thoughts about session 5 on 7/25 w/Dr. Dube

[Anonymous]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/8954315/Inside-Wukan-the-Chinese-village-that-fought-back.html

[Anonymous]

I really enjoyed the movie we watched last night. It was interesting to me to see how dedicated the Chinese were to Mao. In truth, I am not a history major nor do I teach history, so I was confused about the level of dedication I saw. It seemed to me that although Mao and communism seemed to have done great good for the Chinese people (communal kitchens), he also appeared to have oppressed the people also. It seemed contradictory to me to serve a leader who was so brutal. Mr. Dube told a story about taxi drivers in China (today) who hang pictures of Mao from their rear view mirrors for good luck. It almost seems that no one is aware of the suffering that came out of Mao's time period. In this case how are Americans suppose to view Chinese history and cultural practices? When in fact, it's hard for us to understand why they feel the way they feel about certain thing (ie., Mao).

[Anonymous]

Because Katy and I grew up in the deep South, we had a discussion of the historical connection of China to the South (United States) . Clay discussed using your location and connecting it to China. I read a very interesting book many years ago in college called the Mississippi Chinese by James Loewen (who also wrote Lies my Teacher Told me and Sundown Towns). Here is a summary http://sundown.afro.illinois.edu/mississippichinese.php.
In addition, my roommate, Katy is from Canton, Mississippi!
edited by tbryant on 7/25/2012

[Anonymous]

I found the quick bit on the Great Game to be very interesting as I had never heard of it before in any class, including middle eastern history (though there was a bit of a scan of the nineteenth century). I think that this is very interesting in making connections between the western world and the eastern world in history. The world can seem so much smaller (as mentioned in discussion) when those connections are made. I found an article going into more depth on the topic. I find that the middle east has even less of an interest in the modern world, but this connection to China seems so fascinating, especially with the contest between Britain and Russia. http://eastwestreview.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46:the-great-game-imperial-rivalry-between-britain-and-russia-in-the-19th-century&catid=50:winter-2007&Itemid=56

[Anonymous]

The Ch’ing Dynasty is very interesting. I analyzed the information of the conquering of the Chinese during the Ch’ing Dynasty from a psychological aspect. Chinese were given what they wanted, anything from political seats to being comfortable economically. Yet they were still being manipulated by foreigners. So do what you are told, and I will accommodate your wishes. Yet the dynasty gave the Chinese immense growth.

[Anonymous]

OMG! I did not know how important global relationship where, or how important it is to have a positive global reputation. For instance, Nixon did not want to be seen as a red batter because he desired to build a relationship. This has really helped me understand why America might oftentimes move with such precision when dealing with other countries. It may be an interesting series of lesson to have students explore how interconnectedness is important and must be handled with care.

[Anonymous]

I really liked the point that history cannot be changed, only our view of it, or the discovery of new information. Sometimes it seems to me that history is so subjective, but in some ways it is helpful to remember that the facts are permanent, and only the interpretation is malleable.

I liked learning more about the Manchus and the way they admired Chinese culture and integrated it into their own. This has happened in so many different areas, and it is helpful to compare this to other civilizations (Kush and Egypt, Greek and Roman, etc.). I think these connections are crucial for students to help them understand historical patterns and similarities over time. Graphic organizers, such as Thinking Maps, can be very useful in helping students identify these patterns.

[Anonymous]

I agree, students must understand why the world, not just the one within immediate proximity is important. Although I am an English teacher, it is important to show kids how there are patterns in the history. I think this understanding may help students with universal themes. I may have to explore this a bit more to make a closer connection.

[Anonymous]

I used to teach California History and a big deal was made about how cutting off a Chinese man's que was a punishment during the time of the Gold Rush. I didn't realize that the braid was something that had initially been forced on the Chinese. In my present day 7th grade classroom, I can enlighten my students about the history of the que.

[Anonymous]

I liked the comment that innacuracies are better than apathy (or something like that). I think I will introduce each of my units with students brainstorming what they already know about a place then discuss how accurate it is. I am always so worried about stereotypes and being accurate that I don't always address what students already know or think they know.

[Anonymous]

I'm from Canton, Mississippi, a mid-sized town in central Mississippi. When I was a kid there were two distinct groups, Black and White, and one Chinese family. THey owned a market right in the middle of town. I never knew his name - everyone always called him the "Chinaman". I have ordered the book, "The Mississippi Chinese" to find out more about this group of people. I'm curious about their coming all the way to Canton, Mississippi. I would like to think it was because of the name.

[Anonymous]

I found the information on how the Manchu accomodated the Chinese refreshing. It seems to me that many people in many countries think this is a weakness instead of a strength, though we are constantly teaching in class that working together and sharing ideas can produce even greater results. For example, the emphasis put on not bowing to others or submitting to others rituals. When I was in Thailand last year, I learned that bowing to the Buddha statues are a sign of respect, not of worship. I think many Westerners are not aware that bowing in many cultures is just a sign of respect. I don't see the accomodation of the Chinese by the Manchu as leading to their downfall.

[Anonymous]

As I also teach U.S. History and I think it would be an interesting to look at and discuss how Americans were opium dealers in China. I found a couple of interesting articles that discuss how these dealers often donated money to charitable organizations. Could they then be considered a part of the reform movements during the 1830-40s?http://historyofalcoholanddrugs.typepad.com/alcohol_and_drugs_history/2005/01/american_opium_.html

[clay dube]

Thanks for the book reference. There's a lot happening between the south and China today. Chinese oil companies are linking up with Texas firms. Haier is making appliances in South Carolina for a number of years.

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/blog/eyeonasia/archives/2006/04/haier_invests_i.html

http://www.haieramerica.com/camdenfactory

But what China connections can you find for the area where you teach? Palm Springs, for example, has an international film festival. A couple of years ago, there was a China-related controversy associated with it: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/09/movies/09film.html. I wrote something about that as well: http://china.usc.edu/ShowArticle.aspx?articleID=1944.

A Chinese band, New Pants, performed at a Coachella festival: http://www.thecreatorsproject.com/videos/new-pants-at-coachella or http://www.chinamusicradar.com/?p=2784. Game creator Feng Mengbo was there too: http://www.thecreatorsproject.com/creators/feng-mengbo .

Can you come up with some links between your community and China, Japan, or Korea? What are your sister cities?

[Anonymous]

San Diego has quite a few sister cities but the first one was Japanese- Yokohama. Also, San Diego has a small museum dedicated to the Chinese in San Diego. Admission is only $2. http://www.sdchm.org/

San Diego Sister Cities:Alcalá de Henares, Spain (since 1982)
Campinas, Brazil (since 1995)
Cavite, Republic of the Philippines (since 1969)
Jalalabad, Afghanistan (since 2004)
Jeonju, Republic of Korea (since 1982)
Edinburgh, Scotland (since 1977)
Leon, Mexico (since 1969)
Perth, Australia (since 1986)
Taichung City, Taiwan (since 1983)
Tema, Ghana (since 1976)
- San Diego - Tema Sister City Society
Tijuana, Mexico (since 1993)
Vladivostok, Russia (since 1991)
- San Diego - Vladivostok Sister City Society
Warsaw Province, Poland (since 1996)
Yantai, China (since 1985)
Yokohama, Japan (since 1957)
- San Diego Yokohama Sister City Society

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