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Molly Cowan-Johnson.
Anonymous"In remote mountains of China, experts find clues to the origins of Earth's most stunning plants."
This Nova show airs tonight, May 6th, and will probably be repeated. Check local listings.
AnonymousMy son and his 7th grade friends at Miraleste are all talking about Kung Fu Panda. I hope it lives up to their expectations.
AnonymousThis sounds interesting. I will turn on the TV!
AnonymousA great Chinese writer and novelist is Ha Jin and I was so happy to read his work In the Pond.
This books came out in 1998 and was met with rave reviews. He speaks to the working class and from the working class perspective. My grandmother recommended it to me. She knows some Chinese and said that the translation into English really retains the Chinese perspective and some of the idioms.
I speak highly of this book. Jin is a poet and an novelist and his talent is well felt. the prose offered about the plight of working people to keep their worthiness while undergoing the oppression from above.
ISBN # 0-375-70911-8
AnonymousAnother fabulous book that I have read lately and and would love to relate to all of you is a book set in China from an American Missionary's position written by John Dalton. Heaven Lake covers almost the entire geography of China, describing many different co-cultures within th country. He also is offers a wonderful description of the country side and life in the urban centers.
I also enjoyed the book for his introduction into the storyline the highly developed female Chinese characters. There are about five in the book and they each offer a unique view of the modern Chinese woman.
This book is not short, but is an interesting jump into the culture through the juxtaposition of the Christian world-view that gets tipped on its head.
AnonymousI really enjoyed reading Ha Jin’s novel about the Korean War, War Trash,. This novel involved a student, during the Kuomintang Nationalists regime, at the national military academy. He graduates just as Mao takes control of China and the PRC is created. Commissioned an officer in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army , he is sent to war in Korea. He quickly becomes a prisoner of war and the POW compound becomes a new war zone between those CPLA soldiers who were conscripted by the PRC but were loyal to the Kuomintang versus those loyal to PRC- a very complex and interesting read.
The New York Times Book Review section this passed weekend also had some great book reviews featuring several Chinese authors including
• Life and Death are Wearing Me Out by Mo Yan
• A Song of Everlasting Sorrow by Wang Anyi
• Serve the People by Yan Lianke
• Wolf Totem by Jiang Rong
Go to nytimes.com and look for the reviews
Anonymous(This is the second time I've posted this. I don't know where the first one went. If it shows up as a duplicate, sorry).
On Friday, May 23, 2008, a movie called "the Children of the Huang Shi" will be released at five theaters: West Los Angeles (Landmark); Alhambra (Edwards Atlantic); Costa Mesa (Regency); Encino's Laemmle; and Pasadena's Laemmle. Visit the movie site at http://www.thechildrenofhuangshi.com to see the trailer. It has been described as "A feel-good treat" by Karen Durbin of Elle Magazine. But when I viewed the trailer, there's a lot of fighting so I'm guessing that the ending must be very heartwarming. It is based on the true story of a British journalist and American nurse who meet up with a Chinese man and attempt the rescue of 60 Chinese orphans during the Japanese occupation of Nanjing in the 1930s. The movie site has a History feature and talks about the Resistance movements. There is reference to Iris Chang's book The Rape of Nanjing as it discusses the differences in the numbers estimated to have been killed by the Japanese soldiers. The Japanese government report one (low) number; the Chinese and other researchers estimate a much higher figure. The movie is rated R, probably for the violence as the Japanese were brutal in their torture and atrocities committed against the Chinese, even women and children. A few weeks ago one of our World History teachers (high school) asked me about resources on this topic. I will tell him about the movie coming up. Looks like a "Must-See-for-Me" movie although I will probably wait until there is wider distribution of the movie. I wonder what the people in Japan will say about this portrayal, if it is even promoted there. Will be interesting to see. The movie Website describes the film as "discovers the true meaning of love, responsibiliity and courage."[Edit by="willoughbyak on May 18, 3:47:45 PM"][/Edit]
AnonymousSpring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring - Agreed...a great film!
It seems as though films with Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese culture are being released in droves at the local Blockbuster stores. I still haven't had the stomach to watch the film about the rapes in Nanjing. On the lighter side, The Walt Disney Co. plans to release its first coproduced film in China in 2009. The Secret of the Magic Gourd, Disney's first film made in China for Chinese viewers, in Mandarin, is a coproduction among Buena Vista International, Inc., the international theatrical distribution arm of the Walt Disney Studios; Centro Digital Pictures Ltd., a visual effects production company in Hong Kong; and the China Film Group Corp. The film is an adaptation of a children's novel written by the late Chinese author Zhang Tianyi in the 1950s.
Outside of the Chinese experience, yet still inside East Asia, films like The Darjeeling Limited and Namesake - both influenced by the culture, people, and landscape of India are truly worthwhile. When engaging in a comparison of cultural traditions, family values, or encounters with cultures other than one's own - clips of these films can go a long way toward promoting active discussion inside the classroom.
AnonymousGo to http://www.Bower.org and order your tickets! The Exhibit is great. Allow at least two hours for your initial visit.
There are books and vidoes for sale at the Exhibit Gift Shop that looked like great additions to the school library. The Coffee Table book was expensive but would be a wonderful purchase.
The website does not have Teacher Guides or other information on it yet. Why not? The museum has a wonderful children's program so I am surprised they were not ready to go when the exhibit opened. Keep checking.
An easy read, I suggest this book for your classroom library: The Emporer's Silent Army by Jane O'Connor (Viking, 2002).
AnonymousThis is an excellent read as are the more recent books by author Lisa See. She meticulously researched the history of her great-grandfather and traced the family tree throughout California, Los Angeles, and Fujian, China. This is a must read for anyone interested in Chinese history and/or Angeleno politics.
The See Family is a major contributor to the Autry Museum. There was a wonderful exhibit at the museum several years ago about the Chinese in Southern California sponsored by the See Foundation.
The Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena was a private home of a woman who collected Chinese objects d'art and bought many items from the elder See. Many of her treasures are on view at the museum. It's not far from Vroman's Bookstore.
Most Angelenos do not know that the Original Chinatown was demolished and moved to the present site on Broadway/Spring streets. The Amtrack station was built where the old Chinatown once stood. If you want to visit the Chinese cemetery you must travel to Boyle Heights to Evergreen Cemetery.
Both the Autry Museum and the Pacific Asia museum have education departments and programs for students.
AnonymousIt's known Graveyard of the Fireflies out here. I just used this film during my World War II unit. The students were drawn into the movie and many cried at the end. The film is heart-wrenching, beautiful and relevant to any discussion of the human impact of WWII on civilians. I use this film in conjunction with "Barefoot Gen"
AnonymousI hope everyone had a chance to use the free movie passes to see, "Mongol", that I posted. I went last night and I must say it was worth the 2-hour wait in line. It was an epic film, but not in the traditional sense. The battle scenes were not unbearable nor too graphic (except for the scene where a guard's face is smashed in), but it definitely deserves the R-rating.
This fictional story of the humble beginnings of Ghengis Khan shed a lot of light (for me) on the language, culture & people of early Mongol as well as their reservations about the Chinese people. It is presented in its original languages of Mandarin and Mongolian dialects, which I highly appreciated. My mandarin is very limited now due to lack of use, but I could definitely distinguish the dialect of the Mongolian people from that of Mandarin in the second half of the film. The subtitles were a bit limited, though. There would be a full minute of spoken language followed by one or two brief sentences in the subtitles; One of my pet peeves.
I believe this movie could be used in the classroom, not only because of the historical significance, but because it does not delve too much into tangent subjects. Many of the spiritual beliefs are touched upon as well as cultural rites, but without any apologies or explanations for non-believers or doubters. Many a time, there were scenes where Ghenghis Khan would be caught in a predicament that seemed insurmountable, only to be freed in the next scene without any directorial explanation. It is your own belief in the possibility that carries the plot.
Its plot focuses on that for which it seemingly was intended: to introduce the audience to the background and life purpose of the great Mongol, Ghenghis Khan.
I plan to purchase the Special Edition DVD version of it the moment it comes out.
[Edit by="pswearingen on Jun 6, 4:28:50 PM"][/Edit]
AnonymousI haven't seen the movie 'MONGOL' yet but I do look forward to see it. In the meantime, on the subject of Ghengis Khan, I have been showing 'Mongols' from the 'Barbarian' series of the History channel.
My World Hist. students watch it keenly, especially as the story of Ghengis Khan in the video starts by showing him as 'Timujin', a kid whose father was murdered by poisoning by the Tartars, and then whose mother gives him a grim 'Seek revenge'!
The video itself has 3D map animation on the movement of the Mongols and how they spread out westward to the Middle East and on to the borders of the Byzantine Empire, and they created the biggest land empire that the world has ever known. It especially brings to focus the re-opening of the Silk Road(trade) and how the knowledge of the East was opened up for Europe by the establishment of this vast empire.
Even though CA standards do not require an in-depth study of the Mongols, this also helps the students to remember Kublai Khan, the Mongol emperor of China when studying about the Yuan Dynasty.
AnonymousClayton made reference to cotton in the Chinese economy at our last Saturday session in May. His comment reminded me of a book I received at an economics institute last year called The Travels of A T-Shirt in the Global Economy: An Economist Examines the Markets, Power, and Politics of World Trade by Pietra Rivoli, publisher John Wiley & Sons, 2006.
The book, in an entertaining fashion, traces what happens, from the growing of the cotton to the final disposition of the discarded shirt, to a t-shirt in its travels. China figures prominently in the story. It is an informative read about a facet of modern China that students may find of interest in its account of the very clothes they wear.
AnonymousFRONTLINE: "Young and Restless in China", Tuesday, June 17, 9:00 PBS Channel 28. The promos look interesting!. It will probably be an excellent topic for discussion.!