Session 2 (9/30) - From Monarchy to Republic

[Susie Suh]

China's defeat to Japan in the Sino Japanese War was traumatizing because it signaled a shift in the power dynamic on the East Asia region. Losing their tributary country of Korea to Japan was humiliating, and it also foreshaded Japan's encroachment further into the mainland. Japan was a tiny country in comparison, and had managed to modernize its military to western standards at a rate that China could not match. The loss to the Japanese was also finalized a loss in faith and support from its own people, as China's turbulent century had already tested them to the limit in painful ways. 

[Susie Suh]

For U.S. History, I think this is a great way to compare the humiliations Britain would feel when the U.S. defeated them in the Revolutionary War as well as the War of 1812. They are both smaller countries across the ocean from the larger reigning power who managed to organize and prove themelves as leading the region into the modern age. 

[Cynthia Jackson]

I agree with Jennifer- the comparison of weaponry and letting students "draw reasonable conclusions", which my department head discusses a lot, is a great idea!

[Maria Cardenas]

Some Chinese believed their culture and their systems needed to change because during this period because everybody was taking advantage of China. This began with Great Britain in the Opium Wars and afterwards other European countries and the United States benefit. They would sign treaties that were beneficial to the other country not China.

Students can communicate perceptions on different issues on China in groups. They can throw ideas as to how they would like to communicate with the rest of the class their given topics. Students can be placed into groups of four and each group can get a different topic such as: problems, the ideal society and state, and how to get from where China is to where they want it to be. Students can begin by writing their ideas in a graphic organizer. Then they can move on an decide if they want to create a googleslides presentation, a skit, a video presentation, etc. Then students can present their topic and students can learn from each other. 

[Brigid Schmidt]

Having a little bit older students like you do, it is rewarding to be able to have these kinds of discussions with my students. Because I teach English, I try to add informational articles and readings for reading comprehension, background knowledge, research, and context. Although my students are only 6th graders, they often bring up many points and ideas that surprise me. During this population growth in China, there was some economic growth, but not necessarily economic development. Through the use of machinery, the industrial world increases the output of a single worker which can then be invested into other areas like military and education, for example. There are some good areas for compare and contrast relating these topics to what the students might already know. During the 19th Century, there were also ethnic and social issues due to tensions of a minority group (The Manchus) ruling over an expansive empire dominated by the Han Chinese. This caused many racial tensions. Our countries crecent state of affairs and history involve many examples of racial tensions. What would our students find similar about this? What would they feel if they were the Manchus or the Han? It might also be interested to draw comparisons from China's Civil War and the US Civil War which occurred around similar times. As compare and contrast writing is part of our standards, I think diving into these topics could bring about some thoughtful debate and discussion, and well as understanding. 

[Serece Tascione]

I found a resource by the art professor, Lothar Ledderose, that added to my ideas on how I would inform my students on the mix of trends in China in the 1800s. He begins a chapter in one of his books, "In China, as in Europe and in other cultures, the visual arts are ranked hierarchically depending upon their function, materials, themes, and most importantly the social position of those who practise them." He states that literary arts, such as calligraphy, were of the highest rank in China, and architecture being the highest ranked in Europe. Where one country would accept an artistic influence in one area, the other country would not and vice versa. It depended on the heirarchy of that art, whether it begin painting, sculpture or garden design. Trade of porcelein became prized and though mimicing and imitations of the materials took place in either country, there were imports and exports of these materials as well. Teaching this mix of trends through the arts, I feel, is a clear way for students to distinguish details infulenced from the trends during this time. They can compare two vases, for example, and discuss the similarities in design, material and other artist touches. Discussing these details can help create questions like, "how did this influence get to the other country," "how did trade develop with countries," or "what resources were needed to continue a trend in a country that another had?" 

[Ester Yang]

China's internal issues that were faced during this era led to the fall of China. As we discussed in our class discussion, there were many external problems such as Britain, France, US, and other countries pressuring China with Opium and the Treaty of Nanjing, but what really led to the fall, in my opinion, was the China's conservative mindset. If I were to teach this topic in class, I'd like to hold a debate with the students or even have them do a role play just like how we did it in class. The role play gives them the chance to see a different perspective of the story and share their opinions with one another. It's an opportunity for them to learn to listen, share, and persuade one another and learn about the history of China. 

[Lizbeth Vazquez-Ruiz]

I have never heard of Chinese philosophers.  Kang Youwei was a Chinese philosopher whose  ideas inspired a Reformation movement and the Hundred Days Reform. Even though I took a few philosophy classes in college, all my professors would focus on western figures and not on worldwide figures. It was interesting to read his biography and his philosophical views. An issue that many curriculums have is that they  always focus on European figures and not on worldwide figures. 

 

[Maria Cardenas]

I agree, I also believe that China's internal issues are the ones that led to China's fall. Those that said external factors played a great deal of effect with China's fall because of the treaty's. Like  you are saying that China's fall was its conservative mindset which is what I also believe. If China would have been ready to commit to change and modernization. China history may look different. 

I like your idea of having the students role play to experience the events of what happened in that time period. I have never done that before so it would be interesting to do.

 

[Serece Tascione]

China held a power unlike others prior to the mid 1800s. As modernization occured around them, power began to shift. While China remained conservative, Japan was seeing China's recent events as weaknesses, giving them a motive to take action. They sought to gain supremacy in Korea. Japan had already began to integrate western technology, including militant weapons, and then they opened up trade with Korea. Along with political imbalances, administrative changes, and other economic growth, Japan was advancing over the once powerful, China. Not being at the top, having to even compete, is a traumatic force. to any situation. This power shift was not something China was prepared for, causing defeat from Japan, and a domino effect from other nations. This trauma demanded reform within China. I would incorporte these ideas into a class's curriculum by showing them propaganda and paintings depicting the time. An example would be the illustratoin posted in Le Petit Journal about "Western Powers trying to divide thier interest and influence in China..."

[Serece Tascione]

what really studck out to me was Sun Yatsen's view on China's situation, "like loose sand." I think a demonstration of this visual would help children see how China's strength was deminishing. I would start with compacted wet sand, discuss how we can make structures that hold up when things have something to hold them together. We would then look at dry sand and compare the difference. The students can then label grains of sand on the board to represent parts of the Chinese culture and what the water would represent...that strengthening force. Then discuss that without the stability the 'water' provides each grain of sand, we are left with 'loose sand' and what that did to the Chinese culture. They can then discuss possible solutions to what would need to be done to strengthen that sand again. 

[Brigid Schmidt]

The Self- Strengthening movement was a Chinese political, economic, and military reform due to the fact that the nation’s military was weak in the mid 19th century. I was chosen as a self-strengthener and the article about Li Hongzhang. He was a Chinese stateman who made efforts to modernize his country. Some of his projects were sending young Chinese to the US to learn new skills, a commercial steam line ship, Western-built warships, a coal mine, a railroad, a telegraph line, a military academy, two modern Naval bases, and more. Along with his mentor, Zeng, they accomplished the task of putting down the Taiping Rebellion. He became the negotiator most familiar to foreigners. It is clear to see why he is considered a self-strengthener. He was wanted to help make China’s military stronger and more powerful, while reforming economic areas to keep up with the modern times. I enjoy doing role plays with my students because it makes them think of their toes and imagine themselves in the shoes of those who stood there before them.

[Tara Corral]

I was chosen as a Self Strengthener, for that i took an extra look at the article about Li Hongzhang and his life in the movement. Li Hongzhang was able to during the Taiping Rebellion with his father in a local militia. He was focused on bettering the nation and by doing so wanted to mordernize his country. I'm sure he was looking to other countries in the west especially the United States as well as Japan. The rate that Japan was modernizing was alarming to Li as they had made huge advancements. Li had also looked at the governments military power and wanted to create a stronger more powerful army but his efforts went unheard. Which may have been one of the reasoning why China lost Korea to the Japanese around 1876. Later on they also lost Vietnam to the French. Li took the brunt of those failures despite all his efforts to strengthen China and make it equal to the powers in the west. 

[Tara Corral]

I was chosen as a Self Strengthener, for that i took an extra look at the article about Li Hongzhang and his life in the movement. Li Hongzhang was able to during the Taiping Rebellion with his father in a local militia. He was focused on bettering the nation and by doing so wanted to mordernize his country. I'm sure he was looking to other countries in the west especially the United States as well as Japan. The rate that Japan was modernizing was alarming to Li as they had made huge advancements. Li had also looked at the governments military power and wanted to create a stronger more powerful army but his efforts went unheard. Which may have been one of the reasoning why China lost Korea to the Japanese around 1876. Later on they also lost Vietnam to the French. Li took the brunt of those failures despite all his efforts to strengthen China and make it equal to the powers in the west. 

[Tara Corral]

I really like your idea as well how Esther said we should be teaching students Chinas history of Opium. I am not sure you are looking at it this way but maybe also look at it on who benefits by the US addiction to drugs. I think thats a great idea to look at how one group of people could benefit from our war on drugs. Not to be a person who believes in conspiracies theories but it would be great for students to begin scrutinizing their own country and learning information on their own. 

 

[Author]

Posts