Session 6 (11/4) - Revolution and Nation Building in China

[Brigid Schmidt]

In response to Prof Dube's question about what backgrounds, characteristics, or activities led to individuals being targeted for criticism or worse, it appears they were labeled enemies without just cause. Many landlords and their families suffered from being characterized as enemies during the period of land reform. In 1951, people who had ties to the Nationalist organizations or army were executed or sent to reform camps. Educated people lost their jobs if they said anything anti-party or singled out for prosecution during the Cultural Revolution that started in the mid-sixties. Professors, teachers, writers, musicians, managers and more suffered brutal treatment, were tortured, imprisoned, denied medical treatment and thousands were killed or committed suicide. The Cultural Revolution damaged China's economy and its traditional culture. It seems many thousands of people were targeted and possibly the only thing to avoid trouble would be to align with Mao and his goal to preserve Chinese Communism. 

[Serece Tascione]

Students in upper grade elementary and beyond, see charts organizing the different parts of the government. They visually see the organization of the hierarchy. Since they are familiar with this chart for the United States, I would think that showing them a similar chart for China’s history would be helpful, along with other government structures around the world, and even how they have changed over time. They can compare similar charts with what they are familiar with here, to how it has changed in China.

[Serece Tascione]

I feel many students know many of the products they purchase are from China, but do they realize how many of the products? For students to see how current economic growth, I would put the students into groups, each creating polls of surveying where products that use/purchase are made. Students can survey household products, electronics, games, or school products to name a few. As students examine results in pie charts created by Google Forms, for example, students can discuss their conclusions related to econimic development.  

[Maria Cardenas]

Mao states in the reading that there were two peasant movements during this time period. The first wave was when the people were getting organized and it was underground. The second wave was when people took Revolutionary Action. Everybody wants to be part of the Peasant Association. The article said, "All power to the peasant associations" has become a reality.” The privilege’s power didn’t exist. Peasants are ready to make a revolution because as it is they are already going against those that holds power. On page 130 it says, “At the

slightest provocation they make arrests, crown the arrested with tall paper hats, and parade them through the villages, saying, You dirty landlords, now you know who we are!" So the people are going against the landlords and the people who held all the power are afraid. The peasants are ready for change because they are taking actions to try to make it possible for change to occur.

[Lizbeth Vazquez-Ruiz]

I can use the Cultureal Revolution playing cards in my classroom by having students participate in the Prompts of Depth and Complexity. One of the prompts includes Patterns where students analyze predictable details, cycles, repetition and recurring details. students can observe the cards and take note of any repeating images that continue to appear throughout the cards. Another prompt is Unanswered Questions where students come up with questions about unknown or ambiguous details in the cards. This is where students “wonder” what is happening in the images. Students can also engage in a discussion about Ethics which includes topics about philosophies and controversies. The final prompt that I would include is Big Ideas where students and analyze Universal themes, facts and generalizations. 

 

[Zoey McKinney]

I love the idea of using playing cards, not just these specific ones, but from different times and cultures. The design of traditional playing cards that we use today is a given, so it could be almost shocking for students to see other images used as playing cards. This is a great example of daily life changing across time and place - this kind of paper good is such a small aspect of our lives that we almost take it for granted. It would be great to do a lesson comparing playing cards from different times and places to see what we can learn about these societies from them. It can be framed as a mystery, or compared to the work of historians who study material culture, learning what they can about people based only on the things they use in their daily lives. You can do a similar activity with stamps, since the images chosen for those are very intentional, trying to convey a particular message. This also reminds me of the article "Locally Ancient and Globally Modern," which talked about Japanese money and the images that were chosen for it. What message is being conveyed on these objects that are going to be looked at use every single day?

[Tara Corral]

 I haven't finished the book, but their is a reading about the Red Scarf Girl which takes place in China during the Cultural Revolution. I keep thinking back to the reading. I am about half way through and it makes me think a lot about the playing cards and how easy it is to sway the minds of children. Using Propaganda against children is quite useful because I think as a kid I was raised to trust adults and not second guess the information they tell us. I mean they are your teachers you expect them to be right and tell you good infomration so that you can better the world. You know Peace, Love and Equality. But the book shows how the right propaganda can sway the mindset of individuals. The author Ji-Li Jiang goes on to explain how her opinion changed when her family began to be targeted.  Its a scary insight into the mob llike mindset. 

[Zoey McKinney]

Red Scarf Girl is a fantastic book for middle school and up! I first learned about it at a Facing History and Ourselves PD throug the Museum of Tolerance. You can download their teaching guide here: https://www.facinghistory.org/books-borrowing/teaching-red-scarf-girl 

As you said, one of the things that makes this book an effective teaching tool is that it is told from the point of view of a young girl, someone students can relate to. They might be able to put themselves in her shoes and see how pressure from school, friends, and the government could shape their views. It makes me as a teacher think about how teaching is an inherently political act. Many times we try to stay "neutral," but the topics we choose to cover, the stories we choose to tell, the attitudes we promote are going to influence how our students see the world. I think that is why it is so important for us to keep learning and evaluating our own curriculum (as we do in this seminar) to see what we might be missing and how we can better incorporate it into our classes.

[Lizbeth Vazquez-Ruiz]

I definitely agree with your ideas. We can use pretty much anything that has a picture  such as stamps, postcards, dollar bills and coins for students to compare. Students can compare and contrast these items with the ones from the United States. They can compare the drawings, historical figures and the colors  that are being used. This would be a great activity  to expose students to different cultures. Exposing students to these visuals will give provide them with a better understanding of how other cultures work.

[Ester Yang]

That's a very brilliant idea in helping students understand the Communists Party. If we allow students to become of them, he/she can see from the communist's point of view and share what they have learned. Each student will share out a different opinion so you can even hold a debate after this activity. 

[Lizbeth Vazquez-Ruiz]

I definitely agree with your statement. Students are able to understand concepts better if they are given visuals such as charts and graphic organizers. Many students are only aware of how the government of the United States functions but they lack knowledge on foreign governments.  It is easy for them to believe that every country and society runs the same way as the United States, they will be surprise when they learn that they don’t. Using a chart to describe China's government will allow students to fully understand it. Design can include pictures and videos displaying different branches of the government.

[Khrystle San Diego]

Tara, both Nationalists and Communists wanted to unify China, but had varying views on how to do so. Since you teach art, I think it would be helpful to look up propoganda during this time and have students vote and discuss which party would be more successful in gaining control and "unifying" China. After a discussion, then you can reveal to the students that the Communist party actually gained control over the government. You can also do some inferencing activities with the students and ask them what they think would have happened if the Nationalists got control instead. 

[Khrystle San Diego]

Serece, I think your idea of showing similar charts with China's history of government in comparison to the United States government would be helpful in setting up the discussion with your student. I think to take this one step further, you can have your students write descriptions of the different parts of the hierarchy. I would use a graphic organizer with boxes so that the students who are more visual can draw their interpretation of the different parts of the government that will help them remember the importance or impact it made. 

[Lizbeth Vazquez-Ruiz]

I love your idea on having students match playing cards to slogans of the Cultural Revolution.  I think it would also be a good idea if students created their own classroom slogans and made playing cards to represent them. Another idea is to have students analyze the playing cards and create assumptions on their message. Students could work together on this and created a list of inferences on what they believe the card represents. At the end of the lesson students can be given the real messages behind the playing cards.

[Lizbeth Vazquez-Ruiz]

Thank you for sharing this resource, I will be using this I with my 7th graders. I've never heard of “The Red Scarf Girl”, so I will be part of the learning process as well. This book tells the story of the cultural revolution in China and tells the choices made by Jiang and her family. One of the units that students cover in English is making choices, therefore I can use this book in my English class as well. This website is also a great resource for teachers. I will be exploring it even  further.

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