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AnonymousEach part of this session was amazing. Hearing Mr. Rittinberg's account was very interesting. It only leads to the discussion of today and how could an American move to another country based on a belief system - maybe veterans who are going to fight ISIS, or on the other side those americans who join ISIS.
The different movie clips were eye-opening to see the study of film and how that shows the feelings at the time. A question I always ponder, did hte movie come first that sparked change, or was the movie a commentary on what was occurring. In this case, seeing the very diverse ways that the film makers took dealing with the past was a great way to look back into chinese history and how media plays a large role in story telling and movement making.
AnonymousI was was left speechless after the lecture by the Rittenbergs. It was a living history lesson. No books were necessary. I was so impressed by how well he and his wife took everything that happened to them and a teaching moment and have both positive as well as warnings to say about their experiences. It was like listening to a holocaust survivor, no one is going to tell them it never happened! I am still dumbfounded by the whole premise of the cultural revolution. I cannot wrap mu head around how what was suppose to be an intellectual or revolution of the mind turned into such a blood thirsty ordeal! Hysteria played a major roll in the cultural revolution more than anything else I could identify. What a sad time in Chinas history. I see why some would like to pretend it never happened. i am so grateful to the US-China Istitute for having the courage to teach the whole history!
AnonymousAs an English teacher, I connected the discussion of the suppression endured under the Cultural Revolution to 1984 by George Orwell. Two points that I thought were especially resonant were the betrayal of parents by their children and the mindless devotion to Big Brother. I see a great opportunity to build an informational text set surrounding this theme of betrayal and populism, pairing historical texts and first person accounts to show students the reality reflected in the literature. I also think comparing the Big Brother government to governments of the time, including Mao’s, would be a good activity to contextualize the politics within the novel.
edited by cgao on 4/13/2017
AnonymousOne question that I had surrounds Mao sending youths to the farms to learn the experience of the farmer. Does this come from a legacy of legalism? In legalism, agriculture and the army were the main concerns of the government, and therefore the people. In what ways did sending youths to work in farms reinforce or revitalize legalist philosophies, as well as Maoist ones?
edited by cgao on 4/13/2017
AnonymousI look forward to teaching the meaning of the world revolution. I would teach the most important facts and ideas of the Chinese cultural revolution through the great political posters, art work amd photos. Students will draw the visual. Next, students will write one word powerful vocabulary to describe the photo. Then, I would have students write a paragraph explaining what they think is happening in the photo or artwork and why.
Additionally, students will view the film clips on the Cultural Revolution similar to the clips viewd in class. I would like to show a full film in regards to the Cultural Revolution and have my students write an essay on the film.
AnonymousThanks so much to Sidley and professor Rittenberg for sharing their personal stories with us! They inspired us to have faith and overcome difficulties in life. We not only learned about the traumatic Cultural Revolution in China but the profound impact on the lives of Chinese people as wells as foreigners in China. A true lesson to be learned, and this type of "cultural revolution" should never be repeated in the world history.
Anonymous”功夫熊猫“ is a well-received movie in America. Children like it and learn Chinese cultures and marshal arts through the panda. I would use this film to teach Chinese language and Asia, particularly to young students. Loving of animals is universal. The movie serves as a good diplomat through media and arts. The Ping Pang ball diplomacy opened the door for the East-West ties; the Panda Diplomacy will reinforce and strengthen the relationship.
AnonymousThis film was produced during the cultural revolution when JiangQin, Mao's wife, was in power. Promoting women's rights and cultivating women's abilities is applaudable, but it does not mean women should dress and act like men. During this period, JiangQin modeled to wear men's uniforms and appeared in various important national events, looking like a man. Women in China followed her to wear men's clothes, and few woman wore a skirt at that time. Women's images were distorted. A male-look female does not have more power, women's wisdom and capabilities come from inner qualities.
edited by Lin ZhaoDavison on 4/17/2017
edited by Lin ZD on 6/15/2017
AnonymousDuring the Cultural Revolution, Chinese children sang a popular song: "朵朵葵花向太阳“ (Literal translation: "Each sunflower faces the sun.") The sunflower is a child; the sun is Mao. The song reflected that each Chinese child was taught to worship Mao like a God and must live a life shining through the sun, Mao. Ironically, the Culture Revolution was one of the darkest periods of time in the Chinese history!
edited by Lin ZD on 6/15/2017
edited by Lin ZD on 6/17/2017
AnonymousThis film showed that evidence of labor was the most important evaluation standard to the college admissions as demonstrated by the female character, Jin Feng and the male character, a blacksmith. Jin Feng was admitted because she wrote: "Chairman Mao is our savior." The traditional evaluation of higher education admission criteria, such as level of literacy, prior education, knowledge of subject matters, etc, were out of window. People could go to colleges as long as they said they were loyal to Mao and they could prove themselves as a laborer not an intellectual. What an education system during the cultural revolution! I would show this film when I teach Chinese language and history. It would serve as a lesson to be learned in the education system. Higher literacy leads to higher education, not the other way around.
edited by Lin ZD on 6/15/2017
AnonymousChildren were playing the game "Who is my enemy" during the cultural revolution. I have a hard time to accept the game. Children should be taught to play games to cultivate love for family and form friendship with each other. If I teach Chinese to children, I would have them to play word games or other types of game to teach about love and friendship like "Who is my friend" in contrast of the "Who is my enemy" game.
AnonymousThe Chinese Cultural Revolution is not something that I really had thought of before. Its wonderful to see how the remains of the revolution are still see in different aspects of contemporary life and contemporary art. As I teach World History, I can think of ways to to connect class struggle, economy, and open democracy with other cultures. I think for many of my students, the word 'revolution' is mainly connected to revolt or aggressive change. i can see us having a wonderful discussion on the various possible meanings and world examples of revolutions throughout history.
AnonymousSo on the 27th of March, I was at Universal Studios, waiting in the line for the the minions ride - and they had this picture with the caption "live your best life." I have to wonder how many people going through the park actually have any idea what the reference is. My husband, a history major, knew right away, but if it weren't for this class, I wouldn't have known at all!
AnonymousToday, we completed a bubble map as a hook to the China unit. This is what 10th graders think about China.
edited by cgao on 4/27/2017
AnonymousThp2057
That is a great attention grabber to begin a lesson and unit in this case. Many of the questions asked on your white board are typical questions I had also about China before learning about China in High School in more detail and in this seminar.