Movies and Books

[Anonymous]

I finally saw Kung Fu Panda. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the humor, I don't believe there's much in the move from the point of view of helping students understand China. James Hong has been in Western movies since 1955 (I checked IMDB) but unless you're teaching about Asians in film (which would be a great class), there's not a lot about Kung Fu Panda that illustrates China. A better cartoon is Mulan, at least you can talk about the status of women in China according to the movie.

[Anonymous]

Kung Fu Panda was hilarious. However, you're right in the fact that there is not much in really helping the students understand what China is all about.

[Anonymous]

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/acCategory?lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&extcat=becomeacraftmasterwithkungfupanda
Check out the following website for Kung Fu Panda themed art projects. Some of the projects include a
pagoda diorama, kung fu panda dolls, picture frames, and boxes. This page also has a china facts sheets and
a proverbs worksheet.

[Anonymous]

Title: "The Good Earth"
A couple of years ago I read Pearl Bucks classic novel. He won the Nobel prize. It was absolutely engaging, hard to put it down. The plot includes the economic ups and downs of a farmer, his family life and his repertoire with women. A must read. The movie is out there too.[Edit by="amohammed on Jul 26, 7:44:09 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

Took the kids to see this one. I liked it a lot. I do think it perpetuates too many stereotypes. The father in the film was bad. His accent was so cheesy and it was the only one in the film.

Funny kid faire, horrible movie to teach about Asia.

[Anonymous]

I have reviewed Kurosawa's film Ran in the past. I thought it would be cool to share an idea that I had for some of you who may want to use Kurosawa's film The Seven Samurai as a way to show how his films have had an impact on Western Film.

The film's basic plot is that a small farming village is being terrorized by a group of bandits. The elder in the village suggests that the farmers recruit Samurai to help them fight back against the bandits. The farmers are rejected by most of the Samurai that they ask, because they have only food to pay them. An older Samurai finally accepts their offer and he recruits 5 other Samurai to fight. The seventh Samurai is added, I don't want to spoil the film too much so I won't tell you how, along the way.

I don't want to tell you how the film ends, but I do want to share a cool idea I have for a lesson for this film. First I am going to show the film to my Humanities classes while we study Kurosawa. Then I am going to show clips from films like The Magnificent Seven, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, and The Wild Bunch, to illustrate Kurosawa's influnece on Western film. Many of his films were later made into Spaghetti Westerns like The Magnificent Seven, and many of the themes, and techniques like, gathering of heros to accomplish something, and the slow motion viloence that is so common in films today are all techniques taken from Kurosawa and this miraculous film.

Cool way to expose your students to one of the greatest films of all time, and relate it to films that they are inspired by today.

[Anonymous]

http://www.asianfilms.org/
Great resource for people who like foreign movies. You can save yourself a trip to the video store. If you click on film festival online you can read a review and actually watch the movie online. You have to be patient because it can take several minutes to download.

[Anonymous]

😛 Boy did Brad Pitt's acting getting in the way of this film's success. His work really fell short and that blond dye job was a disaster.
Despite this I was generally engaged by the storyline and the scenery was amazing. Would like to show this to my students as there is reference to mandalas in the film and I did my curriculum project for the seminar on mandalas. The film is a bit long though...another disappointment in what could have been a good work.

[Anonymous]

Great film although I have to admit that I am a huge Bertolucci fan. A real visual feast (as all his films are) with just spectacular sscenery, set designs, and costumes! Very long but also very worthwhile.

[Anonymous]

I read this two-part book in a college class entitled 'Literature Off the Beaten Track' and fell in love. The book is quite short, featuring two longish short stories. The first features a coming-of-age theme and the other is about lost love. Recommended for high schoolers. [Edit by="clawson on Jul 29, 11:47:22 AM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

The Road to Beijing is a spectacular short film that has many uses in the middle school classroom or the high school classroom to bring social studies alive! This is my film review.

"The Road to Beijing" is a film produced by the Silk Road Project out of Stanford University and the SPICE program. The movie is about the American cellist Yo-Yo Ma and his international ensemble call the Silk Road Ensemble. Their name is quite appropriate to the direction they travel and their final destination. The movie is perfect for in-class use because of its length. The piece jam-packs all sorts of visuals and information in a really easy to access manner in about 20 minutes.The film follows the ensemble as they tour across China and relate their experiences in Beijing and the importance of China and Beijing in world politics. The entire film is dedicated to the playing of an ancient Chinese piece of music called the, "Ambush From Ten Sides". This musical piece is a story about the construction of the Han Dynasty out of the chaos of the warring kingdoms. The main point of the central narrative, spoken to the audience through written word and Yo-Yo Ma as well as his ensemble, is the contrast that Beijing offers from tradition into modernity. They use the music as an example.

I am going to show this movie to my students tomorrow. We will watch it and then i will ask them to write an essay based on the following question:

Discussing what we have learned in class, specifically Ch 17 of our text (Global Challenges), how is China currently being "ambushed from ten sides"? Give details to support your answer.

I am not going to write an entire essay answer to the question here, but after viewing the movie and knowing about the global challenges that face China today, one might expect their students to discuss the Olympics, international pressure on human rights, poverty, modernity, global warming, coal use, sustainable development, water issues, feeding the countryside and democracy (just to name a few).

In the end of the short film Yo-Yo Ma says something to the effect of the Silk Roads being the internet of antiquity. I really appreciated that line, and I think it brings it all into perspective for our students. Really quite an amazing piece!you can see the movie online here

[Anonymous]

Just wanted to let everyone know, this week is "China Week" on the Travel Channel. you can check out Anthony Bourdain eating his way through Beijing and other cities in China. Andrew Zimmern will also be eating strange foods. Also G4 has been showing two Japanese tv shows. One is called the "Unbeatable Banzuke" and the other is called "Ninja Warrior", which is awesome!!!

[Anonymous]

Can anyone recommend a good bookstore? Somewhere I can find good resources. There is a book I used to like as a child and I can't remember the name. All I remember is that it had something to do with Chinese New Year. I've searched through the net with no luck. So if anyone can help me I would really appreciate it.

[Anonymous]

To the Lunar New Year children's resource post:

Through the Education About Asia links page I found a great website that speaks to children and the Lunar New Year! The name of the website is Asia for Kids and has some great ideas and books. One of the books is an Activity Book, which could or could not be the book you were interested in when you were a child. However, the ten great ideas that we educators could use in the classroom (below) come from the same web address:

Ten Easy Lunar Celebration Ideas

1. Make a fresh start. Begin the New Year with a clean slate. You can clean your house, wear new clothes, get a haircut, or payoff any debts you might have.

2. Eat good luck food. Share gifts of candies and fruit with family and friends. Together, you can feast on good luck dishes such as dumplings (See recipe.) This is believed to guarantee prosperous futures for you and your loved ones.

3. Create positive energy. Think only good thoughts and say only kind words to those around you, so that the New Year begins in a happy mood.

4. Decorate your house. Paste red scrolls with good luck words around your house. You can also make red paper lanterns to hang outside - check out our special Lantern - Making Kit!

5. Give children a special surprise. On New Year's Day, use our lucky money envelopes (or make your own from the Activity Kit.) Have children march it around for your own little parade!

6. Read books. Learn more about the traditions and history of the Lunar New Year by reading one of the many interesting and colorful books on the subject.

7. Have a Parade. Get creative and join in on the exciting tradition of the Dragon Parade, on a smaller scale. Make your own mini-dragon out of boxes, construction paper, tubes, and glitter. (This project is outlined in the Chinese New Year Activity Book.) Have children march it around for your own little parade!

8. Have children make "se-bae." Practice "filial piety" like Korean families do, and give them money in a good fortune pouch.

9. Play games. Play the traditional Korean game Yut for New Year fun, of fly kites if its not too cold!

10. Give good wishes. Teach children to say Happy New Year in Cantonese--"Gung Hay Fat Choy!"

Asia for Kids

" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.afk.com/images/pandahello.gif [Edit by="llogan on Jul 29, 10:22:48 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

To the asianfims.org poster...your web address did not work. I did a little research ad founf the same name at the following link: http://www.asianfilms.org/. Hopefully this will work for everyone. If you try to google or internet search the website, type in iFilm Connections: Asia and Pacific and it should lead you right to the link.

As they say on their website:
"iFilm Connections: Asia & Pacific seeks to create a deeper awareness and understanding of Asian and Pacific Island film cultures by providing immediate and comprehensive information about contemporary feature films from these areas.

Building upon the success of http://www.asianfilms.org, our team of film scholars, critics, and curators promise to revolutionize access and understanding of culturally significant independent films from Asia and the Pacific Islands. We offer faculty, students, film leaders, and the interested public a way to stream a selection of carefully selected feature films that can be used with original materials on this site to intelligently analyze the impact of globalization on the diverse cultures of Asia and the Pacific."

The website is designed to highlight and encourage the film makers and film productions of the Asian and Pacific cultures. some of the films now playing include:

Nostalgia for the Countryland
Thuong nho dong que, Vietnam (1995)

Death on a Full Moon Day
Pura Handa Kaluwara, Sri Lanka (1997)

Dark Night of the Soul
Anantha Rathriya, Sri Lanka (1996)

Sandy Lives
Doi Cat, Vietnam (1999)

Girl from Hunan, A
Xiangnu xiaoxiao, China (1986)

Black Snow
Ben ming nian, China (1990)

Song of Tibet, The
Yeshe Dolma, China (2000)

Land Has Eyes, The
Pear ta ma 'on maf, Fiji (Rotuma) (2004)

Check it out!!

[Author]

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