Book: Waiting

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

I was wondering if anyone has read the novel Waiting by Ha Jin? It is about a man in 1960s China who is in an arranged marriage. He is a medical student and doctor living far from home and only returns to his home once per year to ask for his wife's permission to divorce (for 18 years). Meanwhile he becomes involved with another woman whom he waits for. On another level it involves Confucian filial piety and duty to the government during the cultural revolution. It would make a good film if it hasn't already. The main characters display the universal struggle between the needs of the human heart and requirements of duty. All this is played out across different areas and climates of China. The book is restrained in the beginning for Western readers expecting explosions and "hooks" due to the inaction and lack of decision made by the main characters. Indecisiveness results in a decisions/consequences in an ironic way. Great story about China at this time in history.

[Anonymous]

After listening to Professor Ye talk about films at the UTLA session on Dec 8th i asked him about Ha Jin and the book "Waiting" as a potential story for a film. He mentioned that there was an article in the LA Times last week about the author. Here's the link. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-hajin7dec07,0,7237949,full.story

[Anonymous]

POEMS OF THE LATE T'ANG recently translated by the late A. C. Graham contains the poems of seven poets, including the late Tu Fu, some say China's greaest poet. It is published by the New York Review of Books or nyrb classics. It is the publishing arm of the Review of Books. A review by the British newspaper the GUARDIAN states that Graham was the Sinologue's Sinologue in his understanding of classical texts. Literature is a pathway toward understanding a culture

[Anonymous]

There is a book that has been published:ZHAO ZIYANG:RUANJINZHONG de tanhaua by Zong Fengming.Hong Kong:Kaifang. Zhao was preemier af China from 1980 to 1987 which he was credited of moving the economy forward. From 1987 to 1989 he was general secretary of the Communist Party when he was recognized as pushing for reforms in the political system. During the demonstrations of Tiananmen in 1989, he advocated "democracy and rule of law" to resolve the crisis. His point of view needless to say did not win out over the objections of Deng Xiaoping --who was swayed by Premier Li Peng who chose repression. He was asked by Deng to concur but Zhao declined. Zhao further rubbed salt into the wound by refusing to write a self criticism of his transgression. He spent the next decade and one half under house arrest and died of pulmonary fibrosis in January ,2005. Meanwhile, Deng's "market, yes and democracy ,no "marched onward ,and today we see the results. Zhao concluded at the time that "socialism with Chinese characteristics" has resulted in "power-elite capitalism," which is "capitalism of the worst kind." He further stated that without free speech ,one gets a "deformed economy."
The book surmises throughout ,what if he lived and ruled.... Well, he didn't and the good die before their time---whether young or old.
The book is over $100 so have your local or college library order it on your behalf, and maybe future leaders will read it on a rainy day for courage and wisdom.
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[Anonymous]

I just returned from my study tour of China and Japan and am still digesting everything I saw and experienced. Most enlightening from my travels were the remarkable experiences I had with people just in passing. I needed a book to read in my last lazy days of summer and freedom before school starts and spent some time in Borders scanning the history section. Fate is a funny thing because I almost picked up 1434 which is about the era I teach to 7th graders but decided I needed something more contemporary and there it was: Oracle Bones: A Journey Through Time in China, by Peter Hessler, 2006. I knew I had heard of this book before and have since seen a blog on the forum about his previous book River Town entered by someone from this forum. Peter Hessler's book is a New York Times Bestseller list and is as engaging as any Michener novel. I am still reading about his story and the stories of the people he meets in his journeys through China, from the mid 90s to the present. He weaves the story of China's ancient history, such as the archeological dig for the Shang dynasty Oracle Bones in Anyang, just south of Taiyuan where we visited, into the stories of the people he encounters. Without being overly dramatic, Hessler reveals the layers of Chinese history still present on the surface through encounters and conversations with its people. Hessler is not just an observer or voyeur. He has made a personal investment in China as the reader discovers. Just like on our study tour, one feels invited to participate in the daily lives of people Peter gets to know like Willy, the student he had who becomes a teacher and loves learning American euphemisms and Emily, the contrarian, and "Polat" the pseudonym for his Uighur friend from the Russian district of Beijing. If you are looking for a book about China's current transformation in the context of history and enjoy learning about this through the people of the country, you will enjoy this book.

In the classroom, I will use excerpts to develop critical thinking skills about why and how people think about the study of history. In the book, Hessler is having a conversation with someone about how China's history is sometimes just a random selection of people and events and narratives written about them. How history is written or remembered creates the readers perception. Most importantly, I am developing a lesson plan on the value of exchange as a cornerstone to comprehension and expect to incorporate some of these ideas into that lesson plan.

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