Session 6 readings (ye, 3/19)

[Percy Ortiz]

Reading chapter five of Ebrey's The Cambridge Illustrated History of China gave a concise overview of the Tang Dynasty with sufficient background information to understand the origins of the Tang, who were in part descendants of Xianbei, a tribe from the northern regions. Apparently this group of people assimilated many aspects of "Chinese" culture and eventually their language disappeared. The code of laws that the Tang laid down seems to have been a combination of Northern and Southern legal traditions, nonetheless, many of these laws would continue to favor masters, politically and socially. They also expanded the civil service exam which opened the doors to common folk that could successfully pass the civil service exams, and in order to facilitate their success the Tang also set up state schools and published official versions of the Five Classics.

What most stood out in the readings was discovering that those in the upper echelons of power could be considered non-Chinese descendants. Also Empress Wu's reign as ruler and trying to legitimize her rule by publishing and promoting The Great Cloud Sutra this predicted Buddha as a female Emperor, nice. The Tang also benefited from the past rulers who built the Grand Canal over the centuries, but it was during Tang times that it became slightly more efficient and reducing the need of its armies to be self-sufficient in places they were garrisoned and instead supplies could be brought to them via the canal. In addition to its many achievements in commerce and religion, poetry became more and more refined during this time. Courtesans, it turns out, influenced poetic writing "in popularizing a new verse form by singing the lyrics written by famous men and by composing lyrics themselves." So, it appears that everyone during this time in some way or form contributed to the Tang's success as a center or arts, commerce, and military power. 

Reading how the Dunhuang scrolls that were locked up in caves for many centuries, yet preserved and mostly intact allows us to have a better and more complete understanding of life in China during Tang times. We might very well be of the few people who ever got see a glimpse of the complexities and varieties of everyday life through the documents that were discovered in those caves which today we read as examples of poetry, contracts of land use, servitude and punishments. Of course one of the highlights in Tang history is the An Lushan Rebellion which had a lasting effect on the the dynasty, though it continued for another 150 years. 

Comparing what was read to what students in middle school read one sees a bit a disconnect, though there might be a reason for that. 7th grade history books do not offer a linear history of the Sui, Tang, Song, or Yuan. Instead these chapters are sectioned of into topics, such as commerce, giving students a quick rundown of each dynasty's influence on commerce. It then moves on to other areas such as urbanization, and it might focus on the Song and then jump back to the Sui or Tang, which in my opinion is problematic, though it is thematic. One thing that I would do would find a way to somehow start with the Dunhuang and the scrolls that were found there. Maybe tell play the movie Indiana Jones to the students and how he goes on a journey of discovery. Instead, this discovery is real and the scrolls that these cave contained will give a better understanding of how life in Tang times really was, while at the same time reading an overview of its history. I would definitively include several primary sources into my lessons as they read about Tang culture and its influence on others but also how the outside world influenced them. 

[Jacqueline Mercado]

In session three we saw that during the warring period in China, China was divided and its many states at war.  It was from this period of chaos and fragmentation that much exploration and philosophical thought about self and government emerges.   When people are fearful, they can either close themeslves to new ideas or out of their need to solve a problem, thoughtful people can become open to exploration and discovery.  In this session, we see that this kind of exploration and development also applies in the development of the arts and the aesthetic that arises during the Tang dynasty, considered to be the golden age of poetry in China.  Professor Ye emphasized that cultural cultivation of the aesthetic, from philosophy to the evolution of the Chinese language and written script turned into art that emerged at this time.  On a personal note, I enjoyed this session because of his emphasis on Chinese poetry because my knowledge and experience of Chinese poetry is scant. As I read through some of the poems in the reading, I find that while some of the themes might reflect some of the preocupations of the time in which they were written, such as war, they also express universal thems of love, solitude, communion with nature and the intoxicating effects of wine.  An idea for how to incorporate this poety into the classroom would be to create lessons in which students can compare some of the themes in Chinese poetry to poems traditionally taught in school such as those written by some American poets like Robert Frost and Emmerson, for example.  Because nature is a topic explored in the Chinese poems, a good point of comparison would be poems from the Romantic period.  Not only are there similarities in the themes explored but also in the poetic devices used like the beautiful imagery and language used.  In this way, students would not only be exposed to classic western poetry but explore some of the poetry from East Asia.

[Genaro Flores]

The Origin Of Japan Seminar was a very interesting conference. It clarified my doubts about the Origin of Japan. It also demonstrated that people from Asia were migrating from one place to another looking for a better way of living. That is how the island of Japan became populated by people from different places of Asia. The migrants took with them culture, art, language, food, and technology.

Japanese people, also, believe in the cosmos as vertical heaven and sky, and horizontal earth and sea. They were polygamist and there was no trace of a writing language. In addition, there were found two types of bloods from first Japanese people on the island that distinguish them from each other. Also, it was found that there were two types of finger prints patters in the Japanese people; the arch pattern and the circle pattern finger prints.

The archaeological evidence found in Japan, bounds Japan with the mainland China and other Asian countries. Later, Japan adopted the model of government and army from China. They also, were influence by the Shinto, the religion of Japan and Confucian work

[Laura Gonzales]

Professor Ye’s lecture was very captivating with his inclusion of chanting. One of the biggest takeaways from the lecture was the importance of poetry that was placed during the Tang dynasty. Poetry became very embedded in the culture that to take the civil service examination one had to include a poem.  It leads me to make a connection that has been seen throughout history, when a country is doing well culture seems to flourish such as art and poetry, such was the case of the Tang dynasty.

 

Another thing that Professor Ye did well was demonstrating the difference between Chanting and singing. He was able to show the similarity between the various forms of poetry and connect it to western poets.  It also helped that he was able to preform a few pieces for us. I find it fascinating how poetry was part of his curriculum when he was growing up, unfortunately it no longer seems to be the case.

 

[Juan Liebana-Mena]

Hi Christine. That sounds like a quite interesting class activity. I think that's a great way to help students better understand Chinese culture and society and have a global perspective on the two leading economies nowadays. How are you planning on having them discuss this? Are you using any specific strategy or activity (socratic seminar, debate, etc.)? Also, is this an activity to support a unit, text; or is it a stand-alone project? 

[Tanish Fortson]

The Li family who seized power during the collapse of the Sui Empire founded the Tang Dynasty. This was a large population of people and by the 9^thcentury the population had grown to an estimated 80 million people. There were many innovative developments during the Tang. This is one aspect to focus on if you have younger students such as myself. You can do a unit on inventions of the Tang Dynasty. The popularization of woodblock printing bought the written work to larger audiences, which increased literacy in the population. Students can make their own woodblock print. It has been noted that playing cards may have been invented around the 9^thcentury AD as a result of the woodblock printing. Clocks and timekeeping was invented. We could look at photos of how time was kept and have a discussion on why keeping time is important. Gunpowder was the most influential invention of the Tang Dynasty and it became worldwide. It was put into stone projectors and used to attack the enemy. A classroom discussion on how the world might have been without this invention could be a possible thought provoking question to pose to the students. 

[Stella Castro]

Sandra I am 100% in tune with you about Professor Ye passion for literature, poetry and chanting.  I also learned the difference between chanting and poetry. I really enjoyed listening to Professor Ye chant it did look as if he really was enjoying the moment. Professor Ye mentioned that chanting comes from the French and that chanting is somewhere between speech and song. Professor Ye also mentioned some famous people s who chant their poems, like Walt Whitman Allen Ginsberg and Vachel Lindsay to name a few.

[Laura Gonzales]

Tang Dynasty

 

Under the Tang Dynast China experience a growth in fine arts. They had poetry, calligraphy, writing. Poetry is a form of song or chant depending on what the writer is trying to convey. What I noticed from the reading is that most of poetry involves nature such as mountains, water, trees, birds. Figurines during that time period show musician on a camel. This demonstrates the emphasis that was placed in the arts. Most of the arts was reserved for intellectuals and people with a higher education. Even the tapestries show people out in nature. It would be a great idea to introduce the various forms of  poetry and arts during this time period. A gallery walk or stations would be a great activity to introduce students to.  

 

 

 

[Christine Xu]

Wang Xizhi was a Chinese calligrapher, traditionally referred to as the Sage of Calligraphy. Wang Xizhi was the foremost among the calligraphers of the Eastern Jin period, and is revered today as the Sage of Calligraphy. He is best known for writings in cursive and running scripts. Running script is a close variation of the standard script which features connections between individual characters and slightly abbreviated forms.

Wang Xizhi's most famous work was the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion manuscript. In 353 AD, one year before his official retirement, Wang invited forty individuals to pass the Purification Rites festival with him at a famous pavilion in the Guiji area (modern day Zhejiang province) where he was serving as governor.  A poetry contest was held alongside a stream, down which cups of wine were floated; anyone of the forty-two in attendance who could not finish his composition by the time the cup arrived would have to pay the forfeit and drink. This gathering soon achieved legendary status, and references to it occur throughout the poetry and painting of later eras.

In my class we are going to learn Chinese calligraphy. We are going to do research about Tang Calligraphy, Wang Xizhi,  and some of Wang’s work. Then students will use ink and brushes to practice how to write Chinese calligraphy. 

Sources: Washington.edu 

 

[Christine Xu]

Chinese painting is one of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world. Painting in the traditional style is known today in Chinese as guohua. Traditional painting involves essentially the same techniques as calligraphy and is done with a brush dipped in black ink or colored pigments; oils are not used. As with calligraphy, the most popular materials on which paintings are made are paper and silk. The finished work can be mounted on scrolls, such as hanging scrolls or hand-scrolls.Traditional painting can also be done on album sheets, walls, lacquerware, folding screens, and other media. Among the dynasties, the Song and Yuan periods are considered by many the high point of painting in China.   

In my class students will do research about Chinese Fine Art Painting. They will talk and share ideas about Chinese Fine Art,  and also they will try to answers the questions: 

How effective are paintings as vehicles for carrying ideas?  Is there a conflict between painting to represent appearance and painting to express ideas or feelings? What values encouraged the development of landscape into a subject matter for painting?

Students will use brushes, black ink, and colored pigments to practice Chinese fine art by themselves at the final class. 

Sources: Washington.edu/Wiki

 

[Christine Xu]

During the Tang dynasty, China welcomed contact with foreigners. Traders and visitors brought new ideas, goods, fashions, and religions into the country. Beginning in the Han dynasty, traders and visitors came to China by a network of trade routes across Central Asia. From Chang’an, China’s capital, camel caravans crossed the deserts of Central Asia between oases. The routes followed by the caravans are known collectively as the Silk Road, though many goods besides silk were traded. According to the history, for a time, travel along the Silk Road became unsafe because of fighting in Central Asia. The Tang made travel safe again by taking control of much of Central Asia. As a result, trade flourished with Central Asian kingdoms, Persia, and the Byzantine Empire. Traders also traveled by sea between China and Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and India. Merchants, missionaries, and other visitors also came to China. Thousands of Arabs, Turks, Persians, Tibetans, Indians, Jews, Koreans, Japanese, and other foreigners lived in seaports and in Chang’an. All these foreign contacts brought about much cultural exchange. The Chinese sent their silk, porcelain, paper, iron, and jade along the trade routes. In return, they imported ivory, cotton, perfumes, spices, and horses. From India the Chinese learned to make sugar from sugarcane and wine from grapes. New medicines also came from India.

In my class, we are going to learn Chinese history about Tang dynasty. Students will do research about Open-door policy during Tang dynasty. They will talk and share ideas about what are the benefits and drawbacks of foreign contact during Tang dynasty.

Sources: flores-world history

[Donna Jamshidnejad]

Dr. Ye’s assigned reading is something I need to incorporate into my curriculum. AP courses can become somewhat dry and boring, so we need to try and spice things up with “controversies” and a touch of drama whenever possible. I think the series of letters can be used to design a fun lesson. For example, students can write a script and act out a play in response to the letters. The poetry provided should also be worked into the course. I often forget to bring art into the classroom, and poetry can be a great insight into culture and history. Students can try to contextualize and source them poems. While it would be fun to ask students to write poems, this is not something we have time for, so they can at least read some poetry. 

[Christine Xu]

Buddhism is the most important religion in China. It is generally believed that it was spread to China in 67 AD during the Han Dynasty from Hotan in Xinjiang to Central China. During its development in China, it has a profound influence on traditional Chinese culture and  thoughts, and has become one of the most important religions in China at that time.

Chinese Buddhist sculpture frequently illustrates interchanges between China and other Buddhist centers. Works with powerful physiques and thin clothing derive from Indian prototypes, while sculptures that feature thin bodies with thick clothing evince a Chinese idiom. Many mix these visual traditions. After the eleventh and twelfth centuries, when Buddhism disappeared from India, China and related centers in Korea and Japan, as well as those in the Himalayas, served as focal points for the continuing development of practices and imagery.

In my class I will take my students to His Lai Temple for a field trip. Students will have a chance to see and observe buddhist sculptures and learn Chinese culture.  From visiting buddhism temple students could also learn kindness, compassion, joyfulness, and equanimity from our lives. 

Sources: PSU-pku/ wiki

 

[Tanish Fortson]

China was divided north and south by the 5^thcentury. Northern China was populated of old family lines, Confucian traditions, elitist, state builders, tied to outside ideas from central Asia including Buddhism. Southern China in a way explored the arts, sought the good life, calligraphy and painting. Buddhism was translated into traditional Chinese would view. The generals of the northern and southern dynasties were founded by generals who were capable of holding the government together during their lifetime but not very assuring of a successful transfer of power to their heir’s surrounding to the Age of Division Article. Part of the difficulty was that a lot of families would only marry with other families of equivalent pedigree. 

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