Menu
close
Anonymous.
AnonymousDuring Clayton’s lecture, we talked about the cause of migration and how we can get students to buy into what we teach. We talked about Guānxì, a word that I have never heard of, a Chinese word that is now part of the English language. It is used when we speak of Chinese relationships and connections. This was a good introduction to the next session about international trade.
AnonymousSimilar to "rent men" in Japan, there is also "rent boyfriend" in China. It may not be too late for me to change career. 😎
https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=china%20boyfriend%20for%20rent
edited by hlien on 7/25/2016
AnonymousThe first session of today's lesson made me realize that the hardship I have experienced as a foreigner in a new culture and country was a very common path for the most immigrants. Why do we come? What are our dreams? How much do we accomplish? I believe that our hard life and the strong desire to be able to build a better future for our children, makes us persevere and overcome challenges.
I also liked the part where everyone got to introduce themselves and ask questions. Some of my own questions were answered, and some others were born. I was surprised to see so many Asian people having similar questions as me (someone who knows almost nothing about East Asia). I have learned a lot seeing all those tables and charts comparing US to China. It was interesting/shocking to see all those tremendous numbers of ever-growing economic lead of China.
AnonymousWhat a wonderful way to make money!!! I listen to my family members' and friends' problems all the time for free... But, on a more serious note, I understand that most of the time it is somewhat easier to talk to a complete stranger and pour your heart and soul to them, than to a spouse or a parent. Knowing that no one will judge you takes the tension away. Being able to full your family with a rented boyfriend/girlfriend is also a smart way of making people leave you alone with their annoying questions... My poor sister had to deal with it for 12 years... until she finally got married.
AnonymousExcellent articles on both entrepreneurs in China and Africa. Inspiring and showing the power available to individuals that are willing to work hard and take some risks. Interesting stories about the African men marrying entrepreneurial woman from the countryside. In discussing this with Robert Cheung he told me that areas outside of Hong Kong no longer really speak Cantonese any longer because of such influences they have become Mandarin speaking. Testament to the blending of peoples from throughout China and Africa.
AnonymousTraveling to unfamiliar lands where immigrants potentially will face many socio-economical challenges makes one wonder what are the inner motivations that make people take the risk of leaving their homeland and their loved ones? What it's so attractive and so powerful that move the minds of these people to travel enormous distances and to find company in perfect strangers? It is the case of this Chinese man Hao Shengli who although knew this adventure would be dangerous, he embarked into a hostile territory in Mozambique with the idea of prosper as an investor.
It is admirable and strange to me that people engage in risky adventures where the unknown and unpredictable becomes the daily routine; however, people continue doing it in pro of a personal or economical goal. In both articles, I found similarities between the individuals traveling and the people who must justify their actions and their presence in a foreign land: on one hand, renting a man to either avoid arrange marriage or to impress family members with an individual with ideal characteristics as a boyfriend/husband to be is not a bad idea, until someone finds out the real story. On the other hand, Hao Shengli who dares to travel to Africa to try to establish himself as a business man, finds himself in the middle of risky businesses, dealing with unfriendly community members. Nevertheless, in both cases, the human nature and strong will of the individuals in these articles set an inspiring precedent for all immigrants who are in search of new professional and economical goals.
AnonymousThis morning was very enriching to learn about the impact of international trading between the USA and China. It is wonderful to learn through statistics that the USA shows itself as a pungent economical power. The world of finances is incredibly complex for me to understand, but today was definitely a shock and a million reasons to be proud of this country and all that offers. I grew very interested in learning how and why are various multi-million dollars building projects going on at the same time in the metropolitan are of Los Angeles. Does East Asia investor have anything to do with this? What kind of business are being brought to LA?
On other topic, I am still sadly surprised why the USA is sending empty boxes to China, when we should be exporting goods and services, instead of being labeled as the city with the highest consumerism rate in North America. on the other hand, I am impressed with the incredible infrastructure and effective management system that both L.A. and Long Beach Ports possess. The professional and powerful insight that Mr. Chaung presented on International trading and the economical impact East Asia has on the Los Angeles area makes Angelenos very proud. I was amazed abut how just a "small" sector of the economy handled at the port requires such a huge amount of resources and how these resources impact the distribution and production of goods and services ; stimulating the economy and bringing more jobs and well being to communities.
AnonymousWhen I first heard you introduce this topic, and after reading the article you posted, the first thing that comes to mind is the role of host & hostess bars in Japan. In some ways it seems that this practice of "renting" individuals is very comparable to the numerous host bars that also plague the country. At host bars men are hired to entice women into the business which serves food and alcohol, while at hostess bars the roles are switched. Often times, as is with those who rent men, the people who come to these establishments are middle aged and come to have their voices heard and/or be acknowledged. Japanese society still practices a sort of quiet passiveness that usually results in antisocial behavior. I feel that it's getting better but even if you go to Japan today, you can tell that expressing one's feelings and emotions overtly is not quite the norm. I've attached a few articles that also discuss host/hostess bars in Japan.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/04/05/national/host-clubs-a-hotbed-of-human-trafficking/#.V5dxkmZa5Ko
http://www.japan-talk.com/jt/new/strange-world-of-male-hosts-in-japan
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/9524899/The-grim-truth-about-life-as-a-Japanese-hostess.html
AnonymousInteresting ideas about work-life balance in the local population to create higher fertility rates in Japan. Also interesting to see how the Korean immigrant population does not integrate because of the lack of birthright citizenship. Food for thought for any nation thinking of absorbing large groups of immigrants. These changes may be generational. As children as taught the story of US immigration there are some good compare - contrast scenarios that can be used in the classroom with this article.
AnonymousThe discussion regarding Marco Polo was insightful. The record of his travels and experiences, and the interpretation of his stories is probably about 10 percent accurate? The witnesses of an event can, and do have totally different versions of what they heard,saw and experienced. The stories are hearsay, the text is translated, and the
adventures are embellish hyperboles.
Anonymous"The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there" L. P. Hartley The Go-Between
edited by mmadruga on 7/26/2016
AnonymousSince there are many marriages between African men and Chinese women, I wonder what that does to the already imbalanced ratio of Chinese men to women in that area of China.
And while this is happening in Guangzhou, which is in the southern part of China, more Chinese men marry Russian women than Chinese women marry Russian men in the northern part of China.
http://rbth.asia/society/2013/05/25/the_key_to_a_happy_russo-chinese_marriage_46943.html
http://windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2015/08/russian-women-increasingly-marrying.html
I find this fascinating because from my experience, Chinese people can be really xenophobic (as evidenced in the anecdote about how a Chinese mother-in-law was turning her Afro-Chinese grandchildren against Africa), but it seems like the newer generation is opening up to marrying people from other races/nationalities.
edited by victoriachan on 7/26/2016
AnonymousI was extremely impressed by the Stephen Cheung's presentation. I ignored a lot of the information given about the importance of the Los Angeles port and the new projects about protecting the environment. I also didn't know who were the main foreign investors in the region and what the plans were in downtown LA. I truly believe I need to share all my notes with my classes, especially because I work in the San Pedro area. I'm planing on translating all the material into Spanish and have my students do some more research on the importance of the port, what are most important imports and exports that come in and go out though this port, what types of jobs does the port generate and so on. I want them to present their findings in class in the target language, I am sure they will be excited to know more about their neighborhood.
edited by iverdin on 7/26/2016
clay dubeI've had to compress the presentation and divide it up in order to share it via the forum. Sorry about that.
You are free to use the presentation for your own reference and with your students. Please DO NOT otherwise share or distribute the presentation. This is because I did not seek or receive permission to use some of the copyrighted photos that are included. It's fine to use the presentation in your classroom, but please do not post it to the net or otherwise share the presentation. Thank you.
edited by Clay Dube on 7/27/2016
AnonymousThe videos portrayed Chinese migration as an eventual problem that causes conflict with local populations. Even the title were concerning: "Colony," "Empire," and the others which posed questions as to whether Africa could feed China, but not the other way around. During the interviews with local residents, their main concern was that Chinese families come to the country, and then Chinese-owned business set up shop and begin offering cheap goods to the local population. The videos showed how the movement of people across borders can lead to immigration conflict in all nations, not just in Europe or the U.S.
The NHK video on Japanese investment in Africa, especially the Mozambique area and the export of soybeans to Japan. The Japanese government is financing the building of a port for shipping trade. There is some competition with China, and the interview stated Japanese government should "maximize national interests." There was also a video on the specific trade and investment between Japan and Rwanda, which offered examples as to what companies are developing in the African region.
Overall, I thought that the videos painted an uncomfortable portrait of assistance to Africa as a money-making venture in which some local citizens felt that there was a new colonization.