[Kelly McKee]

Thank you, Clay!  I look forward to taking a look at the resources!

[Kelly McKee]

Clay, do you have any suggestions for articles/resources about organics in China today?  What % of the food production/consumption in China is organic?   How has this % changed over time?  Also, how does the government regulate organic labeling in the country?  

[Kelly McKee]

• The first video shares an awakening statistic that I have been talking about with students since watching the video:  In 2016 the population of the 'Millineals in China' are the 4th largest country in the world at 413 million people.  This certainly offers new perspective for unpacking global demographics.  
• The video also higlights the knowledge deficit in America regarding Chinese knowledge and culture.  About 10 years ago the Chicago Public School system was known for having one the largest Mandarin K-12 language programs in the country.  However, this has changed over the years.  A Confucious Institute opened in one of the top performing CPS high schools in 2006 and initially it was a huge success.  Many suburban school systems adopted dual language programs but many were short lived.  I'm curious to know the status of Confucious Institute in the US today and how they impact the teaching and learning about China -especially since this knowledge gap is seen as a huge deficit in our country.
• I assume the article titled 'The Bad Earth' is a contrast from Pearl S. Buck's 'The Good Earth.'   There are many big takeaways from this article that really made me rething the food industry as a whole.  Soil pollution is a universal issue -yet I'm surprised to learn that Hunan province is the largest producer of rice and the largest producer of cadmium.  The article also mentions the use of pesticides has doubled since 1991.  I'm curious to know if there is any regualtion for organic certification of food in China?  Non-GMOs?  And if so, how doe the regulation differ from the US/European regulations.  Also, with the rising economic growth what percentage of food products sold today fit into these categories?  

[Kelly McKee]

• Video #2 shares infromation regarding the 5 recognized religions of China today: Buddhism, Daoism, Islam, Protestanism and Catholicism.  I'm curious to know why Judaism is not on the list.  Several years ago I attended a seminar in Chicago's Chinatown focusing on Judaism in China highlighting Xu Xin, a Chinese scholar of Jewish Studies. Do China and Israel have healthy diplomatic relations today?  I'm sharing a link about Xu Xin and his connection to Chicago State Univeristy  https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2008-11/04/content_7173357.htm
• I so appreciate the news articles about the middle age dancers in China!  Very interesting to learn how the CCP now sends 'dance teachers' to lead groups throughout the country.  Over the past 15 years I've had opportunities to travel to China with high school students.  Our group always joins in with the dancing adults in public parks in Shanghai, Xi'an and Hangzhou.  The locals are most welcoming of having western students dance with them, and of course my students just love the experience.  
• I was unaware Falun Gong had originally started as a morning-exercise group.  Here in the mid-west there are endless advertisements for a professional performance called Shenyun.  This group is sponsored/organized by Falun Gong.  Even our local July 4th parade in Evanston, Illinois has a huge representation by the group.  Falun Gong also has a stong presence in our Federal Plaza in downtown Chicago.  What is their main objective here in the US and what type of influence do they have in China today?
• The article titled 'Once the Villages are Gone' shared that China has 9,700 examples of 'intangible cultural heritage.'  At first I thought this must be a 'China thing'...but then I started to do a bit of research and realized this is a global distinction to preserve one's heritage.  The United States has an endless list of examples of intangible cultural heritage as shared by the National Park Service https://www.nps.gov/articles/tangible-cultural-heritage.htm.  The Smithsonian Folkways is one of my favorites as it highlights Abigal Washburn, one of my favorite banjo players and advocates of folk music in China https://folkways.si.edu/news-and-press/announcing-wu-fei-and-abigail-washburn.  UNESCO also features a global list of examples of intangible cultural heritage https://ich.unesco.org/en/lists  I had no idea that 'Alpinism' was inscribed in 2019 to preserve the art of climbing up summits and walls of mountains.https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/alpinism-01471  This is interesting stuff and glad to know it is not just something in China.  Yet, I'm curious to know how the CCP designtes whose intangible heritiage is to be preserved and whose is not?
• My final comment is about religion in China.  I find it interesting how Protestantism is more embraced than Catholicism and how the Financial Times article highlights Protestantism as being more entrepreneurial.   I do teach about Hong Xiuquan and the Taiping Rebellion in my modern world history class and students are fascinated to learn about his revelation regarding Jesus.  I also teach about Xu Guangi and his relationship with the Jesuits in Shanghai in the early 17th century.  I share images of the bronze sculptures in Shanghai of Xu holding sweet potates from the New World.  There is an entire neighborhood in Shanghai named after him 'Xujiahui' in addition to a museum, Catholic cathedral and much more.  So many cool opportunities to share the east-west connections in the early modern era http://chinaheritagequarterly.org/features.php?searchterm=023_guangqi.inc&issue=023

[Kelly McKee]

• The two videos offer many great takeaways to use in the classroom with students!  I really appreciate the framework shared for unpacking the economic changes from Mao Zedong's era to Deng Xiaoping.   I've never heard of Iron Man Wang  -the model person of production in the 1960's.  Another big takeaway is the economic impact on China when they joined the WTO in 2001.  The video states how China's GDP rose from 6th (2001) to 2nd (2017).  The chart in video 2 shares economic data to support Xi's current initiative to be the dominant global  power.  Analyzing the % of China's global economic activity in 1750 at 32.8% compared to 1900 at 6.2% is quite shocking.  The narrative shared in the documentary film Morning Sun http://www.morningsun.org/film/ reinforces this data emphasizing how the economy of China was on a drastic downward spiral shifted after the arrival of  European trade demands in the 18th century.  It is interesting to see the relevance today as Xi believes China naturally should dominate in global trade...just as they had done in the past.
• The congressional research service article shares an informative backdrop about SOEs in China.  Knowing these companies are protected from competition by the government and many of the profits are used for domestic investment would indicate their status is necessary for economic growth within the country.  The article shares endless stats supporting the significance of SOEs and the role they play not just in China, but the world.  The Forbes 2016 top 500 companies identifies 103 of the top businesses are from China and 73 of the 103 are SOE's.  Unbelievable!
• Huawei, Tencent, Alibaba, Baidu are all big name companies from China. My students are definitely familiar with Huawei and Alibaba.  I am personally a big fan of WeChat and use it often here in the US.  I'm curious to know how much stock the Chinese government owns in Alibaba and other public companies in China?   It was unclear in the HSBC article how many CEOs of private companies are members of the CCP.  Interesting that Ren Zhengfei was an engineer in the PLA and I believe Jack Ma is also a party member but unsure about the position of Pony Ma and others.  It is interesting how Warren Buffett is an investor in BYD Auto and Accel Partners invested in DJI - how does this regulation with outside investment work in China?  Especially with US investors.  I just watched a news program the other day highlighting the use of drones in Wuhan and other areas in China telling people they must wear masks when outdoors to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.  I'm sure the drone showcased in the news program was made by DJI in Shenzen! 

[Kelly McKee]

Thank you for addressing the question about the drastic drop of infant mortailty during Mao's rule of China.  Do you have any sources, documents, articles, etc. sharing data to use as evidence of this rapid change in population growth?  I'd like to find some materials that my 10th grade students can access to learn more about this.  I'm also curious to further discuss your opening question about 'how does coronavirus health crisis impact the economy?'  I realize all Apple Stores, Starbucks, etc. have been closed in China addition to other venues shared last night in the discussion forum.  But, what about the economic loss here in the US as a result of fewer Chinese traveling to our country for tourism and/or business purposes.  Sharing a link to a NYT article from yesterday  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/04/nyregion/coronavirus-nyc.html  I'm hopeful we will continue this topic of discussion next week!

[Kelly McKee]

• The article about the one-child policy shares a lot of valuable insight about the future of China's population.  In 2050 25% of China's population will be over 65 years old.  This is alarming and I'm curious to know how the government is preparing to address this issue within the next thirty years.  How will the elderly be cared for in the future?  How does China take care of its elderly population today?
• China's New Revolution article is packed with content takeaways to use in the classroom.  I found the section on 'social credit' to be quite interesting as I have never heard of this term before.  This is another example of how controlled the nation is if the government is aware of how much time you spend playing video games, and knowing one can be punished for spending too much time playing them.  What type of 'punishment' will people endure if they are labeled as being untrustworthy and lacking in social credit?
• The article also highlights to power of the CCP in business today.  I've always wondered just how much influence does the government have over a company's ability to create capital.  As the second video stated 'Jack Ma is the wealthiest man in China and he is also a member of the party.'  Is this true of CEO's of other big Chinese companies?  How are companies taxed and how much control does the communist party have on corpoarte revenue and growth?
•  The Belt and Road Initiative is something I share with students in my World History class.  It is referenced as a modern day 'Silk Roads' initiative.  I'm curious to know how (or if) the US is countering China's expansion of trade ports, terminals, etc. around the world.  Also, what future plans does China have to continue extending the existing trade routes?

[Kelly McKee]

Hello!  I teach at a public high school located 30 miles north of Chicago.  I currently teach 10th grade Modern World History and a 9th/10th grade project based learning course called Modern Global Issues.  I have always been interested in teaching about Asia and ten years ago developed a cultural exchange program with our sister school in Shanghai, 华东师范大学大学附属中学.   I have had several opportunities to travel to China with students.  I enrolled in this class to learn about new resources and teaching materials to compliment my existing curriculum.   

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