thoughts about session 9 on 7/31 w/Dr. Dube

[Anonymous]

I thought you might be interested in a resourceful website by National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan.
It has interactive educational program for students and many many resources for educators and researchers. I hope you can dig into the wealth of this site!
http://www.npm.gov.tw

[clay dube]

Temika and all,

Being a writer in China has many challenges. The book I mentioned yesterday (Spence, The Gate of Heavenly Peace) has a lot on Ding Ling's experiences (important early writer in the new culture movement, joined the Communist-led revolution, criticized and temporarily silenced by the party, rehabilitation). Her writing in The Diary of Miss Sophie and in the book on land reform (The Sun Shines....) might be excerpted for use with students.

Ohio State has a lot of resources on modern Chinese literature. http://mclc.osu.edu/

Here are interviews with Yu Hua (To Live):
2003 http://mclc.osu.edu/rc/pubs/yuhua.htm (I had planned to be a dentist....)
2003 http://www.international.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=5470
2007 http://www.pri.org/theworld/?q=node/14438
2009: http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/05/08/books/1194840083927/an-interview-with-yu-hua.html (video)

[clay dube]

Many middle schools and high schools use Red Scarf Girl by Ji-li Jiang (http://www.jilijiang.com/red-scarf-girl/) as a work of literature and as a primary source document. The author frequently visits schools (for a fee), but also offers some online resources and the occasional webinar (online seminar). Many teachers recommend this book.

Wild Swans by Jung Chang is another popular choice. There are many clips of her talking about her book. She's more recently attracted attention with a biography of Mao Zedong. Wild Swans begins with her grandmother in Manchuria, then follows her mother's experiences, and her own. She lives and writes in Britain. Wild Swans has been turned into a stage play: http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2012/apr/22/wild-swans-review-young-vic.

Another memoir that teachers and students like and whose author sometimes gives public presentations is Helie Lee's Still Life with Rice (http://www.helielee.com/stillLife.php).

[clay dube]

Toni and others,
I've attached a copy of Franklin's "A Letter from China" (1784). I took it from http://www.archive.org/stream/writingsofbenjam09franuoft/writingsofbenjam09franuoft_djvu.txt . I have not cleaned it up (the page breaks, etc.). The language may be tough for contemporary readers, but it is interesting how Franklin published this suggesting it came from a Portuguese who went to China.

Below is a letter Franklin wrote to his friend, the Great Awakening super-preacher George Whitefield, which mentions Confucius. I got it from this Franklin archive: http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/.

To George Whitefield
Reprinted from The Evangelical Magazine, xi (1803), 27-8; also al (fragment): American Philosophical Society.

Philadelphia, July 6, 1749
Dear Sir,
Since your being in England, I have received two of your favours, and a box of books to be disposed of. It gives me great pleasure to hear of your welfare, and that you purpose soon to return to America.
We have no kind of news here worth writing to you. The affair of the building remains in statu quo, there having been no new application to the Assembly about it, nor any thing done in consequence of the former.
I have received no money on your account from Mr. Thanklin, or from Boston. Mrs. Read, and your other friends here in general are well, and will rejoice to see you again.
I am glad to hear that you have frequent opportunities of preaching among the great. If you can gain them to a good and exemplary life, wonderful changes will follow in the manners of the lower ranks; for, Ad Exemplum Regis, &c. On this principle Confucius, the famous eastern reformer, proceeded. When he saw his country sunk in vice, and wickedness of all kinds triumphant, he applied himself first to the grandees; and having by his doctrine won them to the cause of virtue, the commons followed in multitudes. The mode has a wonderful influence on mankind; and there are numbers that perhaps fear less the being in Hell, than out of the fashion. Our more western reformations began with the ignorant mob; and when numbers of them were gained, interest and party-views drew in the wise and great. Where both methods can be used, reformations are like to be more speedy. O that some method could be found to make them lasting! He that shall discover that, will, in my opinion, deserve more, ten thousand times, than the inventor of the longtitude.
My wife and family join in the most cordial salutations to you and good Mrs. Whitefield. I am, dear Sir, your very affectionate friend, and most obliged humble servant,

B. Franklin

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[clay dube]

I loved the image Daisy shared, but note it's a satirical piece rather than a propaganda poster. In our offices we have a similar poster for "The People's Republic of Capitalism" which Ted Koppel produced for the Discovery Channel. In it Mao holds high a red cellphone. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65SMAQpsMRA

[Anonymous]

Thanks Clay
And Yes, it is, as I looked at more pictures on the website after the posting, and noticed more satirical ones, so there are a lot more other ones that you can look at which I thought interesting. I think that they are good discussion pieces... you can compare proganda posters with satirical pieces with your students and even with advertisement of today (might be a little bit of a stretch). Either way, just wanted to share it with you guys

[Anonymous]

[font=Tahoma]I appreciated the websites shared today, especially the Black Ships and Samurai website as I believe this will be very useful for me as I plan on doing my curriculum unit on the samurai. My students really appreciate visual learning and pictures to help them understand history, so this site will be particularly useful for me. Pictures really can convey ideas in ways that the written word cannot.[/font]
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[font=Tahoma]I do wish that there were some better ways to keep all the resources organized. For example, often in trainings such as this, we are given excellent websites, but it's hard to find the links again, or remember to search for them when teaching on that particular topic. I would really appreciate if social media was used to keep that information organized. For example, here is the link my Pinterest board on East Asia websites. It would be great if the USC US-China seminar could have something similar that we could follow and repin the sites to have them easily accessible throughout the year. [/font]
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http://pinterest.com/gabrielle9/history-east-asia/

[Anonymous]

Gabrielle, thanks so much for the link to pintrest, I have never used it before but will definately work with it this year.

[Anonymous]

Thanks Chingfen for the Taiwan website recommendation! I'll check it out.

[Anonymous]

The cultural revolution is not over. Even though it ended in the mid/late 70's I think China is going through yet another CR. They are competing more fiercely than ever for resources and especially as an industrial country. They now have more 'freedom's' in terms of what they can choose to buy with their new found wealth and of course the electronic revolution/social media that is still opening the windows to the world for so many people. The geography of the country with so many construction projects, living standards and a new middle class with money all are making China a new China.

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

Hi all,

Please share your thoughts about the 9th session here.

[Anonymous]

I can notfind the PDF of the letter from the emporer to King
George III. Where can I find this ?? is there a general location or do you remember on which day it was posted? Thanks for yyour help!!

[Author]

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