Menu
close
Anonymous.
AnonymousI am always interested to learn how other cultures view Americans, so the reading "Things About America and Americans" was especially compelling. I found it entertaining how they mentioned Americans' take on time to the calculated minute (which is totally true!), and the references made on the emphasis on money. Their take on how Americans engage when they first meet was an interesting one, as well as their takes on education, birth control, and what American homes look like. This would also be a good reading to give to students since its easy to read, and they can again work on the skill of point of view/perspective. Teachers could first have students come up with their own views of what Americans are like in these categories, and then compare/contrast them to what the reading said, and then have a discussion about all of this with the whole class about the validity of these views.
AnonymousThrowing off Asia images are so powerful. I am somewhat reluctant to use them but they may prove to be a great resource in discussion, using VTS, visual thinking strategies. I show an image and ask open-ended questions: What's going on here? What do you see that makees you say that? and What more can you find? That starts a rich discussion that forces students to think critically, provide support for their answers. Sometimes we look at art, sometimes we look at photographs. I often show photographs that are open-ended and promote thought. Taiwan as a Japanese colony photos are visually powerful as well.
AnonymousMao's The Peasant Movement in Hunan was very insightful in that it allowed me to familiarize myself with the meditations and rationales behind the peasant revolution. For instance, on the nature of the revolution, Mao noted that it would not as subdued as a dinner party, rather millions of peasants would storm like a hurricane. Later on in this piece, Mao rationalized the use of force by saying it was necessary to overthrow the “deep-rooted authority of landlords” and the power they have held for thousands of years. I also thought some of the meditations detailed in this piece foreshadowed the nature of Mao's reign as it was in the future. For example, it is known that the government was deeply involved in the personal lives of people, so when I came across the part of the text that mentioned that even husband-wife disputes were settled with the community, I understood the roots of the practices of China in the future.
edited by nramon on 1/10/2016
AnonymousXu Zhenkeng’s “Things About America and Americans” is an apt observation of America on the cusp of the Roaring Twenties, when industry and progress were readily visible. Thus it is obvious Zhenkeng would highlight J.D. Rockefeller and his ascent towards success. The American obsession with “the art of doing business and making a profit” has been an American attitude (130). While this comment is not new, Zhenkeng’s remark on how the worship of money becomes fixed is insightful. For other countries, namely his own China, the great efforts made by tycoons of great wealth, like Rockefeller, in aiding institutions like universities, are a result of political motivations. Rather, Rockefeller, as a savvy businessmen, fosters his own reputation of being a great philanthropist to win the public’s favor and thus develops his business. His enthusiasm in projects for society’s improvement instills a religious factor where money helps the needy and the poor –not a religious entity. Thus, money, like hard work, is worshiped.
In reading Zhenkeng’s observations of America, I would use his observations with Michell-Guillaume de Crècoeur’s observations of America in “What is an American”. It would be useful for students to compare the perceptions of two foreigners, Chinese and French, of America in the 1770s and 1910s. Students would be able to connect how productivity – as first introduced as a Puritan ethic– continues to be an American tenant. Additionally, in reading through the narrations of foreigners, students would better understand the styles in which authors write, especially as both authors write about their first observations of America and Americans.
edited by crhude on 1/14/2016
AnonymousReviewing this forum I found some material I hadn't noticed before. The page of political cartoons is an excellent resource for showing multiple perspectives and different viewpoints. Despite the negative depictions of Roosevelt, a case could be made that the cartoonists did not fall back on racial stereotype in caricature that plagues many cartoons published in the US at the same time. This is an excellent resource to use with students.
AnonymousAs I am looking back on my notes and my readings, "On National Identity" reminds me of the sorts of things Zapata would say during the Mexican Revolution. "Prefer death than disgrace" sounds a lot like "prefer to die on my feet than live on my knees." It also sounded a lot like the literature coming out of the Chicano movement. Those emotions helped me begin to understand what some Chinese people might have been feeling at the time. I really enjoyed this read. It was oozing of nationalism!
AnonymousLooking back at the readings in this section, I was particularly struck by the political cartoons which speak volumes about the perceptions of the various players before and during World War II. This war that followed the "War to End All Wars" is generally presented as a primarily European war with an interloping Asian component. I really had no idea about the extent to which conflicts and territorial disputes within Asia and those seeking inroads into this region played such a vital role in planting the seeds for the devastation to follow.
One of the cartoons that caught my eye is entitled, "Blind to the New Order," and depicts Japanese foreign minister pointing out the unwillingness of The United States to clearly see and accept the glories of Japan's "New Order" in Asia. This cartoon clearly connects to my curriculum plan in which imperialism extends beyond Western control to include and examine Japan's colonization of Korea.
edited by niruparmar on 1/22/2016
AnonymousPolitical cartoons are powerful in the message they contained and are used all over the world in different types of media. The cartoonist's simple drawing say so much about a given issue that's affecting the country in particular at that moment. It is a simple ways to express discontent with the government. In China, political cartoons were used to show dislike with what the government was doing at the time. In the classroom political cartoon can be a very powerful tool for critical thinking skills. Students can use political cartoons in order to think critically. We have to provide essential questions to lead students to think critically in finding the meaning of the political cartoons.
clay dubePlease read the following prior to our Monday, Oct. 5 session:
Sun Yatsen, "Fundamentals" -- attached
Xu Zhengkeng, "About America" -- attached
Mao Zedong, "Hunan Peasant Movement" -- attached
Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai-shek), "National Identity" -- attached
Ding Ling, "Land Reform" -- attached
Eastman, "Who Lost China?" -- attached
Below are details about the readings above and many other interesting resources. The image websites (visualizing cultures, postcards) are fascinating and are excellent teaching resources. I've also included other web readings and attachments. Finally, there's a China News Channel three hour video report on the September 3, 2015 military parade celebrating the 70th anniversary of the defeat of Japan. You won't be able to consume all of this, but you may enjoy browsing.
Please also note that I've included some fiction from authors mentioned in Brian Bernards lecture as well. None of this is required, but you may find it interesting and useful.
This includes two pieces from Lu Xun, including his Call to Arms; an excerpt from Ba Jin's classic, Family; and Ding Ling's revolutionary The Diary of Miss Sophie.
///////////////////////////////////
We'll be covering a huge sweep of history in this session. Here are some key dates and resources:
1894-95 Sino-Japanese War ends with the Treaty of Shimonoseki
http://china.usc.edu/treaty-shimonoseki-1895
Japan's Rise: Visualizing Cultures: Throwing Off Asia I (Japan "westernizes")
http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/throwing_off_asia_01/index.html
Visualizing Cultures: Throwing Off Asia II (Sino-Japanese war)
http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/throwing_off_asia_02/index.html
Taiwan as a Japanese colony
postcards: http://digital.lafayette.edu/collections/eastasia/lewis-postcards/browse
photos/postcards: http://digital.lafayette.edu/collections/eastasia/warner-postcards/browse
1899 - The US worries about the carving up of China
John Hay's Open Door Notes: http://china.usc.edu/first-open-door-note-1899
1915 - Japan issues 21 Demands
See japan-21-demands-1915.pdf attached.
Xu Zhengkeng, "Things about American and Americans" -- published in China in 1926, based on his studies and travels in the U.S., 1918-21
See xu-zhengkeng-1918-21-things-about-america.pdf attached.
Mao Zedong, "The Peasant Movement in Hunan" -- Mao was a native of Hunan and reported on conditions there, making his case for the readiness of rural areas for revolution. At this point, Mao is maneuvering for influence in the Communist Party. He would secure the top position in 1935 and yield it only when he died in 1976. See mao-1927-hunan-peasant-movement.pdf attached.
Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai-shek), "The National Identity," consolidated control over the Guomindang (Kuomintang) 1925-27 and dominated it until his death in 1975. He was China's preeminent leader from 1927 until driven from the mainland in 1949. See Jiang-1939-45-national-identity.pdf attached.
Wang Jingwei (Wang Ching-wei) had been an associate of Sun Yat-sen's and served in Jiang's government. He broke away, however, and formed a new government under Japan's effective control. There are two sets of cartoons published at his capital in Nanjing attached.
Mao on Art and Literature (1942): https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-3/mswv3_08.htm
Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai-shek) victory speech audio with images, 1945: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpKai-UHQ7A
Mao on the departure of the US Ambassador to China, Leighton Stuart (1949): [url=] https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-4/mswv4_67.htm
Who lost China? -- here is a terrific article by Lloyd Eastman on Jiang's view. See Eastman-1981-who-lost-china.pdf which is attached.
The U.S. Government issued a massive "white paper" on China in August 1949. A short one page statement from the US Secretary of State Acheson is attached. See White-Paper-Excerpt.pdf.
Remembering - 2015.9.3 (Chinese date order), military parade celebrating the 70th anniversary of victory over Japan (3 hour English language coverage, sample it as you please) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCfdGzXPN_w
edited by Clay Dube on 10/2/2015