Session 1 - March 17

[Guadalupe Moreno]

Although the United States is not at the same level of drought as East Asia, California is still scare. Southern California relies on Northern California for water supply. Other areas within the United States are not only having water scarcity but the water avilable to the communities are undrinkable, for example the community of Flint, Michigan. Contamination of lead in the water led to many years unsanitary water as well as sick individuals. Creating relveance by comparing situations such as these to those in East Asia can allow students to understand what is occuring at a deeper level. Seeing it happen in your own home country can conect the situation and content. Taking it further we can connect these issue with water conservation and playing our part in society to try to prevent or dimisnh these unfortunate situations. One way students can do their part within my calssroom is consevre the amount of water they use to wahs thier hands, clean supplies, and to wash brushes. 

[Guadalupe Moreno]

Aging Society might be difficult to incorporate within my classroom. Tying aging and the consequences it can have for society either positve or negative can be complex. Although, my courses focus on cultural art of the world. Perhaps tying aging soceity to a cultural art of East Asia can be a route to take. Students can examine traditonal to contemporary art, how the two connect and differ, what it would be like if there was less of the elderly alive and willing to share trade secrets, and such. Exploring concepts and techniques within soceity can be rlevenat to the stduents as well. They can connect the content to thier families, culture, and present. 

[Guadalupe Moreno]

This is such a great concept Taylor. As I watched the viedos, I thought of similar problems the United States has with water conservation but never did I think of the political issuse China can have as well. Thank you for bringing this up. As for your questions, China does rely on other areas to provide its water. The three rivers; Yellow North, Yagnzia across central China, and Peral in the south. Over all the main supply for water irrigation and drinking comes the Hyimilayas.

[Guadalupe Moreno]

Cynthia, such an intrigiuing lesson. I think students would really benefit from learning the affects water fluctuations can have on a society. This can provide them opportuntiy to view the occurnace it has had on other communites such as those in the United States. One theme that I think you should incoporate is poilitcal conflit. Ask students to invetigate if the flucutation in settlements and the chnage in the river has cause political tenstion or war eith neighoring settlements or countires. An example can be the war of 1962 between China and India. 

[Guadalupe Moreno]

I too was very shocked when the charts showing the importanceof education in the Unidted States was a thin sliver. I know there is educational issues withn the US but it was still very sad to see where within importance it stands on a chart. I think this is very valuable information to show students. It is food for thought, viewing how valued their education is in the country they live. I think I would make this an Advisory/Homeroom activity, on our campus our adisovry is for Social Emotional Learning. It would give the students the opportunity to think about the concept, talk about it, and formulate possible ways of changing the view towards education in the United States. 

[Deirdre Harris]

Hi Cynthia, As I read your comments about access to clean water, and how the US is not the only country dealing with droughts, and water conservation issues, it made me realize how much we as Americans focus mostly on what goes on around us.  Living in California, and teaching a 4th Grade Class, we do teach students about the Great Depression, and the the Dust Bowl of the 30's, but how even into the 1970's, when I was a teenager, I remember having Governor Jerry Brown making water restrictions part of our lives.  Not being able to wash our cars and leaving the hose turned on (without a water-saving nozzle), not being able to wash-down our driveways to clean our property, and when things got really bad, having to only be able to water our lawn on certain days of the week.  We don't think about how China, Japan and other East Asian Countries also have water issues too.  It was interesting reading the article about how a cultural tradition in Japan in the summer-time is to sprinkle the water on the sidewalks outside, to cool things off. https://www.asianstudies.org/publications/eaa/archives/water-tradition-and-innovation-flowing-through-japans-cultural-history/ (Uchimizu) It's interesting to note that Japan has been trying to conserve water for years, and they only carried out this cultural tradition with not fresh water, but with their recycled water.  This tells me that they have a respect for nature, their environment, and preserving their traditions and culture, in a way that we here in the US do not.  I remember my mother going to Japan a couple of years ago, and she told me that she couldn't believe how "Clean" everything was.  She said there was not one piece of trash on the ground, or any part of the city she saw that looked uncared for. We need to teach our children to treat our environment respectfully, something that Japan has been able to do for many years.  We have much to learn from each other, and taking classes like this one is a great way to begin that process.  Thank you.

[Deirdre Harris]

After learning a bit about culture heroes from China, and being a novice to Asian history, I have heard that with over 5,000 years worth of Chinese history and legends, China has way too many heroes for people to try to remember.  Some of the most notable that I came across, that are shared with us here in the US for their virtues are 1) the General Yeu Fei.  He is a symbol of loyalty.  As the legend says, in the 12th century, he wanted to do his duty, and fight in the war, but didn't want to leave his ailing mother behind with no one to care for her.  The solution proposed by his mother was for him to get 4 tatoos, jing zhong bao guo, (This ties into our discussion of tatoos and Chinese symbols from your class.)  "Serve the country loyally" was what they meant.  Now he felt that he could both fulfill his duty to his country and carry out his mother's wishes.  As it turned out, he never lost a battle, and was a became a culture hero.  He even wrote a poem called "The River is Red."  2) Mulan - We all know the story of Mulan from the Disney Movie with the same name.  About a girl who takes her father's place in battle, as he is elderly, and frail. She is said to be a hero of "Filial Piety."  She served for 12 years without anyone learning her secret, and after returning home with many offers of awards and commendations, (which she declined), she was only discovered to be a woman when visiting soldiers came to her home unannounced.   3)  Monk Ji Gong is the next culture hero who is well known. Ji Gong wan't your ordinary monk.  He dressed in rags, and carried a magic fan, and broke the rules most monks were supposed to follow.  But because he had magical powers, he used them to rescue people who needed help.  He became a cultural hero for these acts.  He would often teach the "bad guys" lessons and punish them or embarrass them in public.  4)   Han Xin was a hero not only for his military expertise, bur for his tolerance as well.  The story is told that After the collapse of the Qin Dynasty, the great Xiang Yu and Liu Bang both wanted to rule China, but only one could.  With the help of General Han Xin, Liu Bang became the Emporer.  Han Xin grew up an an orphan but studied hard, and studied martial arts, always carrying a sword.  One day, a young man challenged him on the street,  The young man dared him to cut off his head or crawl beneath his legs to pass by.  After much thought, he slowly crawled between the man's legs and suffered humiliation in front of the crowd. The young Han Xin knew that this was a small sacrafice to make on his road to the bigger picture of greatness that was meant for his life.  5) Lady Mu Guiying is our final heroine, and some doubt she really existed, but the story goes, that she is known for her courage.  Her family, the Yang Clan, had fought courageously in over four generations of wars.  Known for their fierce battle tactics and bravery, the time came when most all of the men of the family had been killed.  Lady Mu Guiying is said to have gathered together all of the, maids, widows and other willing women.  They took over the military forces, and defeated the enemy.  They are said to have been courageous and skilled fighters and became heroines of their time.  

I love these stories of heroism, and find that our country's history doesn't seem to have these types of heroes to look back on and to feel proud of.  China having such rich culture, and legends to pass down to their next generations, make it easy to feel proud of your heritage.  Something that our children could use a bit more of.  I would use these stories in my classroom to ask students to find US comparable heroes from history, and to see if they could make any comparisons.  This would be a challenge, but I think it would both teach Asian Culture, and have students use their higher-order thinking skills to find such comparisons.   

 

[Jennifer Macchiarella]

I'm looking back through posts looking for lesson plan ideas and I was intrigued by your list. When we teach The Odyssey we look at the Cyclops as a particular kind of cultural moster - everything he is goes against the value of farming, seafaring, government organizing Greeks.  We then talk about what cultural monsters we have, but I think this idea of cultural heroes, and the possible. negative consequences, would add to that lesson.  The mandate of heaven is a good comparison with the divine right of kings, the Supreme Leader, the laws of succession.  Adding in history from China will enrich our lesson.

[Jennifer Macchiarella]

I like this idea of focusing on geography and then mvoing to industry. I think this could be an interestint comparison to growth patterns in other parts of the world, emphasizing the importance of geography.  Rivers, like many waterways, span country borders, which leads to lesson/discussion on water rights, transportation, regulations, and pollution.  Using China as focus study helps decentralize Europe and the US from our classes.   I would like more information on current pollution levels in China and how that affects health and industry.  I'm looking forward to post-1800 class.

[Taylor Bub]

I really love your idea of exploring the rivers in China and designing a levee system.  This would be such a cool way to create a cross curricular plan for students to help solidify their learning.  I teach science and we discuss engineering a lot and ways that we as humans can affect the environment.  Creating a project where students research these rivers and where people have settled along them, while also deciding where and how to create a levee to prevent flooding.   They could then look into how the levee's they propose might affect local ecosystems as well.

[Bin He]

The aging of the population is irreversible and will have many impacts on social and economic development in China：

1. The specific manifestations are an increase in the burden of support for the elderly and an increase in the tax burden of the working population; 

2.the income of the elderly directly affects the industrial structure and the industrialization of services for the elderly, thereby promoting the third The development of the industry;

3. the savings of the elderly population directly affects the current consumption and national savings capacity; 

4.the preservation of pension funds poses challenges to the capital market and investment management; 

5.Aggravating the 4:2:1 family structure, the empty-nest elderly have become a social problem, and elderly care has become a social demand;

6. The sense of identity between different generations becomes weaker and weaker, and so on.  

 

[Bin He]

The allocation of water resources has been a problem that has plagued China from ancient times to the present. There is both awe of extreme natural climate and a desire to conquer the natural environment.

Since ancient times, China has had deep memories of floods, and the legend of Dayu's flood control has been circulated in many places.

But more is the re-allocation of water resources by artificial engineering. From the artificial canals in the Sui Dynasty, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, to the modern South-to-North Water Diversion Project and the Three Gorges Power Station, those in power are deeply aware water is not only a natural resource but also an essential tool for driving economic and social progress.

 

Here is the extra video about the history of Chinese Grand Canal:

The Grand Canal of CHINA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUd_U2cNQ_w

 

[Bin He]

The allocation of water resources has been a problem that has plagued China from ancient times to the present. There is both awe of extreme natural climate and a desire to conquer the natural environment.

Since ancient times, China has had deep memories of floods, and the legend of Dayu's flood control has been circulated in many places.

But more is the re-allocation of water resources by artificial engineering. From the artificial canals in the Sui Dynasty, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, to the modern South-to-North Water Diversion Project and the Three Gorges Power Station, those in power are deeply aware water is not only a natural resource but also an essential tool for driving economic and social progress.

 

Here is the extra video about the history of Chinese Grand Canal:

The Grand Canal of CHINA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUd_U2cNQ_w

 

[Morgan Burt]

In the second lecture series, dynasties were discussed. One question was asked regarding cultural heros - real or imagined. One way that I feel teachers can address this topic is comparing the cultural heros of China and other cultures to ones of the native culture. For example, while looking at US history, I may compair how Americans view the founding fathers to the Chinese heros. 

[Johnny Walker]

I really enjoyed the first article listed here by Monika Dix on the centrality of water to the rituals, beliefs, traditions and technology of Japan. I'm making this comment after having finished our final lecture, and I've noticed that there are many connections in this article that encompass many of our discussions in the course. For my students, this reading offers an excellent distillation (pun intended) of the religious and cultural ideas in Japan of Shinto (after our lecture on Korea I learned not to use the term, "Shintoism") and an explanation of the animist/shamanistic Japanese beliefs of the kami (spirits present in the natural world).  We learned in our Buddhism Saturday lecture about the diffusion of Buddhism to Japan and the syncretism of the Japanese kami into the Buddhist concepts of bodhissatvas.

From an environmental perspective, the article also examines both traditional and contemporary water conservation policies in Japan. The traditional cleansing rituals of Japanese culture were in stark contrast to Europeans who first came into contact with Japanese in the 16th century. The smelly, hairy European barbarians, whether Dutch merchants, Portuguese and Spanish Jesuits, or other sailors' infrequent habits of cleanliness contrasted markedly with the Japanese peoples' daily ablutions. And, to see descriptions and images of modern toilets in Japan (whether it is the music, massage, water features, or low-flow use of water), continue to contrast with less advanced European and American toilet technology. Having students look up features of the Toto toilets would be an amusing and interesting activity.

Finally, bringing the idea of a traditional Japanese water festival to school would be an enjoyable and also informative activity. Especially for urban schools like the one in which I serve, the idea of uchimizu- water purification and cleansing rituals first used during the Tokugawa Dynasty but are now used by modern Japan in order to raise awareness of climate change and heat-island effect. When over 300,000 people participated in uchimizu in 2003 in Tokyo, the average temperature dropped 1 percent in the city. It is fascinating that this ancient ritual (which uses recycled or used water) actually has an significant effect on decreasing urban temperatures. In the San Fernando Valley, where temperatures routinely hit over 100 degrees, issues such as high electricity demand for airconditioning in buildings, increased smog production, and emission of pollutants are similar problems that my students face. In addition, the relationship to water in Southern California is vital and fraught. I would love to incorporate more ideas that bridge environmental stewardship and especially synthesizing and connecting our historical study to environmental or social justice advocacy. This article seems to offer an excellent jumping-off point. 

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