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Home › Forums › Core Seminars › East Asia: Origins to 1800, Spring 2018 › Session 4 readings (dube, 3/17 morning)
Tanish Fortson.
cgao
clay dubePlease read these selections ahead of our class. We'll meet at USC at 9 and work there until 11.
The Ming dynasty was built by a peasant turned general. Zhu Yuanzhang defeated the Mongol Yuan dynasty and established his capital in 1368 at Nanjing (a city near present-day Shanghai). The capital was later moved to Beijing. The Ming ruled until 1644 when the Manchus invaded and defeated them. The Manchus established their capital at Beijing. Their dynasty lasted until 1911.
clay dubeHi Folks,
I'll go through this on Saturday morning. You are welcome to use it in full or in part with your students. Please do not post it to the net or otherwise share it.
Late imperial China is from 960-1911. I'll emphasize the last two dynasties, the Ming and Qing. From about 1400 until the fall of the dynasty, the capital was in Beijing.
In the afternoon, we'll visit the Huntington's Chinese and Japanese gardens. Please start thinking now about how to bring some aspect of what you learn during our morning class and our afternoon tour to your students. Here's a neat website about Asian gardens in the 1920s: https://www.smith.edu/garden/pastexhibits/asian_gardens/index.html
Here's a blogger's list of Asian gardens in Southern California: https://ericbrightwell.com/2016/05/20/asian-gardens-of-los-angeles/
Here's an article by one of our students on the opening of the Chinese garden at the Huntington: http://www.uschina.usc.edu/article@usct?growing_to_new_proportions_chinese_gardens_in_the_u_s_11917.aspx
Alexandra BeckerListening to the lecture, specifically regarding the Mongols, brought clarity to my own teaching. In my classes we analyze each of the dynasties with regards to territory, power, trade, length of rule, and contributions. I was interested to find out some background about how Mongols orignally wanted to kill all the Chinese and turn the lands into grazing land. I would like to have my students propose ideas why grazing lands might benfit the Mongols, and why they chose to tax the people. I also thought it was interesting to learn about the gunpowder because it is an item that is very recognizable to 7th grade students. We discuss about how gunpowder was used in fireworks first, but it was never really clear as to how it spread, other than due to trade. I will now be able to educate students that the reason why gunpowder made it to Europe is due to the Mongols and their military conquests. The last piece of information that I will be able to use with my students is about the 5-tired system. I have a close reading article I use to explain how the Mongols "opened the door" for other foreigners, but it only mentions that the Chinese were on the last tier. I never knew that that the Northern Chinese were held to a higher regard by the Mongols, due to them already being ruled by the Jurchen previously. My students had asked me why the Chinese were treated poorly within their own country, and we just chalked it up to foreigners being in charge. But now I will be able to clarify that the Southern Chinese were actually seen as the lowest level. An activity that might be useful while teaching this next year, would be to have the students pretend that they were the Mongols. Then we could have all of the different tiers randomly spread out with their descriptions ( Mongols, Muslims, Northern and Southern Chinese, and other foreigners). The students would have to rank each tier according to what would benefit them (as Mongols) and be prepared to explain why. This could be done in pairs or groups of three to encourage collaboration, problem solving and communication.
Lin KuangI really enjoyed Dr. Dube's profound lecture about late imperial China with dynasties and its rulers with their policies and prosperity. From our higg school history teacher, I learned that every dynasty has its ups and downs. Usually the emperor swore to the position and ruled the states and people with their best political practice at the very beginning of each Dynasty, Then, they started to tax and opress their people in various ways till they were forced to reble and turn the government over for a new Daynastym which is the general concept of the imperial rules. TOday, Dr,Dobe clarified the concept why the Sone Dynatry would last a couple of centuries and why the Mangols would conquered China as foreigners, The arguments about Marco Polo are extremely interesting to learn becasue I never doubted that Marco Lopo didn't come to China. My best friend, Dr. Pappas, his study on Italian literature demonstrated that many factors that linked Chinese and Itlatian cuture and traditions,
Our trip to Huntington Library is extremely impressive even I have visited there for a couple of times. I never compare and contrast the CHinese and Japanese Gardens, and I didn't relaize the difference till today. The Authenticity and permenance of Chinese Gardens reflect Chinese styles of building gardens, and the meditation and closure to the nature are the features of the Japanese Gardens with their Zen belief of eveything would change. The flowing water fall and creeks, the rocks, the plants just create very peacful and soothing envrionment.
Percy OrtizWhat I found surprising from today’s lecture is that the saying, Communism with Chinese Characteristics really has characteristics that go back hundreds of years. I did not know that Mao Zedong would compare himself to the Han and Ming founding emperors in order to be seen as centralizing power. Another aspect of today's lecture which I found interesting was how some people were buried in jade suits. I wondered why would people want to be buried with a jade suit was it as a means of connecting with the afterlife? Was jade seen as being connected to water, life and organic material?
Percy OrtizAnother point that was brought up by Prof. Dube, and that has been recurring in the readings is how the Southeast was seen as more amiable to dynastic rule as opposed to the Northwestern people and Northeastern pirates. I suppose that the farther south one went the more sedentary and agriculturally based people were as opposed to people from the North who were more nomadic, but was that the only reason why dynasties had a difficult time establishing authority in those places? Why was their capital closer to the north and why was it not moved further south where the people were more receptive to their authority or could it be that power needed to be close to where the possibility of trouble was highest and if need be authority could be moved during a major war?
From Prof. Dube's lectures there is a pattern that can be seen. The northern frontier is a contentious place and authority is tough to establish, the Qin begin to build walls, the Han do so too, the Song are defeated by the Jurchen, and finally the Mongols conquer all of the Song and more. Alas the walls didn't do much. Nonetheless, Mongol hegemony only last's a couple of decades only to be pushed back to the steppes once again by the Ming. Yet, there is another Northern tribe that manages to weave through the different defense barriers built and conquers not only the Ming, but adds more territory than any other dynasty could ever do and maintain control over those areas, and this group is the Qing. I would argue that after years of wars, conflict, uneasy trade and tribute, the Qing come into China more acculturated than familiar to the ways of the Ming. They most likely already knew how the system that was in place functioned, and simply decided to enforce what already existed and worked, rather than recreate the wheel. Could it be that by this time, this particular Northern tribe was more like the people of the south say from some minor differences in diet and transportation? Were people in the northern frontiers able to read Chinese characters? Did they have Confucian schools? Did Buddhism help them maintain some kind of order and reinforce their rule?
Sandra Soltero-TorresAfter reading "Commercial Activities" and "Penal Servitude in Qin Law" I think that Chinese governance has been based on very specific laws and cultural norms. The more I read about Chinese laws and specific rules and contracts, the more I I observe the inflexibility that Chinese governance imposed on its society. Chinese governance has been dominated by different philosophies during different time periods, but the commonality I have observed is that very specific contracts and guidelines were developed for very specific situations by all ruling dynasties. My opinion is that China may have demonstrated an infexibility that may have made them economically successsful, but at the expense of other great benefits. For example, in "Penal Servitude in Qin Law" the Legalist impunities of absolute punishment offered very little hope for Chinese society members to rehabiliate. The Chinese laws offered very minimal options to improve the quality of life of one who had been convicted of an infraction. In "Penal Servitude in Qin Law" the punishments are described very specifically and seem somewhat severe. In "Commercial Activities" their contracts were so specific and focused on the idea of commercial distrust. The focus on governance was rigid at best and was very specific for many particular situations. In addition, "Commercial Activities" also offered examples of sample contracts that were based on commercial distrust. In my opinion, the contradicting dynamics of Confucian views that were based on the innate goodness of humans clashed with the idea of the creation of so many specific contracts that focused on the distrust due to the profit motive. To believe that humans are innately good, yet to develop such a distrustful attitude towards commercial activity was contradictory at best. It seems that these rigid laws and practices were created and enforced to benefit those with socio-economic power. In essence, the Chinese seemed very focused on preventing negative behaviors or selfish attitudes from having an impact on their society. The different dynsties operated under different philosophies, but their commercial contracts and penal servitude laws ensured that Chinese society maintained a certain level of order.
Lin KuangIf anyone has interest in open this link, you will listen to the songs of this recent Chinese TV series based on the Novel Bu BU Jing Xin by Tong Hua, whihc is a romance historical fiction Time travel back to Qing Danysty ( Kang Xi and Yinzhen) . Exploring the dresses for Qing princes and princeses, the emperors and empresses. Hopefully, you can find some eisodes with Englsih captions.
Percy OrtizReading through this text made me think of how we take contracts for granted these days. I never really looked into the origins of the contract or the purposes behind them. Then to have read through these sample contracts makes me realize that not only did it help maintain order but also offered a standardized form of legal compacts to be created when need be. What was a bit disconcerting was reading through the section of buying and selling concubines and sons. Once sold and if they happened to die that was that. Kind of scary to think of that from today's standards where we always have some connection to family. I was also surprising to read that workers also would sign a contract and have to go by its terms whether good or bad.
Zhang han's essay gave me some insight into perceptions Ming officials had towards people in different regions of the empire. According to Zhang, foreigners in the North were "recalcitrant and their greed knows no bounds......we cannot rid ourselves of their demands. What is more, the greedy heart is unpredictable.....I don't think our present trade with them will ensure us a century of peace." This shows that the Ming already perceived troubles to the north. It also shows that people to the north were more a threat than a stable realm of trade. On the other hand you have the south where, "foreigners trade with China under the name of tributary conditions. That means China's authority is established and the foreigners are submissive...the southeast foreigners are more concerned with trading with China than gaining gifts." This shows that the south was more amiable to Ming authority and in a way it was a "double win" for all sides. What is interesting to note is that the Ming were dealing with various groups of people with different cultures. On the one hand you had trade going on and on the other a form of cultural exchange and diffusion. Like Dr. Dube pointed out in our first meeting, China has multiple countries surrounding it and each one has different.
This document is useful to give students a glimpse of the geographic distances that officials had to cover, and the vast differences in trade and forms of peace that the officials and the Emperor had to deal and making it all work. It gives students a good perspective on the different attitudes officials had with different kingdoms. This could be a good point to focus on when talking about present day US politics and our president's perception of Mexico vis a vis Canada or better yet Puerto Rico and England to make a better comparison from the 8th grade perspective one could look at how colonist perceived Native Americans in the Northeast as opposed to the South, and the different ways they made peace and agreements with them. I recall visiting the Native American museum in Washington D.C. and seeing William Penn's wampum after having purchased Pennsylvania from the Lenape people. This document could serve multiple purposes and could give students a deeper insight into how the Ming and the US ran and run their governments.
Percy OrtizThe story The Village Headman and the New Teacher had a deeper impact on me than I thought being that later in the day I found myself retelling the story to another fellow teacher as we walked to meet our students who had just finished the marathon. What stood out the most to me was the discussion that took place at the temple, and where several village leaders or elders decide on hiring a local teacher. At first it seemed that they were simply trying to get a tutor for a village headman who's doing better day by day. The tutor has a proven track record by having tutored a student who went on to pass the civil exam. A few days later, the teacher, Zhou Jin shows up in all his regalia to the village to talk business with the elders. On that same occasion, a new government official, Mei Jiu, who's just past the civil examination, makes an appearance. There is a discussion of this and that, and unfortunately the teacher becomes the verbal punching bag of jokes for those there. Yet, Mr. Zhou remains steadfast to his decisions and agrees to become the village teacher. Sadly or ironically when it comes time for the families to pay the teacher for his services all he gets is a couple of pennies here and a couple of dollars there, far below what was agreed upon, but he gives it to the monk to cover for room and board. Finally, we find Mr. Zhou patiently teaching the village's best children who are all too willing to get distracted and play around the moment he turns his back on them.
In a way this story, though a bit exaggerated, gave me a sense of solace that the role of a public school teacher has at times been under appreciated even in East Asia. Mr. Zhou's experience sounded more like many of the public school teachers here now, who are making just enough to get bye, and are there every day doing battle with students who want to be on their phones or who stop doing work as soon as the teacher turns around. Yet, he is there doing his job and over time successes happen and students are promoted to a better life.
It was interesting to see the dynamics of what was going on in the village, people getting rich off gambling, and those moving up in social status mocking those at the bottom. I wonder how Buddhism and Confucianism did during these times. It appears that Mr. Zhou is more self-controlled and explains the reasons for not eating meat as a promise to Buddha, which could also be in line with Confucian filial piety of honoring one's parents. There seems to be a critique of society embedded in the story. People are up to trickery, but also wish to be educated, yet the elders are eating well, caught up in the local gossip, they keep tabs on who pays what and when it comes time to pay the teacher, he's given just enough to get bye for a month. This piece gave me a better perspective of the day to day lives of people and how decisions were managed in society at that time.
Jacqueline MercadoI found the piece Proclamations of the Hongwu Emperor to be an interesting read as it portrays a lucid depiction of the the values and thoughts of the ruler Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming dynasty and offers a glimpse into the methods he used to rule over China. He begins by encouraging officials to refrain from evil and persuades them to do so by stating that if they do as he says, they will bring glory to their ancestors, wives, children and themselves and be able to assist him in his ruling of the people. According to Zhu, the key to effectively ruling over a big country like China, is to maintain law and order and he does this by persuading leaders to free themselves of corruption and join in his efforts to reestablish order and enforce the laws. Considering that the Ming dynasty was one of China's most stable and autocratic dynasties, we can conclude that Zhu's style of governance was effective in controling his subjects. I found this reading not only interesting but easy to read and so it could easily be used with students. I would use this reading as a primary text to get students to consider what the text reveals about Zhu's ruling style, his values and what that might say about the Ming dynasty and can tie into larger questions of power and governance.
Donna JamshidnejadAfter discussing the history of Marco Polo, I decided to put together a lesson (for next year) on the topic. This lesson will be titled: Academic Controversy: Did Marco Polo Go to China? I use sources from the book on Marco Polo. I plan to use some of these sources combined with secondary sources discussing Polo’s travels. Students can then contrast these documents with segments of Francis Wood’s book. From here, students will read sources of other foreigners visiting China in order to understand record keeping under the Yuan Dynasty. I will try to find primary sources noting foreign visitors. Finally, students will write a mini-DBQ arguing whether or not Marco Polo visited China.
I have worked with a few "academic controversy" style lessons. Students seem to be a little more engaged when I pose the question as a historical controversy, and as them to think like a historian and write an argument. Students become a little competitive and engage in more of a debate. This is a great way to organize a class discussion as well as work on historical writing.
Donna JamshidnejadIn AP World History, our ongoing theme is Mongols are the exception to every rule. Students have a lot of fun with this throughout the year, and many students remember Mongols above all else after taking the course. One lesson I especially enjoy is a DBQ Project lesson on whether or not the Mongols are barbaric. The question is: How barbaric were the "barbarians?" The point of the lesson is to discuss sourcing (especially point of view). When it comes to the Mongols, sourcing the data is vital. The Mongols are viewed as barbaric savages by most historians of the Middle East and Asia. It is interesting to look at what western sources have to say and compare these documents to eastern sources. This can be a great lesson to modify for 7th grade and introduce students to bias/point of view.
I have used this lesson to write a DBQ and I have also used it for a class debate. Either way, students are very engaged in the discussion and use the documents as evidence to support their arguments.
I cannot attach the packet due to the file size being too large. Here is a link to the PDF:
https://www.dbqproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/sample-mongols.pdf
Jacqueline MercadoAs a teacher of literature, I understand the interconnectedness between literature and historical context. As I read the "The Village Headman and the New Teacher," I thought about what this story might reveal about village life in China during the Ming dynasty and how I could use this with my students. I could easily guide them through the elements of fiction such as development of characters and plot. As the story is a satire and critique of the society it writes about, getting to this layer of meaning would require additional scaffolding and discussion. The story not only renders a vivid picture of rural life in China, but it is an example of satire and irony. Some of the questions I would present to students to help them understand the story and its historical significance is: what does this story tell us about the values of the society it describes? What commentary of that society is the writer making? How is the story a satire of society and what evidence of that can we point to in the story? This reading would expose students to Chinese literature and satire. Personally, I found the reading engaging with its colorful portrayal of the characters and dialogue laddened with irony. I could in particular connect with the unfair and undignified treatment of the teacher, Mr. Zhou Jin, who despite being faced with low wages and unruly children, is determined to stay and make a difference in his students' lives.