Movies and Books

[Anonymous]

(Make-up evaluation)

“CHUSINGURA” – The Loyal 47 Samurais
(Produced by East West Classics, 1961)

It is a story of samurai devotion and loyalty by the vassals of a Lord Asano, who was ordered to commit hara-kiri for drawing his sword on the Master of Ceremonies in the Shogun’s palace at Edo, Japan, around 1701. It shows the intrigue and corruption in the upper echelons to get and grant favors, and how the etiquettes of court life was utilized to exact revenge and confiscate a vassal’s estate. I think the story flows smoothly and the movie has a good depiction of rituals and etiquettes of samurai life.
I have shown clips of this movie to my 7th. grade World History class while teaching feudal Japan. The scenes that I show are the steps in the ritual of hara-kiri (all steps are depicted except the thrust of the dagger and the decapitation – the scene fades away), the blooming of the cherry blossoms, the haiku poems and the sections on how the samurais use to battle – their dresses, the weapons (swords and lances, though the eight feet tall bow is not shown) and distinctive banners– and the costumes of the men and women in late feudal Japan. The section of the courier service is quite interesting as it can be compared with the pony express, though the former used men to carry the messengers through day and night and the latter was on horseback. The accompanying music by Akira Ifukube has a tinge of melancholy and sadness to it, as is the ending of the story itself but then this reflects the sentiment of ‘aware’ in Japanese literature.
The movie is a good substitute for 'The Seven Samurais' which is rather long and also "Chusingura" is in color and the photography by R Yamada is quite sharp.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the tip on this movie. Is it available at blockbuster or another rental service or did you purchase it and how much? What was the reaction/interest level of the students who viewed the film and did they have to answer any response questions to the sections you presented? How much time did you spend covering Japan/China/Korea in your History course and do you have any advice you would like to share about it? Thanks

[Anonymous]

I recently watched the movie Hero with Jet Li and I absolutely loved it. This is a film that I intend to use in the classroom. It is rated PG13 and some of the content inappropriate for my 7th graders. I also would not have time to screen the entire film for them. However, the use of several clips would definitely support my unit on China and I know the students would find it fascinating. The subject of the film is the historical legend of China’s unification under the Qin dynasty.

The movie is beautiful, poetic and tremendously entertaining. Just the type of material that can help students to get caught up in History – the perfect antidote to boring texts and lectures.

Now, the only question is just which scenes to show them. I know I have to include the last shot, which shows the Great Wall, and also some of the incredible action sequences which show breathtaking battles and martial arts sequences.

Clearly, there is a very unrealistic element to this film, but by carefully choosing a few clips I can help interest my students in the history.

This movie was released in the US in 2004 and was directed by Zhang Yimou. I am sure many of you have seen it, as it has been quite popular. The link at IMDB is http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0299977/

[Anonymous]

I am a secondary school teacher but while doing my credentials at CSU, my group did a project and I had a chance to glimpse through this book and it seems like the elementary school students really (from discussions with the other teachers in my group) like this story because they seem to understand or relate to the animals more easily. They seem to be very eager to find out what the animal sign is for the year they were born and can also relate to the incidents and experiences that the girl in the story has. I think it would be a good book for MS ESL students as mentioned by LC.

[Anonymous]

See-ing into the Exquisite Lives of Women in 19th Century China

Lisa See wrote the book "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan". The above link is an interview with her by APA.

Ms. See traveled to China from her home in Brentwood (yes, she is our neighbor!) to research and prepare for the novel. Her inspiration for the novel came from her discovery of nu shu. Nu shu is a secret language that women from Hunan province developed and used to communicate with each other. It is regarded as the only gender-based language in the world, and one that has been kept secret for a very long time. THe language was developed during a time when women were not considered intellectuals, and they spent most of their time isolated. Her book is based on the friendship between two women and their struggles and survival during a time when life was not easy or fair if you happened to be a women.

What makes this interview interesting is the fact that Lisa See, born in Paris and not particularly Asian looking, grew up in her grandparents' antique store in Los Angeles' Chinatown. Her first book "On Gold Mountain" describes her family history, sure to be interesteing to High School students. I have not yet read her books, but based on this article and her interview, I am headed to the library to check them out.

[Anonymous]

Does any WHG 7th. grade teacher have any suggestions about covering the 'Tale of Genji'? I was sort of surprised that my MS English class had not read about it even though it is supposed to be covered under Japan per State History Standards. I tried to get a concise story for my class but was unable to make much headway. I was even more surprised when I found out that the school library did not have a copy of this book. The ones in the city libraries are quite long. I ended up telling the class bits and peices about this fictional storyand its court setting and 'aware' (the feeling of sadness at the death of beauty) in Japanese literature.

[Anonymous]

I don't know where to get the concise version of "Tale of Genji." But if you ever find a perfect edition for the 7th grade classroom, please let me know.

By the way, does anyone know the book called “Samurai Boy?” I read it about 5 years ago. It had about 300 gages. I forgot the author or publisher. I lost the book and very sad about it. It was a wonderful story that I’d love to introduce to my reading class because I have the same students for my history class.

While I was looking for it, I found a few samurai story books written for young people (I'd say the reading level is about 5th to 7th grade). They are called “Boy and the Samurai,” “The Samurai’s Tale” and “The Revenge of the Forty-Seven Samurai” by Erik Christian Haugaard, published by Houghton Mifflin Co. They are all about 200 to 240 pages. According to Barns and Noble, the ratings of these books are quite high. They seem to be a perfect reading resource and they are all affordable ($6.95 a copy). I’ll post a review when I’m done reading.
S.P

[Anonymous]

Movie: “The King of Masks”, Shaw Brothers (HK) Productions, 1996

The movie is based on the ancient performance of China about mask transformation. The performer, while on stage (street in the movie), changes his masks with such speed and alacrity that it seems almost magical. The masks itself reflects different characters and the same person enacts the role of the various characters in the performance.
As per the story, this art can only be passed on to a son and not a daughter. However, the performer does not have a heir and buys a ‘son’ in the black market but the 'son' turns out to be a girl of eight who had been sold quite a few times. The performer feels cheated and refuses to teach the girl but the she tries to help the ‘grandpa’ out by assisting him to find a boy heir. After lots of twists and turns in the story, the ‘grandpa’, who is deeply impressed by the girls devotion to him, breaks tradition and teaches the ‘daughter’.
The setting is 1930’s Shichuan and the story itself is a tale of hope and transformation in the face of poverty and loneliness. There are a lot of bazaar scenes with cobblestone streets and traditional costumes. The producers, I think, have done a great job in not being ostentatious, especially as far as the costumes are concerned and the music is in keeping with the setting and theme of the movie. The main actors of the mask performer, the young girl and the opera singer have done justice to the characters they portray though at times the girls dialogues show lot of ‘street wiseness’ about it. The Confucian philosophy of filial piety can be seen in many parts of the movie and some of the dialogues also reflect the belief. The original movie is in Mandarin with English subtitles.
Just last week I saw a cultural performance about the 'Masks' on CCTV and incidentally I happened to come across this movie in the local library over the weekend. It's about a 100 min. movie which can be shown to MS, maybe after editing a couple of short clips (the movie is not rated)
By the way, if someone is interested, "Chusingura" (The Loyal 47 Samurais) seems to be available in the city libraries, as well. I saw a copy of it in VHS at the Torrance library.

[Anonymous]

I found many similarities between my students and other teachers' students while reading posts about Chinese Cinderella. I, too, have several copies of this book in my classroom library, and they are all now virtually in tatters. It's one of those rare books that students actually recommend to each other and come and ask me for. The majority of students in my class who read the book are girls--latinas, in fact. So many of them have told me that they can relate to this book. One student detailed how in her family, and often in her culture, boys are also valued more than girls. She expressed frustration in her journal about how her brother is allowed to go anywhere with anyone and stay out as late as he'd like, while she must stay home and complete traditionally female chores around the house, such as cooking dinner and cleaning her brother's room while he's out having fun. I love the idea that the previous poster expressed to use this book as a springboard for autobiography or memoir. I've used this book in literature circles, as well, and it always provokes conversation. I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions of books like this that appeal more to boys? Two that I have found that boys respond to are Donald Duk by Frank Chin and China Boy by Gus Lee. I have had some male students read Chinese Cinderella and enjoy it, but for the most part, girls are still reading it more often.

[Anonymous]

Regarding to my last post:

I have just finished reading Erik Haugaard's "The Boy and the Samurai." It truly is a wonderful story that tells about a orphan boy who survived through the fudal Japan. He went through many different situations and encountered many strange people including samurais.

I thought the book was quite interesting and appropriate to use for a young reader's literacy cadre or a reading discussion for any history class. Our students will discover an enchanting world of the Japanese historic context in samurai era.

I wondered how the author who was born in Denmark could have written this book with all the detailed description of the lives in fudal Japan.

The Book Info:
Erik Christian Haugaard - Houghton Mifflin Co.
Price $6.95

[Anonymous]

Regarding to my last post:

In the course of looking for the book I read in the past, I came across 3 samurai tails written for the young readers. So I bought them all. I did not really recognized it, but I just found out that one of them was the one I have been looking for. It is called "The Samurai's Tale" by Erik Haugaard.

I have just started to read the book after I finished reading "The Boy and the Samurai," and remembered the story. This is the one ("The Samurai's Tale") that I would recommend to any age reader. It is so well written and easy to read that it keeps the reader's interest throughout the story. The readers would learn so much about the Japanese historic background without even thinking about it. The story definitely transcends culture while the episodes reaches the reader's curiousity. This is trully the book that everyone should enjoy.

[Anonymous]

I just returned from our study tour in China and Japan and, while touring, I read River Town by Peter Hessler. It was the perfect non-fiction account to read during this tour, but I also recommend it for anyone who is interested in the human side of China. Hessler was a Peace Corps volunteer serving as a college teacher in a small town in 1996-98. He wrote about his experiences and the reactions the Chinese had to him, one of the first westerners to live in the town on the banks of the Yangtze River. His memoir unfolds as did his two-year experience; chapter one describes his initial problems as a American in the community -- one who didn't speak Chinese, who was ridiculed on the street, who was goaded into participating in drinking games at parties, who was unsure how to teach English literature in a Communist country. As he becomes more adept at the language and more comfortable in the town, and as he becomes friends with people in the community, his descriptions become more rounded and complex.

Hessler incorporates historical background and statistices with the stories he relays about the people he meets. For example, he questions Chinese as to their reactions to the Three Gorges Dam, as he provides facts on the scope of the project. He gets to know a Communist Party leader in the college, and he provides background on the Party as he looks at the complex demands placed on that person.

I found this fascinating reading and it gave me a better understanding of the people and country in China. I would recommend it to teachers. It is accessible to students, but it is long (400 pages) and would require more than a passing interest in Chinese culture

[Anonymous]

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, a novel by Lisa See, is currently #2 on the best selling paperback list, so it must be of interest to a wide range of people. I found it to be an engaging look into the life of Chinese women n the 1800's. While the back cover highlights the protagonist's use of nu shu, a language Chinese women created to communicate with each other, I would not say that that is the core of the novel. The novel follows two girls who meet at age six and stay friends for several decades. One sees how different two girls' experiences could be, and how situations outside their control could make a huge difference in their relationships with others. This novel repeatedly shows how little control women had over their lives. From the day she begins footbinding, a girl must do everything she can to "deserve" a good husband (arranged marriage), yet she is totally at the mercy of first her parents, then her mother-in-law, and finally her husband.

Americans may say "it takes pain to be beautiful," or "no pain, no gain," but women in China in the 19th century felt that pain is the life of a woman. Footbinding was thought to be one way to show a potential husband that you have endured great pain and are strong enough to survive a life of difficulties. Parents were intentionally cruel and/or distant to their children in order to prepare them for a life of hardships.

This novel decribed through the experiences of the two main characters the elaborate traditions and rules that Chinese created to control their society. The marriage customs were highly structured, even to the gradual release of a new bride to living with her husband's family.

This novel is very accessible to high school students, and I think they would find it an interesting story to read (particularly girls). Of particular interest is the concept that girls are worthless; they use valuable resources (food, etc.) and are raised only to benefit another family (their husband's family). Their worth is based on whether they produce male offspring; if a wife produces no male offspring, she can be given away and/or replaced by a concubine. And, once woman has a child, she may never see her birth parents again.

This novel will definitely be added to my class library, and could be a valuable outside reading book for students studying historical China.

[Anonymous]

Women of the Silk by Gail Tsukiyama is about girls who worked in the silk industry in China during the early to mid-1900's. Because of the last name of the author, I assumed the story was Japanese, but Tsukiyama is a Californian -- half Chinese, half Japanese.

I enjoyed this novel. A family is unable to afford feeding three children during a drought, so they give the most precocious child -- a daughter -- to a woman who keeps a dormitory of girls who work for the silk factories. The girl's wages are sent to her parents and help pay for her room and board, so one girl's work can keep a family afloat.

Once again, this novel highlights the fact that girls are of little value, and parents pay little attention to them. Also, one sees (like Snow Flower and the Secret Fan) how diffficult it is for a couple to have a satisfactory relationship when the marriage is arranged, the man has total control, and woman can be replaced or outcast if the husband is not satisfied. The parents barely speak to each other or to the children, and the father makes all the decisions, adding to the feeling of powerlessness the wife and children fell.

The interesting idea in this novel is that, despite a very difficult working environment, the girls in the silk factory enjoy friendship, have some control in their lives, and have some income they may use for entertainment. They are not involved in subsistence farming, so they have time to educate themselves. Eventually, each girl must choose between returning to her home for an arranged marriage or committing her life to the silk trade and forgoing marriage.

This novel shows several concepts in Chinese history and culture: farming and subsistence living, limitations on females, the broadening of possibilities in a city, the working conditions in the silk factories (14-hour-days; no breaks; exhaustion, injury and death among the girls), and the impact the Japanese invasion had on the Chinese.

It is accessible to high school students, and I plan to include this in my literature circle options for my seniors studying modern literature. You could also use the chapter on the silk factory conditions in a comparison of Chinese and European/American manufacturing. The industrial revolution in the late 1800's and early 1900's created hardships for the working people, no matter what language you spoke.

[Anonymous]

Hey, thanks so much for this entry. I had not seen the interview, and I am totally fascinated by nu shu - this gender specific language.

I looked at the interview briefly, and then I was hunting for some more info on the language itself. Apparently there was a documentary made by Yang Yueqing titled "Nu shu: A Hidden Language of Women in China " that sounds quite good.

Other information that intrigued me was from Wikipedia and described how the women authors who wrote in this language had any of their major works burned at their funeral, which is part of the reason it took so long to come to light.

I definitely want to read this novel and see the documentary. Thanks for the post.

[Author]

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