session #3 -- october 23

[Katrina Oh]

The NYT article "In China, 'Once the Villages are Gone, the Culture is Gone" suggests that not all the migrations in China are voluntary. The article focuses on a troupe of amateur musicians whose village was destroyed so that the Chinese government could build a golf course. Following the destruction of their village, some of the musicians resolved to meet once a week and perform traditional music from their former village under a highway overpass on the outskirts of Beijing in an effort to preserve their cultural traditions.

 

But it becomes clear from the article that the musicians are fighting a losing battle: The number of musicians is dwindling and young people have less time.  In this particular case, the residents of the village never had a choice when it came to the question of staying in the village because they had never owned the land; all land in China belongs to the state. One of the drawbacks to urbanization is the erosion of cultural traditions. It is a shame that the Chinese state does not consider the traditions from rural villages worth preserving.

[Natali Ramon]

In our last discussion session Nira posted a question about how we can adequately explain to students why China has chosen to filter media and social media platforms differently than the rest of the world.  This is a tough question that I would struggle to answer for my students, but I think one important factor we should consider when speaking to our students about such a sensitive subject is to remember to put things into perspective.  One of the ways in which we can do this is by highlighting that all countries deviate from the norm, in a number of different ways. Prior to speaking to my students about China, I would probably have our students consider how the US deviates from the norm in the rest of the world.  I feel that our government’s response (or lack of) to the gun violence epidemic might be one such topic in which the US deviates from the rest of the world, especially in East Asia where gun violence is not such a big problem.  I might look for testimonials from people from East Asia so my students could hear their opinions about this problem that is very particular to the US.  Once my students gain this perspective, we might be able to have a more nuanced analytic perspective on how and why China has chosen to use social media platform so differently from the rest of the world.  Perhaps something that seems odd and different to us might be normal to the Chinese population. 

[clay dube]

Christine found CFR - a great resource. Here's a link to the official Chinese government policies on religion:
https://china.usc.edu/chinas-policies-and-practices-protecting-freedom-religious-belief

Here is the most recent US government report on religion in China:
2015: https://china.usc.edu/us-department-state-international-religious-freedom-report-2015-%E2%80%93-china

2017: https://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/religiousfreedom/index.htm#wrapper

[Natali Ramon]

I watched Professor Dube’s lecture on China’s social transformation and its expanding choices and it was very interesting to see the transformation that China has undergone through its development.  For instance, the lecture delved into how everyday life was transformed in very practical aspects such as the colors people wore, to the cinema they could choose from and the food they could eat.  With all these changes and with the rise of choices, I wondered about the drawbacks China is experiencing as a result of the rise of choices they have.  For example, just recently, I’ve been watching and reading a lot of material on the effects of US fast food on other countries.  With the rise of fast food franchises in the rest of the world, there is a rise in the levels of obesity and diabetes.  I am curious to know how the presence of fast food in China is affecting people’s health and how that in turn affects public health in China.  When professor Dube spoke about the children that are left behind as their parents migrate to urban areas to seek better economic opportunities, I was reminded of how this phenomenon is also happening on an international scale here in the Americas.  A lot of parents in Central America migrate to the US in search of jobs while their children are left behind with other family members in their countries. I am curious to know about the similarities and differences between the children left behind in China and in the US.   

 

[Natali Ramon]

Stephen,

I didn’t view the sources you viewed for this week’s lecture but I am fascinated by the fact that a lot of of social problems you write about in this post mirror the social problems that arise in the Americas due to migration.  I know that within the North American context, remissions play a huge role in the economies of Central America.  I wonder what role remissions play in the role of rural Chinese economies.  Additionally, you ask a very good question about the role of religion in providing a moral compass in rural disenfranchised areas.  I feel that generally there is usually urban areas are more prone to be more on the secular side, whereas rural more impoverished communities tend to rely more on religion.  I wonder if religion serves as a coping mechanism that helps people get through the difficulties that arise from poverty.    

 

[Natali Ramon]

Lin,

Thank you for sharing these images, they really help to visualize the transforming experiences of women in China.  You also bring up a very interesting topic that wasn’t really touched upon much during this series lectures.  Along these lines, I am very interested to know what the feminist movement looks like in China and how it has transformed with the rise of choices for women.  Within the US context, with women’s liberation, we saw the rise of women in the work force.  First of all, I wonder if women in China were confined to the home as much as women in the US, and I am curious to know how the latest economic development has affected women’s job prospects in China.   

 

[Natali Ramon]

Marcos,

I am not too shocked to see that China’s literacy rates are higher than the US.  As you mentioned, China has a long legacy and history and I feel that we often forget that just few hundred years ago, China was one of the most powerful empires in the world.  Added to this long history is an immense list of academic development.  Within the global scale the US outperforms many countries in various aspects, however I don’t feel that our education attainment matches our global prominence.  I feel this has a lot to do with the fact that we don’t invest in our schools as much as we should. If I am not mistaken, other less developed countries such as Cuba have a higher literacy rate than the US, because they have put forward a great deal of effort in alphabetizing the population.  In regards to how the European powers and the US were able to develop at such a rapid rate during the industrial revolution, I feel that a lot of the raw materials they used to develop were sacked through the process of colonization of Africa and Latin America.  That might also explain why the western powers were able to outpace China in development during this time.       

 

 

[Christine Xu]

Every September, the campuses of Peking and Tsinghua Universities (Chinese Harvard and. M.I.T) brim with eager new students, the winners of China’s cutthroat education system. These young men and women possess the outlook of cosmopolitan youth worldwide.

They are destined for bright futures: In a few decades, they will fill high-powered positions in government and become executives in state banks and multinational companies. But their ever-expanding career possibilities belie the increasingly narrow slice of society they represent. 

On the other hand, the percentage of students at Peking University from rural origins, for example, has fallen to about 10 percent in the past decade, down from around 30 percent in the 1990s. An admissions officer at Tsinghua University said that the typical undergraduate was “someone who grew up in cities, whose parents are civil servants and teachers, go on family trips at least once a year, and have studied abroad in high school.”

A huge gap in educational opportunities between students from rural areas and those from cities  in China is one of the main culprits. Some 60 million students in rural schools are “left-behind” children, cared for by their grandparents as their parents seek work in faraway cities. While many of their urban peers attend schools equipped with “state-of-the-art" facilities and well-trained teachers, rural students often huddle in decrepit school buildings and struggle to grasp advanced subjects such as English and chemistry amid a dearth of qualified instructors.

For migrant children who follow their parents to cities, the opportunity for a decent education is similarly limited. The “Hukou” system ties access to subsidized social services to one’s hometown. It denies rural children the right to enter urban public schools. Even an urban residency status doesn’t ensure educational equity among city dwellers. The quality of urban schools varies widely, and the competition to enter top schools has spawned rampant corruption. Parents fork out tens of thousands of dollars under the guise of “voluntary donations” to secure a slot for their children in elite schools. At top-ranked high schools charges can reach $130,000. Further advantage can be purchased by parents who can pay handsomely to hire teachers to offer extra tutoring to their children. This practice is discouraged by the authorities but widespread in reality.

In my class we are going to do research and talk and share ideas about Chinese education system. We are are going to compare Chinese and American education systems as well.

Sources:nytimes 

 

[Natalie Sanchez]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/China_hidden_camps

 

BBC has put out an interesting expose about the “hidden camps” in China. The website shows aerial views of some of these camps, which tend to be mostly in desert areas. It also follows the investigative journalists as they go out and try to locate the camps, the people working in them and the people detained. Something quite frightening is a section where they detail the mistakes that have been made in misidentifying some people as being ethnic Uighur when they are not and placing them in these hidden camps. Regardless of the ethnic group this is an example of how China has continued to violate some groups basic human rights.

 

[Natalie Sanchez]

It has been interesting growing up in the San Gabriel Valley mostly Monterey Park and San Gabriel and seeing the transformation of dress from the United States. I remember in the late 1980s and early 1990s men and women walking around with uniform like clothes that were always dull colors. As a curious child I asked my Dad why mainly the older generation of Chinese people dressed that way. He explained to me and I started to watch and take notice of peoples attire. In the last 10-15 years I have seen much less of the older generation wearing the common “uniform” and see much more choice in the attire that people wear here in the San Gabriel Valley. I just found it fascinating to see the effects of the Cultural Revolution here at home.

[Christine Xu]

Currently, China takes the second place in the number of millionaires worldwide after the United States. What makes this even more astonishing is how fast the number of Chinese millionaires is increasing. However, poverty is still pressing issue for China and one of the major concerns of the Chinese government.There are at least 300 million people still living under below the poverty line in china.

There is less than 1% total population of the Chinese super rich and powerful people in control 80 % - 90% of the social wealth. The gap between the rich and the poor are still in the further enlarge.

China's unbalanced regional development is also a very serious problem. In west of China the economy is far behind the east. China’s social security system and education system still have lots of problem. There are still many poor children enjoy less than the national compulsory education.

Although in the past three decades, China’s economy has made such greatest achievement, with economy developing so fast more and more social problems appeared. For example corruption constantly increased.  Although Chinese President Xi Jinping and the communist party said anti-corruption, but if not fundamentally change China's political system, it is difficult to have the effectiveness. 

Sources:quora

 

[Natalie Sanchez]

With the rapid diffusion of technology more developed regions have experienced a decrease in the need for internet cafes. However, in countries with less developed regions like rural China, many still rely on internet cafes. For many, smart phones are too expensive to obtain. India is working on making internet more accessable to its poorer population by beginning to provide internet hot spots and looking at developing more cost friendly smart phones to get into the hands of more people. 

[Natalie Sanchez]

My husband and I like to travel and in the last 15 years we have noticed a significant rise in Chinese tourists. Two years ago at the Palace of Versailles our tour director said that three of every 5 busses are Chinese tour groups. Two weeks ago while we were in Italy, there were also many Chinese tourists who are enjoying more travel freedoms. 

[Christine Xu]

When it comes to China's labor markets, we talk not only about demand but also about supply. China now faces the dilemma of having a large labor force while lacking skilled workers and experienced professionals. 

China is transitioning up the value chain from being the "world’s factory" for low-end products to high-end technology and services industries. That has led to a greater demand for labor with upgraded skills.

Data from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security shows that skilled workers account for only about 19% of China's entire workforce, with highly skilled workers making up a mere 5%.

The growth of China's service industry has led to greater demand for professionals. The sector accounted for more than 50% of GDP for the first time last year. Service industries such as IT, software, accounting, and finance, are expected to grow and absorb a significant number of professionals in the future.On the labor supply side, one problem in China is that the skills of graduates often do not match the market demand. That's because the graduates often have unrealistic career expectations and are unprepared for the job market, which leads to a high turnover rate. To close skills gaps, the Chinese educational, vocational training, and certification systems must be reformed, and macroeconomic policies adjusted to better allocate labor market resources. The talent waste due to skill mismatches needs to be reduced. Enterprises should be encouraged to provide more on-the-job training, while better thought-out curricula with the government and private companies joining forces to ensure a good match are required at service level. At the macro level, better institutional design is needed to optimize policies pertaining to population and talent. 

Sources:cctv/docplayer  

 

[Nira Sun]

Hi Natali,

I'm very much appreciate your thoughts on this matter. You are absolutely right about the fact that we need to teach our students to see how all countries deviate from the norm in different ways which leads them to think how each one of us deviates from the norm as well. One thing I have noticed from teaching our children is that they tend to set US or the region where they live as the norm to compare with the rest of the world. I remember when we learned measurement, students "complained" how Chinese uses meter and kilometer. I had them do a little research on which countries use mile as the unit. It turned out that majority of the world uses kilometer except UK and US. Same issue happened again when we learned the temperature units of Celsius and Fahrenheit. Unsurprisingly, Fahrenheit is the official temperature scale ONLY in the US. 

The foundation to all the ignorance is that we are not willing to accept / not aware of the presence of others outside ourselves. We take things for granted. It is an urgent matter that we need to open out students' eyes and minds to various cultural practices in the rest of the world. Hopefully, one day, they will no longer act all surprised when they learn that it rains in summer outside LA area. : )

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