't help at all during the famine" is an excellent excerpt to use in class because it shows how some citizens were willing to commit treason.  It would be good lesson for the students to learn about the different circumstances that would push citizens to overthrow their government like the Americans, French, and etc.

I could not find anything from Google on the card that I chose. What came up was a New Years card built that was just another type of card that was made in the wood block process. When I look at this card and interpret it I see a young couple that is riding their bikes through the countryside of China spreading the word and power of the written word. They are taking the words being created in the large cities and making these words available to the rural farmers. They are on a mission to educate and to bring the rural peasants along with the movement to create China as a global power. These young people are like missionaries that have given their life to the greater cause. They look to be happy, healthy and they represent the new Chinese national that will lead China into its next phase on the global stage.

Great point Rick and amnesia seems to be contagious.  Embarrassing moments are hard to look at, especially when we immortalize or put our own heroes or leaders on a pedestal of infallibility If we do not continually revisit our own history and ask questions, we will or do have the same issue.  Liked Clay's talk on the "Long March" bridge crossing.  Wow, a made up story of a heroic crossing and glorious victory?  Sounds like we all can be guilty of this.  I think we do need to ask questions, investigate and question what we are told.  The recent series by Ken Burns on the Vietnam War reminds me on how in your face and visual that war was for the U.S public and yet there were still things that were kept in secret like Laos and Cambodia invasions.  Clay mentioned a few areas now, Niger, Iraq and Afghanistan and examples to us today that are not too far off from a Tiananmen Square.  Admission of mistakes and failures is not easy, but that is history.  I think we are in a stage right now that as teachers we can clearly state to our students that things can be taken differently or seen from a different point of view, but just because you do not like something or agree with it can you just ignore it, make it go away or call it fake news and dismiss it.  I think students today are looking for the truth and not just a line.

Well my card is not terribly subtle, though the translation is fun; "Perfom late-marry and family planning for doing revolution."  I actually use some similar pictures in class looking at the Cultural Revolution, but this one I have not seen before.  The ones I have are with the father/ husband figure, mom and young girl.  I personally have always wondered what is the deeper/ cultural meaning for putting in the young daughter.  I always thought or understood that Chinese traditional culture valued boys, not girls.  Perhaps there is my answer.  Is the revolutionary government promoting a new ideal?  Regardless, dad is grabbing his wrench for work, with his bayoneted Kalashinkov over his shoulder (nice touch for the family portrait) and mom is carrying her pick axe and the daughter is reading, what appears to be Mao's Little Red Book, but with a white cover.  Perhaps a newer child version?  But the message is clear.  Build your career, help the nation, establish yourself, smile, be happy and then have one child.  Plan your family for the revolutionary cause.  Looks like this is from the late 1960s as the violent aspect of the revolution has calmed and people who participated are now looking to transition from fighting the "olds" to becoming old themselves and building a family.