[Kathryn Sutherland]

A while back, when Dynamite first came out, I remember reading an article about BTS and why they were so popular now. I can't remember what publication it was with--it was a good BTS primer for someone who didn't know a lot about them--but the author basically alleged that BTS's record label here in the states wouldn't promote their music unless they did a song in English. And BTS resisted this for as long as they could, but they just weren't able to top the Billboard 100 chart without the marketing push that their label would do if they did a song in English. So the author said that even though their earlier music was deep, thoughtful social commentaries, the song Dynamite was so sugary-sacchrine that it had to be them trolling the record label for forcing them to do a song in English. So after watching the lecture, I thought about this article that I had read, and I was wondering a) if this was true or if it was just a superfan upset that BTS did a song in English and b) how does BTS feel about catering to an english speaking fan base? The article I read a while back made it seem like singing in English was the equivalent of "selling out," but is it? I'm curious to know. If there are any big BTS fans out there that could shed some light on this for me, I'd greatly appreciate it!

[Kathryn Sutherland]

An AHA moment I had reading the article about Train to Busan was deepening my understanding "glocalization"--I've heard this term before, but I think that putting it in the context of South Korea's film industry and the movie Train to Busan made it make more sense to me. I thought it was interesting that although zombie movies are a global phenomenon, by using all Korean actors, and having the characters and the zombies represent anxieties, ineptitudes, and tragedies that were distinctly Korean (the tragic Sewol Ferry disaster, for one), Train to Busan is distinct from other movies in the genre. 

Learning about glocalization and Train to Busan, I was also struck by how similar anxieties are in the US and in South Korea--namely, the widening gap between the haves and the have nots. That capitalism has played out similarly in South Korea as it has here is fascinating (and disheartening). 

 

[Kathryn Sutherland]

I was also interested in the background of the word "zombie!" I had no idea that its etimology was so far back in history, and had been incorporated into the cultural spheres of so many different countries. it was surprising, (but also, given the history of the United States, not that surprising) for me to learn that the word zombie has racist roots in American society. When I think of contemporary zombie movies and zombie TV shows and zombie video games today, it seems to me that this once derogatory word used towards African slaves has been completely divorced from its original use, but I guess the next time I watch something about zombies, I'll try to have a more critical eye for what the zombie is actually representing!

[Kathryn Sutherland]

Hello! My name is Kathryn Sutherland and I am a kindergarten teacher at an elementary school in Los Angeles. I am excited to take this course with Jennifer Jung-Kim! Back in 2018, I took the USC US-China Institute Seminar "East Asia since 1800" and Jennifer Jung-Kim was a guest lecturer for 2 of the lectures. They were phenomenal! So when I saw that she was teaching a course on Korea, I signed up immediately. I am looking forward to learning more about Korean society through pop culture and seeing how I can integrate what I learn into my classroom through books, songs, dances, and movies. 

[Kathryn Sutherland]

Growing up in the San Francisco bay area, I was fortunate enough to learn about the Chinese Exclusion Act at a young age on our field trip to Angel Island. We learned that Angel Island was sort of like Ellis Island in New York, but with an ugly history of racism against Chinese, Japanese, and other Asian immigrants to California.  Getting to go to Angel Island and learn about its history, warts and all, at a young age (I think I went in elementary school) was an experience I am truly grateful for.  There's nothing like learning through seeing, exploring, and experiencing.  

I love the idea of learning about the Chinese Exclusion Act by comparing it to what's going on now.  I agree that students are more engaged when they can draw parallels between history and current events.  

[Kathryn Sutherland]

Our last class about China was on China since 1978: Reform and Opening.  One place that we see the kind of reform and opening that has transformed China is in the film industry.  Communism takes on a much different look with movie stars. 

One news story I've been following is the rise and fall and rise (maybe?) again of China's most famous actress, Fan Bingbing.  The Verge has a primer on all that has happened so far: https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/23/17991988/fan-bingbing-disappearance-reappearance-china-tax-evasion-social-media

What I find interesting is the explanation as to why Fan Bingbing, of all of the actors, actresses, and other high profile wealthy people in China, was targetted.  She is not the only actor who has had this type of contract (1/2 is legitamate, 1/2 is under the table and therefore not taxed).  Perhaps her level of stardom is threatening to people in power.  Perhaps her gender and her self-sufficiency was threatening to people in power.  Before her disappearance this summer, she made comments that weren't in line with the communist party agenda.  She has emerged from her disappearance with an apology, a large monetary punishment, and devotion to the communist party.  Her reputation has plummeted, and the once beloved actress, touted for her beauty and charity work, has an uncertain future ahead of her.  

 

[Kathryn Sutherland]

I am interested to learn more about Kawabata Yasunan and his book, Snow Country, which was one of his works that was cited for a nobel prize in literature in 1968. Professor Miyake mentioned that this book served to refashion Japan in the view of the western powers as a "defanged, docile ally"--an emasuclated man, not a fierce samurai or wartime enemy, as it had been thought of by western powers in the past.  She said that both Japan and the US were complicit in recreating the image of Japanese culture, where men were emasculated, and women were eroticized.  Learning what we have about romantic relationships in Japan (or lack thereof: the Japanese government has put into place initiatives to get young people to date, marry, and have babies: https://www.businessinsider.com/japanese-government-dating-services-2016-10), I wonder if Snow Country and the refashioning of the image of men has had any long term effects on the relationships between men and women.  Or, this could simply be a case of "association does not imply causation"! Either way, I'd like to know more about this author and his importance in contemporary Japanese culture. 

[Kathryn Sutherland]

I was surprised to learn how skewed the sex ratio at birth is in China as compared to the world.  I had naiively assumed that a one child policy meant there would be a 50-50 chance that it was a girl or a boy!  I did not factor in selective births, and the fact that there is a slight natural skew towards male births.  

What's more, in the Pew research article, it states that China's birthrate was likely to decline without the one-child policy (it had already been declining for yeras), as this is the trend as a country industrializes and grows economically.  It seems like this reactive policy didn't actually address the issue that it was supposed to--overpopulation--and instead had some unintended consequences of skewing the population makeup.  With the relaxing of this policy, experts think that in the short term, birth preference will still skew towards boys and women will probably continue to have one child, but in the long term, the ratios might even out. 

[Kathryn Sutherland]

One thing I have taken away from this seminar is how connected the history before 1800 is to the history after.  We barely touched on pre-1800s history for East Asia (I mean, the class was titled East Asia since 1800...) but just getting the brief snippet of history about Korea really framed the post 1800 events.  I thought it was so interesting that Korea has existed with relatively the same borders from the late 1300s.  I was also surprised to learn that there was relative gender equality during this time (at least, until 1644, when equal inheritance was slashed to 1/3 inheritance).  The rigid social stratification that had existed under the Choson and the rise of the yangpan scholar officials set the stage for unrest, and ultimately for Japan to take advantage of the internal rebellions plaguing and weakening Korea.  History does not happen in a vaccuum, and this class really put in to perspective how interconnected every global event truly is. 

[Kathryn Sutherland]

One thing that has really stuck with me since this session has been the idea of the Korean Wave, the uptick of popularity in South Korean culture around the globe.  To me, this is brilliant.  Global power--soft power, but power nonetheless-- can be attained by influencing pop culture, food, language, television, music, cosmetics, fashion, tourism, etc.  I didn't know that this phenomon was something that was necessarily planned or executed by the Korean government--I just thought that as the world got smaller, people identified k pop, kimchi, and korean soap operas as things that they liked.  But it makes sense to be strategic about this influence.  And the Korean Wave is definitely a real phenomenon.  My boyfriend's aunt is a huge fan of Korean dramas, and has even started to pick up the language because she watches them so much.  Brilliant.  A woman who probably would have never learned Korean is now showing off by speaking her favorite korean words and sayings to her friends!  

[Kathryn Sutherland]

The Treaty of Nanjing, in all its unequalness, begins modern Chinese history and marks the first time the Chinese empire has been threatened by someone on the outside.  And they weren't just threatened, they were thrashed; completely defeated in the first opium war, left to sign a treaty that granted the British Hong Kong in perpetuity, money for all the opium that was destroyed, extraterritoriality, and 5 ports open to British trade (to ship in more opium, of course). This lead to the US demanding the same treatment, the French get permission to send in missionaries, and the unequal treaties snowball.  This imbalance of power led western countries to think of China as weak, uncivilized, a plaything of the "big dogs"--quite a far cry from its status now!  These unequal treaties drained Chinese wealth to the west, leading to more development in these countries that were already far ahead of China in terms of industrialization.  My, how things change.  Now the west is addicted to Chinese exports (not opium, but consumer goods)--has the unequalness been reversed?

[Kathryn Sutherland]

I enjoyed reading Xu's perspective of post world war I America. My takeaways from his takeaways: 1. For Americans, time is money, and money is the most important thing in the world (guess not a lot has really changed there...) 2. Superstitions are so silly (again, not a lot has changed there, too!) 3. The households are clean, and families look outwardly happy (perhaps the family unit and the role of women is the thing that has changed the most since Xu's visit...) 4. It's good to be a woman or a child in the United States (birth control! education! we got it all!) 5. America loves its universities and they are everywhere and they are all sizes--but the ones on the east coast are the best (couldn't disagree more! 😉 

I'd be interested to know what Xu would think of his trip to the United States today.  Would there still be a culture shock? Or would he have grown up in an increasingly globalized world, and not have as much insight into the differences between the US and China? 

[Kathryn Sutherland]

I too enjoyed reading Mr. Chabudo--I feel like the "chabudo" attitude is very, very kindergarten, and I think my students would enjoy a children's story about Mf. Chabudo.  Reading the article you posted was interesting to see both sides of chabudo--the inventiveness, the adlibbing, the jazz of trying to fix things or make things that you have no business fixing or making.  Improvisation is such a great skill to have, and the ability to be okay with a job that isn't exactly how you thought it would be is a great lesson in flexibility and creativity.  However, the danger of chabudo is real--we rely everyday on things being built perfectly so that we can survive.  The rejection of chabudo to reach benchmarks and standards is what leads to progress in both education and the real world.  I would love to have a discussion with my students about chabudo. I think they would have some really great ideas and opinions about its strengths and weaknesses!

[Kathryn Sutherland]

I too am curious to see what happens with Belt and Road projects around the world.  It is interesting to read that a lot of projects that were already in place or were  not a part of the master Belt and Road plan are being attributed to it--that One Belt, One Road is more of a brand than a unified scheme. What is clear is that this will increase the political and economic power and presence of China throughout the world. What's not clear is how China will ultimately utilize this power, and what unforseen side effects of a project of this caliber will have not just on its associated partners, but on the world.  Will power shift peacefully? Or not?

[Kathryn Sutherland]

"A British observer was amazed at these new global links that the Civil War had brought to the fore. 'We have seen how potent and how quick,' he wrote, 'the effects of ‘price’ was in the most distant parts of the globe.'"

What an interesting article!  I don't think I've ever thought about the impact of the civil war on the global scale, and how our world really started to become smaller hudreds of years ago.  A resource like cotton is a great thermometer for how interconnected the globe was in the late 1860--we take for granted now that a scarcity in a part of the world that is far away will affect our consumerism here--we know it will.  But this must of been a such a new type of problem back then, one that had huge yet invisible implications. 

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