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Home › Forums › Core Seminars › East Asia Since 1800, Fall 2018 › Session 6 - Clay Dube, 10/13 afternoon
Reynaldo Mangabat.
cgaoThe Saturday afternoon session will focus on the People's Republic. We'll look at the consolidation of Communist Party control, early efforts at economic development, two major Maoist movements (the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution), and China's dramatic economic rise since the post-Mao reforms of Deng Xiaoping. We'll highlight films and memoirs that you may wish to employ to help your students learn about the nearly 70 year history of the PRC.
Assigned readings (available at the links at the bottom of the page, especially important **):
**Ebrey, Red Guards and Victims
Helen Wang, Mao Badges of the British Museum - download the images below, read descriptions of these images at: http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/publications/research_publications_series/2008/chairman_mao_badges.aspxHan - Deng, 1989 - documents from the **Tiananmen demonstrations and the suppression of the movement
Zha Jianying, 1995, from China Pop on the tv series "Yearnings"
Gardner Bovingdon, 2002, Uyghur Resistance
**Early 2000s: Magstad on migrants, Chang on female factory workers, and Meyer on demolition of hutong neighborhoods in Beijing
Osnos, 2011 - newly affluent Chinese tour Europe
**Economist, 2016 - rising rates of divorce
2017 film by Feng Xiaogang, Youth - trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXG8-T0R4No
Please skim the issue of Peking Review from 1968. It includes articles on African American unrest in America (this is the year Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated) and on the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. But please take a moment to read the article starting on p. 21 on how Mao thought enabled the removal of a 45 kg (100 pound) tumor.
Please watch the following archival film clips:
Cultural Revolution - from propaganda videos
1. big character posters, going to the countryside (3 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKg97b5j7mU&list=PLK2s1qtdGAueU5ALh20X_bINicLh3oS7i
2. Tiananmen mass rally, includes Lin Biao, Zhou Enlai (2 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_Ud5mmjnNM
3. students being sent to work in the countryside from Changchun (3 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4Dpo__a-Bg&list=PLK2s1qtdGAueU5ALh20X_bINicLh3oS7i&index=8
4. students doing morning exercises (1 minute) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOIIsDu3gwg&list=PLK2s1qtdGAueU5ALh20X_bINicLh3oS7i&index=21
How would you prepare students to watch those clips? What would you ask them to focus on?
Optional:
Yang Ban Xi - a documentary about the 8 model operas 85 minutes (https://vimeo.com/114648184)
Ingrid HerskindI have been interested in the conversations and readings about China's aging population, the problems of gender inequity due to the one-child policy, and the issues surrounding marriage and divorce in the rural and urban areas of China. The Economist article on Divorce: a love story was enlightening and showed the similar yet different problems facing Chinese couples. I read further on the topic of divorce in China and found one very interesting article in Forbes magazine that discussed the property issues surrounding divorce. Home purchasing rules in China treat married couples as a single unit. At present, a first-time buyer and resident of Shanghai can buy one property with a 30% deposit and 10% discounted interest rate. A married couple can buy up to two properties. The deposit for the second property has to be between 50% and 70%. By getting a divorce, even if it's just on paper, couples can once again get the more favourable deposit rates enjoyed by individuals.
This playing of the system has apparently been happening at a steady rate. It's been partially driven by the booming property market in Shanghai, where the purchase of a first home, let alone a second, is beyond the reach of many on average incomes. But the sudden spike in divorce filings was apparently caused by a rumour that Chinese housing authorities were wise to this loophole and keen to shut it down.
I wonder if this trend, albeit started by a rumour about the Chinese housing authorities, could be contributing to the rising divorce rates in some ways, or if this is just an anamoly. In spite of this, China seems to be facing the same crises that other countries around the world have been facing--maybe chopsticks don't always stay in pairs.
Christine Moguel
The story of Divorce, as one of our readings, in a society that was so historically controlled socially, peaked my interest. As it states in the article, divorce in China started rising in the 1980’s- a generational turning point in China. Ruled by Hua Guofeng after Mao’s death in 1976 and consequently Deng Xiaoping in 1981- the transitional period begins and the focus on economic reform. I can only think that it was a time when women were also in a form of social transformation.
In 1994 there was a marriage law adopted requiring a reference from an employer or a community leader to divorce. All restrictions to divorce were removed in 2003. While I do not know exactly how the love story crumbled- there are certain situations that have been recorded as indicators to the shift in separating or divorcing. For one, many couples lived apart as they often worked and lived indifferent households- this lead to many infidelities between the two. Other factors noted was the rise in women getting more education- which in turn, could equate with women getting better employment. Women also became more aware of their marital rights. Most interesting, was the cause and effect of the rise of social media and dating. Women and men increased their potential for mates exponentially through virtual online engagement.
China had lived for generations following social, governmental, religious regulations in almost every aspect of peoples personal lives. When transformation in the economy reform happened- the window opened for the rest of the society to rethink every aspect of their existence. Fascinating parallels!
Michael FrewI see much red in this photo, I think symbolzing the glory of the communist party. Mao is also wearing military garments and appears cheerful as workers behind him march in the streets holding little red books. When I was in China, I learned about how it became mandatory after the cultural revolution to recite these verses from Chairman Mao each day. I believe it is meant to show how the nation is behind these ideals and that they are willing to fight and organize for them.
Michael FrewThis card represents to me modernization of China in the face of the cultural revolution. In the forefront of the poster is a young woman riding a motorized scooter and wearing a party ban on her arm. In the background, steel gurders being erected. This may be intended to depict the birth of a new China that will soon grow from the ashes of civil war. Also having a woman on the front may be intended to bolster a more egalitarian reoutation, and thus pulling in all potential members into the communist party. The card mentions something about sport, and I see there are possibly people dancing/moving together in the background wearing white. Given that in lecture we learned that those in Shanghai love spor, and given my background knowledge about how Shanghai was also a stomping ground for Mao's plotting of the communist party in China in the 1940s, suggests to me that this may be an ode to the development of Shanghai, a successful port city with a history of imperialist conflict.
Lin KuangIngrid HerskindI selected this Jack of Spades card with the image of a 'larger than life' Chinese laborer holding the Little Red Book in his left hand and squashing the European, capitalist businessmen with his right. With the PRC flag in the background, the laborer defiantly looks into the future stating "Our Chinese people are uneasy to be challenged." I think this isn't exactlly the right translation because he looks much more powerful and sure of himself than the expression "uneasy to be challenged."
I've seen posters like this in other Cold War propaganda supporting Polish or Hungarian solidarity movements. He is drawn in a blocky style common during this time period and earlier in the United States during the New Deal. His right hand is striking the European capitalists as if Chinese labor can beat down any capitalist challenge or threat. After looking at the other cards in the deck, this card is a great representation of how the patriotism and mobilization efforts of the Cultural Revolution emanated throughout the era. And of course, the worker is holding Mao's Little Red Book!
Ingrid HerskindThe Two of Spades card represents the youth of the Cultural Revolution biking into the countryside to bring medical supplies and literature. As in the other image of the laborer, the young couple also carry the Little Red Book in the front basket of the young man's bicycle. The young man's bike basket is also filled with newspapers and pamplets. The young woman has slung a medical bag over her front handlebar. They are young and seem to be happy to be on this journey to the countryside to share the Maoist ideas and supplies.
Even though the decade was marked by purges and power struggles at the upper echelons of government, many young people were mobilized to enforce Maoist thought. These types of vivid posters were created to inspire citizens to put forth their labor towards agriculture, industry and national defense, as well as concerns such as hygiene and family planning. It would be interesting to know what kind of medical supplies were in the bag.
More than a billion copies of the LIttle Red Book have been published, making the book, often wrapped in its distinctive vinyl cover, one of the most widely produced of all time. During the Cultural Revolution, it became virtually mandatory to own and carry one.
I have always been intrigued by the quote by Mao that states: "A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery... A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another." This image does not necessarily seem to project violence, but it does propagandize the goals of the Revolution.
clay dubeHi Folks,
Lindsay asked about links to streaming versions of Not One Less. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any that included English subtitles. But:
DVD.com (owned by Netflix and that company's original business) offers many great Chinese films. These include:
Not One Less https://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Not-One-Less/60000446
To Live https://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/To-Live/60028524
Farewell My Concubine https://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Farewell-My-Concubine/22466132
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGDSfsmlBK4
Amazon and Vudu offer movie by movie rental options:
Not One Less: https://www.amazon.com/Not-One-Less-Zhenda-Tian/dp/B003KI8ML8/ref=sr_1_1?s=instant-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1539630029&sr=1-1&keywords=not+one+less
To Live (Amazon's Filmbox service) https://www.amazon.com/Live-Zhang-Yimou/dp/B01IO63D6O/ref=sr_1_1?s=instant-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1539630090&sr=1-1&keywords=to+live
And many more film options -- explore!
Ingrid HerskindI was concerned by the recent report by the UN Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), that stated that the planet will reach the crucial threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels by as early as 2030, precipitating the risk of extreme drought, wildfires, floods and food shortages for hundreds of millions of people. Because of China's economic growth and their recent stimulus packeage, the air pollution crisis will only continue to worsen. I also wonder if the tariff wars with the United States will also put pressure on the Chinese government to pump up production of steel and other heavy industries.
I found a chart on "The Economic Times" that shows the pollution rates and fatalities in both China and India. A United States study has estimated that India and China together account for more than half of global deaths due to air pollution. The US-based Health Effects Institute’s State of Global Air study has also found that increasing exposure to air pollution combined with an ageing population has led to India rivalling China in health burden from bad air.
It seems that the world needs to push harder for Green Energy sources like solar, wind, geo-thermal, and hydro-electric. It will be interesting to see who takes the lead in this transformation in areas like the United States, China, and India.
Margaret SiryjI read the article in the "Economist" about the rising divorce rate in China. Traditional Chinese culture and norms dictated that couples stay together for the long haul, and make it work. However, more recently, Chinese couples are bucking the former system, and getting divorced in record numbers. The Chinese government is working hard to change the current trend in hopes of keeping couples together, but the article pointed out one twosome with the wife beating her husband repeatidly, The article pointed out that "China is the easiest and cheapest place" to get a divorce.
I plan to use this article in my classroom as a comparison between China and US divorces. At the beginning of this school year, I conducted a student survey and one of the questions was aimed at delicately finding out the composition of my students' families. I am the only person who know the information, and my students know I am confidential about their personal business. I was surprised because most of my students, a significant percentage came from a blended or divorce situation at home. If this is the new normal for Chinese children and their parents, how will they cope, and how do they perform overall in school? Even though the article mentioned that divorce takes place because of the migration from rural to urban areas, how does this affect kids and their social-emotional needs?
Margaret SiryjHow interesting and fascinating that Chinese people were taught to worship Chairman Mao. In the 1950s and 60s the Chinese Chairman's goal was to reform agriculture. With the worshipping of Mao Zedong throughout the country, he actually was selling his people "down the river" and into more poverty and famine. You certainly have vivid childhood memories that have stayed ever present in your mind. My mother in law mentions that it was the same for her in Germany during WWII. She was quite young and in school all the children sang songs to glorify Hitler. She did not know then what would ultimately happen, but the propaganda was the same in Germany during WWII as it was for you as a youth during Mao's regime. Qui Shaoyun became the ultimate hero and payed the ultimate price for his countrymen and women. How ironic that the savior of Mao turned out to be their undoing.
Margaret SiryjCard #2
This card grabbed my attention because everyone is so happy! The girl on the left is carrying a rucksack, backpack and ready to go to school. The environment of China in the 1950s and 60s was to perform to the best of your ability. The caption mentions intellectuals were at the countryside being reeducated peasants who were living at poverty level. During this era, Mao Zedong strongly influenced Chinese to immerse themselves in learning. The oder gentleman and younger male are both sporting books, and clearly intellectual pursuits were highlighted. The background is possibly suggesting an uprising, divisions seem apparent.
Kathryn SutherlandThis Mao propoganda poster is very compelling. It conveys an inarguable truth: the youth are our future! Armed with little red books, megaphones, faces contorted with passion, and--is that a newspaper under his arm?--the youth are looking towards the future with the vigor, enthusiasm, and intensity that only a young person can muster. Educated and ready to spread the word to all about the lies capitalists have spun and the redemption the communist party provides, the youth are the intellectual and social warriors on the front line of a red wave of change. Red flags billow behind the three main figures, looking like a cresting wave of party pride about to evelop all who dedicate themselves to the cause.
Kathryn SutherlandLooked on by thousands of adoring (tiny) proletariats, over a literal sea of red, a larger-than-life Mao smiles and encourages his people to look forward to the future. But the message on the waves of red lifting Mao above his people reads like a guilt-trip: you should care about our revolution. You should care about the literary revolution. Read your book, Mao seems to say, like a nagging parent to a reluctant middle schooler. The future we look to depends on it.
What is most striking about this poster is how the red waves under Mao not only lift Mao above his people, who are just tiny dots at this point, but how these waves also seem like they are about to crash down on his tiny dot people. Will they wash over the adoring onlookers gently, or are the waves meant to jolt the people to revolution, and create shock-waves that reverberate and change people forever?
Card #1: Mao is here with us heartedly. We were born into the end of cultural revolution. All the songs and music were written to celebrate the coummunists and Mao for he was viewed as a savior to guide China and its people from darkness to the light. THey compared Mao as the sunshine from people's heart. We sang the songs ,but we had no idea what they meant. Interestingly to recall, when Mao passed away, every city had a Funeral Room for peole to pay respect to him. I remebered I followed my mom and dad to the City Hall where the funeral Room was set up in our city, People were in line cring loud in tears including my mom and dad excapt me and other children of my age. Later, when I went back home, my mom punished me to kneel down in front of a picture of Mao in my house becasue my mom thought I didn't respect that man without crying in the funeral room. I remembered that was the only time my mom was really angry with me. Card # 2 Our generation studied the hero of collectivism as our model. Qui Shaoyun actually became a very strong imge in our memories becasue his heroic action in the battle field. While they were hidden in the bushes waiting for an attack, but he caught on fire. He had to remain still not to be discovered by their enenmies about their hiding places. He was burned to death in order to protect others. Of course, he was honored as a hero after the victory. We read his story again and again, and we were requested to follow him if we encounter the same or similar situation.