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AnonymousI am looking for web material on the upcoming 08' Olympics. I prefer audio and visual websites that has tracked all the major improvements and renovations China has expeienced over the last few years leading up to the games. I caught a glimpse of the reconstruction on the History Channel's Modern Marvels and Time magazine has had a few articles on it but a web resource would be great.
AnonymousI found an interesting audio visual of the key event sites under construction on "you tube" at: and you can scroll down and see other related "you tube" films.
And some good reading can be found at http://en.beijing2008.cn/88/46/article212044688.shtml which is the "Beijing Zone" website.
Additionally, the national travel agency has a section on the construction and other info at http://www.thebeijingguide.com/olympic_construction/beijing_olympic_construction.html which is audio visual and pretty interesting. Having just come back these sites are well worth it since most of the days we were in Beijing it was hazy and we could not get as close as these photographers.
An aside is the "Beijing Welcomes You" song sung by a group of popular Chinese artists. Pretty cool! http://resources.alibaba.com/topic/327435/Beijing_Olympic_08_08_08_Beijing_Welcome_You_Tube.htm
Regards,
Betse Amador
AnonymousSomething that does not seem to be discussed that much is the fact that the Olympics are right around the corner. A fun website to explore is the official website of Beijing Olympics.
http://en.beijing2008.cn/ This website will give you the rundown on what's happening for the Olympics. The main page will give some of the top news stories along with a video of some of things you might want to do if you were in Beijing.
Anonymouscheck out en.beijing2008.cn/
AnonymousThank you for the web resource. What I had in mind was more along the lines of the slums or deteriorating buildings and or homes next to some of the Olympic venues, and how they were being swept under the rug, sort of speak, by the government. I believe it was in the news some time ago. Anyhow, I did find the website useful for both myself and I believe I would also recommend this site to my students.I found http://en.beijing2008.cn/ to be very practical and easy to navigate through. I particularly found the official Chinese uniforms cool and if the color red would not get me killed in the streets I might just consider wearing such garments. Another interesting item was the recycling program that I believe is of importance in either sending a message to the world or simply complying with the new war on global warming.[Edit by="hmartinez on Jul 26, 11:14:39 PM"][/Edit]
AnonymousThere is an interesting lesson plan that links U.S. to East Asian Studies. It's called The New Order for "Greater East Asia". This unit would be good for a history teacher. It focuses on American Diplomacy during WWII. I think it would be interesting to take a look at it.
AnonymousThis is a link to LACMA that relates to the Islamic Art Exhibition in 2003, The Legacy of Ghenghis Khan.
http://www.lacma.org/khan/index.htm
This is "eye candy." If students are not interested in reading the fine print, they will be intrigued with the interactive parts of this site when looking at and examining the objects from the exhibit.
Iincluded are art, tapestries, gold, pottery and ceramics. . . . The pictures, though small, can be enlarged to look at specific parts of the work featured. Frames are enhanced with beautiful lettering, The text guides the viewer through the exhibit. The background information provided for each object in the collection is easy to read and provides historical context for the piece. Although there are no maps, the text guides the viewer across the steppes of the Volga region west to Europe and South into Persia. The various religions that the Mongols encountered are also discussed and the viewer learns how they not only influenced the art of the local area, but how their influence was felt across the empire through trade and through the Khan's program to move artists to other areas.
It is also good for the teacher to get a quick overview of the art of that period of China's history, and to see the impact of the travel east to west and back again. Not only did silk travel that road, but so did ideas, religions, government, philosophies, and artistic skills.
[Edit by="jchristensen on Jul 26, 11:39:55 PM"][/Edit]
AnonymousAn interesting Lesson plan that deals with current issues taking place in Korea, Japan, and China has been posted on the New York Times Website. The stanadards listed are for New York, but the lesson plan still meets many California State Standards as well. Anger and Aggravation in Asia Examining the Relationships Among China, Japan, and Korea can be found on http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20050413wednesday.html.
It appears that the New York Times has Daily Lesson Plans such as these for teachers. You can also go to http://asianinthecurriculum.org/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1476083/m/3091029511
Just in case I didn't copy that just right, you can google search Asia in the Curriculum Bulletin
AnonymousThere is a whole section of free worksheets for lesson plans that deal with China. Just go to http://www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/country/china.
This site includes several activites, printables, and lessons. Check it out!!!
AnonymousWhile looking at the J E Berger Foundation website I found this link to Portraits of the Emporers. It is first rate.
http://www.chinapage.com/emperor.html
It includes some portraits carved in stone, others in black ink, and numerous colored. It includes San Huang (Three Kings) and Wu Di (Five Emperors), skipping several centuries to the Qin Dynasty, Emporer Qin Shi Huangdi. Follow the exhibition through the Han and Sui Dynasties. In the Tang there is a portrait of Empress Wu Zetian (684-705) who outlived her husband and ruled behind the screen of one of her sons until he died and then she took over until she reached 80!. She is popular with the Chinese and there are numerous movies about her. There is link to follow which takes you to a YouTube page that lists the various movies and actresses [Chinese, Mongolian, Honk Kong--depending on when the movie was made] who have played Empress Wu. It is interesting to watch them, of course no subtitles in English, but the action is enticing. Returning to the list of emperors, view Song, Yuan (Genghis Khan portrait on silk of him in his sixties that is in the Palace Museum, Taipei), Ming and Qing Dynasties.
The portraits are high quality, good for use in the classroom. I thought it was interesting to note the changes in imperial gowns over the milennia and the use of color and emboidery.
Whether or not one chooses to link to Empress Wu videos, this site is worthwhile because it puts pictures of all the emperors (and empress Wu and the Empress Dowager) in context because it follows the timeline of the dynasties.
The site is easy to navigate and students working independently would enjoy the tour.
AnonymousURL: http://www.2mminutes.com/index.html
http://www.2mminutes.com/index.html">2 Million Minutes- link
Contents:
The website has developed around the documentary 2 Million Minutes, which attempts to compare the educational systems of the U.S., India, and China. The film (according to the website and another thread in this forum) takes a deep look into the achievement levels, differences in the respective educational systems, and the cultural differences that effect students' high school experience. The website contains blogs, media related to the film, and a wide variety of resources both educational, and for the film itself. The website acts as a promotional and educational tool.
Ease of Use:
The website is fairly easy to use with easily found tabs and color that is easy on the eyes. There are many postings in the Blog section that at first can make navigation difficult, but there will not be any problem once the user is familiarized with the layout and organization.
with Students:
Students can use this website to learn about the documentary, find screenings for the film, read and or view media discussing the respective educational systems, and participate by posting comments or find ways to work with the organization directly.
The material can be used in the classroom in a variety of ways- including debates, research, current events, etc.[Edit by="jwilhelm on Jul 27, 11:55:02 PM"][/Edit]
AnonymousTry this regarding the "hutongs" being renovated
http://www.danwei.org/danwei_tv/hutong_chronicles_luoguxiang.php
AnonymousThis is an interesting video clip, and though several years old, is still timely.
For the Olympics, Beijing cleared many Hutongs in order to build Olympic Park and stadiums. Also, they cleared many around Tienaman Square in order to update the look of the city center. Now, they are trying to preserve those that are left as a cultural heritage!
There are two points I wish to address in this response, 1) the Coffee Shop Owner's point of view about changes too fast and, 2) the destruction of an historical way of life.
On first viewing, I was amazed that the owner of the coffee shop would question the authorities' moving too fast to allow others to come in and open new businesss without waiting 10-20 years to see how everything worked out for the economy. Did he think that way when he conceived of this business opportunity? Did he change his mind when he found competition?
He was quite happy when he offered a new and interesting place to "hang out," but was not so happy when he learned of the new businesses/competition and the changes to the old flavor of the area. He wanted to offer something new to the area and to provide a means to improve the local economy, but when others came, he backed off from that perspective. He sounds like the small business owners who want a big mall or new maga-store to help bring in the customers, but after the fact, revile the developers because they cannot compete and face bankruptcy. Some of this we have already seen and heard or read about in LA with Carusso's "The Grove" and "The Americana." Towns people and buisiness owners cannot have it both ways. In California, the people voted for the changes, but in China the Government made the decisions. The people were simply displaced.
My second point has to do with the upheaval of the common man/woman/family with the destruction of the hutongs. On my recent visit to Beijing, we visited a hutong and had opportunity to visit a home and to talk with the resident and to visit a buisiness and talk with the owner. Both agreed that the compensation from the government would not be enough to cover the grief of losing a way of life, even if the new accomodations had running water, AC, a private kitchen and bath. What really mattered most was the pattern of life they were losing. Second, was the comeraderie of the "family" of the neighborhood, the safety for themselves and the children, and the identity of the community. If forced to move, they would lose touch with the old life, their friends and neighbors, the local shopkeepers. . . . They would become displaced persons in their own country. They would not know how to navigate the streets and shops of their new communities. The extened family would be separated, and with the distances to travel, elderly parents would not see children often. This would upset the family values of every family and would place undo burdens on the children who could not see parents often.
"Who would want to live without a bathroom?" one of my fellow travelers asked. Our 50-something hostess said it was simply a matter of planning--when to get up to go to the bathroom, when to shower, knowing how to maintain privacy in the public bath. . ." For her, it was an everyday thing. It was how she lived in the hutong and with her family living within minutes of her. No matter that she took the bus daily to work in a modern highrise with elevators, glass windows with city views, running water in modern restrooms. Home was home and culture was culture. It was her retreat from work and the larger world and its problems and worries.
China is tearing down the old and putting up modern highrises for business and living at an alarming rate, not just in Beijing, but at what cost? It is up to us, as students in this program, to monitor the news from China over the next few decades to evaluate this headlong drive into modernity and the 21st Century.
Anonymoushttp://www.awn.com/mag/issue1.5/toc1.5.html
Content:
Site contains various links to Anime related essays, interviews, reviews, and studies. Some of the links take you to thorough historical accounts of the development of Anime from Astro Boy to the present. There are also some scholarly commentaries on the content of Anime, which can be quite subversive depending on a person's cultural identity.
Ease of use:
The website is very well organized and easy to navigate. The articles within the links are well written and easy to understand. The background color is dark so as to not strain the eyes while reading.
with Students:
Many students are interested in East Asian art forms like Anime and Manga. This site will enable them to gatehr information about a subject that they are interested in. While doing so they will be reading historical reports, interviews with the professionals in the field, and commentaries by critics. They can use the information to enhance their own studies or they can use the info as a model for future work.
Anonymoushttp://www.taiwandocuments.org/index.htm">Taiwan Documents Project Gateway- link
http://www.taiwandocuments.org/index.htm
Content:
This website has a plethora of information about East Asian history. I stumbled on it by accident while looking for a good East Asian map website. While this website has maps, they by no means are the most notable features. Rather the website lives up to its name in that it contains documents, a large variety of documents including those related to the First Sino-Japanese War Peace Settlement, or the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers General Order no. One from 1945, and Taiwan-related United States legislative activity documents.
The website also contains links to other Taiwan related sites, other papers, maps, and resources.
Ease of Use:
There i so much on this site that it would help to know what you are looking for. But the site is well organized and really fun to go through all of the documents. It's really amazing.
with Students:
This will be an excellent tool for historical investigations or when searching for primary source documents.