[Brigid Schmidt]

Having previously had the privilege of taking the Ancient East Asia course and Crossing Boundaries, I was very interested in continuing my East Asian studies in this Modern East Asia class. Not only has it been beneficial to my teaching, but rewarding for me to learn as well. I am embarrassed to say that my prior knowledge of East Asia was limited to what I learned in my two-week trip abroad there a few years ago. 

While the two previous courses aligned more with my 6th graders' history curriculum, I felt this class interested me the most. I have always loved history and learning more about it, but I found it fascinating to learn about historical events from the point of view of the Japanese, Chinese, and Koreans. In school, we generally learn about wars and major events from the side of the US. Our guest lecturers were very knowledgeable and so gracious to answering our many questions and clearing up confusion. I feel so fortunate to be able to learn from educators from different schools all over the world and that they took the time to speak with us. 

As I teach 6th grade Language Arts, there are many pieces of this course that I will intertwine in my lessons. I enjoyed learning more about the different kinds of art (wood block paintings especially), poetry, and even music. These will work as an aid to guide my writing lessons where we focus on sensory details, imagery, symbolism, and figurative language. For me, learning about the Korean War and the Cold War were quite impactful. It is a war I was not that familiar with and it helped me understand why it is called the "forgotten war." As. some of our classmates pointed out, it would also benefit our students to hear personal accounts from this war as many of them, like myself, might have past family members who were involved in the war. 

In addition, I found the lectures on the different monarchies and political systems engaging. I have always been intrigued by the British monarchy, so I found myself comparing and contrasting the different systems and the changes each has gone through. In such a political year, it is interesting to learn about the different ways other countries elect their officials. I have noticed, I have many students interested in politics this year. 

Overall, the class was compiled of an abundance of resources I am eager to use in my own classes. I value the chance to continue learning as an educator and collaborate and engage with other instructors. Professor Dube, as always, is so insightful and is filled with knowledge. I absolutely enjoy all of his lectures and plan to share parts of them with my students. Additionally, I am starting my three-day memoir lesson with two of my classes next week! I am excited to see how they like it. Thank you so much for offering these classes to educators, it is a nice deviation from teaching to be fortunate to keep on learning, even virtually!

[Brigid Schmidt]

Prof. Strausz had a wonderful lecture shedding light on the differences in Japan's political system compared to say, the United States'. It is beneficial for our students to realize that the way the United States is run politically is not the only way or the "right" way. This can open a larger discussion on how they feel the political system would be the best for our country. Prof. Strausz informs us that Japan has a parliamentary system, not presidential like ours. The people don't get a direct say in who is their Prime Minister. They vote for their member of parliament and then whichever party has the majority, essentially chooses the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister comes out of the Lower House. It would be interesting to dive in and see which politcial system the students feel better represents the voices of the people and look at some of the historic races throughout history from both countries. 

[Brigid Schmidt]

I agree with you that the Treaty of Nanjing appears to benefit the British much more so than China. It seems the Europeans forced the Chinese to sign it. They paid the Bristish an idemnity, gave up the Hong Kong territory, and agreed to make a "fair and reasonable" tariff. However, this ended the first Opium War. It is pretty understandable why it is refered to as an unequal treaty, because it has China making many concessions to foreign powers and contributing to their period of humiliation. It is fascinating to learn about the different countries in power and their influences during this time period compared to current times. 

[Brigid Schmidt]

The Meiji Restoration is one described as a revival of ancient kingly rule, but also a revolution. The governement fused the glorification of the past along with embracing radical change. It celebrated the uniqueness of Japan while adopting new Western ideas and technologies. There was an effacement of certain local practices, but a celebration of others. One example of this is by creating a new series of bank notes that was designed to celebrate the glories of the Japanese past. However, they were actually printed in the United States so they would have advance conterfeit technology and they were not very traditional (they chose copperplate printing over Japanese woodblocks.) The images needed not be too "Asistic" and somewhat analogous to Western styles. 

The Meiji state did dissolve the samurai hierarchy status, but it sought to to situate the Japanese emperor in a global hierarchy of monarchs. Giving Emperor Meiji links to the ancient past helped in the process of making Japan modern. Modular nationalism went forward while promoting Japanese legends and stories on the subject on honor, loyalty, and valor. Nativists hoped for primal unity and a return to ancient rituals, yet that was seen as utopian hopes.  

However, by the early 1900s, Meiji nationalism was quite successful. The founder of the Boy Scout movement used Japan as an example of modern patriotism, stemming from the sons learning chivalry from their Samurai forefathers. Westerners were enthralled by the idea that the Japanese nation was organic, natural, and timeless. There was a new appreciation of Japan and that was evident in the Anglo-Japanese Alliance of 1902 where Japan and Britian formed an alliance for the first time against a European rival: Russia. They were able to turn people away from thinking of Japan as backward and find the beauty and respect for the country and its culture. 

 

[Brigid Schmidt]

In response to Prof Dube's question about what backgrounds, characteristics, or activities led to individuals being targeted for criticism or worse, it appears they were labeled enemies without just cause. Many landlords and their families suffered from being characterized as enemies during the period of land reform. In 1951, people who had ties to the Nationalist organizations or army were executed or sent to reform camps. Educated people lost their jobs if they said anything anti-party or singled out for prosecution during the Cultural Revolution that started in the mid-sixties. Professors, teachers, writers, musicians, managers and more suffered brutal treatment, were tortured, imprisoned, denied medical treatment and thousands were killed or committed suicide. The Cultural Revolution damaged China's economy and its traditional culture. It seems many thousands of people were targeted and possibly the only thing to avoid trouble would be to align with Mao and his goal to preserve Chinese Communism. 

[Brigid Schmidt]

This article was written in 2019. It is astonishing to think that males are only allowed to ascend the ancient throne in Japan still. Currently, Emperor Naruhito is the new monarch following his father's abdication last year. He has a younger brother, Prince Akishino, who is next in line for the throne due to the fact that Naruhito only has a 19 year-old daughter. Although Prince Akishino has three children, his daughters are older than his son, Prince Hisahito. However, because Prince Hisahito is the next male after his father, he would be the next in line for the throne despite being only 13 years old and having sisters and a cousin older than he is and had they been born male, would be ahead of him in line. The conservatives are eager to preserve the males-only succession. So Hisahito's birth put any talks of changing the rules for succession on hold. However, people are questioning whether or not he is being properly groomed as he is attending a different school than his father and has no special mentor to prepare him for kingship. Who is to say he will even want this role? To respond to Maria's question, I do think the successuon rule has an effect on how women in Japan society are treated. It clearly shows them still not being equal or as important and not being able to carry on the role of emperor. Other countries have changed this gender rule, why is Japan still behind in this?

[Brigid Schmidt]

I was interested to see that someone reviewed the new Mulan as I have not decided to spend the $30 to watch it early for most of the reasons presented above. After reading Jonathan's take on the movie and the blog post from Prof. Dube, I am still unsure if I want to see it. As a kid, the animated film was one of my favorites due to the music (I love ballads) and how courageous I thought Mulan was. I was always more of an athletic girl and admired the portrayal of Mulan's strength and resilience. However, realizing how much it differs from the original "Ballad of Mulan" and all the sterotypes it portrays, it takes away from that nostalgia. I was hoping the new film would correct that and show more of the East rather than the West's depiction of it. That, on top of filming in the Uyghur Autonomous Region knowing all that the Uyghur people are going through, puts a sour taste in my mouth. I had high hopes for this film, however, I am not sure how great I feel about supporting it even when it is free streaming on Disney+. 

[Brigid Schmidt]

During the Genroku period the city of Edo was a bustling metropolis and men outnumbered women two to one. Edo had many craftsmen, warriors, merchants, and performers. The shogun's castle was in the center. Edokko culture was rooted in the Edo language. We also see examples of the life in the kabuki stage, which professor Dube spoke about in the lecture as well. I would like to teach my students a little about kabuki theatre and about Edo art. Kabuki theatre was a place to see the latest fashion trends and current events of the time. It was intertainment for the common people. My students study plays (Shakespeare, O. Henry, etc) so it could be interesting to study a play quite different like this to search for themes, characters, and plots. Additionally, going through the Edo art from the National Gallery of Art was quite interesting. There were painting and sculptures and many other kinds of art work. My students could use this as a virtual field trip and visit this art. We could then have each student pick there own piece of art to research or write a creative writing story based on what they see. There are so many pieces to choose from. 

[Brigid Schmidt]

Emperor Qianlong's letter starts off by thanking King George for the Macartney mission which was to secure diplomatic relations and improve their trade relations. There are theories on whether his letter was arrogant or strategic. Was Britain a military threat to the Qing Dynasty? Qianlong gave Macartney this letter for King George III, in which he refused the British requests of trading restrictions to be more relaxed, the procurement of the small island of Zhoushan for British traders to reside, and to establish a permanent British Embassy in Beijing. In his letter, he refers to them as "wild ideas and hopes..." and he ends the letter with a warning! After our class discussion and now re-reading it, I am still unsure of which side I fall on! 

[Brigid Schmidt]

I found the "Bridge" Ukyio-e from the Georgia Museum or Art. I chose this one because I loved the artwork and really like bridges. It might be a stretch, but with the bridge and houses maybe men and women are going to and from work. The bridge also looked a bit more modern, so maybe this was starting to become more of a growing town. We can see the detailed umbrellas the people are carrying. The mountains, water and palm trees display the beauty of the area. I will be sharing some of these woodblock pieces with my students to have them work on writing settings and sensory details. 

 

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[Brigid Schmidt]

I agree with you that the lecture and the Jordan Sand and Steven Wills reading could be beneficial to discuss with students. Fires have been very prevalent in the areas where many of my students live and our school is located (we closed down last year for a few days due to the fires.) What were similar components of the fires in Edo to the fires in Southern California? Differences? For one, at the time, Edo was densely populated, the most populous city in the world and Southern California is quite densely populated too. However, in Edo, many of their structures made of wood and fire fighting technology was not anything like it is today. It is interesting that the winter months were most common for "fire season" in Edo due to dry air and strong winds and their summer months were wetter. It tends to be the opposite here. A commonality they both share is that authorites regulated where and when people could have fires. There were also punishments for fires that were started. There are many comparisons and contrasts my students could make between the fires in Edo and our recent fire seasons. Students could further dive into critical thinking about precautions people can take, questioning if people should be building in the mountains, and thinking of ways to stop the spread of wild fires. 

[Brigid Schmidt]

Using Red Scarf Girl is a great idea. I read the book in the spring when I was taking a class on Human Rights. I received the book (attached) Teaching Red Scarf Girl to go along with the memoir of Ji-li Jiang. I really like the resource because it gives examples for students to connect themes from the past to the present events and even to events they might have experienced. Memoirs provide a unique, personal window into the past through the eye's of someone else. Students learn that this is one person's perspective but view it more personally than just reading facts about the time period or the events. The book breaks down each chapter, discusses vocabulary, essential questions, important quotes, and extensions. It is a phenomenal tool if your class is reading this memoir or even just sections of it. 

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[Brigid Schmidt]

The card I chose to use is the 3 of Clubs. I love the water and boating, so that one stood out to me. This card reminded me on traveling on the river in Thailand to get from place to place rather than on foot or by vehicle. I am not certain they are using the boat for transportation, but it looks like they are. It seems like they have letters to deliver, so mabe this is a mail delivery boat. These letters could possibly be mail for soldiers. They appear to be happy to have the letters to deliver. These playing cards could be a fun activity to have my students write a story based on their chosen playing card. They could get creative and use descriptive detail to make their stories come alive from the card. 

[Brigid Schmidt]

This was an interesting clip. Meritocracy implies that the people in power are selected based on ability or merit. In the portrail of China in the clip, it makes it seem like anyone (even a factory worker or a teacher) could become president, where we know most of our presidents have gone to elite schools. However, their example of people did not show any women and it shows Xi Jinping as rising up the ranks from the bottom but his father was an influential Chinese leader. The idea of meritocracy seems good on paper, but is it actually as merit based as it proclaims to be? Dealing with the current political climate, it is clear that no system is truly fair.  

[Brigid Schmidt]

Like Zoey stated, both the Nationalists and Communists had a goal of unifying China. They are determined to make China for the people of China. For a few years the Nationalists and Communists worked together to opposed warlordism and foreign intrusion, however, soon they were at war with each other on and off for decades. One thing they can both agree on is that the foreigners are a problem. After World War II, the Nationalists and the Communists got back to fighting each other, even though they put that aside to fight together against Japan from about 1937-1945. The Communists had the backing of the Soviet Union while the Guomindang had support of the US, but didn’t use it as much. The Communists organized more thoroughly and the Soviet Union provided food and material for them, all which helped the Communists expand their control. During this time there was inflation and inequality, causing some to think China needed a new government. Now that the Communist party succeeeded and is in control, I think their priority will be to make China a great power. At ths time, Mao's aim will probably be to spread socialism to world communism. 

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