I didn't know....

[Anonymous]

Paintings were also fascinating!![Edit by="jhughes on Apr 23, 2:44:09 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

i didn't know and don't know pretty much any of it. the classes have been remarkable and i guess i could gush and beam like some proud father, but i don't see it as a necessary thing. i think the classes are outstanding, the price unbeatable, the professor and guests engaging, the topic fascinating, and the scavenging for leftovers premium. gavel down. case closed.[Edit by="jluesse on Apr 27, 9:35:22 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

While reading the section of the early history of the Japanese people, I found it very interesting how they took concepts from the Chinese influence and modified them to achieve a more spiritual connection to nature. I couldn't stop thinking about a class I had in college where we analyzed how literature connected with the world around us, and how certain themes were developed so well by the Romantics in England. There were sections in the readings which reminded me of how truly ephemeral a connection between the artist, the philosopher, or the religions could be. Such is that connection that is hard to explain if it even exists. There is a strange beauty in the readings that truly excited me, much more than what we read about the Chinese culture/religion so far. I want to read more on these themes in order to understand them better.

In addition, I have to make a reference to the "The Book of Genji", with its declarations for the relationships between men and women. I found especially interesting how men were allowed to "interact" with a few women, as long as they never humiliated any of those parties. Somehow, I can't stop thinking about its being more than an incidental influence on that French classic, Les Liaisons dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons), the epistolary novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, first published in 1782. Am I imagining things?

[Anonymous]

I never knew there was any doubt that he was in China. Of course he was, important people don't lie...

Or, do they?

I thought it was a very interesting discussion and one which our students will find interesting themselves. How often have we stretched the truth to make ourselves seem better qualified or just plain more intresting?

Anyway, I just think that students will be able to relate to Marco Polo if he did indeed never go to China. It's interesting to learn about histories blunders to say the least.... Either way, it will make for an interesting discussion.

[Anonymous]

I was a bit surprised by the discoveries and arguments discussed last Thursday about Marco Polo's discrepancies about his travels. While working on my Master's, I had the opportunity to read "The Travels of Marco Polo" by Marco Polo and Ronald Latham. It was one of my favorite books. While reading it, I was intrigued by the references to fantastic and exotic locales, and through some analysis we did in the class, we came to the conclusion that it appeared as if he had spent more time exploring the Southern regions of the continent, rather than dealing with China. This is a bit confusing, but I felt as if he was describing the setting of Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Lost World" rather than China's emperor's court. There was a lack of balance, and I might have to do a new close reading of the text to give a fair assessment, but I was still intrigued by the new controversy about the validity of his accounts.

During our session, someone mentioned the fact that Polo might have not found tea particularly fascinating, or who knows? He'd rather discuss more interesting aspects of the culture and its travels. Whatever the reason might be, as Clayton mentioned, his tales excited others to explore the commerce trail between these different parts of the world, and Columbus in his search for spices and other goods, became the catalyst that led to the complete transformation, and in some people's opinion, the destruction of a few civilizations. I don't know if I quite agree with China being at the center of everything, but the discussion brought up to our attention that even before the Internet and Cable started providing more immediate links to one another, The West and The East destinies had become connected.

[Anonymous]

I didn't know that the imperioal Japanese family has traceable Korean roots! I have a colleague that is a 26 year old Korean-American who just went to visit Korea last October. I talked to her about this class I am taken with the UCLA Asian Institute. I asked her if she knew that the Japanese's emperor has traceable Korean ancestors.

She did not know, and found it very interesting. She already knew that the Koreans have links which come from the Chinese and thought it would make sense that the Japanese would have come from Korea.

Anyway, I just thought it was neat that the knowledge that I am learnng in this institute, I have been sharing with colleagues who are also very interested in it themselves![Edit by="kmilton on May 8, 10:25:01 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

I enjoyed the introduction to Zhu Yuanzhang last Thursday. A rags to riches story about the founder of the Ming Dynasty. A ruler who valued his reputation more than wealth and pleasure. I appreciate Yuanzhamg's statement after he took Chen Youliang's concubine: "Was it for the beauty of the woman? Or was it the manifestation of a hero's triumph? Only the wise will judge" (Chinese Civilization p206). Now that is cool!

Frank 8) [Edit by="fwiley on Jun 4, 8:28:29 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

Today's workshop on Islam in China revealed more surprises about the way Islam is such an important element in the East Asian regions. I was surprised at the numbers disclosed in the presentation as well as the political interactions and government designs to lessen the impact of such religion.

In addition, sometimes a good visual only reinforces what words can't quite explain, and some of the pictures in the slides by Dr. Pillsbury spoke so clearly about what this world feels and looks like. You can hear stories, but seeing is believing.

[Anonymous]

hey,

i thought some of you might be interested in this article.

i had multiple failed attempts at inserting my manners matters link, so you'll have to bear with me and just copy and paste.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1600980,00.html

i especially enjoyed the straight-faced Study Group Relating to the Prevention of Behaviour that Causes Discomfort Among Numerous People in Public Places.

i suppose this should compel us to question cultural stuff; the influence of western culture on asia/the world, the lasting effects of an ancient code of behavior, whether or not a changing of the (prescribed/descriptive moral) guard is underway, possible implications of the little things, why might this be happening now, etc. meanwhile we deal with much worse daily in our classrooms-wouldn't it be great if our concerns were that of umbrella twiddling rather than weapon smuggling.

[Anonymous]

Saturday's seminar was very informative. I especially enjoyed our lesson on the Hui and the diasporas that continue to develop in China.

Frank 😀

[Anonymous]

There was an issue that got my interest and was not discussed at length during the seminar. It involved how the Muslims eventually settled in the Chinese territories and became part of the social fabric. There was a mention of a battle during the seminar, and how the issue was resolved to the point that migration of Muslims into the western parts of the empire left an indelible mark. Obviously the situation must have been settled quickly and without much bloodshed (would like to read more on the theme), but the numbers are high, and the influence remains to this day. Can anyone shed anymore information?

[Anonymous]

I found the inforamtion regarding the last Samurai in Japan very interesting. I suppose it is because I can base it off of my knowledge of the movie The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise. Though I know Hollywood takes liberties regarding historical events, I didn't know a lot of the inaccuracies of the film. I found it interesting that the movie was not filmed there at all. It was filmed instead in New Zealand. I found it interesting of the inaccuracies regarding a Westerner being able to converse with the emperor. I also did not realize that the last Samurai actually fought with guns. I did not know this and took Hollywood's glamorours view of the Samurai fighting with the swords against the western world's weapons.... (the old fighting the new.....)

[Anonymous]

Saturday's lecture on Japan was a rare treat. Prof. Notehelfer has a wealth of knowledge. His discriptions of the late Tokugawa was amazingly detailed. Listening to him lecture was like reading a great book at lightening speed. Thanks Clayton D.

Frank

[Anonymous]

Not sure whether I'm using the right name for the position taken for the Japanese in the period prior to the Meiji Restoration, but now I understand how their socio-economic system was already very similar to the westernization they would undergo after WWII. It is interesting to see how civilizations have so many similar points regardless of their separate historical paths.

I'm very intrigued by the new knowledge about Japan that this seminar has allowed to me discover, and I intend to do some further reading to shed more light on the subject.

[Anonymous]

One of the most interesting points from last Saturday's lectures was finding out how the amount of rice you owned determined how powerful your family was in Japan. I would like to present this fact to students and see what their opinions might be. Finding out this was rather surprising, but it reminded me of how some cultures in Latin America traded cocoa beans instead of measuring their wealth in gold.

[Author]

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