monday (7/29) afternoon readings

[clay dube]

Part 2 of the primary sources for our look at 19th century China.

[clay dube]

Part 3 of the primary sources for our look at 19th century China.

[clay dube]

Part 4 of the primary sources for our look at 19th century China.

[Anonymous]

looks like lots of great material.....

[Anonymous]

If Liang visited new york today how much would it that different other than lynchings?

[Anonymous]

Iin reading through the afternoon material, I am struck by the similarities between efforts of the Taiping and early reformers to construct a new understanding of both history and the future and those of Marx and Mao. New structures were probably inevitable in the face of so much change in nineteenth century China. While China has clearly mastered many of the elements of modernization, it seems to me that Chinese society is still seeking this understanding.

[Anonymous]

The list of grievances set out by the Chinese resistance to British hegemony reminds me of our own struggle against Great Britain during the American Revolution. In both cases sea power was the decisive element. Since China marks the beginning of the modern age of China with the Opium War, no wonder she today places such emphasis upon the American naval theorist Alfred Mahan and his theories of sea power.

[Anonymous]

I am amazed at the number of bordering countries that surround china. I begin to wonder how flexible or inflexible the government of china must be to live in relative harmony with those 15. I would use this geographical setup in my class as a way to discuss how diverse one must be in dealing with a variety of cultures or neighbors who have completely different mindsets from each other.. I would also use this as a tool to help my students understand the need to be flexible in relationships and dealings. is there an activity that might emphasize this dynamic...anyone?

[Anonymous]

I find the cultural connection that can be made through sports of great value and interest. Even though we may not end up viewing " YMCA Baseball" as a group, I definitely plan on viewing this movie on my own. I also find it ironic that we were discussing this issue just several days after two Major League Baseball players from South Korea faced off against each other in such a diverse city as Los Angeles on the sixtieth anniversary of the end of hostilities of The Korean War.

[Anonymous]

I especially enjoyed the idea that Liang suggested that America has a national identity while China had "the character of clansmen". This is fascinating given our gangs even at the time of his visit and continuing today. As with our perspective of China, it is easy to get a broad perspective which does not necessarily explore the complexity of any given situation. I wonder if this "clansmen" mentality continues today or if there is more of a national identity. Recently on HBO's Vice there was an episode devoted to the housing market and about the marriage possibilities given the one child policy. Both of these examinations of the culture exposed the complexity of China entering the global community while creating a national identity. This afternoon I especially enjoyed the maps superimposed on the maps. It is a useful tool for putting things into perspective.

[Anonymous]

Rad, I too like the idea of using the neighbors of China to teach about getting along with others. It might be interesting to use this national experience with the neighborhood challenges occurring now in Chicago.

[Anonymous]

Bafa Bafa is a great, basic simulation to explore cultural differences and encounters. The game splits a group in two. Each learns a particular culture, represented by a few practices and taboos. Then, naturally, they have to interact as best they can to accomplish a few basic tasks The debrief from the experience can be wonderful. You can buy the full version from the publisher, but you can also find simplified and modified versions all over the Internet. This site has some advice for running the game.

[clay dube]

Victor's post caused me to locate this article about Hyun-Jin Ryu of the Dodgers, which includes the observations of another former Dodger pitcher from South Korea:

http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130727&content_id=54982198¬ebook_id=54988872&vkey=notebook_la&c_id=la

And here's an article about the face off between Ryu and outfielder Shin-Soo Choo of the Cincinnati Reds:

http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130727&content_id=54984386&vkey=news_la&c_id=la

If you'd like to, please contribute posts to this discussion on using sports as a hook to interest students in Asia:
http://uschinaforum.usc.edu/topic450-sports--generating-interest-in-asia.aspx .

[clay dube]

Here is Lin Zexu's famous letter to Queen Victoria (1839):
http://www.china.usc.edu/ShowArticle.aspx?articleID=402

The Opium War ended with the Treaty of Nanjing (1842):
http://www.china.usc.edu/ShowArticle.aspx?articleID=403

The Treaty of Shimonoseki ended the Sino-Japanese War (1895):
http://www.china.usc.edu/ShowArticle.aspx?articleID=405

U.S. Secretary of State John Hay's first open door note (1900):
http://www.china.usc.edu/ShowArticle.aspx?articleID=406

[Anonymous]

This reminded me of the 1930s Rape of Nanking. They are both atrocities in my opinion. England engaged in the Opium trade devastating the Chinese society, demanded huge reparations as if the human cost was not enough. This is morally reprehensible.

The impact is no different from the pain China endured from the Japanese assault on Nanking.

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