[Taylor Bub]

The reading about Ho Nansorhon was so interesting.  I think the comparison between Ho Nansorhon and a make-believe sister of Shakespeare really brought the struggles of Ho Nansorhon into perspective.  It was lucky for Ho Nansorhon to have been born into a priviledges family with a brother who supported her interest and talent for poetry.  Reading this made me wonder about why so many societies all over the world seem to devalue women and prevent them from being educated.  It seems clear from the records we do have, thinking about the poetry that Ho Nansorhon wrote, and the Monarchs as members of the Hallowed Bones in Korea's society it is clear that women were capable of all the things men are, so why are they consistently painted as unable and placed in roles where they are not allowed to be educated? 

[Taylor Bub]

I really enjoyed the myht of Tan'gun from the first video.  It made me think about how so many cultures (Christianity in particular, as well as Greek myths) focus on man being created first and woman being created from man or to punish man.  It was interesting to see a culture where a woman was created first, and that man was created for her because she was lonely.  I think it would be something cool for students in history or mythology classes to explore human creation myths and compare them to each other.  Students can then discuss societal values of the time, based off of what was shown to be valued in the myths.

[Taylor Bub]

I found it so interesting how Dr. Pitelka discussed how the Japanese people viewed the oceans around them almost as a moat to protect them from other cultures, which allowed the to maintain such a strong cultural identity.  The idea that they kept open trade routes with only specific people (the Dutch, China and Korea) is interesting but is a testament to Japan's strength in denying colonialism.  It is interesting to think of Japan using the ocean around it as a sort of border protector, in preventing trade when they did not want it, avoiding colonialism and providing protection from a military standpoint.  I have never really though of how; lucky' Japan was in those times in allowing for them to stay so strong in their own cultural identity.

[Taylor Bub]

I found the views on adoption interesting as well.  It seems so strange that they don't regard the physical genes being passed on as important as their names being passed on.  I was wondering if families might have used this method to pass over children who were unfit to inherit and run the land?  This could serve as an easy way to avoid passing land or power to those who families might be embarrassed by, in terms of behavior or otherwise.  

[Taylor Bub]

I found Tonomura's work on the Gender relations in the Age of Violence to be particularly interesting.  In the work it explains how women could obtain the title of jito and through that title were able to obtain land and that the jito title could be passed along to daughters as well.  This also called for women to fight in the wars (though few occured during this time).  The work also mentions that when women used proxies or other people to fight for them they were "targeted or condemned" for not fighting.  I found this interesting because the work goes on to explain that if women did fight and showed merit in their efforts, they were excluded from any type of reward or acknowledgement.  I wonder what would be a worse punishment for the women; to choose to go to the war and fight, possibly die, and receive no commodations for your efforts, or to stay home and send a proxy to fight for you and be condemned for it?

[Taylor Bub]

It would be cool for students in a science class to be given materials and asked to create sunglasses with no glass and then test them out but going outside or somewhere with a bright light.  It would be cool to see what ideas students come up with, or to see if they come up with ideas similar to the ancient 'sunglasses' shown in the sculptures.

[Taylor Bub]

I really enjoyed the reading "The Canons of Courtly Taste". some of the short waka peoms included in this were wonderful. The text explains that many of these poems provided sad metaphors for things in Japanese life.  I love the example provided:

In this world of ours,

if cherry blossoms absolutely

did not exist,

our feelings in the springtime

would be tranquil.

 

 

I think., as the article explains that it perfectly captures feelings about cherry blossoms in Japan, and how they only bloom for a short period of time and then scatter.  The peom is showing that without those cherry blossoms present, there would not be as much sandess when the blossoms scatter and are no longer blooming on the trees.  Another idea for students to write comes to mind, in that students could explore waka poems.  It seems that currently, most students would only recognize haiku poems in terms of Asian writing, and reading waka poems or exploring texts like The Tale of Genji, as I mentioned in my previous post would give students a more broad understanding of writing in Japanese culture.  This expansion of their understanding could spark a greater interest in Asian studies and push more students to explore the many different cultures present throughout Asia.

[Taylor Bub]

I found this weeks videos to be extremely interesting.  It is fascinating to learn that the written Japanese language was developed from Chinese characters, and equally interesting to see that many old writings from Japan, were actually written in Chinese.  I also found the Tale of Genji to be fascinating to learn about.  It seems so interesting to have never heard of it.  I think a cool project idea for students would be to have them read one chapter of the Tale of Genji, and create some art form to represent a chapter; students could create a video and reenact it, they could draw or paint it, write about it, etc.  I think this would be a cool way for students to explore Japanese writing, similarly to how they explore greek myths and books like the odyssey, as well as tales like the story of Gilgamesh.

[Taylor Bub]

I found Lampton's article titled "All Road's Lead to China" to be extremely interesting.  The article, dated May of 2019, explains how China is using the Belt Road Initiative (BRI) to, according to President Xi, transform global trade through science.  The goal of the BRI is to establish 21st century 'silk road's' around the world, as well as restore China as one of the world's leading scientific powers.  Lampton seemed to be critical of China's initiative and explained how many criticisms have arisen about China creating agreements and treaties with many countries that have been struggling economically.  He explains that China sees itself as an appropriate partner for these poorer countries because China has been considered a poorer country in the past.  However, thoes who criticize China's agreements with these countries believe that China is putting these struggling countries into major debt to China, all while China takes ahold of their natural resources. 

I found it particularly interesting how Lampton discusses the potential environmental impacts of the different road and railways that China is constructing.  In the article he discusses how quickly many of the construction companies in China need to complete their projects and that they often do not have the time to stop their work and complete environmental impact assessments.  It was interesting to see that China's recommendation for other countries participating in the BRI to avoid building near earthquake epicenters and heritage sites.  I think this would be something interesting to have student's explore in a classroom setting by investigating the potential impact on some of the fragile ecosystems found throughout Pakistan and some of the other countries mentioned in the article that could be effected by this construction.  

[Taylor Bub]

Lampton's book summary explains how China has always seen road building as the quickest and most efficient way to build wealth.  It is clear from China's recent building of a high speed rail system, where according to Lampton "the railroad time drop[ped] from about four hours to a bit over one hour" in only a few years.  The fact that China has easy access to materials like cement and steel to build these railways makes it possible for them to create these structures very quickly.  I wonder if their access to cheap labor plays a part in their ability to construct these railways so quickly?

[Taylor Bub]

As a confucian, 

I believe that my father is naturally good as all people are.  Even if he broke the law, I have a loyalty and responsibility to care for my father.  With that being said I cannot do anything but keep his secret.  I know that people are teacheable and they all have the ability to grow and learn, and I know that my father will be able to grow and learn in the future.

[Taylor Bub]

As a confucianist, 

I believe that my father is naturally good as all people are.  Even if he broke the law, I have a loyalty and responsibility to care for my father.  With that being said I cannot do anything but keep his secret.  I know that people are teacheable and they all have the ability to grow and learn, and I know that my father will be able to grow and learn in the future.

[Taylor Bub]

Do schools of thought ever develop in a vacuum?

I do not think that schools of thought really develop in a vacuum.  If you look at Confucianism and Daoism there are conflicting concepts that, as mentioned in the video are in direct response to one another.  I thought it was interesting that many people adopt different values out in public verses at home or in their work. It reminds me of the concept of Yin and Yang that was mentioned earlier; we cannot have just one of these schools of thought wihtout the other, and that there are pieces of each school within each other.

[Taylor Bub]

I have definitely encountered these symbols before in popular culture.  I think that most if not al of my students would definitely recognize the Yin and Yang symbols.   In America, I think that people have only a basic understanding of what the Yin and Yang symbol means.  Growing up I remember seeing friendship necklaces that had one side of the Yin and Yang symbol and you could fit them together to make the full symbol.  Many people would buy them and wear them without understanding the deeper meaning of the symbol itself.  Currently there is a huge rise in popularity of Korean pop music (KPOP) and anime, and with this rise I think we will start to see another rise in the use of traditionally East Asian symbols on things like clothing or tattoos.  Many of my students have expressed want for tattoos written in Chinese or Korean characters; and these same students carry folders and notebooks with Chinese or Korean symbols (like the Yin and Yang symbol) on them.  I hope that as the popularity of these symbols grows, that more people who use the symbols will gain a better understanding of the meaning behind them, not just that they "look cool" or are specifically popular right now.

[Taylor Bub]

The key themes of the peach blossom reading I think have to do with finding peace.  The story made me think about how this valley that the fisherman found seemed so perfect, away from wars, away from any other terrible things that happen throughout the rest of the world.  I think the petals that sometimes float downriver, when there are seemingly no peachblossom trees for them to fall from, could represent little pieces of peace that we can find throughout our lives.  I think it would be interesting to have students read through this work and see what themes they can find in it.  The idea that the fisherman did not keep the secret of the valley was also interesting, and I wonder if the valley itself represents some sort of spiritual place, or paradise (this again makes me think of him finding inner peace).

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