Session 1 - October 9

[Marcos Rico]

I knew that there where more than one Chinese dialect, but I did not know that there are more than 7 dialects. Thinking about it, it kind of makes sense, I used to teach Spanish and my students where surpised to know that in Spain they speak more than 7 different “Spanish” languages: Castilian aka Spanish, Aragonés, Asturian, Euraska, Català, Galego and Gascon, etc. Spain is much smaller than China with only 505,990km2 vs 9,326,410km.

[Jane Shen]

I would like to say that the HuKou system in the beginning during 50s, 60s and 70s is more like a beneficial passport for the residence from their local governments. As Professor Dube mentioned before, during those three decades, China with limited resources compared to its population, the government has to distribute coupons of grains, eggs, meat, cooking oil , even the facbircs for clothes to each household according to the headcounts per family in urban ( non-agricultural ) area. I remembered that when I was little, people needed to go to the designated shop to purchase grains and cooking oils with the coupons and also the Hukou red booklets to verify the residences. In these shops, grains are sold very cheap according to the government regulations. Meats, eggs could be purchased in government runned stores. The stocks of these survival foods can barely cover the needs for the local residents. I remembered that all the college students need to move their Hukou from their parents house to the schools in order for the schools providing foods. And there were no refrigirators in China back then, so the amounts of coupons issued each month could also help the local stores planning their stocks. During these decades, rural residences are madated to contribute their harvested grains at a low governments regulated price to the country while keeping the left overs for their own lives.

From 80s to 90s, as the Chinese government under Deng Xiao Ping motivating the free market, private business are encouraged, foreign intestments are welcomed to hire Chinese, this is the beginning of the migration of the Chinese from rural area or small cities to the big cities. Farmers were allowed to sell their harvested grains,fruits, vegetables for higher prices in the ruben cities. The country is no longer collecting the grains to distribut to the ruben citizens. So Hukou is no longer a chain for food and surviving daily supplies. However,as the private and foreinn invested business grew in big cities, the migrations started to fill in the job markets. Elite college graduates refused to work in their governent jobs found jobs in the big foreign companies, while the majority migrations filled in the bottom lines in the labor markets. They worked for private business owners or as daily laborer in the labor markets. These people are relatively less educated compares to the high end colleges grads, so lower-class were labled as one of the reading said. 

Since late 80s and 90s and moving to the new millennium, as for the upper leveled migrations chances to learn more in foreign countries grew, and for the lower leveled parties, chances to work as the blue collared workers in foreign countries with much better pay also openned, so Hukou became the restriction for them to obtain passports from where they were originally registered as citizens. And education in public schools are restricted for the migrant children while the private schools openning to the richer ones among the migrants.

As a conclusion, the Hokou was a survival booklets for most of the ruben citizens, while currently was more likely a proof of citizenships to obtain official documents and benefiial in public educations.

[Marcos Rico]

I had never heard of the Hukou system, before. It seems like a very harsh system to treat the population of a country, taking away their freedoom of internal migration and residence, which was part of their original rights under their constitution. From a government standpoint, it is a good tool to control the economy and people, but not a nice one. Improving the country’s economical develoment, at the expense of the farmers and other poor citizens. How was the government able to convince or brainwash the people into accepting the implementation of the Hukou system?

[Jane Shen]

In terms of "Birth Planning" policy, I would like say that "planning"sounds like more volunterilly decision by each couples. However, I would like to use a different word to refer to this policy-Birth Control.

The reason I say this is that during the 40 years of this policy, especilly the first 5-10 years, the government had enforced this policy closed to enforcement of laws. In every governer ranned companies, there was committee of "Birth Control", in each local residential area, there were people in charge of the "Birth control" issue. Couples who were pregnant with "out of quota" baby were under humongus pressures, people with red arm band will visit them constantly persuading the abotion, or even escorted them to the hospital. Couples who disabeyed the policy and gave birth to an extra baby will lost their jobs and chances to promotions due to political disobediences.

 

[Marcos Rico]

I am going to keep on looking for that documentary, already check on Netflix but it is not available. Any other ideas or suggestions of where to find it? I will check on Amazon.

[Jane Shen]

Several years after the "Birth Control"policy , as the then born children receiving all the spot light from their families, they were raised as spoiled "little kings"and 'little queens" . This result in the lack of social skills as well, kids received better edcations with more resources however more selfish, weak in team works.

As time goes by, when these "Birth Planned" childeren became adults, the family structure had changed from a regular triangle of 1 couples-2 children-4 grandchildren in to a upside down triangle: 4 grandparents-2 parents-1 child. Newly wed couples need to negotiate which side of the parents they need to spend holidays with since one side happiness leads to another sides loniness. 

And Chinese culture of valuing "son"in the family could also provide sound excuses for divorce or out of wedding affairs.

Also, the "Birth Control" policy accompanied with the legal allowance of free "abortion" also lead to the social problems in teen abotions . In Chinese clinics, the announcement of a pregmancy is not followed by "congratulations"but a question" do you want to keep the baby or abort ?", if the woman choose to abort the infants, there are no questions will be asked, they just need to move to the other room for the abortion. Abortion had became a routine procedure in the hospital that neither the doctors , nurses nor the moms are feeling guilty for the murder of the new lives.

 

[Marcos Rico]

Hello Jane,

      Thanks for explaining the benefits of the Hukou system for the urban citizens. I was wondering how the government was able to implement such a harsh system that restricted the freedom of internal migration of its citizens. Now I have a better understanding of how the government was able to implement Hukou system on the cities (they were getting the benefits of food at cheaper prices, and social services). Now I just wonder about how it achieved implementation on the agricultural communities. What would have been the benefit for the people living on those agricultural communities?

[Jane Shen]

The documentary video of Meng Yun's story showes a typical struggle of a migration workds family.

Parents left their hometown to make money in order to provide a better lives for their children. They either work for menior jobs or run their own business whose income depends on the length of working hours. In this video, the parents of Meng Yun run their own Batthing business. Parents struggling to survive, working long hours, stressed and poured out their anger to their kids. While kids who were rejected by the regular public schools, had to go to the schools with other migrant kids. Constant changing of classmates and mixed aged, and grade classes leads to even lower quality of education than their small hometown.

Instability in residing places, low quality of living conditions, low education conditions forced Meng Yun's parents give up their business and move to another city with their kids struggling with the unstabilities.

[Jane Shen]

I used the term of "modern orphans" for those children who had parents but do not live with either of them.

As the migrants workers moving from small cities or rural areas to bigger cities, they left their children at hometown with grandparents or relatives. Similar to this, many Chinese elites are immigrating to oversea countries for better education or better living conditions. 

These parents movings create "modern orphans" in their hometowns. For example, many villages in North-East China, there are mainly seniors and children left while the young laborers searching better chances to earn money or education in bigger cities or abroad. Grandparents support for the Children's education is limited to barely feeding them. Children have limited parents care and companions leads to many social and school diciplinary issues. Even with those whose parents are highly educated and persuing even higher degrees overseas, children's education and emotional health had became a big concern until nowadays.

Will there any solutions? I personally do not know if there is any.

[Jane Shen]

In my classroom, one of the reading I will assign for my students is from the the magazine of "In the Worlds"Vol. 13 dated Feb 2013. ( attached). As you can see from the pictures, that the same Beijing with different colors. The left side is the polluted view, and the right side is the Beijing during the APEC ( Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) meeting in 2014 when the roughly 10,000 factories in teh surroundings were forced to suspend production during APEC, and additional 39,000 ran on reduced schedules, over 60,100 industrial plants and 123,000 other ventures were cosely inspected. "APEC blue" is a governer made during APEC meeting.

The artical is titled "Beijing's Polluted Air Opens China's Eyes". In this artical, AQI ( Air Quality Index) was used as a tool for measuring air pollution. The AQI measures pollutants on a scale of 0-500, and from 301-500 the air becomes hazrdous to everyone. The shocking AQI number of Beijing had reached to up to 866 according to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. As for the Chinese government tried to hide the polution as "bad fog.", however, Beijing's residents have been able to see the U.S.Embassy's hourly AQI readings on internet have used social media to spread that information and demand government improvement.

In this artical, the author analyzed several reasons caused the Air pollutions:

1. Weather and geographic cause. Colder weathers in winter caused the increase of burning coal. Mountains surround Beijing in a horseshoe shape cause the pollution accumulated as it blew in from many factories in neighboring cities. 

2. Burning of coal as energy sources produce the most of Beijing's air pollution.

3. Increaing usages of automobiles followed by the economy growth.

Bad air produces bad effects, nearly 400,000 premature deaths in China each year caused by pollution, the lung cancer rate in Beijinghas increased 60% in the last decade.

People wearing masks had became an obligation in Beijing. However, wearing masks should not be the solutions to the Air pollution, the governments needs to take action to replace the current energy source of burning of coal. People in Beijing do not want to see the air that they breathe.

Attachments:

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[Jane Shen]

Since I came to America 20 years ago, so there a need for me to update my knowlege of contempory China due to the absent from some of the major movemnets such as the governments transform from Hu Jintao to Xi Jin-ping, the most current Economy battles.

Through this class, I would like to learn more about current issues related to the Xi jinping leadership, and the politic and economic diagram changes recently in order to explain better in my classroom.

[Jane Shen]

Hi Marcos,

Thanks for your interested in my post.

As far as I know that the Rural Chinese ( farming peasants) are not benefits from the cheap grains since they can grow their own. But they could still be benefitted from the coupons of meat, fabrics for clothes, cooking oils as well.

Since the farmers cannot receive monthly wages from work, their livings are more depending on their harvest. So in some good harvest years, after mandated selling to the government at a given price, they would still have enough food for themselves and have extras to sell at a a higher price. Usally their income in only one times in the Fall season and use them through out the year.

Due to the above mentioned reasons, young adults are desperate to get out of their farm land and obtain a city Hukou. There are some ways to swith their Hukou from Farming to Non-Farming: best way is go to college and being assgined to a government company, marring a non-farming spouse is another way. In recent years, the many young adults would just work in the cities ingoring their obligation to farm.

[Ashley Mesko]

Much of the information on contemporary China was new to me. What I found most fascinating was the birth policy enacted by China’s Communist Party. The details of the extreme population planning initiative were not only shocking but far more restrictive than I had previously thought.

 

For more than three decades, the strict birthing policy allowed families only one child. In theory, the state-mandated policy should have been an effective solution to the runaway population growth created by the push to increase population in 1949. But, instead of solving the population crisis, it created new sets of issues. China now had an unblanced sex ration, with the boys outnumbering the girls.  Until the 60’s, the Chinese government encouraged families to have as many children as possible believing that population growth would increase the power of the country. By 1976, China’s population was close to 940 million people. With the country facing possible overpopulation, the one-child policy was introduced in 1979 and those who did not follow the law were faced with fines, sterilization forced abortions, and harassment from authorities. The policy was enforced at the provincial level and most strictly enforced in densely populated urban areas. The policy was reformed in 1980 to allow for some couples to apply to have a second child but according to the article written by Aileen Clark, many couples chose not to apply for a second child due to new economic and social pressures to succeed.

 

It's a political strategy. Overpopulation, resource and food shortages lead to dissent and revolution. They threaten the security of the status quo. It threatens the Party.

 

It is also a humane decision. I believe that many of China's leaders do care deeply about the comfort and security of the people of China. There has been so much suffering already. The dislocations, disruptions, and chaos of the Japanese invasion left tens of millions to die of disease and starvation. The memories from that period of time remain strong. I think there are also many regrets about the chaotic effects of the Cultural Revolution.

 

There is some truly grown up and rational thinking behind the one-child policy, unlike the breed until you starve for the glory of God policy. There are many other countries that could benefit from same. The health of the planet and the better secured future of the human race might be at stake.

 

There are however, some weak points in the one-child policy, such as in low tech agriculture, where growers of essential foodstuffs need many family hands to run a successful and productive operation, yet they are fined heavily for each extra, yet necessary pair of hands they bring forth. In cases such as this, special dispensations might be warranted to encourage maximum output for the good of all.

 

[Marcos Rico]

     I found this video very informative. I was aware of China’s one child policy, and how it was a measure implemented to curb overpopulation, and all the other issues associated with it such as food shortages (starvation), lack of natural resources, civil unrest, etc. It sounded like a tough, but necessary measure to improve the well being of the nation as a whole. I know that some third world countries have approached overpopulation by promoting birth planning (no negative consequences for parents who have several children), but Chinese leaders opted to use birth controlling (Negative consequences for parents that have more than one child). I was unsure about what kind of negative consenquenses the families faced for breaking the one child policy, it was not addressed on the video either, but reading some of the comments from my peers I have learned that citizens who broke the policy coul face heavy fines, forced abortions and even forced sterilization. 

      The one child policy in China had other unintended consequences. China like many other countries is bias against women. This bias is more accentuated in rural areas, where a boy will grow up and help in the farm work becoming a valuable asset to the family. A girl will grow up and get married moving to a new family, where she will become an asset to that family and not for her parents. Due to this ideology, and the one child policy, many families would abort their babies when they found out that they were girls. Opting to try again until they could have a son.  According to the video, after more than 30 years of the one child policy, there are about 40 million more young men than women. It is estimated than 1 of every 5 men will not be able to find a bride. Due to the inequalities that exist in the country, the concentration of this older bachelors aka “Dead Branches” is happening more in rural areas. There many villages with only a handful of women, this villages are known as bachelor villages. What is going to happen when these young men age out, and they do not have children of their own to replace them in working the land? 

       Many of the men from these bachelor villages are moving to the city trying to meet women and get married ( moving out of their registered Hukou has other consequenses, too). Some of these bachelor men and their families save money for several years, to allow the men to travel to other Asian countries in search of a bride. Many times they end up paying a middle man to “help” them find a wife (some times the middle man will use part of the money to pay the father of the future bride for his daughter). 

        Other bachelors are using highly illegal means of finding a wife such as kidnapping young women from other towns or cities. Some of this kidnapings are being commited by individuals desperate to find a bride, while others are commited by organized criminals who then sell them as wives/ slaves. The video showed how some of the victims were young women and sometimes even married women. Of course their families and husbands are looking for them, but appears as if they are not receiving much help from the police. The Chinese police claims to have saved more than 30 thousand women who were victims of this type of kidnapping.

        A policy that seem as a good solution to overpopulation (it did work to control it), has created a new host of problems due to several unexpected variables.

      

 

[Katrina Oh]

In the past, when I taught Chinese history to my world history students, I treated historical events like the Opium Wars, the Revolution of 1911, and Rape of Nanking as isolated events that occurred sequentially one after another, without giving much thought to how these events might have shaped the collective psyche of the Chinese people.  Part of the problem might be attributed to the textbook that I assign to my students in class: While I am a huge fan of Robert Strayer’s Ways of the World, I must admit the author does not offer the most comprehensive account of history. But this week’s lecture on the history of Chinese communism was very enlightening! The lecture strengthened my understanding of the connection between European imperialism of China in the 19^th century and the rhetoric used by Chinese leaders under the Communists from 1950s onwards. In short, while I knew the Chinese had felt humiliated after being defeated by the Europeans and later the Japanese in World War II, I did not know the depth of their humiliation nor the persistence of those emotions. 

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