[Shuang Yang]

In my opinion, theatre is a very direct reflection of culture, history and rituals. It is a great start point to get students interested. In my Chinese classes, we study Peking Opera, especially the face paint and what they represent. Each color is associated with certain characteristics. I think it would be fun to show students Japanese masks for Noh Theatre. They can compare the art forms and dig into the related history. There are some similarities, but huge differences. The stories in Noh theater show samurai supremacy during the Edo period. Peking opera has been used for political propaganda during the Cultural revolution. 

[Shuang Yang]

Textiles and clothing are always fun elements of culture to teach students, especially the young ones. I have learned so much about the backstory behind kimono and Japanese national identity in these lectures. I think it shows a pattern of how Japanese deliberately “selects” certain parts of other cultures including Chinese and western to study and adapt. Meanwhile, they reinforce what is unique in their own culture to preserve their national identity and offset against changes. In culture units, I plan to teach students traditional clothing in China, then they can compare with Japan, Korea and other countries. “Qipao” is more well known as traditional Chinese dress in western culture. Actually women started wearing it after the Qing dynasty and it was part of the women's liberation movement, kind of opposite of kimono. “Hanfu” is the historical style of clothing that started from the Han dynasty. I think students can explore and discover the connection between hanfu and kimono. Hanfu has become more and more popular in China among young people in recent years which is very interesting. When I visited Japan, I saw so many people wearing kimono or yukata, locals and tourists. The most memorable moment was at the famous Shibuya crossing in Tokyo, a lot of people wearing kimonos gathered to take a picture when the traffic light was green and scattered when the light turned red. There were men and women, even kids. Now we can see more people wearing hanfu in China walking around. People have different  attitudes and opinions about that, it is not seen as just the national identity. I know this is another topic. I just find it interesting to compare. 

 

[Shuang Yang]

Growing up in Chinese culture, I think I have deep understanding of the importance of tea. In this lecture I learn the connection between tea ceremony and the maintenance of samurai society in Japanese history which is fascinating. In the era of all the cruelty in the war, this elegant peaceful tea ceremony developed. It reminds me of the extreme contrast symbols of Japanese culture: The Chrysanthemum and the Sword. The same hand that takes enemy’s heads and does Seppuku would hold beautiful teacups and participate in tea ceremony. I think the focus on designing of the tearoom and the art of the procedure is one way to deal with the chaos in life. There is a Japanese movie called Every Day a Good Day that tells a story about a girl learning cha-no-yu from her early twenties and continued for decades. It helped her going through the chaos and uncertainty in her life with this choreographed practice. This is an important cultural inheritance. I enjoyed the movie and learnt a lot about Japanese tea ceremony. 

[Shuang Yang]

In my Chinese language classes, I have culture units that focus on certain aspects of Chinese culture to help students understand the history and traditions behind the language. Students always love culture units because it is fun and interesting. In one of the units we talk about Terra-cotta warriors in Xi’an. After learning Japanese Haniwa figures in this lecture, I am planning to use it in my culture unit, introduce both to my students and ask them to compare. I think this will broaden their knowledge about history and the link between Japanese and Chinese language/ culture.

[Shuang Yang]

As a Chinese language teacher and a student of Japanese language and culture, I love both languages and cultures. It has always been fascinating to me to find links between them. When Professor Pitelka talked about “Chinese learning” package including Confucianism, characters (written language), ritual etc., I am interested in learning more about it. I can see a lot of similarities in the art, ritual and daily life of the imperial court. I think the way architecture, ritual and tradition preserved in Japan is amazing. I visited Japan a few years ago, Nara is one of my favorite places. It kind of makes me feel like traveling back to Tang Dynasty. “Todai-Ji” is very impressive, the temples, deer walking around, so peaceful that almost like frozen in time.

[Shuang Yang]

Hi everyone,

My name is Shuang Yang. I teach Chinese to 7th - 9th grade students in Los Angeles. I have been studying Japanese for about 4 years. I am very interested in art and history. I am excited to learn more about Japanese history and culture and hoping to use the knowledge in my classes. 

よろしくおねがいします！

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