Session 9 comments (dube, 4/7 afternoon)

[Jonathan Tam]

Remembering that Wu Sangui is the Benedict Arnold of China was something very helpful for understanding the transition from the Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. Known for opening the gates for the manchus to invade, this seminar brought us into the time of the Qing Dynasty, which introduced new traditions to china including common haircuts as well as a new political line of emperors. The Qing dynasty reached as far as Taiwan, Russia, Mongolia, Xinjiang and Tibet and lasted 250 years. To say that it brought China all the way up to the 20th century is not an understatement.

[Percy Ortiz]

I agree with most of what you say Ronald. It’s easy to point the finger at someone, when there are three points back at us. What I gained from Mrs. Hornby's presentation is that environmental degradation is not just a Chinese issue, though it is easy to show case major cases, but more of a world-wide problem. Think of the schools I've visited and their locations are surprising. Even the school where I work is surrounded by major sweatshops, and there is a freeway a block away. Not only that, for year Los Angeles was an oil producing region and there are still several low key wells, as well as sites that are no longer being used, but might pose health dangers. The school that comes to mind is the Edward R. Roybal Learning Center. As this school was being built it was discovered that soil contamination was high so the project needed to be halted, although a few years later it was finally built. Nonetheless, I think that learning about China's woes is a good introduction to Chinese History, but also from a science point of view it can supplement other areas that students can study and learn from.

[Jacqueline Mercado]

In session 8 we learned about the importance of conservation of the lions in the African bush and the importance of bringing awareness of this issue to our students.  In this session, we revisit China's environmental problem and its deleterious effects to its citizens and the environment.  We see that while China's future hinges on how business and the Chinese government react and deal with China' s increasing environmental problem, unfortunately, their environmental crisis is not unique to China.  While water, air and soil pollution is a problem reaching a crisis point in China due to its fast and unregulated industrial development, we face similar challenges in the United States and much closer to home, in Los Angeles.  This is one example of the similarities in the challenges that both countries face moving forward.  While it is easy and correct to blame big industry and development for this unintended side effect of economic development, I think a good question to explore is how each one of us contributes to this larger world problem by the choices we make day to day:  the foods that we choose to consume, the clothes that we choose to buy and all the technological advances and conveniences that shape our lifestyle  that unintentionally but incrementally contribute to this larger global problem.  We are all in a sense reaping the results of this lifestyle with increased cancer rates and other diseases and by polluting our water, soil and air.  If we view this environmental problem as not only a China problem but our world's problem, then the solutions don't seem so unattainable, but rather achievable. While pollution and the environmental instability it creates is an ever increasing problem in China, it is not uniquely theirs. This is a message I can share with my students when discussing this issue.  I can encourage them to look critically at the lifestyle we subscribe to that contribute to the problem while looking at alternative choices we can make that can be part of the solution.  Knowledge is power and public pressure has an effect on public policy, governments and businesses.  Students can look at the factors that contribute to this problem and then brainstorm ways they can make a change. This would be an empowering emphasis that can have an effect in this larger global problem. 

[Laura Gonzales]

The afternoon lesson given by Professor Dube focused on the Qing dynasty. The Qing had impressive artwork. The jade artwork was really detailed and delicate as well as the embroidery that came out of that time period. The Qing not only had impressive artwork but they were able to expand their empire and bring Taiwan under their control as well as Mongolia and Tibet. Qing experienced a population growth. I find that anytime a empire or country experiences a population growth it frees people to focus on the arts, this is perhaps the reason why the Qing dynasty had various forms of entertainment such as the sword swallowing, hacky sacks and singing.  But just like China experienced growth it also went through a period of threat. 

 

Profess Dube spoke about imperialism and how Britain introduced Opium in order to gain access into China. One thing that I didn’t know was that the United States also wanted a piece of China and was an opium supplier. In fact FDR’s family were opium dealers, this is a fun fact that I was not aware of. One of the reasons that the opium wars could have been successful could be because the government did not try to regulate everything and therefore it was easier for foreigner to enter China.

 

[Christine Xu]

Environmental issues in China are plentiful, severely affecting the country’s biophysical environment  and human health. Rapid industrialization, as well as lax environmental oversight, are main contributors to these problems.

Major current environmental issues may include climate change, pollution, environmental degradation, and resource depletion etc. The  conservaton movement lobbies for protection of endangered species and protection of any ecologically valuable natural areas,  genetically modified foods and global warming. 

The government's recent admission that cancer villages exist "shows that the environment ministry has acknowledged that pollution has led to people getting cancer”. Some  environmental lawyers said "It shows that this issue, of environmental pollution leading to health damages, has drawn attention."

What can the Chinese government and the people do? 

“Go Green” would be a good topic in my classroom.

Sources: wiki

[Sandra Soltero-Torres]

I found Professor Dube's lecture during session 9 interesting and informative.  One of the questions Profesor Dube asked mid lecture was, "What is the difference between growth vs. development?"  The answer was that growth produces more while development produces more without outputting more labor and cost.  The outcome is that economic development is so much more valuable than just having economic growth.  Another important point in the lecture was that in the 18th century the traditional government was not that ambitious.  The government was able to retain power through security.  In order to maintain their security they increased the taxes.  By the time the 19th century came, the government had lost its control and failed at collecting taxes.  Soon thereafter the Industrial Revolution came about and the United States played a big role in 19th century  China.

[Sandra Soltero-Torres]

I found Professor Dube's lecture during session 9 interesting and informative.  One of the questions Profesor Dube asked mid lecture was, "What is the difference between growth vs. development?"  The answer was that growth produces more while development produces more without outputting more labor and cost.  The outcome is that economic development is so much more valuable than just having economic growth.  Another important point in the lecture was that in the 18th century the traditional government was not that ambitious.  The government was able to retain power through security.  In order to maintain their security they increased the taxes.  By the time the 19th century came, the government had lost its control and failed at collecting taxes.  Soon thereafter the Industrial Revolution came about and the United States played a big role in 19th century  China.

[Stella Castro]

 It was interesting to read about the corrupt people that do the “bathing”, of the crabs  they put the crabs in  the water of Lake Tai just for a little while, a short amount of time, and then they pretend they come from Lake Tai, and then they sell them at a higher price so that they can make a profit.  But then it’s the people that pay the price for this scandal. As it’s the people that are getting sick, ( cancer is on the rise),  because they are eating the crabs that have cancer causing agents in them, because of all the pollution in the water and which China is experiencing.  Although China has had and has a major pollution problem with air, water, and soil pollution.

[Tanish Fortson]

This is actually a great idea to do a lesson plan on soil pollution. We have focused a lot on air pollution but soil pollution is a huge deal as well. Soil pollution would be a great topic to introduce to my second graders. Since we cannot visibly see soil pollution we tend not to discuss it as much. This topic gets swept under the rug. Soil pollution in high concentrations is risk full for plants and animals as well. In humans it causes cancer, leukemia, central nervous system problems, headaches, fatigue, rash, and eye irritation. In soil pollution negatively affects the metabolism of organisms. If smaller animals consume harmful these harmful chemicals and are eaten by larger animals it may cause extinction. And in the environment, soil pollution is unable to support plant life. 

It is beneficial to teach our students about soil pollution how it occurs and how to prevent it. Discuss the impact it has on our quality of life and how underdeveloped countries maybe more at risk for this silent hidden killer. 

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