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AnonymousReading about calligraphy in the Cambridge Illustrated History of China reminded me of an experience I had a number of years ago when I worked in television news. I was sent to cover a visit by a delegation from Cixi, China, which was a sister-city of Bakersfield. Among the delegation were three businessmen from Cixi who gave a demonstration of Chinese calligraphy. I remember them each taking a turn applying ink with brush strokes on paper that had been spread on the ground. Each would begin by removing his suit jacket and tie, roll up his shirt-sleeves, and give a brief explanation of what was about to do. They took obvious pride in what they were doing. I distinctly remember the excitement and exuberance of the calligraphers as they applied the strokes. They moved sometimes quickly and other times slowly, but always deliberately—like a dance. I even remember one of them humming or singing a little bit, as if he was totally engrossed in the activity.
AnonymousI found the story of Xi Yang of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove interesting. Xi was executed in 262 for “perversion of public morals.” This immediately reminded me of Socrates, who was also executed by the state under the auspices of political impropriety. Socrates was found guilty of both “corrupting the minds of the youth of Athens” and of impiety in 399 BC. The fate of these two men could be compared in the classroom to illustrate political dissent. Xi was ultimately put to death for his criticism of Confucianism, whereas Socrates was killed for his criticism of democracy and the official religion of Athens. In both cases society and culture was in transition. Xi lived during the 3 Kingdoms period, before Chinese reunification when “Confucian ideals of public service lost much of their hold.” Socrates lived in a period of Athenian decline after its defeat by Sparta and its allies in the Peloponnesian War. Both examples could be used to teach about the importance of the free exchange of ideas in a free society.
AnonymousI really enjoyed Dr. Ye's lecture! His talk was engaging and his passion for the subject matter was infectious. I especially gravitated towards the concept about poetry being a performance and the legacy of chanted poems. I think it would be really interesting to have students write poems that were intended for performance. I wonder how that would change the content of the poems.
AnonymousI think the chart of how calligraphy and the Chinese characters evolved is fascinating. I think it would be a good writing exercise for students to describe the changes occurring in the chart. It would help them practice descriptions and specificity in language.
AnonymousThe readings were really informative, and I would love to have a copy of these for each of my students. However, because many of my students are at really low reading levels, I think I would like to use the images that are in each of the readings. Having students take time to study the image and try to put the story together of what is happening or what we can learn about the culture being shown makes them aware that pictures are not just place holders or there to be "doctored" by previous students. I took a course at the Getty Museum that pointed out that people take less than 10 seconds to look over picture. Using only the pictures increases this time and helps their observation skills.
AnonymousLove this. Next year my third grade team is going to do three rotations; science, social studies, art/etc. I am going to create a lesson plan for art/poetry for this, so I will write it out in the Lesson Plan forum. The structure I imagine will be longer than three days, though. It will be more like six longer or 12 shorter sessions, because it will pair up with six 'Wang/Pei' poems.
AnonymousI went to a training this week and these are some activities you may be able to do with your students when teaching China!
edited by jmartinez on 6/16/2017
edited by jmartinez on 6/23/2017
AnonymousCan someone guide me on how to upload pictures? I tried to do it on my post and I was not successful 
AnonymousSpring flows like green silk. The poet thinks of the silk bed curtains at home when spring comes. The poet misses his family in the spring season. People's emotions and feelings may change with the seasons. It is common for poets to personalize nature to express their thoughts.
AnonymousChanting
I think showing my students clips about people chanting poetry would give them a new appreciation for poetry. In America, I never thought about poetry as chanting, but it evokes a different feeling them through recitation. I would be interested in pulling videos clips about poets who chanted instead of reciting.
Anonymous*Session 7: Cosmopolitan China
I liked how Professor Ye, pointed out that the Arts, such as: architecture, art, dance, music, etc. is how cultures are primarily remembered. I especially enjoyed when he showed us how Chinese poetry is chanted and how they have lots of patterns in meaning, sounds, and syllables. This was interesting because I’ve heard people from other cultures humming or chanting as they read and now it makes sense, and I can now appreciate and understand chanting of poems instead of just reading a poem. The very next day I made it a point to chant, or at least read with some rhythm, the poem I read to my first grade class. They enjoyed it so much more than just reading it! This is especially a great strategy for English language learners.
edited by ssaeed on 6/20/2017
edited by ssaeed on 6/21/2017
Anonymous*Session 7
I think another fun lesson for students would be to look at the Pinyin & Wade-Giles Romanization Systems (pronunciation/spelling guide). Young students, especially in primary grade levels, are fascinated by other languages. It would be fun for them to learn about the different tones in the Chinese language.
AnonymousIn the lecture the Professor stated a quote from Helen Vendler, "Arts are what cultures are remembered by" and I agree, especially with the older civilizations. Chinese artists created amazing artwork that helps us to learn what was important in their world and we can study that art. In other civilizations, such as the Egyptians or Mayans, we learn from their glyphs, which is a type of art. It is so important to bring art into the classroom so the students have that visual and can understand the importance of that art in historical terms.
AnonymousIt was interesting to me that even though there was a civil service exam in place that people from the Aristocracy were still able to stay in power. As stated in the reading, "Because men from old Aristocratic families tended to do well in the examinations, the recruitment system did not put an end to their influence, but it did shape how they prepared themselves for government service". I feel as though this still happens today and how times just tend to repeat themselves, even when trying to better society. This is why history is important.
AnonymousReflecting on this session, the piece that resonanted with me the most was the chanting of the poetry. I've noticed that many of my classmates also wrote and reflected on Professor Ye's chanting. Aside from the way it made me feel and the way it pulled me into the moment, I thought it was really interesting how the intonation of the voice can completely change the meaning of the word.