[Laura Gonzales]

I learned so much from Professor’s Dube lecture  up to the mountains/ down to the villages. I knew a little bit about the cultural revolution that took place in China, I knew that the government was communist and that people were not able to express themselves freely with out the fear of getting punished. What I didn't know was that young children were sent to the country side for a few years to learn about the land and develop agriculture.  I have an activity in my class in which students have to analyze propaganda and read excerpts about life during the cultural revolution, what they get from it is that people lived under a harsh dictator and that people had to be careful with what they said because anybody could turn them in including their own children if they went against the regime.

 

I learned that 10-15% of the urban population was sent to the country side in the late 60’s and early 70’s. It was interesting being able to see the propaganda posters that were displayed and being able to read into them and learn about the true story behind the smiling kids and cheerful crowds. It was heart wrenching to think that Mao’s ideology caused  one of the worst famine in Chinese history. It seems that Mao’s ideology stems from his own upbringing in the country side, he felt that cities were corrupt and that the countryside was pure. He also believed that the poor peasants were going to educate the snobby city youth and teach them how to be more self sustainable by living off the land.  I found it ironic that times have changed as well as his ideology in China’s current government. According to Professor Dube China is  very materialistic and Chinese feel a lot of pressure to be successful and make a lot of money.

 

[Laura Gonzales]

Eileen J. Cheng lectured about Lu Xun a modern Chinese writer. Ms. Cheng explained Lu Xun was the in between. Lu Xun writing were a mix of classical language and vernacular Chinese, some of his writings were difficult for readers to understand. Lu Xun  writings were filled with contradictions.

 

Ms. Cheng did an excellent job showing us how we could introduce content to our students. Prior to getting into the content we could introduce photographs to our students from the time period we are teaching and we could have the students analyze the photographs. Through the photographs and questioning students will be able to gain an insight to the cultural and political system being covered. For example Ms. Cheng showed a picture of Chinese men smoking opium and one of the questions she asked was “Can you tell a story about these men?”  Another activity she mentioned that we could introduce to our students is having them assume the voice of a historical figure such as a missionary men or women and the student would have to write a  postcard about their life in China.

 

I found Ms. Cheng’s suggestion very helpful and I can’t wait to incorporate more picture analysis and point of view writings in my class.

 

[Laura Gonzales]

Brett Sheehan did an excellent job explaining why biographies are written. He mention that there are two main reasons why they are written 1. If the person is important or 2. If the person is special. He was very dedicated when he wrote Trust in Troubled Times.  He was able to explain how through biographies historians are able to go beyond the linear history we learn about and really see how people lives are impacted when they live through many regimes, such as the case of his subject. Mr. Sheehan dedicated many years tracing Liu’s life, it took him to several countries but he was finally able to produced his book. I thought to my self who fund these projects.

 

Prior to Mr. Sheehan beginning to talk about biographies it was important for him to explain the various regimes that China went through beginning with the Qing Dynasty and ending with Xi Jinping Era PRC.  This mention was necessary in order for us to understand Liu Shaoqi’s life since he lived through a capitalist and communist regime. Historians are able to get a real glimpse of how life really was and how the daily life of people are impacted by new regimes. This lecture made me think about my elder aunt and the different governments she has lived through in her life, she is 86 years old and has lived though many things.  

 

Writing biographies would be an interesting project to incorporate in my AP class. It would be a great idea for student to interview their grandparent or an elder person, this might help them learn about changes in government

[Laura Gonzales]

The afternoon lesson given by Professor Dube focused on the Qing dynasty. The Qing had impressive artwork. The jade artwork was really detailed and delicate as well as the embroidery that came out of that time period. The Qing not only had impressive artwork but they were able to expand their empire and bring Taiwan under their control as well as Mongolia and Tibet. Qing experienced a population growth. I find that anytime a empire or country experiences a population growth it frees people to focus on the arts, this is perhaps the reason why the Qing dynasty had various forms of entertainment such as the sword swallowing, hacky sacks and singing.  But just like China experienced growth it also went through a period of threat. 

 

Profess Dube spoke about imperialism and how Britain introduced Opium in order to gain access into China. One thing that I didn’t know was that the United States also wanted a piece of China and was an opium supplier. In fact FDR’s family were opium dealers, this is a fun fact that I was not aware of. One of the reasons that the opium wars could have been successful could be because the government did not try to regulate everything and therefore it was easier for foreigner to enter China.

 

[Laura Gonzales]

Lucy Hornby’s lecture was insightful and offered a glance to what China is experiencing in the 21^st century.  It was eye opening to learn about pollution in air, water and soil. I know I live in a polluted city such as LA and I know what it looks like to look out of my window and not be able to see the tall LA buildings from far away as well as to see a ring of smog around the mountains but I do not know what it is like to not be able to see the building directly across from me or to live under very dangerous levels of smog conditions such in the case of living in Beijing.

 

Hornby mentioned that the school  in Beijing emphasized on the quality of air when enrolling her son in a Beijing school instead of focusing on the quality of education first. Another growing trend in China has been placed on organic food because of the pollution that exist. However even if people are willing to pay more for organic the source could sometimes not be truly organic.

 

Hornby did in excellent job in explaining how the air, water and soil pollution in interconnected and that in the end there is not quick fix to the problem instead she said that the solution will be expensive and slow.

 

[Laura Gonzales]

I learned a lot from Professor Yamashita’s lecture and I enjoyed his sense of humor. I had no idea that the Japanese islands were fairly new when compared to other parts of Asia. What I enjoyed most was the fun facts that were added through out the lecture for example, I had no idea white rice became common after World War II, I always assumed it was in the Japanese diet as a staple. I also found it interesting how people could trace their ancestry by looking at their fingerprint patterns. I feel that these are the facts that make history so interesting and are the things that we tend to remember, they also make for a good conversation starter. After listening to the lecture it made me want to include fun facts when I teach my students. Not only did I learn about Japan but I also learned so much about the Japanese cuisine like the various types of white rice and sushi. It would be interesting to learn about the various types of rice.

 

Professor Yamashita’s was very helpful in breaking down Japanese cosmology myths into two categories, vertical cosmology and horizontal cosmology.

 

Through the reading I learned more about the origins of Japan and how it became a centralized state, however it was composed of many different communities. In the reading sources of Japanese Tradition  I read that there were many accounts of early Japanese history that are inconclusive or differ depending on who is telling the story. Japanese history claims that controlled part of Korea, while Korea denies the claim.  This reminds me of the way history is usually written which one need to keep in mind that the one that writes history is usually seem as the victor.

 

[Laura Gonzales]

After reading and reviewing the examples of rental contracts, I find it fascinating how detailed the contracts used were drafted. I personally find it very helpful that these traditions of writing contracts have been carried out and that we still write contracts today. When we borrow money, purchase a home, car, even for employment we sign contracts. Most important contract are used to fight corruption or prevent corruption from happening. Contracts carry a heavy weight and it shows that a person’s word is not enough to carry out an agreement.

We could learn a lot about China’s cultural and political system in the “ming tenant” reading. For example, the widow with 2 kids had the chance to remarry and a man would be willing to take care of her and her possession. It also shows that women did not have the same rights as men.

If I were to present this information to my AP students I would place it under political and cultural themes. I would have my students play with the idea of the importance of having a contract, what would be the consequences of not having a written contract, who would it benefit? I would also connect it to modern times and have them find the need for current contracts today.   

 

[Laura Gonzales]

Professor Ye’s lecture was very captivating with his inclusion of chanting. One of the biggest takeaways from the lecture was the importance of poetry that was placed during the Tang dynasty. Poetry became very embedded in the culture that to take the civil service examination one had to include a poem.  It leads me to make a connection that has been seen throughout history, when a country is doing well culture seems to flourish such as art and poetry, such was the case of the Tang dynasty.

 

Another thing that Professor Ye did well was demonstrating the difference between Chanting and singing. He was able to show the similarity between the various forms of poetry and connect it to western poets.  It also helped that he was able to preform a few pieces for us. I find it fascinating how poetry was part of his curriculum when he was growing up, unfortunately it no longer seems to be the case.

 

[Laura Gonzales]

For someone that does not know too much about China, I feel like the workshops were very eye opening. I always knew that China was an emerging superpower but I had no idea how quickly and what challenges China had to face to achieve what they have today. It is impressive to know the transformation China has undergone in the last 35 years. Another thing that I learned from the workshop was that China was intentionally kept rural and underdeveloped by Mao in order to maintain control.  One of my biggest takeaway from the workshop was that even though we could look at China and think that they have decreased their rural poverty the reality is that poverty has a new face to it. The example of hidden poverty used was 20 people living in a small apartment oppose to each one of those living in a shanty home in a rural place. It reminds me of the situation that many urban cities face in the United States for example in Los Angeles we see so many homeless and many families living in tiny apartments because the cost of living is so high. Even though 5 major challenges were posed the frustrating part to this is that there is no quick fix to the problem. The important thing is to be aware of the issues and brainstorm for long term solutions.

 

[Laura Gonzales]

Saturday’s workshop was very inspiring. I really enjoyed Simba’s documentary and the work that he is doing around saving the Lions. It definitely takes a lot of courage to be an adult and leave everything to pursue ones passion, I know it is something we try to instill in our students but to actually see it played out is eye opening.  The work that Simba is doing not only benefits wildlife but he is finding true solutions to the problem. I will help spread Simba’s message to my students and hopefully they will do the same. The community base model that Simba spoke about is worth teaching our students about, it is easy to identify problems but being able to come up with solutions to problems will make our students a much more grounded citizen.  This topic could be tied to imperialism and the lasting consequences of it in developing nations.

 

 

[Laura Gonzales]

The Huntington fieldtrip was an incredible experience. I was impressed with both gardens. The Chinese garden had breathtaking views, I have never been to China but for that moment it seemed as though I was there. One of the things that I noticed was the connection with the natural elements. The mountains, water, plants, architecture all came together. Another thing that was impressive was the architecture design that was put into the Chinese garden. The pavement was meticulously done.  I couldn’t believe that each stone was hand laid to make the design. What stood out the most was the roof design, it resembled a dragon, and the windows. It was pointed out that each window had a unique design and no two windows were alike. The woodwork was also fascinating. I think I was just in awe the whole time. By far the Chinese garden was my favorite destination.

 

The Japanese garden also had great interest points, such as the home display. I liked how versatile the home was and how the doors and walls could be adjusted. My biggest takeaway from the garden was learning that in the Japanese culture they do not trim old branches instead they support it with string or wood because they believe that just because something is old it doesn't mean that it is worthless.

 

There are many ways I could bring the Huntington experience to my classroom. For example I could show slides of the gardens when teaching about the different schools of thought in AP world. I could have my students do a hands on project and have them create a shoebox rock garden followed up by a research paper.

 

 

[Laura Gonzales]

I really enjoyed the activity preformed in the session. The activity could be applied to any lesson that has conflicting views. I could definetly see how my students will benefit from reading and learning about different point of views and at the same time enjoy defending their position. 

On a side note, I went home and began listining to The art of war audio book, I sparked an interest when it was mentioned in class. It is a short audio but worth listening to it.  Even thought the book is about military tactics and warfare it made me think about my teaching style and how I have structured my classroom. I listened to the book on my way to work which made me feel empowered. I am going to go back and take a few pointer from the book.

 

[Laura Gonzales]

If my father broke the rules, as a legalist I would have no option but to turn him in. As a legalist it not about the family, but the state is above everyone and everyhing else. Everthing begins with order, it is made very clear that we have to follow rules and if we don't then we are given consequences to make sure we never break the rules again. To be honest I would be dissapointed by my fathers actions, since I know that he was well aware of the consequences. Therefore, it is not fair for my father to ask me or the family to keep a secret and not turn him in to public officials. 

To not turn him in would create chaos and disunity in our home and country. We have to be strong when we are faced with great chanllenges such as turning in a family member but we have to think about the greater picture, to not turn my father would mean that consequences would not be carried out, that would mean that I myself would have broken the rules and that would possibly mean that my children might learn from me and might not take consequences seriously. I could foresee this leading into a bigger cycle and soon that thought could infect others and we will never see the end of this. This would probably allow weaker schools of thought to be victorious over the Legalist way. 

[Laura Gonzales]

Hello, 

I am Laura Gonzales, I want to apolagize for late introduction, but better late than never! I current teach 10th grade AP world, 12th grade government and economics. I have been teaching for the past 6 years. I decided to apply for the seminar because I am not to knowledgeable in Asian studies and I felt like I was doing a diservice to my students when it came to Asia. I would breaze through the content and tried to answer questions about something that I wasn't to confident about. I am super excited to learn about Asia and I am glad I could be part of this seminar.  

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