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Thanks for this extensive set of reactions. Johnny, you're right about the massive drop in infant mortality. Mainly it was the product of peace, an information campaign and improved sanitation. Improved diet for mothers was an important help as well. Judith Bannister, China's Changing Population (1987), offers a great overview of population trends to the start of the "one child" era. Education was key in the 1970s and later as well. See the attached Song and Burgard article on the link between mother's educational level and infant mortality.
Here's from another study (also attached):

"We find that gains in education (and to a lesser extent, its interactions with major public health interventions) may explain an important share of the striking reductions in infant and under-five mortality during the Mao era. In particular, we find suggestive evidence of lagged lifetime benefits of better education. Taken together, educational gains during the 1950s and their interactions with public health interventions appear to explain about 80 per cent of infant mortality decline and 75 per cent of under-five mortality decline through the 1960s, and 55-70 per cent of the declines over the entire 1960-80 period."Babiarz et al.Page 13

In addition to reducing infant mortality, China's reduced maternal mortality. I've attached an article about this. China reduced maternal mortality by 75% by 2015. That progress began during the Republican period.

Attachments:

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Julie - thanks for being the first to post for this session. The hukou system is quite important. Rob's book, incidentally is among my favorites. I echo Julie's recommendation. Here's a short interview we did with him on it: https://china.usc.edu/rob-schmitz-discusses-his-book-street-eternal-happiness

We interviewed Rob for our Assignment:China series as well. Rob's spouse Lenora Chu has also written a terrific book about education in China: Little Soldiers: https://china.usc.edu/lenora-chu-discusses-her-book-little-soldiers-american-boy-chinese-school-and-global-race-achieve

Rob and Lenora have also spoken at our teacher workshops. Go to our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/USChinaInstitute) and search for them. They now live in Germany.

Some of you may have seen One Child Nation, a film by Nanfu Wang on Amazon Prime. She has a new film on HBO about covid-19. Mei Fong's book, One Child is terrific. Here's a book talk she gave at USC on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=399k0gtiVDc 

 

 

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China, like the US, is a land of contrasts and change. Below are two photos.

Buddhism is among China's dynamic traditions. In Sichuan province in Southwestern China, the giant Leshan Buddha was carved into a cliff overlooking the junction of the Min and Dadu rivers. It is more than 200 feet tall. It was created over many decades during the 8th century. That means the statue depicting the Maitreya Buddha has been looking over the area for 12 centuries. I visited in February 1984.

China's economic rise came from moving workers out of the fields into more value-added production - even the production of simple toys such as this village blocks factory. I visited it in Wuqiao township in 1991. That's the factory boss.

Private enterprise is another big part of China's economic rise. We know about many large and innovative private companies today (Alibaba, Xiaomi, Tencent are three). But there are many others, including micro entrepreneurs such as these two women who set up a small shop selling breakfast treats in Langfang. I took their picture in 1989.

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Ahead of our session on Tuesday, Feb. 2, please watch the first lectures and scan the readings. Please post your responses. As you read and watch, what -- if anything -- did you find surprising? What key points do you hope to incorporate in your lessons? How can you do this? What do you want your students to do and learn?

Are there things you'd like more information about? How might these ideas fit with other things you may wish to teach?

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Thanks to Craig for getting us started. I hope everyone will take a moment to introduce herself/himself. I'm the seminar instructor. I have been teaching in or about China for a long time and am delighted to have this opportunity to explore China with you. I first lived and worked in China in 1982-85 when the country's economic and social transformation was just beginning. I've been especially interested in how ordinary people have experienced the giant political changes. I love travel, but have not seen most of the world, having mainly visited East Asia and the U.S. I am fond of movies and novels, including Chinese ones. I enjoy crime fiction and, if you like such books, you might wish to try those by Qiu Xiaolong, a now retired professor who introduces Inspector Chen Cao. Qiu grew up in China, but is based in the US. The books offer some ideas about contemporary Chinese culture. Of course, there are many novels and films from China that are available in translation or with subtitles. I hope you'll share any that you've read or watched. Are there parts we might use with students? 

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Hi Brigid, -- good work. They are militia members and are delivering warmth through the gifts they bring (with a spring breeze), perhaps delivering them to other defenders or to villagers or fishermen and women.

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The cards are all from propaganda posters and would be good tools for slogans. Slogans are great tools to pound home ideas. Many in China utilize numbers (4 olds, 9 evils).

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I agree with Betsy that Thomas's idea of comparing the hukou system with tracking may work with students. It is about all the inequalities that exist -- resources, life chances, and so on.

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Jennifer makes a good point about seizing the space available to you. Mao, in stressing the countryside, played to a strength he had. All the other CCP leaders were urbanites. Mao was well-read, but had rural origins. He saw opportunities working in the countryside that others, wedded to Marxist-Leninist orthodoxy that revolution was to come from the urban proletariat, did not.

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Susie makes an important point that this is bureaucratic, with the potential advantages of standard and performance reviews. But it glosses over the importance of connections and opportunities. (Xi, for example, is a princeling. The premier Li Keqiang came from an official family, but not from exalted status. Li had the backing of the Communist Youth League network.) What is most important in this is that the decisions are all made by those above you, not below, so you know who you need to please and who you owe loyalty to.

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Khrystal, I think this is a great idea to spark creative and critical thinking among your students.

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Xi Jinping chose to mark the 70th anniversary of China's entry into the Korean War with a speech stressing that China saw that as a threat to itself and would never shy away from fighting those who threaten it. Others see China's entry as an effort to extinguish South Korea through the aggressive action of North Korea (undertaken with the approval of Stalin and Mao). Perhaps the most important outcome of the Korean War is the US became committed to defending KMT/GMD-ruled Taiwan, something it had not planned to do.

Xi Jinping's speech: https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/23/asia/xi-jinping-korea-war-anniversary-intl-hnk/index.html

Bloomberg via Japan Times: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/10/26/asia-pacific/politics-diplomacy-asia-pacific/seoul-accuses-chinas-xi-distorting-history-korean-war-anniversary-speech/

South China Morning Post: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3106806/five-key-takeaways-xi-jinpings-korean-war-anniversary-speech

Highly recommend the documentary They Chose China on US Korean War pows who elected to stay in China:

Film distributor: http://icarusfilms.com/if-they

YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDTPhT8mZ9o

 

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Ester - great ideas to build students visual literacy and putting info together from a variety of sources. Some teachers like using the books Little Green or Red Scarf Girl, these fit with that.

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Serece, Good analysis. I'm not sure about this one myself. I think the boy has a carrying pole and the girl a bucket to carry. They are part of the effort. But they are also part of the revolution in their garb (young pioneers - red scarves and the boy is even wearing an army hat and belt and wearing an arm band celebrating his little soldier status. He's not in the army, but he's part of the effort. Grandma may be straightening his scarf. Totally open to other ideas on this one.

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Thomas - your card is about tracking down and cleaning up the filth, (Cleanse the pollution). It is about targeting corruption and other evils.

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