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clay dube
SpectatorThanks to Ingrid for drawing out attention to this film. The author of the book inspiring this film was interviewed on C-Span's Booknotes.
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMB4cV8JGss
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wY-DrNXDNk
Harper Collins has issued a teaching guide for the book/film: http://files.harpercollins.com/HarperAcademic/FirstTheyKilledMyFatherTG.pdf
Here's the Netflix site for the film. It includes a trailer: https://www.netflix.com/title/80067522
SpectatorCity of Life and Death (南京！南京！in Chinese) trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q90R13aMwbA
SpectatorThere are a lot of possible Chinese films to watch and review. Some are available from streaming services and others can be rented or purchased on DVD/Blue-ray. Here are some to consider (please feel free to share other sources):
DVD.com (owned by Netflix and that company's original business) offers many great Chinese films. These include:
Not One Less https://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Not-One-Less/60000446
To Live https://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/To-Live/60028524
Farewell My Concubine https://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Farewell-My-Concubine/22466132
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGDSfsmlBK4Amazon and Vudu offer movie by movie rental options:
Not One Less: https://www.amazon.com/Not-One-Less-Zhenda-Tian/dp/B003KI8ML8/ref=sr_1_1?s=instant-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1539630029&sr=1-1&keywords=not+one+lessTo Live (Amazon's Filmbox service) https://www.amazon.com/Live-Zhang-Yimou/dp/B01IO63D6O/ref=sr_1_1?s=instant-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1539630090&sr=1-1&keywords=to+live
And many more film options -- explore!
SpectatorHi Folks,
Lindsay asked about links to streaming versions of Not One Less. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any that included English subtitles. But:DVD.com (owned by Netflix and that company's original business) offers many great Chinese films. These include:
Not One Less https://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Not-One-Less/60000446
To Live https://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/To-Live/60028524
Farewell My Concubine https://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Farewell-My-Concubine/22466132
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGDSfsmlBK4Amazon and Vudu offer movie by movie rental options:
Not One Less: https://www.amazon.com/Not-One-Less-Zhenda-Tian/dp/B003KI8ML8/ref=sr_1_1?s=instant-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1539630029&sr=1-1&keywords=not+one+lessTo Live (Amazon's Filmbox service) https://www.amazon.com/Live-Zhang-Yimou/dp/B01IO63D6O/ref=sr_1_1?s=instant-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1539630090&sr=1-1&keywords=to+live
And many more film options -- explore!
SpectatorPlease hit reply to comment on the ideas in these video lectures.
The first video begins with a quick look at the nature of the Chinese economy 1949-1978. China's economy was among the poorest in the world. On a per capita basis, the Chinese economy only generated $90 in 1960 and $113 in 1970. At the dawn of the economic reforms initiated by Deng Xiaoping and his associates, in 1980, the economy still only generated $195 per person. By 1990, the figure was $318, markedly better.
Lecture 3: "Reform and Opening"The second lecture in this section focuses on the rapid growth over the last 25 years. We explore the East Asian Development Model that helped Japan, South Korea and Taiwan enter the ranks of rich economies. We look at how China hopes to avoid the middle income trap and join those places among the high income societies. It faces numerous challenges that we highlight.
Lecture 4: China Shakes the WorldSpectatorAs Nira notes, the hukou system was implemented to restrict the movement of people. It was partly a security measure so as to simplify keeping track of everybody, but also it was a planning measure. For decades, China was short of food. Those with urban hukou (or non-agricultural hukou 非农户口) were entitled to food allocations. They received grain ration coupons, egg ration coupons, oil ration coupons, and so on. They purchased these items at subsidized prices. The agricultural hukou people did not receive such coupons. The idea was that they would simply eat some of what they grew and the rest would be purchased by the state at subsidized prices. Until the 1980s, people with urban hukou were said to eat "state grain."
Under the planned economy, the state was responsible for educating, caring for, and employing those with urban hukou. Those in the countryside were to provide these things via their communes and production brigades. It was a big deal in 1985 (or so) when the state decided to make all teachers state employees. Before that, rural teachers received differential wages and benefits because their pay depended on what the commune was able and willing to pay them. This led many of the best rural teachers to look for other opportunities.
Nira is right that the push back on hukou reform or abolition is tied to local governments. The local government's revenue base is limited and local officials fear that paying to educate and care for all local residents would be too heavy a burden. Local residents LUCKY enough (and it is just LUCK) to be born to a woman with urban hukou status have a bit of a lifeboat mentality. They enjoy these benefits and fear that if others have to be cared for, their benefits will be reduced. (Of course, many in America feel similarly about migrants from other countries.) The cost of migrant labor is lower because their benefit rates are lower. This is what makes it possible for cities in China to function. Many urban hukou holders realize this. They wonder who will cook food, who will build things, who will provide child care, if those with agricultural hukou are forced to live farther from the city.
Shanghai recognized that to maintain its population and vitality, it had to let those with agricultural hukou send their kids to school. It began allowing this, though only to the high school level. It is worth noting that students with Beijing hukou get preferential admission to Beijing's colleges (though not to the most prestiguous schools). The same is true for Shanghai and for provincial capitals. Students from outside urban centers actually have to score higher to enter those colleges. It's a system designed to keep parents and their students who enjoy urban hukou status happy. It's aimed at social stability. Of course, it's the same reason that California residents pay lower tuition/fees at California state schools. Officials want to keep locals happy.
Because China's economy and society have changed a lot, hukou is not as all important as it was. (In the 1970s or early 1980s, you might not consider a potential spouse who had hukou in a different place, since movement was difficult. Even getting a job was hard without the right hukou. These things have changed.) But it still matters a lot and it is discriminatory. It is based on who your mother is, not where you are born, and not what intelligence you possess or the skills you acquire. It is an ASCRIBED status, like caste, not an AQUIRED status, like college graduate. It shapes your access to opportunities.
Even critics of the hukou system acknowledge that for a long time it prevented migration to cities and the creation of slums. Beijing didn't become like some cities where large slum areas grow outside the city center. But the hukou system created and reinforced social distinctions that had real consequences, even in terms of mental development and life expectancy.
Here is an interesting article on a family forced to move:
https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2018/0612/China-s-forced-evictions-One-migrant-family-s-storyHere are a couple of recent talks at USCI about rural education.
Scott Rozelle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ctHVgmOckk&list=PLZoSvm2n7tkeawn0FtSCcRRBS_3RWztds&index=5&t=0sPat Yang: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpO1TX2g-co&index=5&list=PLZoSvm2n7tkeawn0FtSCcRRBS_3RWztds
SpectatorHi Folks,
I have a mini-lecture on the family planning policy that we'll post for the session on society and culture. But to get some idea of the results of that policy, you'll likely find Mei Fong's book, One Child, of great interest. We have a short interview with her and a longer book talk. Please check them out if you're interested.
interview (9 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr6esw1vzW8&feature=youtu.be&list=PLZoSvm2n7tkcvAsbeBYYi_yNW3WiisD51
book talk (68 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=399k0gtiVDc&list=PLEAC41A08E1EE341A&index=36
Please feel free to comment on Mei's stories (she also spoke at a teacher workshop for us some years ago).
SpectatorHi Folks,
The short documentary of Meng Yue and her family that we previewed is available at:
Some may find it more convenient to watch via YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvJg8d0TKhk&feature=youtu.be&list=PL30FD5F0382C99E98
SpectatorMore on Last Train Home, a brilliant suggestion by Natalie:
http://www.pbs.org/pov/lasttrainhome/
This film may be available from Netflix or Amazon Prime.
SpectatorPlease post your thoughts about the ideas introduced in the lectures, readings and other videos. Anything new, surprising or perhaps confusing? How might you use one or more ideas with your students? How might you use it? Do you have any reading, video or web suggestions of your own?
(By the way, you can also upload readings as pdfs.)
SpectatorHi Folks,
Delighted to welcome you to our seminar. I head the US-China Institute and have been teaching about China for thirty years. I first taught in China in 1982-85 and subsequently lived near Beijing in 1989 and in the Shanghai countryside in 1991-92. I'm a historian by training, focusing on economic and social change in small towns over the course of the 20th century, but since coming to USC in 2006, I've focused on contemporary China and U.S.-China relations. I look forward to getting to know you over the course of the seminar. It's a small group, so there should be plenty of opportunities for everyone to participate in this online forum and in our Tuesday discussion sessions.SpectatorHi Folks,
I'll try to attach my ppt for the geography discussion. You're welcome to use it with your students, but please do not post it to the internet or otherwise share it. Thank you!
Attachments:
You must be logged in to view attached files.SpectatorHi Folks,
I hope that you folks will stay within our NCTA circle. Post when you can on what you're doing with East Asia and your students and perhaps what interesting news about East Asia that you come across.
This story is stunning. If you needed proof that Taiwan has rule of law and freedom of speech, please check out this story about a Taiwanese developer who has grabbed a Buddhist temple (a court ruled in his favor), evicted the nuns and converted it to a shrine to China's Communist Party and unification with the mainland. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/19/world/asia/taiwan-china-reunification-buddhism.html
SpectatorHi Everyone,
I'm Clay Dube and I work with Catherine at the USC U.S.-China Institute. I've been teaching for a long time at a variety of levels, in San Diego, in China, in Los Angeles and in Kentucky. I'm a historian by training and specialize in modern Chinese economic history. Since coming to USC to help set up the US-China Institute in 2006, I've necessarily focused on politics and international relations. In this course, we'll get a chance to look at a couple centuries of intense interaction between Europe, the Americas, and East Asia. All were change and continue to change due to this interplay. I enjoy reading, travel, movies, and photography. I look forward to learning more about you and hearing how you plan to bring more of East Asia to your students. -
AuthorPosts
Please read the attached documents prior to our session on Saturday. You may wish to print them out. As always, our aim is to inform and to inspire. How might you use parts of these readings or some of the ideas they contain with your students?
The contemporary news articles are short. It's okay to just scan them, though reading them closely will yield rewards. For the primary source readings, all but one are short. Try to read them and to imagine the world they help illustrate.
A - demography, geography readings
1. South Korea - head of the central bank calls for more babies
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2017/09/06/0200000000AEN20170906014700320.html
2. North Korea - part 2 in a three part series on living in North Korea
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/22/life-in-north-korea-coming-of-age
3. Japan -- marriage is getting harder and harder to make happen
https://www.economist.com/news/asia/21706321-most-japanese-want-be-married-are-finding-it-hard-i-dont
4. China -- not enough water and too much pollution
http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/21/asia/china-water-crisis/index.html
5. China, Japan, South Korea - Video Games
China, Tencent's video game empire under assault: https://www.economist.com/business/2018/09/08/tencents-kingdom-is-under-assault-from-chinas-regulators
Japan, nearly a million teens addicted: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/08/31/national/930000-japanese-teens-addicted-internet-survey/#.W5vIdfZReUk
South Korea, Game industry critical of WHO game addiction label: http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20180328000730
B - 19th century China readings
1. Manchu rule and hair -- What do the new rulers demand? What is their argument for the requirement?
2. Emperor Qianlong to King George III, 1793 http://china.usc.edu/emperor-qianlong-letter-george-iii-1793
-- What is the emperor's complaint? What does he expect the British monarch to do?
3. The Treaty of Nanjing, 1842 http://china.usc.edu/treaty-nanjing-nanking-1842
-- What must the loser of the Opium War (1839-1842) provide the winner? What are the long term consequences of the conflict and this settlement?
4. Placards posted in Guangzhou -- What is being opposed? What actions is advocated in the placards?
5. The Taiping Land System http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/ps/cup/taiping_economic_pgm.pdf
-- How did the Taiping plan challenge the existing social and economic order?
6. Ridding China of Bad Customs -- How does the anti-footbinding society propose to eliminate the custom? What are Qiu Jin's complaints about the status and treatment of women? What does she call on women to do? What does the 1907 Yunnan newspaper article propose doing about opium? And, finally, why and how does 1920 article from Women's Magazine call for the eradication of indentured girl servants? How does the author propose using the concept of "face" (reputation) to fight against holding women as indentured servants?