Make-Up Assignments (Please Post Here)

The writer of this is a PhD student in Archeology at Stanford studying the Chinese archeology of Los Angeles. This is an article she wrote on the Chinese presence at Evergreen Cemetery in East Los Angeles. http://blog.preservationnation.org/2010/07/20/cemetery-archaeology-raises-questions-about-early-20th-century-chinese-immigrants/#.USMSq46bx8s

I visited this museum located on First and Alameda Streets in Downtown Los Angeles on March 27, 2013. The museum's displays were made up primarily of photographs with many tools, clothing and household items dating from the early to mid twentieth century. There are also many quotes and short poems posted in the exhibits that evoke emotions and add life to the items on display.

The focus of the museum is to document and preserve the Issei and Nissei experiences in the United States. All of the displays in permanent collection depict life in Hawaii and the Western United States during the late 19th and 20th centuries. The first gallery I entered contained many agricultural tools that the Issei immigrants used in the rural areas of Washington, California, Utah and Hawaii. The displays also contained musical instruments, medical tools, eyeglasses, clothing and cooking utensils. Deeper into the gallery, the displays began to change to the Nissei experiences during World War II. There is an entire gallery dedicated to the internment camps that were scattered in remote areas in the Western United States and Arkansas. This gallery's collections include medals earned by Nissei members of the 442nd which fought in Europe and those Japanese-Americans that fought with Merrill's Marauders and other intelligence groups in the Pacific Theater.

Although there was not very many artifacts from Japan itself, the exhibits that dealt with the first generation Japanese immigrants, the Issei, did evoke some thought to events in Japan at the time. The first waves of Japanese immigrants were recruited to work in the agricultural areas of Hawaii and the Western United States. This time period coincides Meiji period where feudalism was abolished and the Industrial Revolution in Japan began. The Issei immigrants must have been mainly rural people who did not benefit from land reforms or had gained some technical skill in industry. I surmised this because those are the industries that these immigrants came for. Even though they encountered the same prejudicial treatment that blacks, Mexicans and Chinese were experiencing in the United States at the same time, they stayed because of the abundance of work and the development of immigrant communities. This is evident in areas like Seattle, WA and Terminal Island, CA where they worked in the fishing and canning industries, and California's Central Valley where agricultural work is abundant. And eventually, as in all immigrant communities in this country, when the first generation marries and has children, the second generation further ground the family into American life as they become educated and acculturated to life here.

The museum is relatively new, it is not quite 20 years old. It tells the story of Los Angeles very well. There are many photographs and artifacts from Terminal Island, Roosevelt High School in East Los Angeles, Downtown Los Angeles, Little Tokyo and Chinatown. I recommend a visit there.

I watched this movie based on Clay's recommendation during the discussions about China during World War II. The movie depicts life in Nanjing during the Japanese conquest and the movie follows the viewpoints of several different characters: a mid-ranking Japanese officer and a lower ranking one as well, a Chinese secretary to Mr. Rabe who was the German caretaker of the protected zone, a young Chinese boy, and other Chinese civilians and a soldier in the Chinese Army.

The movie contained many juxtapositions. The first I noticed was shots of the sturdy and ancient walls of Nanjing before the Japanese arrived. This was juxtaposed with some impressive filmmaking (the first instance of several impressive techniques used by the director) of Japanese tanks destroying walls which stood for over 1,000 years and having those walls tumble in an instant having been destroyed by tank ordinance. The sound and cinematography depicting this was impressive, powerful and realistic.

The characters of the Japanese officers were introduced early in this film and the fear and uneasiness they felt as they began the conquest and atrocities was later juxtaposed with a cavalier callousness that the Japanese captain showed later in the film. This was a gradual process as the film progressed and the viewer witnessed the continuing atrocities and confusion of war take a toll on the officers. The captain progressed from fear to flippancy, while the lower ranking officer's early fear grew into compassion toward the conquered population.

Another excellent bit of filmmaking came in the fact that there was very little dialogue in the film. Despite the fact that the major characters in this film spoke Chinese, Japanese, English and German, the story and action of the film was well paced due to the actions of the characters ability to carry the story along. Other fine bits of cinematography was the scope of the massacres. The director was able to convey a large number of victims of this military action as well as the destruction of the city. The atrocities committed by the Japanese were covered briefly but effectively when the director depicted the various types of atrocities and types of mass killings.

After the battle to conquer the city, the next segment of the movie dealt with the issue of comfort women. Once again I noticed a juxtaposition of the brutality of the rapes with the de-beautifying of the Chinese women. As the reality of the rapes and other victimization of the Chinese women became evident to the the survivors of the conquest, the Chinese women were faced with the reality of becoming less of a target to the the Japanese. To do this they had to eliminate their physical attractiveness by cutting their hair and dressing like men. The director further emphasized this by casting young, vibrant and attractive Chinese actresses in the roles of these women.

As the middle of the movie approached, I quickly realized that there were going to be very few light moments in this film. Especially when there were moments of tremendous drama and pain when the the Chinese secretary to Mr. Rabe lost his daughter, became separated from his wife and finally was executed.

Towards the end of the movie two themes reached a conclusion of their development. The first was of a Chinese boy and the second was the change in the viewpoints of the Japanese officers. The Chinese boy character was introduced early in the movie as an assistant to a Chinese commander who was executed early in the film during the combat sequences. This boy was very loyal in his service and I noticed a constant look of silent indignation as to what was going on around him. Yet, his countenance led an air of nobility to the Chinese struggle.

The other juxtaposition of the Japanese officers was eventually concluded during the final segment of the film depicting the victory celebration put on by the Japanese. The lower ranking lieutenant changed from a confused young soldier who unwittingly committed atrocities into a compassionate character. There was a scene in the celebration where he is helping to carry a litter of taiko drummers. The viewer can see him struggling with the weight as if he is also struggling with a weight on his shoulders for his role in the Nanjing actions. Later on, as he releases the Chinese boy and another Chinese soldier into freedom, the director showed the Japanese officer's suicide taking place in a field of overgrown grass with scattered flowers. This was the only noble death depicted in the movie.

The other juxtaposition of character viewpoints was concluded in the higher ranking Japanese officer's outlook on his participation of the military action. His early fear turned into a cavalier flippancy toward the unfolding realities of life in Nanjing. His participation in rapes and decision making for the civilian populace turned him into an unsavory character. At the conclusion of a bathing scene, he then made his way back to the ruined city walls. This return to destruction and pain that the city represented was finally juxtaposed with hope. Because the next scene shows the freed Chinese boy, walking into freedom, with a smile on his face. He is thus walking away from the ruined and dead city to a new life. Even though this new life contains tremendous uncertainty, but it is a reality nonetheless more promising than what he faced in Nanjing.

Dina Salama
Make up date: 03/12/13

I recently attended a school play at Mark Keppel HS based on The Flower Drum Song. The main character is Mei Li. The play follows her journey as she arrives in San Francisco with her father to meet her fiancé’. He is a wealthy nightclub owner named Sammy Fogg and Mei is arranged to marry him. However, Sammy has his eye on the star singer as his club, Linda Low.
The play was filled with lots of song-and-dance numbers that illustrated the difference between Mei Li’s traditional family and her growing fascination with America and its culture. This was the main theme that struck me, the conflicts that arises between Old Word Immigrants and their New World Offspring. This is a theme that has been central to my life as a first generation American in my family. So I learned that this theme is universal across all cultures, regardless of the country of origin.
The two main female characters, Mei Li and Linda Low, were presented in the stereotypical orientalized Asian-American roles. Linda Low was presented as the Dragon Lady, and Mei Li as the Butterfly. They exhibit textbook qualities of their respective archetypes. Linda is a little venereal, manipulative, and dominating. While on the other hand, Mei is virginal, sincere, and submissive. The consistent juxtaposition of these two characters throughout the film force the audience to question which female is more desirable.

In a bigger picture view, this may also signify the battle between Old World and New World. A battle which very much continues to this day, as immigrants from all over the world struggle to reconcile their traditional values and beliefs with their new liberal, westernized homes.
edited by dsalama on 5/24/2013

Make up for 2nd half of Saturday session on 03/02/2013

For my make-up assignment I visited the Korean Bell of Friendship in San Pedro. I chose this location because I missed the 2nd half of the lecture on Korea. Also, I have lived in San Pedro for about 3 years and although my wife is half Korean and the Bell is only 5 minutes from my house, I had actually never went to visit it. This class inspired me to go take a look at it because I have learned so much about East Asia that I started feeling stupid that I have never went to visit.

I was not disappointed that I chose this site. I was immediately impressed by its size and beauty and became intrigued to learn why it was there. I learned that Korea gave it to us in 1976 to celebrate America’s 200 birthday. It is designed like the Divine Bell of King Seongdeok. The information at the site said the bell is struck five times a year: on New Year’s Eve, Korean American Day, the 4th of July, Korean Liberation Day, and every September in celebration of Constitution Week. I want to go there on Korean Liberation Day (Aug 15th) and see if there is a ceremony and hear what it sounds like.

This site was very cool and I am glad that I had learned some info about Korea so I could have more of an appreciation for it.
edited by rlaunius on 4/16/2013

Make up for 03/12/13

I missed the class on March 12 and I decided to visit the Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles to learn more about the heritage of my wife’s culture. The museum was kind of small but packed with interesting facts and very cool artifacts. The first think I saw was ideas of Confucianism written on the wall in both Korean and in English. I was pleased to see the ideas I have learned about in class being reiterated in the museum.

The thing about this museum I like the most was the artifacts. They had recreated the traditional rooms that the woman and man occupy. At first I was kind of shocked to find out that the man and woman have different rooms. The man had a room where he does his study and smokes his long pipe and then there is a room where the man and woman “lay down together”. My first thought was that it was kind of strange and my second thought was how to convince my wife to embrace her heritage and set our house up this way. Hehehe.

I was also interested in the artifacts they had about the style of dress and the different types of pipes and tools they used. They also had the big pots used to store foods that Clay talked about and showed us pictures in class. Overall, even though the museum is kind of small, it is definitely worth the trip down there to check it out.
edited by rlaunius on 4/18/2013

Annie Brown
Make-Up Assignment for April 2 Session about Mao’s China

I attended an event with Liberty in North Korea (LiNK), an organization that works to raise awareness about the human story of refugees from North Korea. They are interested in publicizing their work and frequently speak at schools and colleges—they will be eager to visit your classroom or speak at an assembly in a school.
There were three presenters. They explained that their mission was to 1.) increase awareness about North Korea, 2.) resettle refugees who are currently in China, and 3.) Help accelerate the change that North Koreans area already creating. The presentation begins with a 30 minute video that tells the story of one individual person named Danny who escaped at the age of 17 on March 15, 2005.
Danny was born in a small town (perhaps in northern North Korea, near the Chinese border and the Tumen River). His father abandoned the family and he was raised by his mother and grandmother. In 2008, when Danny was eight years old, the economic collapse brought his family close to starvation. His grandmother sacrificed by eating tree bark and roots so that her grandson could have more food.
Danny’s mother also risked her life for the family. She went deep into the forests to get the ingredients to make a special candy which she could sell on the black market. Between 1997 and 2007, she regularly travelled back and forth (secretly and illegally) across the Chinese border to make money for the family. Anyone caught leaving or escaping the country would be subject to torture, imprisonment and even execution. She was captured and imprisoned (perhaps more than once). In 2004, when she did not return, Danny, without telling his grandmother, decided to cross the Tumen River, under the cover of night, to search for his mother and escape North Korea. Danny makes it to China and, though he is not reunited with his mother, he eventually is rescued by LiNK and resettled in Torrance, California. His mother and he are reunited in the United States. The video also shows his recent trip to South Korea where he stands at an observation tower overlooking North Korea, longing for his home, missing his grandmother (who died shortly after he left), and expressing hope that one day he will be able to return to a free North Korea.
The video gives a limited amount of background about North Korea. It says that people view their leaders as gods and the government spends all of its resources to create a “socialist paradise.” The video also explains that the Democratic Republic of North Korea is not actually democratic and there is no freedom of speech, press or access to information. If your students are going to hear this presentation, it would probably be useful for you to provide an overview, particularly of the basic history since the World War II and the impressions of the three leaders.
The LiNK presenters will also ask that participants help build awareness of the plight of North Korean refugees, ask for donations and encourage people to set up rescue teams to fundraise $2,400 which will help them save/free more refugees who are in limbo in China—who refuses to recognize their refugee status.

PS: I attached a PowerPoint that can be used as an overview. It is missing a slide with a photo of Kim Jung un.

Make up Assignment #1
Chinese American Museum

I visited the Chinese American Museum located on historical Olvera Street. What a paradox to see the oldest buildings in Los Angeles, an overflow of Mexican culture, and the Chinese American Museum. It’s distinct red and gold immediately placing me in China. The museum covers a variety of topics ranging from immigration, cultural values and experiences, Chinese Americans role in the United States, and Chinese influence on the American film industry. In fact, a couple streets over you can visit a building that was used in a Jackie Chan film.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was an area that gave you the feeling of being in a Chinese herbal store. It reminded me of childhood trips to get “cracked seed” in Hawaii. Big glass jars with dried lemon, orange, plum, and other goodies.

After the museum, we walked around Chinatown and admired the architecture and ate dim sum. Dim sum is always a positive experience in my book.