Final Session Reflection (1/8)

[Anonymous]

Ming was very interesting. I was struck again by the fact that the founder of the dynasty was a commoner. This has happened before in Chinese history, and it seems to me to be an interesting commentary on the openness of Chinese society. The common view would not expect commoners to rise to that level, but in fact when there is a period of turmoil or declining authority a strong personality can seize the moment. In this case the practice of the Mongols of degrading previous ruling elites opens the door to commoners when Mongol authority fades.

[Anonymous]

Last year I had the opportunity to teach a Museum Studies class, I decided to give them a taste of art history, so we went through different art periods. Towards the end of the second semester I did a unit on China, it was amazing, we learned a lost from each other and of course, the internet. We completed a couple of research projects that they had to present to the class (Power Point presentations), and also written reports. Well, because our School Mascot was named Ming, one of the projects was to do research on the Ming Dynasty, just to better understand where the name came from. It was a good learning experience for all, but it would have been more productive if I had taken this institute before actually attempting to teach about China. Great session.

[Anonymous]

During the Ming Dynasty, determined to erase the stain of illegitimacy from his name, the Yongle Emperor embarked on an unprecedented series of ambitious projects. For example he built one of my favorite places in China, Forbidden City. He also lengthened and widened the Grand Canal, which carried grain and other goods from southern China to Beijing in the north. He personally led a number of attacks against the Mongols, who threatened the Ming's northwestern territory. He aslo continue building or repairing sections of the Great Wall to expand to 3750 miles long. The Yongle, has left his legacy by giving China some of the most beautiful architectural icons in the world.
Inside forbidden City, he built the Temple of Heaven, one of my favorite buildings in the complex. I learned more about the symbolism that lays inside the temple and its architectural design. I was amazed by its beauty but even more after this session, because now I understand the historical background when it was built.
The Eunuch- I never imagine that in order to have access to the imperial palace you had to be castrated to ensure the children were true emperor descendants. This is a painful way to earn you way into the palace. I am glad the city was forbidden, otherwise who knows how many people would have been castrated.
The Jesuits make their way into China using their knowledge of Geometry to predict the movement or stars and planets. If this did not work in converting the Chinese into Christianity, I don’t know what would.
Even though this sessions was a little rushed, I enjoyed it because it gave me more background information on the Forbidden City and the Great Wall. This has made me appreciate more my trip to China and has awaken an eagerness to return and see China with a new perspective and much better appreciations for its grandness and cultural and historical richness.

[Anonymous]

It was a lot of new information for me, it was hard to decipher though all of it. I was interested how they can in to power and were able to keep their power. Even though we had already discussed the purpose of the Great Wall, I did not understand why they fixed/ improved it. Was the wall going to keep other countries from trying to conquer China or was this a way for the different Dynasties to use their slave labor and to teach others that might hear of this cuel and unusual punishment not to fight against China. Thank you for the great lesson.

[Anonymous]

Our final lecture was intense and filled with factual information because, professor Dube takes the time to prepare and deliver dry difficult historical material with humor and comprehensible input. His lectures consistently demonstrate instructional ways to insert China’s presence in the world by introducing students to China’s geography, the warriors and warring provinces. The change, seize and maintenance of power. lecture was informative because every meeting is precede w/ readings relevant to the topic to be discuss in the day of the lecture, the point is further augmented with the visual aids to illustrate the historical progression of achievements evident throughout China’s development as a noteworthy world presence. Thank you for making my learning experience at the institute memorable.

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

Dear Colleagues,

Please post your final reflections for our last class below.

Best,
Yingjia

[Author]

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