Session 9 (11/17) readings

[Anonymous]

I had an idea as Clay was talking about the recent developments in the APEC event. Attached is the photo of Xi Jinping and Shinzo Abe shaking hands. This would work as an opener activity for the Sino-Japanese War or the Rape of Nanking. You start off by showing your students the photo and they have to make some assumptions about the two men shaking hands. They will likely say that they are not too happy. Then you display their names and titles, still the kids might have some questions. You can explain to the students why these two men are not so happy with each other and how we are going to learn about the origins of their animosity towards each other.

[Anonymous]

Testing to make sure I can post - Jen

[Anonymous]

I think this is a creative idea. The photo is a great way to introduce the issues that arise in the twentieth century between Japan and China. It also illustrates the connection between the past relations and present effects of those relations.

[Anonymous]

In this source, Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai-shek) points out the significance that Nationalism plays in the greatness of the Chinese nation. He points out that the Japanese have overlooked that the Khitan, Jin, Mongols and Manchus did not conquer China as a whole. They conquered China because of a few bad officials in China. This nationalistic fervor was not new since the concept of nationalism was on the rise since the nineteenth century. It was actually one of the ideas used by nations on the rise during early twentieth century and was one of the causes of WWI. Yet Jiang Jieshi is using it to illustrate the greatness of China and the failure and mistake of Japan in trying to conquer China in the 1930s.

[Anonymous]

I am looking forward to Clay's elaboration on "handshakes". What they symbolize and mean to foreign policy is certainly interesting and can be interpreted in different ways.

[Anonymous]

Session Nine revealed what can be best described as “The Perfect Storm for Communism”. A particular set of circumstances enabled the Chinese Communist Party to come to power. In Mao’s China (pdf resource) much of it chronicles the land reform which was the first facet of the Lenin plan for total control.
I was brainstorming to how I can incorporate this into my own lessons. I wanted to have students do independent research and presentations as part of a jigsaw activity. Each student would be assigned a type of government. They would research the government type and then decide a leader (or group of leaders) that represent that particular government system. Each student would present their form of government and governmental leaders in a multi-media presentation, teaching their peers. For example: if a student was assigned Communism they would research the government form and then have the opportunity to do more research on Mao as a communist leader.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for providing the introduction to Sara Bongiorni's book. A Year Without "Made in China". Sara Bongiorni, a business reporter, decided that she and her family would boycott Chinese products for one year. She did this became she came to the realization that China is quietly changing our lives and the choices we all make as consumers shape China's place in the world, and our own.
I've always known that many products sold in the United States are made in China, but I never really thought about investigating the exact figures. According to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, http://www.ustr.gov/countries-regions/china-mongolia-taiwan/peoples-republic-china U.S. goods from China totaled $440.4 billion in 2013. That is a 3.5% increase from 2012. It's a 189% increase since 2003. It's a 331% increase since 2001.

[Anonymous]

During session 9, the topic of China's currency was interesting as it explained that the image of Mao was on the dollar. Below is a link to a great website that is easy to follow that explains the evolution of Chinas currency. This information is geared towards older students which also provides great images.

http://beijingcream.com/2014/02/mao-and-money-evolution-of-chinese-banknote/

[Anonymous]

During my visit to the USC Pacific Asia Museum, a display called "The Rent Collection Courtyard-Fifty Years" was featured in a room with clay sculptures of starving peasants farmers paying rent to their landlords. This display will be available till February 22, 2015. I highly recommend it as it represents what Clay presented in our last session in regards to the later affect of farmers retaliating towards the landlords.

[Anonymous]

Ebrey's "Red Guards" excerpt demonstrates the devotion that Chinese youth had to the Communist movement. This contributed to the development of a national identity.
One article, titled "March Forward Valiantly along the Road Pointed out by Chairman Mao" is a report issued by eleven middle school Red Guard Units. It recounts their experience as they marched to Beijing in emulation of the Red Army's legendary march from southeast to northwest China. The students took 40 days to reach their destination! Along their way, they spread Mao Zedong's ideas. They gave about 120 performances in over a hundred villages and small railway shops. They also distributed pamphlets containing the decisions of the party central committee.
I wonder if eight grade or eleventh grade history teachers could teach about the Red Guards while teaching about the Civil Rights Movement of the United States. Perhaps they could compare the Red Guards to the youth that played key roles during the Civil Rights Movement.

[Anonymous]

This session was very interesting because of all the topics discussed: the U.S. backing of one party over that of the Soviet backed Mao party, the statue of Sun Yat Sen in Chinatown, the inclusion of Chinese leader on a U.S. postage stamp, and of course the use of Mao in pop music.
edited by dcolato on 11/29/2014
edited by dcolato on 11/29/2014

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the link, u/JanetGarcia!

I think Chinese currency would be a way I could try to work in the material from this session into my classroom. I teach medieval world history, so I wouldn't really be able to spend a lot of time on modern Chinese history, but because one of the key standards is the invention of paper of money, I could have my students look at the evolution of Chinese currency. Who is depicted? Why have the subjects changed? How can currency be used as propaganda? They can also start comparing it to American currency. Who is on our money and why? Have there been changes to our money?

[Anonymous]

When I was a kid, a lot of the things we had were very international. They were from all over the world. I remember we used to make fun of the things that were from China. Actually, they were "Made in Taiwan". If you wanted to say that something was a cheap quality product or if it broke quickly, then you would say it was made in Taiwan. Now China has become what the USA used to be: the factory of the world. So many of the products that we consume are made in China now. The article addresses how a family started to boycott Chinese-made products, but can an entire nation really do that? How many products are made in china that we depend on? We may not always agree with China in their politics, but are you willing to pay $50-$70 for a pair of pants that might cost you $30 because they are made in China. china is the largest producer of underwear. How much are you willing to pay for it? Double the price? Triple? This article would be a great way to introduce the politico-economic aspects of China to students and have them reflect on their dependence on China. It might allow them to realize how important China and East Asia are in their immediate and future lives are.

[Anonymous]

This past year I had the opportunity to travel to China to visit three high schools in Beijing. There were about 15 educators from my school but about 100 in total from LAUSD. We were surprised to learn that the schools were not dark prisons with drab walls. All of the students studied the arts and English. Yes every single student studied English because they have aspirations of coming to America to go to college. When they arrived in August for a visit, all of their questions were about college entrance exams and requirements. They bombarded myself and the students for tips on how to prepare and what to do. It reminded me of the middle-class students in article. These students do not have any time for themselves. It is all about maximizing their time and chances of making themselves more competitive. Even some Chinese-American students follow the rigorous demands put on to make sure that they have a place in prestigious universities in the US. I even wonder if I am not doing more for my children. Will they miss out because some Chinese student is more qualified? What do you do?

[Anonymous]

"Just Say Mao," released July 11, 1989 by Sire records, is the volume 3 of te "Just Say Yes" series. It contains remixes and non-album tracks from artists on the Sire Records label. What's interesting, simply for our class, is the CD's title specifically referring to Mao himself. This thread identifies each song on the CD, provides each song's lyrics, and questions whether or not there is any true significance between the CD's title and the choice of songs, not necessarily written about Mao, on the CD.

The first song is "Everything Counts" by Depeche Mode. (Seems to be a song adressing corporate greed.)

The handshake seals the contract
From the contract there's no turning back
The turning point of a career
In Korea being insincere
The holiday was fun-packed
The contract still intact.

The grabbing hands grab all they can
All for themselves, after all
It's a competitive world.

The graph on the wall
Tells the story of it all.
Picture it now, see just how
The lies and deceit gained a little more power.
Confidence, taken in
By a suntan and a grin.

Everything counts in large amounts.

(1983)

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