Session 2 - March 24

[Morgan Burt]

Discussion Question 3: 

Legalism would support the Qin agenda simply because it provides a system of law to follow.  Unification can be met through legalism because everyone is working for the good of law and society, as per your example of dropping money in the street, it would be found the next day because human nature will be good.

 

[Morgan Burt]

Discussion question 1

Key themes of Peach Blossom Reading: The fisherman lost track of time and he also lost his fish because he was relaxed and not focused on catching fish. Although he may have lost his way and some of his salary from the fish, he found a beautiful and peaceful place, untouched by the “horrors of war” and sin of people.

 

[Morgan Burt]

Discussion Question #2: 

One major potential problem associated with not having a single unified empire is that there is the chance for much conflict in the area, having constant changes of power will be difficult for the people to adjust, establish their livelihood, and expand their technology, etc. With a unified nation as discussed in the video there is now an ability to expand in many areas - economic growth, development of a unified language, unified mapping and highway systems for trade, and military protection.

 

[Morgan Burt]

The Attractions of The Capital Reading:

Within the text, the two capitals of Kaifeng and Hangzhou are being described. While reading through the text, the capitals appeared very glamorous or luxurious. There was a constant flow of people and markets in the streets. Many luxury items were traded and were noted as being the "rarities of the world" (Ebrey, 1993, p. 178). As the text continued it discussed the dining styles, eating, and inn's. Throughout the text, I was able to picture some of the items that were shared in the two lectures. The reading was able to put life to items discussed in the lectures.

 

[Daniella Leiato]

I agree with your sentiment that cultures are consistently influencing one another, therefore shifting and blending various schools of thought. What is accepted by one culture may be rejected by another. What is acceptable in a school of thought during one period of history may change. When considering the four distinct Chinese schools of thought, I see how contemporary waves of thinking (New Age Spirituality) have absorbed and modified different elements of these schools of thought to fit their own narrative. I think that this leads us to question how (or whether we really can) we draw clear lines between schools of thought and label those schools - especially now with the increased use of social media and the constant exchange of ideas, thoughts, and beliefs. 

 

[Daniella Leiato]

I have also encountered these symbols throughout my life, whether it be on t-shirts, bumper stickers, or even on gas station keychains. As a child, I never thought twice when I saw yin and yang keychains at the mall or on a t-shirt. But now, as an adult, when I think about and consider the sacred nature of religious or cultural symbols, I question the mainstream use of them in advertisements and on products, specifically when they are used to earn a profit. Similar to the incorporation of the dreamcatcher into mainstream society, there are many corporations and companies that use various religious and cultural symbols without knowing the deeper, more significant meaning behind them. I think we all have a responsibility to do the research and understand how and why these cultural symbols came into existence and what the meaning behind them is.

[Johnny Walker]

In responding to the discussion prompt, I likely became aware of the yin yang symbol through the South Korean flag and then gradually built awareness of it through American material culture of the 1980s in graphics on t-shirts or likely from Karate Kid films. I did not understand or appreciate the values of the symbol. It served mostly as a fetishization of Asian culture and reflected orientalism, that subtle form of racism so often appropriated in American and European artistic and capitalist culture since the ninteenth century that distorts, sensualizes and commodifies non European cultures. Honestly, I haven't truly reflected upon or emphasized the values of harmony or balance in my life to a great extent. 

The terms "harmony" or "balance" seem so ingrained into Chinese culture that it is often used regularly in political speeches. In doing a brief internet search, a CGTN article popped up in which President Xi called for "enhancing human-nature harmony as China modernizes". Such appeals seem out-of-place in the American cultural tradition. We search for growth, innovation, prosperity, pushing the limits of the frontier, domination, wealth, victory, individualism. These values seem to run counter to ideas of harmony. While much of the Chinese government calls for human-nature harmony reek of insincere political doublespeak and pandering to nationalistic and cultural traditions, it nevertheless does seem like a valuable and potentially powerful cultural commodity. If there is an already strong sense and deeply rooted cultural identity in the value of harmony, I expect that increasingly desparate calls for collective action and environmental sustainability to combat climate change are more likely to be accepted and embraced by the Chinese people than Americans. While American collective mobilization has powerful precedents especially during World War 2, those calls were for Victory rather than Harmony. Yet, in the need to combat climate change as well as truly integrate our society to be inclusive of race and gender, the calls for Harmony in America are more imporant than ever. 

[Deirdre Harris]

I enjoyed learning about the symbols of Yin and Yang, and realized that they are used here in the West in many logos on businesses such as martial arts, clothing, and tatoos.  Upon further investigation, reading and researching, I found that In Chinese philosophy, the concept of yin-yang generally referred to in the West as (yin and yang) is used to describe how polar or seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn. Opposites thus only exist in relation to each other. The concept lies at the origins of many branches of classical Chinese science and philosophy, as well as being a primary guideline of traditional Chinese medicine, and a central principle of different forms of Chinese martial arts and exercise, such as baguazhang, Taijiquan (tai chi), and Qigong (Chi Kung) and of I Ching divination. Many natural dualities – e.g. dark and light, female and male, low and high, cold and hot – are thought of as manifestations of yin and yang (respectively).  It reminds me that despite our differences with Asia and many other cultures, we are all interconnected, and must find ways to not only work together for the global good, but possibly hope to understand, respect and care about each other's differences through mutual interests.  Thank you for introducing us to this interesting thought process.  

[Deirdre Harris]

I was very interested in learning about these Oracle Bones practices.  From what I have read, and learned just recently, it sounds like this ritual has dated back all the way to the Neolithic era in China,  where they used unburned tortoise shells found in graves from the Neolilthic Jiahu site in Henan province.  It's so interesting because these shells had some similarity to later chinese characters. Then later in the Shang Dynasty other methods of using animal bones, with various types of heat, caused the bones to crack, whereupon they were then given to a Shaman to interpret the future.  I think my 4th graders would love hearing about this type of practice, and it would be a fun activity to try to replicate, in a safe way, plus having them point out on a map where these practices took place. Even though I teach the young ones, compared to many other teachers taking this class, I still think I will be able to create fun lessons to help spread understanding between the US and Asia.  That's my goal at least.  

[Max Batres]

As I started to watch the first video posted, I started to think of how we were talking about something similar in my classroom. I was talking to my students about how symbols are used all over for marketing purposes and it turned into a discussion about how some symbols have different meanings to people. From there it was interesting to see how when one symbol was brought up, there were multiple reactions to the symbol we were all thinking about. It was interesting to see how our reactions brought up a specific memory of seeing that symbol. I remember thinking it was interesting to see that if we had a postitve reaction to the symbol then we attached a positive memory to the symbol. However, if we had a negative reaction to the symbol then we attached a negative memory to that symbol. I would be interested in bringing in the yin yang symbol into the classroom and pick up the discussion we were having with my students. 

[Deirdre Harris]

@ 14:40 You speak about the Great Wall of China.  We've all heard about The Great Wall of China, and it was interesting to me to learn from your lecture who built it, and how the Chinese Emperor was able to mobilize his people to create such a defense system.  You explained that the great wall was constructed over a long period of time, and not all at once of course.  It's purpose was to defend itself from the Mongols, or any other invaders.  But what stands out to me the most was how the empire under the leadership of Emperor Qin, ordered all of the walls previously built, to all be connected.  This was strategic of course, and made the most sense in order to protect the empire, thus becoming the Great Wall of China.  These walls were constructed near the borders.  I find it mind boggling to think about what a great feat of "civil engineering" this was, as  you say.  Gathering the supplies necessary to pull this off took much planning, and manpower.  They had to think about the stones being brought in, the food needed for the workers, and they worked in the mountainous ranges which all told, was a true marvel.  This is why this site is now been deemed not only one of the seven wonders of the world, but also a Unesco Heritage Site.  Being around 13,000 miles long, going from east to west, is built over all types of terrain. Even though some of it's sections have disappeared or been rebuilt, it remains an amazing piece of history spanning over 2,000 years, remaining one of the fascinating attractions in the world due to it's historical significance and architectural wonder.  How very cool that you have been there many times, no doubt, and were able to share not only photos, but personal experience with us.  Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. Sharing this with my students will be easier with the knowledge gained, and with greater enthusiasm from me as their teacher.  

[Cynthia Jackson]

Empires that are fragmented have several issues or potential issues to deal with. First, fragmentation leads to power struggles. Regions of an empire are typically left under the control of a “middle man”, someone who reports to the emperor but has considerable power and/or wealth to act in the interest of that region. With the distance between the emperor’s court and most regional rulers, it can be quite easy to gain power and make attempts to rule other regions or take over the empire oneself. Second, fragmented empires usually have difficulty collecting taxes so that they have enough revenue to maintain the empire’s needs, including public service projects and military protection. Without being able to pay for such services, empires have experienced instability from internal issues and/or fallen to attacks from nearby empires looking to expand. Third, even with revenue to build infrastructure and loyal regional rulers, a fragmented empire can have subjects who wish to be fully independent and attempt to overthrow the regional government so they can break apart from the empire. If emperors are unable to quickly send reserve forces, if there are any, then the lives of regional rulers are threatened and the empire is most likely to lose some of the territory.

[Cynthia Jackson]

Although there are multiple issues that a fragmented empire might face, there are two benefits of fragmented empires. First, their fragmentation can become a military strength. Usually when facing attacks from an outsider, if an empire’s power is centralized, directly attacking the source of central power leads to the empire’s fall. However, when an empire is fragmented there is not a clear source of central power to attack and the outsider must begin taking the region over one fragment at a time. Doing so provides the empire with additional time to develop a counter attack and strategize how to protect their vulnerable regions. Second, fragmented empires also experience cultural benefits. Fragmented empires usually result in regions with defining characteristics and complex, fascinating cultures. An empire with multiple regions will experience this “blossoming” of culture and can draw from several regions to create the empire’s cultural identity.

[Cynthia Jackson]

I’m fascinated by the history of yin and yang in American culture. The symbol has a long history of prominence in American business and culture. Yet, this seems at odds with the U.S.’ clearly discriminatory practices and policies against Asian immigrants, specifically Chinese immigrants in the 1800s. How was it that in the same country, where companies such as the Northern Pacifc Railway fought against labor reforms and increased pay for a dangerous occupation, also adopted Confucian imagery into their logos and products? I think this question would make a good discussion question for students in a U.S. history class and could even lead to some cool investigations of the branding of 20 companies of the 1800s and the branding of 20 companies of the 2000s. As an extension of learning about the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and similar policies impacting immigration and immigrant communities in the U.S. at the time, this discussion and company branding analysis could help students understand the ways American culture can adopt “foregin” culture, but reject foreigners. These lessons could then be connected to a current event, explaining the development of the #StopAsianHate movement and allowing kids to become appropriately informed about social media activism within a safe environment. As we continue to educate in the 21st century and prepare our students for the real world, giving them media literacy skills and opportunities to understand what they are seeing on social media in relation to people’s real lived experiences is crucial.

[Cynthia Jackson]

If anyone else here is also a middle school teacher or a parent, then you might have heard of a show called Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir. This cartoon has recently gone viral on TikTok and kids from ages 4 and up watch it. Part of the show uses the concept of yin and yang for its titular characters who are superheroes with powers that balance each other out (if I’m wrong someone please correct me!). This reminds me that many cartoons and even adult television shows use the concept of balance for their two main characters. They either juxtapose their personalities or special powers so that over the course of the show each character learns from the other while growing comfortable within their own identity. So similar to my last post, I’m just fascinated that whether yin and yang has been specifically represented in a show or just implied, it is still heavily represented in the entertainment industry for all ages. This might speak to the fact that balance in life and nature can be understood, appreciated, and sought after by all cultures.

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