Make-Up Assignments -- PLEASE POST HERE

[Anonymous]

Make up session. Monday, April 9, 2012 (Session 1).

I attended a museum exhibition close to home and it was called Pacific Asia Museum. Though it is a small museum, it is still very fascinating and educational. I have learned so much from going to this museum. I would like to save my favorite part of the museum last. One of the galleries that were interesting was called the Arts of Japan. I’ve never seen a real life kimono spread flat out nor have I’ve ever noticed the details. The embroidery was detailed yet gorgeous. I learned that in early centuries influences of Kimonos came from China & Korea.
Another part of the exhibit had various statues of Buddha and deities especially from Tibet. It was interesting to see so many different kinds. In the “Journey Silk Road” room, I learned that in galleries, figures have different gestures, exp. Buddha’s hand. The “Abhaya” gestures means “Fear not”.
Two other great galleries were ceramics. They had some burial ceramics displays from the Han Dynasty and Tang Dynasty. Also, included where the popular blue and white porcelain from the Ming to Qing Dynasty. I always see various ceramics at certain stores and etc. but never looked at the detailed paintings. I learned that various dynasty had various designs on their ceramics. For example, they stated that the Ming Dynasty had many designs taken from nature and religion and often symbolize good fortune, human virtues, and happiness. One of the blue and white porcelain had a design of a fish and it symbolized wealth and fertility. Part of this gallery, it helps you understand the meaning of some designs, what ceramics were made out of and how they were decorated.
My favorite part of the gallery was the Contemporary Painting. It was called Gajin Funita: Ukiyo-E in Contemporary painting. The art that stood out for me was the Shore Line Duel. This Japanese American artist that is stated on the museum website said that he uses elements of traditional Japanese art with contemporary American street art. It give me ideas how to incorporate traditional Japanese art with contemporary American street art with my students especially in a high school setting. Some high school and middle school students respond to graffiti as art. Many people nowadays see tagging and graffiti on walls as a “negative” aspect. I see that I can build that negative into positive and incorporate Asian arts with tagging and graffiti as an art lesson.

[Anonymous]

So I missed the first Saturday session at USC and I attended the Pacific Asia museum in Pasadena. I have been there before around ten years ago and honestly couldn’t remember much, but I was able to appreciate it a lot more since I have some relevance with the class. As I walked around the museum it was kind of cool to see the different types of Buddhas there from the different regions, not just from China, Japan and Korea, but also form the Pacific countries such as New Guinea, etc. There were also several artifacts that were Bodhisattva. Pretty cool to see Buddha and Bodhisattva together. Certainly was nice to have the museum info as I was walking through since I didn’t have my notes.
Coolest thing in the museum was a new gallery exhibit that was just opening up that night. It was an exhibit from Tsukioka Yoshitoshi who painted in the 19th century. Cool stuff, there were some pieces referring to the Tale of Genji and it was nice to be able to know the reference. There were also some pieces that displayed the sanctioned red light district as the description referred to as “the floating world.” 32 women were displayed and 15 of them were licensed prostitutes. Interesting that I was able to apply the knowledge that Professor Yamashita gave us. Very cool indeed.

[Anonymous]

Forgot to mention, I was hoping to see an example of Hunniwa that Professor Yamashita showed in class but none where available. He mentioned one of local museums that had some on display, but I couldn't remember which one. Well it wasn't the Pacific Asia Museum. Oh well I will try another one. If anyone remembers which one, I would appreciate it.

[Anonymous]

I visited the Taiwan Palace Museum Exhibit last weekend. It had a very friendly atmosphere and the guides were solicitous in having the English speakers have someone personally (as with the Chinese speakers) guide us through the exhibit. The first area is one in which Chinese characters are explored in a technological way that used a giant round screen that you look at from above front that focuses on various ancient and then the modern version of the same character. Additionally, by touching a character on the screen, you could see the visual image of the character such as a horse, a bird, a concept such as "friends" and that, too, was instructive and impressive. Then came the digitalized projected images of the Taiwan Palace Museum art, enhanced by an innovative technique in which the subjects in the original Chinese paintings were animated, after you view them as the original versions. The court ladies drinking tea, playing instruments and reading poetry, came alive as did a wonderful painting by an Italian Jesuit who came to China to live for a long time, Bernardo Bertolucci. His painting was of wild horses crossing a stream in a forest and they, too, came to life on a animated version on a nearby wall. It was fascinating and our guide said that after that painting, Chinese art became more three dimensional, as that one was, using the technique of foreground items being larger and background items smaller, creating depth and realism. I really liked these paintings and also enjoyed a couple of short films of the tea ceremony and a children's cartoon about a boy and a cat, which was very pretty to watch. The exhibits and films all had a quality about them that was beautiful and balanced, and the atmosphere at the exhibit was friendly and the guides attentive to the visitor's understanding of the exhibits. From Clay, I understand that much more is being done to digitize all or most of the the works of the museum in Taiwan. This exhibit was at the Taiwan Academy in El Monte.
edited by scraig on 6/3/2012
edited by scraig on 6/3/2012

[Anonymous]

Make-up session for Delora Medina

I made up the May 21st session by exploring the Buddhist temple in Hacienda Heights. On Saturday June 16, I took my mother with me to dine at and tour Hsi Lai Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in the western hemisphere. I loved the tranquil, positive atmosphere in the shrines, courtyards, gardens, and even the art museum and dining hall.
We spent three hours at the temple having a vegetarian lunch, sipping hot tea in the information center, and taking a guided tour of various parts of the temple. Starting with lunch, I took note of how the people bowed to the large statue of Buddha in the center of the dining hall that had a bowl of real avocados in front of him as an offering. The statue was flanked by “The 5 Contemplations” in both English and Chinese:
1. Consider the work that went into the food and where it came from
2. Reflect on my virtues and conduct and if they merit this offering
3. Guard the mind against faults, greed in particular
4. Regard it as wholesome medicine for healing the weakened body
5. For the sake of attaining the way, I shall receive this food
Overall, I enjoyed the vegetarian lunch; especially the fresh fruit for dessert. Lychee is now one of my favorite fruits!
Another one of my favorite findings, the Arhat Garden, was highlighted on the tour by the monastic docent. I loved this beautiful garden because there were lovely statues of the eighteen students of Buddha. Each was depicted as a unique individual and it reminded me of all the varied personalities I have in my classroom! Last but not least, I found it very interesting that there were relics of Buddha to view in the art museum. The founder of the temple, Master Hsing Yun, obtained some of these cremated remains in the 1960’s. The relics looked like reddish colored thick strings and they were set in front of a reclining Buddha statue (on his side) because that was the position he was laying when he passed away. I thoroughly enjoyed my day at the temple and I plan on visiting again and learning more about Buddhism.
Make-up session for Delora Medina
edited by dmedina on 6/18/2012

[Anonymous]

Not sure if I need to do one or not, but I was not enrolled in the class until the second session. I went to the Taiwan Palace Museum on the Tuesday after the digitization projet had ended. I tried to get in to see the exhibit but it was already over. the helpfu reception at the front did give me a DVD of the exhibit and it was by no means a thorough exibit to be seen on a DVD, I did get a good feel for the exhibit. One of the highlights that looked really cool was the exhibit on Chinese Characters on Mao-kung Ting Interactive Cauldron tabletop of Chinese characters and emonstrates the evolution of Chinese characters. Looked pretty cool as a touch screen interactive panel. I am sad that I missed it, and the worst part is that I work about two miles from there in San Gabriel. Oh well. Thanks for the heads up and will try to check out the museum whenit has another exhibit. I had no idea that it was even there in our school's area.

[Anonymous]

Chen Kaige's 1998 epic The Emperor and the Assassin is about China's first Emperor, Chin Shi Huangdi and one of the apparently many assassination attempts made on his life. This is an amazing film, which might be compared to an American film like Mel Gibson's Braveheart. It can be used in a classroom with high school students, however, there are a couple of very brutal and violent scenes. Aside from the pure beauty of this film, one thingstrike me as useful for teaching about ancient China: The film does a great job in portraying the ruthlessness of the Legalist first emperor of a unified China, and the type of relentless leadership that must have been a necessity in bringing China together. There is also a great scene where the emperor, who is finding himself increasingly estranged from his love interest, holds a discussion with her in which there is an interesting contrast between the philosophical values of his Legalism and her (what seems to be) Confucianism. I think that this scene brings up some nice points for discussion.
edited by bcovey on 6/20/2012

[Anonymous]

Zhang Yimou's 1994 film To Live is a sweeping epic which follows one family's struggle to survive throughout the turbulent decades of China's communist revolution covering many of the formative events that contributed to the rise of the Maoist state. There is much to commend in this film for use in the classroom. First of all, it conveys the sequence of the revolutionary procees in China in a much more engaging way than any textbook; therefore it could act as an excellent supplemant to reading assignment sthat students might be assigned in a class. Of particular value, To Live highlights fascinating elements of the revolution, including the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, bringing to life the effects that these policies had on a normal Chinese family. Scarcity is experienced by people in order that Industiralization might be completed, even to the point of sacrifice and death; Chairman Mao is revered with cultish loyalty; those most loyal to the revolution find them selves targetted as it s betrayers. I show very few feature films in my AP World History classes, but this one is a gem and the two hours that the viewing requires will be well worth the time spent.
edited by bcovey on 6/20/2012

[Anonymous]

Farewell My Concubine, directed by Chen Kaige, depicts the relationship that develops between two boys/men who are opera performers in China beginning in the tumultuous 1920’s and continuing through the Cultural Revolution. I think that some of the thematic elements of this film are too mature for many high school classrooms, and overall, although there were certainly aspects of this film that did a good job at showing the changes that besieged China throughout the middle decades of the twentieth century, I don’t think that I could use it in the classroom. Instead, I would prefer the excellent film To Live if I want to really highlight the experiences of the Chinese people during the years of revolution and chaos.
edited by bcovey on 6/20/2012

[Anonymous]

The Pacific Asian museum in Pasadena, CA is a quaint place; small enough to be welcoming yet packs a punch with the art it showcases. My daughter and I visited the museum on a Thursday afternoon - it was quiet with very few patrons. We both appreciated the works of Gajin Fujita; I particularly enjoyed Shore Line Duel. It had a great blend of color - specifically green and blue, representing earth and water and the blend of graffiti and art is mesmerizing. The Art of Pacific Asia contained several artifacts including a letter box, ancestor figures, and a head of Bodhisattiva. Interesting but not my favorite. The Art of Korea was uneventful and contained ceramics, jars, a stand, bowl, and a variety of Buddha heads, figures, and statues including Bodhisattva. The Lee and Zora Worson Gallery contained a collection of deities including Vishna, the god of stability, love, emotion, and protector of the family and home life. But my favorite collection was Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892). Some interesting pieces were Thirty-two aspects of customs and manners and Appearing Tiresome, a young girl on from the Kansei era, both featuring pictures of women in various situations and poses. It was comical and whimsical. My favorites were A picture of Rochishin in a Drunken Rage, which depicted powerful anger and emotion. A picture of the Lonely House on Adachigahara, which depicts a heavily pregnant women hanging upside down while an old hag sharpens a knife - disturbing but amusing at the same time. Gojo Bridge in the Chronicles contained rich color (red, blues, greens, and black), elaborate detail, demonstrates youthful strength and elder wisdom. My daughter and I saw the Wood block art printing video which detailed the process. It's quite elaborate and the process so detailed I can understand why the art is so appreciated. Finally, we ended our tour in the Kimono gallery; my daughter knew a lot already and explained many of the traditions and symbols to me such as the length and types of kimonos, and why the straight look was considered more attractive and why the prostitutes had an easier opening than the other types of kimonos. Overall, we really enjoyed our visit and I learned quite a bit during my visit.

[Anonymous]

Let me preface this post by saying I hate missing any of the seminar sessions. I am always amazed by the content, breath of knowledge, and enthusiasm that accompanies every lecture. To make up the session I visited the Skirball Cultural Center’s Project Mah Jongg exhibit. I chose this event because I have never been to Skirball, and all I know about mah jongg is that it is a game from China played with tiles that used to be made from ivory.
The exhibit is very small. There are a few display cases containing mah jongg sets, game paraphernalia, and advertisements for the game from the 1920s when mah jongg enjoyed its peak in the United States. The advertisements feature images of beautiful and exotic Chinese women and wizened, old Confucian-looking men. These stereotypical ideas of the China and the birth of mah jongg playing leagues helped bring China into popular culture. On one hand, it reduced a vast empire to simple stereotypes and elevated foreigner-fear. On the other hand, its influence is seen in the arts, fashion, and design of the period. Jewish artists shared memories and work that reflected this connection.
The best part of the exhibit, however, was the four women seated at a square table playing the game. They took the time to tell me about the game. They also told me how they had gotten started playing and what they remembered about the game from their childhoods. They even invited me to learn by taking a class at the American Jewish University. I ended my visit by agreeing to see them again at a tournament, which I would consider doing just to have that feeling of belonging that comes from playing the game.
At home I did a little research on mah jongg and found that little is known about its origins. It is generally attributed to Confucius, but the evidence is pretty thin. The main reasons people connect mah jongg and Confucius is that the time periods coincide, the name mah jongg means “hemp bird” or “sparrow,” and Confucius liked birds, and finally tiles represent the Confucian virtues of benevolence, sincerity, and filial piety. Whatever the history, the game continues to send roots into new places, connecting people across time and distance.
edited by srodrigues on 6/30/2012

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

Dear Colleagues,

Many of you have asked me about make-up assignments. To make it easier for me to log, you can just "reply" to this thread with your name, date/session that you are making up, and your make-up post.

Your make-up post can be about the following:
- Attend an event (lecture/meeting/discussion panel, etc.) that focuses on issues related to East Asia or visit a museum exhibition or performance relating to East Asia.
- Submit a 150‐200 word summary of what you learned, and post it as a new thread on the seminar web discussion forum.

Thanks! Please feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Best,
Ying Jia
edited by yhuang on 4/30/2012

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