Books

[clay dube]

What books have you been reading as we get ready for this adventure?

This year I've been using the following with students in a course on contemporary China:

Yunxiang Yan, Private Life Under Socialism, 2003.
Jianying Zha, China Pop: How Soap Operas, Tabloids, and Bestsellers are Transforming a Culture, 1995.
Peter Hessler, River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze, 2001.
Michael Dutton, Streetlife China, 1998.

Yan's book is easily the best on contemporary rural society. The others open interesting windows into contemporary urban life. All are available in paperback. Portions of each could easily be used with high school students and select readings from Dutton could be used with middle school students (e.g., neighborhood regulations and more).

[clay dube]

Lu Xun was one of China's most influential 20th century writers and critics. A good collection of his stories, passably translated by the prolific husband and wife translation team of Yang Hsien-yi and Gladys Yang is available at:

http://www.eldritchpress.org/hsun/hsun.htm

These tend to be dark tales, noting the rather profound flaws in Chinese society in the 1920s and 1930s. A few of the stories in this collection were turned into films. Among them are "The True Story of Ah Q" and "New Year's Sacrifice."

Don't neglect the preface -- Lu was one who left medicine to try other means to bring about change. This, of course, was also true of Sun Yatsen and has happened elsewhere. You might encourage your science teacher colleagues to consider discussing scientists in the public arena with their students. Who is the Senate majority leader?

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