[Jacqueline Mercado]

I really like this poster.  Its focus on an energized, strong and healthy youth moves me and I find it attractive and inspiring.  The poster's focal image is clearly three young people; 2 girls and 1 boy, pointing to the fact that this image is not meant to target a specific gender but all youth, recruiting all for a cause.  They are all steadfastly running a race and their resolve, perseverance, strength and eagerness is visible on their facial expression.  Without being able to read the Chinese characters, I can only guess at what the message of this poster is but this is not hard to figure out.  The images here are meant to mobilize young people to action, to inspire them to join the revoutionary cause. The fact that these young people are running together as in an army rather than individually suggests that they are to train and be healthy for the good of the country and not individual benefit.  Hence the message is unity and the collective good rather that individualism.  As in most posters, these young patriots are looking forward with resolution and strength, suggesting that the cause is worth their time and energy and that they are an integral part of its future as the youth is the future of China, as it is of any country.  In my opinion, the depiction of youth in this way is effective and illicits an emotive respone.  Another feature that stand out is the use of the color red in this image, suggesting that the time period of this poster would be late 1960's to early 1970's as this is the time of the Cultural Revolution.

[Jacqueline Mercado]

At the end of his presentation, Professor Dube posed an interesting question regarding the resurgence of Mao Zedong's image in modern day China.  He showed images of Chinese currency with the picture of Mao and statues to show the ever present "presence" of the revered leader of the Chinese Cultural Revolution.  It is not hard to see why Mao is so prevalent thorought China today even if China seemingly has shifted from the Mao era policies.  Whether Mao is viewed favorably or negatively, he is a fixed historical figure tied to the Cultural Revolution and as such, has become an integral part of the Chinese culture, history, memory and experience. Not only was he so historically prevalent but remains ingrained within the Chinese consciousness and this is hard to escape.  For some Chinese he represents a strong leader and the ideals of the Cultural Revolution and this nostalgia for the past is inescapable.  This resurgence suggests that despite China's changing economics and emerging openness, the Mao era policy is still alive in China despite the younger genation and critics distancing themselves from him and the failures and repression he represents. And with President Xi Jinping leading the revival of Mao era policies and thought, all of this points to a China that has not moved far away from Mao.  China continues to struggle to come to terms with the Mao legacy, but if the president is fostering this revival, how and when will China break away from the Mao legacy and its continual influence in modern China?

[Jacqueline Mercado]

I confess that prior to Professor Kim's presentation on Korean cinema I did not know much about Korean films nor that in Korea films  were tightly controlled by the state regime and have traditionally been utilized as a didactic tool to teach the citizenry of an intended political message. It is interesting to note that films were used to indoctrinate children very early on and foster not individualism but loyalty to the state as we saw in the short clip of Lazy Pig.   Knowing this historical fact will inform my teaching and presentation of Korean films in the classroom.  With the knowlege that films were used as a teaching tool to teach particular values, to propogate a specific ideology and solidify power for a leader, a way to approach Korean films in the classroom is to study and examine the pedagogical value and usefulness of a movie by looking at the visuals--the images, symbols, content--themes and values presented, and the rhetoric used.  As we learned in today's presentation, Korean films did evolve from its use as propaganda and began to reveal a softer dimension by presenting themes of personal love and agency and became more expressive of the individual rather than loyalty to a regime and the state.  It would be interesting to find ways to show films that are reflective of this evolution so that students can see both aspects of Korean film.  

[Jacqueline Mercado]

I thorougly enjoyed Professor Yasar's introduction to Japanese cinema.  Due to my participation in previous seminars, I have had the opportunity to watch several Japanese films and so have had some exposure to Japanese film, directors and some of the themes professor Yassar talked about today.  I appreciate foreign films and believe that they are a valuable teaching tool for use in the classroom.  Through foreing films students can learn about different aspects of a given culture and perspectives but can also see themselves in the universal themes expressed through the film.  I appreciate that Professor Yassar offered us some useful strategies that can help in the implementation of foreign films in the classroom.   One way to guide students as they make sense of a film is to look at the universal themes--points of commonality and identification, dig into the historical and cultural context of the film and examine the cinematic techniques of the film such as the use of space, camera and how characters' bodies are used to evoke meaning.  The list of recurring themes specific to Japanese cinema that Professor Yassar included in his presentation is specially useful as one can easily provide this list to students.  In addition to providing students with a list of universal themes, preparing key questions beforehand is ideal to guide students' thinking and discussions.  Students can watch segments of a film and can journal their reactions, observations and answers to the above mentioned topics.   I found today's presentation to be educational, enjoyable and extremely useful. It did not only enhance my understanding of Japanese cinema, but the content presented can be easily shared with students.  I found the clips of Tokyo Story and Still Walking engaging and will continue to think of ways I can share such films with my students.

 

[Jacqueline Mercado]

Professor Berry presented many thought provoking ideas in his presentation of Chinese cinema.  One of the ideas he made mention of was the idea that we have this cultural imbalance in our culture, that while we know much about Western history, literature and perspectives, we do not generally work hard to know other perspectives, particularly those from East Asia, which is curious given that China, for instance is the second largest economy in the world and as such, has become more relevant.   I know this is true in my experience and certainly is true for my students.  This is one of the reasons why participation in this seminar is important to me as I have the ability to level the knowledge field with my students and to expose them to and to cultivate in them a global perspective.  I look forward to learning more about East Asian cinema and other visual arts as the week progresses so that I can expose my students to this history, culture and perspectives.  One way of achieving this is to incorporate foreign films and through the use of this medium, expose preconceived ideas and in doing so enhance students' global understanding. 

[Jacqueline Mercado]

Hello everyone!  I am excited to embark on yet another educational journey with the USC US-China institute.  This is the 3rd seminar that I will be participating in and I am looking forward to learning about the history, culture and visual arts of East Asia and thinking about ways that I can implement different aspects of Asia into my teaching.  I am a teacher of English and most of my experience lies in teaching middle school but I am now teaching in the only indepedent study school within LAUSD and so I currently teach all subjects, grades 9-12.  Besides literature and the arts, world history is of particular interest to me and due to my participation in previous seminars, my interest in East Asia has been piqued. I am a life learner and I look forward to a week of much learning and collaboration with all of you. 

[Jacqueline Mercado]

Stella, I am not sure that I can contribute much to your understanding of this reading as I also found this reading to be mysterious and allegorical.  I think that is the point.  From my understanding, this text is an allegory and as such, it is meant to be read figuratively.  The only thoughts I can share is what my interpretation of the characters is and what I think they might represent.  I noted that there are many unknowns in this story but that there is a clear distinction between the east, the west and the clear pathway in the middle.  The old man to me represents the past and its tired traditions, the girl, who is much younger, might represent the future and the tired sojourner represents the present.  As I tried to make sense of this reading, the idea I came up with is that it is about the intersection of the past with the present and the east and the west. That is, perhaps XuLun was writing about the effect of western influences in China, its past and traditions and his writing reflects his wrestling with the tensions of adopting new ideas with the old ways.  We do know that the traveler feels an impetus to continue in his journey and exhibits this restlessness.  What struck me about this reading was the loneliness that the traveler experiences and the theme of death represented by the graveyard.  I liked the mysterious and metaphorical nature of this piece, which is expected of a writer like XuLun.  It seems he writes to make the reader uncomfortable and cause him or her to think and think some more.  I believe his writings reflect this purpose well.

[Jacqueline Mercado]

Attached you will find my final reflection for this seminar.  Thank you for the educational journey.

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[Jacqueline Mercado]

Sandra and Juan, you both point out that while filial piety as a value that is held in high esteem in Chinese philosophy, family and government, that it is not uniquely a Chinese value, but a universal one.  This is an important point and one we can stress with our students when discussion filial piety within the context of Chinese history and culture.  It would be easy to stress this value as inherent to a particular culture and so inadvertenly emphasize the differences among cultures.  It would be equally as meaningful to help students see how they can personally connect to the values of a distant place and culture as we endeavor to create understanding and empathy across cultures in our students.  It is through these universal values and experiences that seem to transcend cultural differences that we can help our students make those connections.

[Jacqueline Mercado]

It is interesting to note that East Asian countries are innovative with technology and with other advances that have contributed to a growing economy. China for example, has become the second largest economy in the world due to its industrial development and yet we see how tradition is so deeply ingrained in these East Asian countries in regards to this issue which is resulting in an increasing decreasing birth rate.  This problem is mainly due to the fact that in a sense the material conditions of life can and have changed quickly but attitudes and traditions are not so readily changed.  These cultural values which are harder to change have real economic implications.  It is interesting to note how tradition can be a hinderance to the health of a country's economy.  This is much deeper than encouraging people in East Asian countries to view women differently simply because times have changed, but because if cultural values do not change, this is a viable threat to the future of that economy.  What is uncertain and worrisome is that we do not know if the needed cultural shifts will take place in time to avoid a future crisis.  The hope is that these East Asian countries with a decreasing birth rate will adapt to their new reality as they have in other areas of development.

[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. 

[Jacqueline Mercado]

In this session, we learned about Japanase history and culture.  Professor Yamashita presented a panoramic overview of Japanese history from medieval Japan to the development of the Japanese warrior culture to the establishment of the Tokugawa order.  My knowledge of Japan and its people has been greatly expanded to better understand the foundations and development of Japanese society, its economy and political power and how all of this relates to its topography and geography.  I noted how Professor Yamashita contextualized the different aspects of Japan's history accoding to four contexts:  topography, military, political and emotional.  I thought the emotional aspect was particularly interesting and how Japanese society worked to control human emotions.  I did not realize how important the control of passions was in Japanese culture and how tightly controlled it was, how historically this culture has been occupied with order and structure.  I appreciated Professor Yamashita's broad view of Japanese history and the diversity of thought and the various aspects of the culture he included.  The historical puzzles and questions he presented, from the puzzle of the Samurai to the puzzle of sushi, serve as a guide to assist me as I think about how I can share this information with my students and have them delve into content that will cause them to appreciate Japanese culture. I personally would like to know more about Japanese feudalism and how this system compares to European and Chinese feudalim, its structure and system.  The session is over, but my thoughts about how I can integrate this into my lessons continues.   

[Jacqueline Mercado]

I think that discussing one of the most widely known Chinese writers is important when teaching about modern China.  One of the points Professor Cheng pointed to was the distinction between Xu Lun the man the the myth he has been made to be.  While Xu Lun is widely regarded as a giant of modern China and modern Chinese literature, Professor Cheng pointed out that he is somewhat of a mythical figure, hailed as a hero of the revolution when his life and ideas present a more complex and nuanced individual.  She identified him as an "in between,"  a transitional figure caught between the pull of modern ideas and development ad the preservation of tradition and the past.  Considering that he lived during the end of the Qing dynasty, the displacement he experienced is reflected in his ideas and writing.  He lived in this in between state and because he did not necessarily subscribe to either, he could objectively criticize the society he was critical of.  As we read Preface to Outcry, we see this image of the writer emerge.  We sense that Lu Xun is disillusioned as he writes about his journey and transformation from an idealist with aspirations and dreams to a state of disillusionment, unable to recapture the passion and fervor of his youth.  We sense his struggle.  It appears that his life and thoughts reflected a different reality than the one attributed to him. The man versus the myth renders a more nuanced reading of the person and the complexity of his life and writings.   

[Jacqueline Mercado]

One cannot discuss China's cultural revolution or Mao Zedong without taking note of his adept and strategic use of propaganda to propel his ideology and political efforts forward.  As we learned about the sent down youth, we saw a sample of images used in Chinese propaganda used by Mao Zedong to propel this particular movement forward and to enforce compliance from its citizenry.  This reminded me of how different governments and political movements have used propaganda to persuade, motivate and move people to action.  The power of propaganda lies in its ability to harness the power of images, symbolism and emotion to manipulate the masses' perception of reality and thus redirect their behavior. The sampling of Chinese propaganda presented in this session gave me an idea for a lesson on propagand and its use by Mao Zedong during his cultural revolution.   While I do not have a focus for the lesson at this point, the general thought is to get students to analyze how Mao Zedong used propaganda, will analyze the images, symbolism and nuance of propaganda and rate the effectiveness of the imagery used. Throuh this lesson, students will understand propaganda, its purpose, its effectiveness and how specifically it was used by Mao Zedong to mobilize the Chinese during the cultural revolution and to what end or effect.  As a culminating assignment, students can create their own propaganda poster/drawing to promote a particular political movement of their choice or to encapsulate the ideology prevelant during the cultural revolution in China.

[Jacqueline Mercado]

In this session we learned about the so called sent down youth of China which was relocated into rural areas during Mao Zedong's era.  The reasons why Mao Zedong pomoted this relocation can be summarized as follows:  the lack of jobs in urban areas, ideological purification and the effort to pacify the cities by ridding them of revisionists, or those whom did not conform to a pure Communist ideology.  Another topic that came up in this session was the values today's youth in China have adopted.  It is interesting to note how far removed today's youth is from this aspect of China's past.  This aspect of China's past under Mao Zedong's governance sharply contrasts with how China is being projected today and the attitudes and lives that young people are now living.  It is interesting to see how China and its people have evolved and how this evolution marks a drastic change in China's cultural landscape. During the down to the countryside movement there was the relocation of young people from the city to rural areas for the purpose of being reeducated by the poor peasants.  After Mao Zedong's rule ended, there has been a concentrated effort in the development of cities and so now there is a concentration of youth in urban areas, the place of development, culture and jobs.  The youth of the past were reeducated in the countryside while the youth of today find themselves trapped by materialism and consumerism fueled by rising expectations and a booming economy. It appears that China has reached the end of one era to welcome the dawn of a different time.  As China's economy rises, people's expectations and aspirations grow with it.  This new cultural and economic development seemingly marks a new and modern China as China's youth are increasingly being driven by a western lifestyle, another stark contrast with its not so far past. While this development suggests change and an openness to foreign influences, the question remains whether China will become a more open society in the future.    

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