Message from shillson

[Anonymous]

In the Teacher Resources section of "Education About Asia" (Winter, 2007 / Pg. 52), there is an entry by Li Fengjin that looked intriquing. She reviewed a public education comic book published in China in 1950 to teach barely literate people about the provisions of the marriage law. It is the story of a poor girl sold into marriage with a brutal man. The translated text provides a good introduction that explains marriage reform as a common goal of both the Nationalists and the Communists. An appendix provides the text of the 1950's marriaage law that mandated freedom of choice in marriage and divorce. Fengjin believes the book will provoke discussion of a range of topics related to marriage customs and Chinese Government attempts to change them.

There was a web site noted - http://www.opalmogusbooks.com

I think the presentation of the information in comic book form would be enough to entice middle school readers to enter a discussion of cultural norms.