Session 2 - 9/28 (afternoon), Clay Dube

[Sara Newman]

Hi Lizette, 

I'm glad you brought up the ambigous/unresolved boundary between North and South Korea. I found it really interesting to hear that not only is the dimilitarized zone remains a point of contention between the two countries, but also that it has become an accidental nature preserve. After class I did a bit more research on the topic and read that, "The same forces that prevent humans from moving within the nearly 400 square miles of the DMZ encourage other species to thrive. Manchurian or red-crowned cranes and white-naped cranes are among the DMZ's most famous and visible denizens. Nearly 100 species of fish, perhaps 45 types of amphibians and reptiles and over 1,000 different insect species are also supposed to exist in the protected zone."

This reminded me a lot of the situation that emerged in Russia after the Chernobyl explosion where human misfortune actually lead to a rare opportunity for animals and plants to grow within human interference. I think it's really beautiful that when huamns created these crises that were too big for them to manage, nature actually benefited in surprising ways. I know that most of their finiings about the animals and plants that have been growing in this unexpected sanctuary is vague, but I'm curious about how possible good could be emerging from the ongoing tension in the DMZ. 

[Kurt Hansen]

What I like about this article is "Barbarians". Everyone is a barbarian based upon their point of view and culture. The Chinese call the Europeans barbarians for their foul ways, their hoisting of Opium upon the residents and their effort to subvert the Chinese culture. Europeans considered the Chinese barbarians due to their “primitive” culture and “uncivilized” ways. The Chinese had little choice but to open their ports to the strongly superior European warships, but these placards proved that not all Chinese agreed and that they would do everything in their power, down to the last stone, to stop them. I think the Chinese had the better claim. Europeans countries were young compared to the Chinese. Like America seemed more barbaric than the Europeans, the Europeans appeared more barbaric than the Chinese. Barbarian is also an incendiary word which is used repeatedly in the placards to ignite an aggressive response to the Europeans taking over the 5 ports and manipulating foreign trade. One question, Was it helpful? Did it keep the Europeans out of the city? I guess that's two questions.

 

[Haena Shin]

I think you bring a very important point to an area of concern that needs to be addressed. With a population as large as China, I wonder what the government can do to limit or even treat water pollution. I think it would be interesting to learn how the public in China feel towards the issue of water pollution and what they can do to address it. Similar to Japan's proactive mindset towards recycling, I'm curious as to whether there are proper ways to dispose of contaminated water and what kinds of irrigation systems can be used to treat and recycle the water.

[Haena Shin]

It's actually the 38th Parallel but it is also considered the largest demarcation line in the world. It's interesting to note how much nature and wildlife is preserved in this boundary because no civilzation has taken place in these limitations since the Armstice in 1953. It was such a monumental moment to witness how such a reserved and protected boundary is slowly becoming less off-limits, especially since President Trump and President Moon Jae-in have recently been in talks and walked alongside each other. It makes me hopeful that one day, this boundary will no longer divide people between North and South Korea. Rather, I hope this space can be used to a much more meaningful purpose.

[Cynthia Stults]

Kurt, it was amazing that this idea came up in a social studies discussion in my 4th grade class. We were discussing early explorers in North America and California specifically. We were talking of Francis Drake, and how the description the book gave reminded students of what pirates did. A student asked if Francis Drake was a bad guy. This led to a great discussion about perspective. (the book failed to mention that England and Spain were enemies at this time) As Drake was raiding Spanish ships and settlements, students determined that Spain likely considered Drake to be a villain, but since he was making England rich and having victories against their enemies, that he would be a hero in England, as evidenced by the Queen giving him a knighthood. Seeing as even the "latest and greatest" textbook can fail to provide multiple perspectives, it becomes even more important for us as educators to facilitate understanding and discussions about how particular events and figures are viewed by all participants/cultures involved. 

[Cynthia Stults]

Kurt, I too have been watching the tensions in Hong Kong with great interest (especially with my involvement in this course). Hong Kong is China's "goose that lays the golden eggs", but as you said, unlike Manchuria who were used to a pretty totalitarian rule, Hong Kong had significant freedom under British rule. My father once was acquainted with a Hong Kong citizen who held a governmental position at the end of the British rule. This official worried about this exact situation when Hong Kong was turned back over to China. Residents of Hong Kong were accustomed to having significant amounts of freedom under the British, and he wondered how long the Chinese government would "play nice" with Hong Kong before they cracked down on them like the rest of their territory. Although China is trying to crack down on the Hong Kong protests, it would appear that they are still trying to treat Hong Kong with kid gloves. They are relying on Hong Kong police to quell the protests, instead of sending in the military. The only time the military has left their barracks was a few weeks ago when they emerged in training clothes, wielding rakes and shovels to help  clean up after the most recent protests. Had similar protests been occurring in mainland China, I am almost entirely certain that the government would have sent in full military force to put down the protests. This makes me very curious as to the angle that the media in mainland China is using when reporting on these protests. I could see there being a real concern that the rest of mainland China might start to question why Hong Kong is treated differently, and possibly start to want similar treatment.

For me, this situation has made more clear why North Korea has such a tight rein on the outside influences it allows into its country. It's hard to be upset about "rights" you've never had nor know much about. 

[Matthew Hurwitz]

I think that this is a great question to pose to students! The idea of "distinctiveness", the value of distinctivess, and the loss of distinctiveness would be a great entry point for students to not only look at China, but to compare how their own country has addressed this problem. Or is it a problem? I think an interesting follow up question, both in looking at the Qing Dynasty, and at our own American culture would be: "Is cultural homogenization in a country a positive or a negative?" Students could draw on their knowledge of almost any period of American history to answer the question, and it would help put into context the struggles and challenges faced by a country that otherwise seems remote and far away, both culturally and geographically, from their own daily lives and experiences. As teachers, we're always looking for how to get student buy in, and I think you're suggested guiding questions would be a great way to get there for this topic.

[Robert Docter]

The articles on, "Ridding China of Bad Customs" gave me reminders of the American suffragist and women's rights movements as well. I wasn't able to use Jin's address in the debate, but I wish us radicals voiced it up specifically as I look back! But Jin and the other accounts are accessible for my students, and a good resource when bringing in cultural and social issues during the late 1800s. Bringing in the multiple accounts about footbinding, regulations of marriage, tensions with fathers when having a female daughter, etc. would resonate well with a world history class on this topic. The power in Jin's words resonate so simply and strong, "Dear sisters...". It would be interesting to find accounts of Jin's influence throughout other countries' women's rights movements as well. 

[Kurt Hansen]

I took a mini field trip to the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena with my daughters. It is a wonderful small space museum. It had a very nice flow through the exhibits, going from country to country. I appreciated that the museum had art, but also had artifacts from different countries at different time periods. There were many religious pieces depicting Buddhism, Daoism, Hinduism. These tend to be the pieces that last through time because of their spiritual value. In class, we discussed China, Japan and Korea through historical, economic, social and political ideals and the changes that happened through time. The museum is based on the people of these countries. It’s based on their art, beliefs and even their household items they used everyday. The final component of the museum was a zen garden with statues, water figures and exotic grasses and plants. It reminded me of the lecture on the meditation gardens and Japanese architecture. It was easy to understand why these gardens exist. It was enjoyable at the end of the museum to sit and just view the surroundings in a peaceful way. I really appreciated the museum. It wasn’t crowded and I had time to read up and study the items. I also enjoyed the variety of items on display. It was a very nice morning and allowed my family and I to learn more than what we covered in class. I would definitely recommend this museum. It was highly enjoyable in a Zen way.

 

[Katherine Oh]

I was reminded of the level of air pollution in China today and how much it has gotten worse over the last few decades. I had the opportunity to go to Yanji, China in 2017 and one of the first things we did to protect ourselves was get masks and try our best to stay indoors while we were traveling around China. I realized how much smog we have here in LA and if people who come to visit us feel when they fly into LAX. For the amount of land China encompasses, I was surprised to see how much pollution is in the air as well as the water. 

I would use this topic to address our own need to think about how we pollute our water and air here in Los Angeles and how we can prevent Global Warming and hurting our environment in practical ways. 

[Katherine Oh]

One of my friends started a clothing company called Unification and the mission and vision behind their company is “to rekindle the dying dream of a reunified Korea. They are a movement promoting peace, and moreover, a movement to make the reunification of North and South Korea a higher priority on the global agenda. Unification pursues the dream of two separated nations standing together in harmony once again. We rally our supporters to take part in this dream that has been lost in our generation, and is being reborn through this movement. The movement for Unification.” According to their website, the see the dividing line between North and South Korea an important symbol that represents the relationship of North and South. The border was intended to be temporary, it later became cemented into the land as well as Korea’s history. Despite the Korean Armistice Agreement (cease-fire) of July 27, 1953, there was no peace treaty signed; meaning that the state of war between North and South Korea still officially exists. There is a growing hostility between the separated nation which endangers its own citizens and jeopardizes the rest of the world to this very day. I hope that in my lifetime there will be a unification of the two koreas and I will be able to see the reunification of separated families and governments.

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