I will definitely be using this article, or at least the charts comparing the 1980s generation compared to the post 1980s generations see themselves, the world and life.  This is a terrific article to have students look at the generational diferences in China from the pre 80s to the post 80s and then compare what has happened in the same generations in the United States and/or what has happened in Europe during the same time period.

Those categories are eerily universally similar in nature to what was going on in the States and Western Europe in that time period.  Perhaps the numbers are a bit different, but those questions and categories are definitely applicable to all three regions.  Relations to friends, influence of Japanese Anime, usage of the internet, fastfood eating habits, attention to appearance and cooperation with others levels are all things that can be investigated not only in China during the same time period but also in the U.S. and Europe.

However, in addtion to all of that, kids today would probably have even more to say on those same attitudes.  How does this current generation here in the California see these topics?  And how do the students today see these numbers in comparison to how they live now.  I think this would be a great introduction or attention grabber to start a period of class or discussion.

This would be a good entry point for a multicultural analysis of attitudes across Asia and the West broadly, comparing and contrasting opinion polls on things like desire for children, marriage, higher education aspirations, et cetera. Perhaps a fishbowl activity might be effective as a warmup using this data.

Dr. Dube's Mini Lecture regarding environmental China was quite interesting and surprising on several fronts.  Wen Jiabao was certainly concerned about China's Economic Growth as he stated it was "unsteady, unbalanced, uncoordinated, and unsustainable".  However, fast forward to 2017 and the graphs were noticed as great improvements on the part of the Chinese.  In 2007, about 10 years ago, roughly 1000 Chinese people died prematurely due to air pollution, and in 2016 that number was quadrupled.  But the surprising part came with the pie graphs featured in the lecture.  Hydropower, wind, and solar panel production which is the largest clearly demonstrates that China is making tremendous strides and is highly contributing positively to the overall decrease in air polution.

My World History students can continue to research China and report the most current information available for proactive attempts and celebrations for air pollution reduction.  I think my students will be just as surprised as I was seeing the pie graphs with comparisons for China and the US.

I was interested to read about changing attitudes and behavior resulting from the shift towards a much more individualized Chinese society. Having never lived in a society that was founded on collective action and joint responsibility, I've always taken individualization for granted. 

The three articles about evolving expectations for mother/daughter relationships, changes to courtship and perceptions of young rural Chinese, revealed how individual needs are being recognized and respected, while responsibility to family obligations remains a very powerful collectivization force. We see that, while arranged marriages are no longer practiced, the influence of the family remains extremley strong when chosing a marriage partner based on introduction or free choice. The increased mobility and economic independence of younger Chinese has blended with Confucian filial piety to create a unique mixture of modern and traditional family values, interactions and decision making.

I was also surprised to see in the "Sub Cultures of China Youth" video that the average age for marriage appears to be lowering rather than increasing, as would be expected in an inceasingly affluent and developed society. The video did not provide an explanation for this - I can only assume that the gender imbalance resulting from the one child policy may have created a sense of urgency amongst young men who fear not being able to find a mate.

I found this week’s readings pretty dispiriting, especially with regard to women’s roles in society and the severe threat posed by toxic soil.  I also have a number of follow-up questions regarding the readings.

China, like the U.S., still suffers from entrenched adherence to gender stereotypes and expectations.  The “Playing With the Old Blood Rules” article states that “many Chinese parents are now even reconsidering their long-held prejudice for sons, on the new assumption that daughters are more likely to grow into loyal caregivers.”  Based on the other readings alone, I find this sentiment hard to believe--to wit the Chinese slang term for girls being “thin padded jackets.”

From the “Gender of Communication” article, it seems, too, that women’s work is never done.  As is frequently the case in the U.S., Chinese working mothers are are expected to run their households largely on their own.  Elderly grandmas and aunties are also expected to take on these kinds of responsibilities. And the idea of adopting an adult female daughter for caregiving and companionship? Nice in the abstract, but where are the men???

With all the problems posed by an aging population and the reluctance of young people to shoulder the responsibility of caretaking, has the government considered the idea of changing its apparent masculine ideal to accommodate for the need for more support for the elderly?  Could the concept of filial piety be used to encourage more men to do or share this important work with their female counterparts? And where are Chinese feminists with respect to these issues? Clay, do you have any readings for us on this subject?

It’s no surprise to me, then, that many Chinese young people and couples are opting not to have children.  It was also interesting to read that a survey found that a minority of young people wanted to join the party because they believed in communism.  As noted in the ”Contemporary Chinese Youth and the State” article, “the post-1980’s generation has ensured that their public lives are placed in service to their private ambitions.”  Clearly, party membership has increasingly become an economic necessity for upwardly-mobile young Chinese adults, indeed, a necessary investment for the future.

Question:  what are the criteria for party membership?  Are some people invited to join? What are the benefits of being a party member?  And what are the effects of not being a party member?

Regarding the materials on toxic soil, this was a sobering read indeed.  I’m glad that the article talked about how different branches of the Chinese government have been addressing this issue.  I’m teaching civics and government next year and can see myself comparing the how the Love Canal problem was addressed on the local, regional, and federal levels here to the Chinese responses to toxic soil as described in the article.  I wish Mr. Tang good luck. It blows me away that China’s contaminated soil is roughly equivalent to the amount of arable soil in Mexico. Yikes.

Article about Muslim detention camps in Xinjiang from the NY Times.  Related articles (not posted here) talk about the tepid response from much of the international Muslim community to the camps based on trade and foreign investment concerns.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/12/world/asia/china-xinjiang.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-47615966

Here is the article from the BBC on the insta-goth movement over a woman asked to leave a train due to her makeup. 

Definitely something to grab teens in our culture on the power and speed of social media.  Certainly this could be a great way to look at social media intensity in both a closed country like China vs a more open country like the U.S. in regards to access and use of social media.

What is also interesting or a curiosity for our students could be at looking at something like the Goth movement and asking where it came from in China or is it something coming from outside China.  Is it a Japanese or American cultural push or movement, or is it a latent or delayed connection to the 80s or a retro movement going on?

I suspect my students would have a better idea on how to answer these questions than I do!