[Jonathon Allen]

Reading the selected articles for Session 3 as I'm sheltering in place, teaching remotely from home, and seeing headlines about the World Health Organization's recent findings in Wuhan, has made me ask myself "What about COVID" at least four or five different times as I learn about social transformations in China.  For example, to what extent has COVID exacerbated the poor, rural education delivered to these "left-behind" children over the past year (or has it actually improved a bit if we are to assume that some of these families were staying at home more and engaging less in urban-rural migration? ... or is that laughable to assume that villagers might even have that privileged option?)  Has a global pandemic made it easier for the local public security bureaus to control and censor what's being cast on computer screens since they could simply close down Internet bars out of public safety?  We know that COVID has drastically decreased the mass movement of people throughout China this past week during Chunyun to bring in the Lunar New Year; what other implications is the pandemic having on the social issues we've read for this week?

I found the role of Christianity in China to be particularly interesting.  I went through my notes from a Teaching East Asia summer institute from three years ago in Boulder, CO to find a quote from Xi Jinping on religion: "We must manage religious affairs in accordance with the law and adhere to the principle of independence to run religious groups on our own accord.  The development of religions in China should be independent of foreign influence."  This seems to corroborate Anderlini's statement that Beijing is not necessarily attempting to suppress Christianity, per se, but to just bring it under control.  (This quote could also be helpful in our history classes as we bridge the past and the present through the lens of "foreign religion as a threat" throughout Chinese early modern and modern history, notably in the 19th and 20th centuries.)  If one of the four "consciousnesses" is the "consciousness of the need to keep in line," then I imagine that the plight of Chinese Christians can't help but germinate the seeds of a revolutionary spirit since their very practice may prevent them from "keeping in line," or may muddle their "consciousness of the core," which is Xi Jinping, himself, it seems.  I wonder if it's even possible for Christians in China to ever be considered mainstream?  Is there an alternative to Beijing viewing a Chinese Christian as anything than the "Other," a threat to its carefully developed and rigid social fabric?

The role of the Internet in 21st-century China is fascinating, isn't it?  First:  there are more internet users in China than there are people in the United States!  That always helps put it in perspective for me.  Second, I believe I read somewhere (I know, I know - this sounds vague) that social media, on average, fills up approximately six hours of one's day in China and that roughly 10% of that was actually exercising political ideas - the other 90% of internet activity is watching cat videos and chatting with others.  A throughline in many of these readings (and others from prior weeks) is the ubiquitous surveillance of Chinese citizens, from Xinjiang (the "most heavily monitored place in the world"), Tibet, and major urban sprawls but also down to installed cameras in rural secondary dorms to keep students in line and the potential surveillance in any given wang ba / Internet bar in China.  Again, I wonder if the pandemic has these around-the-clock Internet police working overtime since people are less likely to congregate and are taking to the web?  In any case, the threat that the worldwide internet poses to a country that continues to infuse the element of surveillance into its national identity is certainly one worth watching.

Lastly, I found the idea of a "moonlight clan" to be quite interesting.  It was briefly mentioned in the Lu and Ye article as a group of people who believe it is "healthy to eat and use up everything you have" and who value individualist material pursuits over family responsibility.  I mean ... if this isn't the antithesis of the communist ideal, what is?  I'd be curious to hear more about this sense of rebellion and how attractive it may be to villagers who seem to have "lowered their moral standards" and may be receptive to a more public resistance.

[Jonathon Allen]

Like you, Johnny, I kept thinking back to the Taiping Rebellion when reading the articles about the unique and apocalyptic nature of certain Chinese Christian sects.  Last week, in fact, our AP World History students spent a whole class unpacking the world's deadliest civil war.  The students were intrigued by Hong Xiuquan's apocalyptic fever dreams and his realization that, as the younger brother of Jesus Christ, his mission is to eradicate the demons from the earth, notably the Qing.  Given the legacy of the Taiping Rebellion in the Chinese collective consciousness, it certainly doesn't take much imagination to understand why the PRC is not only skeptical of many of these modern-day sects but are actively working against them.

[Jonathon Allen]

I am grateful for the assigned readings and the two video-recorded lectures for several reasons:

1) I appreciate the maps and images and can imagine using a few of them to better instruct my students about the role of China within East Asia.  Of particular note, the image with the diagonal line dividing China ("9/10 Chinese live east of the yellow line" where the majority of those that live west of it are the "minorities") and the evolution of Chinese currency (from ordinary Chinese folk to the "holy trinity" to the leaders and finally to just Mao) will be valuable in my lessons.  The graphic of the shadow of China superimposed on the continental USA was very informative, as well, and is not something I've seen before or thought of using in class.

2) As I teach at a girls school here in Los Angeles, underscoring the role of women in our history classes becomes that much more significant.  Looking at the ramifications of the One Child Policy, the population pyramid in 2016, and how Liu Shaoqi (channeling Friedrich Engels) suggested that women were kept out of social production due to private property are all aspects that I'd be interested in highlighting in my future lessons on the history of China.

3) I was surprised to find out that the Hukou system was a thing before 1949!  Though it became a mechanized form of control under the CCP, I was still staggered to see the image of a Hukou card pre-1949.  Understanding its evolution is fascinating and will be a point of interest for the students in our Honors Modern World History class, where we spend 2.5 months on 20th-century China, alone.  In my AP World History class, we are covering the "Century of Humiliation" this week, in fact, so the information and images on how the CCP beleived they put an end to that national tragedy in 1949 but feel the need for a more complete rejuvenation will help bridge the past and the present for the students.

[Jonathon Allen]

Hey Johnny!

Our school made the same move a few years ago and we didn't look back.  Glad to have another AP World teacher from L.A. here 🙂

 

 

[Jonathon Allen]

Hi, everyone!  My name is Jonathon Allen and I am the Department Chair of History and Social Sciences at an independent girls' school in Los Angeles, CA.  I also teach AP World History and a Spring elective entitled "Contemporary Asian Studies."  I've tried to continue my professional growth in some aspect of Asia each year and am excited to participate in this seminar with you!

[Jonathon Allen]

Kimberly, I really appreciate that caution you take when comparing nations and cultures.  The quick search you did that yielded the USA's predilection for aesthetic surgeries is no surprise to me, who teaches in Los Angeles, knows people who work on the television series "Botched," and see cosmetic product-based vending machines around the city.  Like you, I am intrigued by the "escape the corset" movement and the non-gender-conforming influence that has taken root in small pockets of South Korea.  I have more than one student who identify as non-binary and Asian-American, so I expect there to be a great deal of interest on this topic when I teach it in the Spring.

[Jonathon Allen]

Laura, what a wonderful response.  Like others, I agree that the contradictions woven through South Korean society and culture today are compelling and provide opportunity for independent student research (I'm thinking about the Contemporary Asian Studies elective I'll be teaching in the Spring.)  Thank you for the Itaewon Class recommendation:  the diversity of the characters and the unfortunate realities of their lived experiences are important to highlight for the community, at large, and could serve as potential forces of change in a relatively conservative country.

[Jonathon Allen]

Hi Meghann,

That is interesting to think about.  When Dr. Jung-Kim addressed my question, it made me want to do a bit more research on who is "approved" as a viable party member.  She alluded to the fact that, to be denied party status is to come from a "bad family," which means that at some point, someone in the lineage must have taken the "wrong side" of a Kim.  Your question is intriguing because one does assume that there's a bit of mobility within the Party, itself.  I'm curious to find out what enables someone to become of "higher rank" than others - though I suspect it's simply visible proof of undying loyalty to the Party and the Leader.

[Jonathon Allen]

I also really appreciated reading Lankov.  He's accessible and clear.  Teaching at a girls' school, I am interested in his commentary on the role of women in South Korea and I, too, found it interesting that women were able to more free to engage in private commerce, given the free time they had on their hands.  

As an aside, I also found the part about the drugs, or "ice," in South Korea really fascinating.  Sad that Lankov said that the youth are essentially using meth, but interesting because they then transport the drugs to mainland China, which just made me think of the opium trade and how debilitating that was for China in the late nineteenth century.  

[Jonathon Allen]

That's interesting (and reassuring) that you don't remember being a victim of discrimination in South Korea as a Latina. This makes me think of something Dr. Jung-Kim mentioned in our first class, which is that Spanish is also taught in many South Korean schools, in addition to Chinese and English.  I'm not sure why I was surprised by that because it's such a widespread language.  I'm curious - did you happen to hear anyone speaking Spanish at all in either of your times to South Korea?

[Jonathon Allen]

A few questions I had as I was reading the articles:

* In the image of the North Korean school boys, some were wearing red scarves.  Dr. Jung-Kim informed us that these red scarves indicated party affiliation.  How does one get to be selected as a party member?  

* The island of Yeonpyeong Island was interesting to me and I was wondering, since North Korea claims that island, if the inhabitants are bound to North Korean laws and customs (and do they even share its unique accent?)

* Just an interesting observation (because a Hunger Games marathon was on this weekend):  because Pyongyang remains off limits to the country folk who don't have proper papers, it reminds me a bit of Panem:  this illusive, mysterious, beautiful haven for those fortunate enough to gain access to it.  I also wonder what levels of resentment and underlying rebellion exist among those cut off from Panem, I mean Pyongyang ...

[Jonathon Allen]

It's fascinating how Kim Jong Il ensured survival of North Korea despite the collapse of other Eastern European communist regimes.  The Lankov article was also quick to point out that North Korea did not go the way of Vietnam and China in initiating market-oriented reforms.  Though the economy as it was established after the Korean War was unsustainable, especially given the waning support in direct assistance from Moscow, Kim Jong Il still maintained the strict indoctrination that kept the population loyal, even if the primary tools used were desperation and fear.  The camps for disloyal citizens and his "Military First" policy (which differed from the self-reliant Juche so heavily underscored under Kim Il Sung) were additional strategies to propel this communist monarchy forward, even if it was, at times, at a limp pace.

The South Korean sunshine policy changed international policy had, as its primary objective, to soften the North Korean attitudes towards its southern neighbors and this policy attempted to do that by opening up South Korea to more cultural, economic, and social opportunities from Western powers.  The South made it known that the North's military provocations would not be tolerated while at the same time assuaging the DRNK's fears that the South wanted to annex the northern half in an aggressive attempt to unify the peninsula.  Announcing that it would provide humanitarian assistance with no expectation of the favor being returned was also a visible feature of the Sunshine Policy.

[Jonathon Allen]

Below are several questions I had while reading:

* It mentioned that "brainwashing" among other terms, became common euphemisms during the Korean War.  Is this simply referring to the propaganda published from both sides or was there something more sinister occurring on either side of the parallel?

* One of the readings cites a final problem in 1953 was the issue of repatriation and how the ROK wanted prisoners of war to choose which side they'd return to whereas the DPRK insisted upon prisoners returning to their country of origin.  The reading did not specifically state what was decided upon when the truce was signed ... or did this issue remain unresolved?

* This is more a question of terminology and language:  is there a preference when using Busan / Pusan?  Are DPRK and North Korea interchangeable?  Why do some articles use ROK and others use South Korea?

[Jonathon Allen]

As I was doing the readings and watching the video presentation, I was making so many different connections in my mind to other world history events during the period from 1950-1994.  It occurred to me (and this will help me more easily remember the years) that Kim Il Sung's reign between 1948-1994 is the exact same timeframe as South African apartheid, for example.  Or that the massive displacement of people before and during the Korean War reminded me of the largest displacement in human history that took place between India and Pakistan in the late 1940s.  This doesn't answer the question but it will help me as I ask my students to make larger connections in AP World History.

I agree with many of the statements above:  Kim Il Sung's success in establishing a communist regime in North Korea is due in large part to the fact that, after the complete and utter devastation of the war, the population at large was on an even playing field.  What more could an ideology like Communism ask for as a basis upon which to build a faithful government?  The fact that not only the Party but the general populace of DPRK had adapted a "bunker mentality" and that the fierce and visceral enmity towards the United States remains a continuity in 2020 just as it had been 70 years ago is a statement towards an effective, unwavering ideology.

What I perhaps found most interesting was the criticism of how the Korean War is covered.  This was brought up somewhat in the required readings but, going a little further in the Beyond Numbers document, I came across some really interesting (and brief) readings that don't pull their punches when it comes to the U.S. narrative ... how the Koreans, themselves, have been left out of this war.  Bruce Cuming's A Murderous History of Korea from this same packet is absolutely going to be on my student reading list for the Spring since he explicitly discusses how Western treatment of North Korea has been both "ahistorical and one-sided."  He claims that "Americans like to see themselves as mere bystanders in postwar Korean history" and I can see my students really digging into the various interpretations of history by using the Korean War as a prime example.

 

[Jonathon Allen]

Here are a few of my takeaways from the video and the infographic:

* I am excited to discuss the extent to which North Korean missiles and nuclear power is a threat to the United States.  I've attended several panels to hear professors debate this and the consensus is that it doesn't seem like a viable threat but those panels were several years ago.

* I love everything about the Korean language, from its origin story to how phoentically intuitive it is.  Driving in Koreatown here in Los Angeles is such a treat to see the script everywhere.  It really is motivation for me to learn the language one day (once I have a handle on Japanese.)

* Thank you for mentioning the many innovations that come from the Korean peninsula, from the 7th-century observatory to the movable metallic type printer.  This year, I am going to introduce the Jikji as the first of its kind because now it just seems Eurocentric to skip right to Gutenberg's Bible without giving credit to the major accomplishment in 1377.

* The role of women throughout Asia is certainly going to be interesting to me, as I work at a girls' school and I intend on making that a theme throughout the entire class.  Thank you for providing specific names of strong females who have left their mark on the political landscape of the Koreas.  I need to do more research on the #metoo movement in South Korea because I'm curious about the impact it did (or didn't) have on society.

* Small typo on the infographic under the North Korean flag:  "When WWI ended with an Allied victory in 1945 ..."

Looking forward to our discussion!

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