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This is another reading that problematizes our understanding of the Cultural Revolution. In it Barbara Mittler discusses how and why propaganda posters, songs, and films from the Cultural Revolution remain popular among many. She notes that isn't the case for Nazi propaganda.

She writes, "at least to German ears, propaganda is evil. It amounts to nothing but blatant lies and false pretense. Propaganda is manipulated and manipulative. Whenever propaganda has an effect, this is bound to be negative; an enthusiastic recipient of propaganda cannot but be deluded. A system creating propaganda is to be despised; everybody hopes for it to end. The times in which propaganda flourishes are considered unhappy times, times that everybody hopes will pass very quickly."

How, Mittler asks, is it that propaganda from a time when many Chinese suffered is still attractive to many Chinese?

Download the article at: https://www.amphilsoc.org/sites/default/files/proceedings/1520404.pdf

And consider this cultural revolution parody. A mug sitting on my desk calls for us "to serve renminbi" (RMB, the currency), a play on Mao's dictate that all should strive to serve the people.

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Thanks to Reyna and Noche who posted their favorite lunar new year stamps choices to Twitter and to Facebook. Please take a look at what they choose and please take a moment to offer your own preferences. Encourage your students to look at the collection too. Which designs do they like for the year of the rooster?

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Hi Folks,
One convenient way to keep up with the institute and developments in US-China relations is to follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/uschinainstitute/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/usc_uschina).

One thing we'd like is for you to look at the lunar new year stamps here: http://china.usc.edu/happy-lunar-new-year-%E7%A5%9D%E4%BD%A0%E6%96%B0%E5%B9%B4%E5%BF%AB%E4%B9%90%EF%BC%81

And to then let us know which is your favorite by commenting on this Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/uschinainstitute/posts/10154746794921480 or this Twitter post: https://twitter.com/usc_uschina/status/825167664603553795

Please encourage your students to check out the lunar new year stamps as well. Why do you think so many different countries issue lunar new year stamps?

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Winnie the Pooh and Tiger as representing China and America's presidents was dreamed up by Chinese netizens in 2013. Censors sought to squelch it, but people passed it around millions of times.

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See Crystal's avatar, I had to share this image:

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Hi Everyone,
I'm looking forward to seeing you all later today. I work with Catherine at the institute and I am the lead instructor for the seminar. I am excited about this chance to explore pre-1800 East Asia with you. My own interest in Asia began when I was an undergrad in San Diego a very long time ago. I am a historian by training and I have taught at the secondary, community college and university level. I look forward to getting to know you and hearing from you as you learn more about East Asia and especially as you think of ways to bring more of Asia to your students.

Clay Dube

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Please identify particular posters and the topics you might address with them. Here's one to get you thinking:

This one is about learning from Lei Feng, a figure heralded by Mao in 1963. (See: http://chineseposters.net/gallery/e15-165.php ). Lei Feng is still with us. I snapped a picture in Chengdu of a poster featuring him two weeks ago. Other examples of Lei Feng posters are available at the same site: http://chineseposters.net/gallery/theme-15.php. Here's an essay about Lei Feng's legend: http://www.newyorker.com/news/evan-osnos/fact-checking-a-chinese-hero.

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I've had to break the presentation into two parts and compress it for inclusion here. Please feel free to use this presentation with your students. Please let me know which if any slides are helpful. Please do not post the presentation to the public internet. It is for your use with your students only.
edited by Clay Dube on 11/19/2016

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Hi Folks,
I needed to take out the videos in order to shrink the presentation so that it would fit. Do you include discussions about holidays, rituals, and myths in your classes?

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Many documents issued by the Chinese government are in the documents section of our website: http://www.china.usc.edu/section/documents-contemporary-china

Constitution, 1982 http://www.china.usc.edu/constitution-peoples-republic-china-1982

The Hukou system is all important in post-1959 China. (Chan article) The Great Leap Forward famine took 30-45 million lives (report on Tombstone). For the Cultural Revolution, much focus is on the red guards and their victims (Ebrey selections). Patriotic education has focused on the humiliation narrative (Kaufman testimony).
edited by Clay Dube on 11/19/2016

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Mao's lectures on Art and Literature (1942) still dominate Chinese governmental thinking on the role of art and literature, you can read extracts from them in the attached file.
Chen Jo-hsi (Chen Ruoxi, b. 1938) spent the cultural revolution. Her stories from that period were published as The Execution of Mayor Yin in 1978. Her story "The Big Fish" is included here. I've also included her story "Nixon's Press Corps." It begins by noting that everyone was brought along to the idea that welcoming the US president, previously condemned as the chief American imperialist, was an excellent idea. It highlights preparations for the visit, the effort to get the staging just right. After you read this story, please listen or read about Ted Koppel at the Ming tombs with Nixon.
NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7513855
Koppel told us the story as well: http://china.usc.edu/assignment-china-week-changed-world
Yu Hua (余华, b. 1960) is the author of many works, including op-eds in the the NY Times (e.g., http://www.nytimes.com/column/yu-hua). Included here is an excerpt from his novel, To Live. It was made into a famous film by director Zhang Yimou (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB7HYhUpDz8).
Jiang Rong's Wolf Totem made a big splash when it was published a decade ago. Here's a NY Times review: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/books/review/Mishra-t.html
Wolf Totem was made into a film and released by Sony: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/wolftotem/

Also -- for those who bringing popular culture into your teacher: Blake, C. Fred (1979), "Love Songs and the Great Leap: the role of youth culture in the revolutionary phase of China's economic development," American Ethnologist 6.1:41-54. Sample:
"Elder brother lives in Plum village south of the mountain
Little sister lives in Peach village north of the mountain
I want to sing elder brother a song of love;
The mountain is so high the sound is blocked.
I want to send elder brother a bouquet of flowers;
As I cross the mountain, everyone wonders how curious.
If this year the cooperative is established;
South and north of the mountain become one family.
Then I can see my love day and night;
And we can hear each other's heartfelt words."
edited by Clay Dube on 11/29/2016

Attachments:

You must be logged in to view attached files.

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United Television Broadcasting started in Los Angeles in 1971. It became a 24 hours a day broadcaster in 2009, but recently cut its programming to 90 minutes on Sunday evenings. In Los Angeles, it's now on Ch. 18. http://utbhollywood.com/en/programschedule/

English language NHK has 24 hours a day programming in Los Angeles on 28.4. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/tv/schedule/

http://www.tvjapan.net/en/ is a web-based television provider, with programming in Japanese and English.

Again, please watch a Japanese-produced newscast or other program and let us know what you think.
edited by Clay Dube on 11/19/2016

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An English translation of many Lu Xun stories is here: http://www.coldbacon.com/writing/luxun-calltoarms.html
Film versions:
New Year's Sacrifice: https://www.amazon.com/NEW-YEARS-SACRIFICE-Bai-Yang/dp/B001E52UXA

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The following will be useful to you in understanding and teaching about China 1900-1949. The most important resources we'll refer to in class. These include Japan's 21 Demands, Sun's plan, Mao's report, and Jiang's speech about national identity.

1894-95 Sino-Japanese War ends with the Treaty of Shimonoseki
http://china.usc.edu/treaty-shimonoseki-1895

Japan's Rise: Visualizing Cultures: Throwing Off Asia I (Japan "westernizes")
http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/throwing_off_asia_01/index.html
Visualizing Cultures: Throwing Off Asia II (Sino-Japanese war)
http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/throwing_off_asia_02/index.html

Taiwan as a Japanese colony
postcards: http://digital.lafayette.edu/collections/eastasia/lewis-postcards/browse
photos/postcards: http://digital.lafayette.edu/collections/eastasia/warner-postcards/browse

1899 - The US worries about the carving up of China
John Hay's Open Door Notes: http://china.usc.edu/first-open-door-note-1899

1915 - Japan issues 21 Demands
See japan-21-demands-1915.pdf attached.

Xu Zhengkeng, "Things about American and Americans" -- published in China in 1926, based on his studies and travels in the U.S., 1918-21
See xu-zhengkeng-1918-21-things-about-america.pdf attached.

Mao Zedong, "The Peasant Movement in Hunan" -- Mao was a native of Hunan and reported on conditions there, making his case for the readiness of rural areas for revolution. At this point, Mao is maneuvering for influence in the Communist Party. He would secure the top position in 1935 and yield it only when he died in 1976. See mao-1927-hunan-peasant-movement.pdf attached.

Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai-shek), "The National Identity," consolidated control over the Guomindang (Kuomintang) 1925-27 and dominated it until his death in 1975. He was China's preeminent leader from 1927 until driven from the mainland in 1949. See Jiang-1939-45-national-identity.pdf attached.

Wang Jingwei (Wang Ching-wei) had been an associate of Sun Yat-sen's and served in Jiang's government. He broke away, however, and formed a new government under Japan's effective control. There are two sets of cartoons published at his capital in Nanjing attached.

Mao on Art and Literature (1942): https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-3/mswv3_08.htm

Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai-shek) victory speech audio with images, 1945: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpKai-UHQ7A

Mao on the departure of the US Ambassador to China, Leighton Stuart (1949): [url=] https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-4/mswv4_67.htm

Who lost China? -- here is a terrific article by Lloyd Eastman on Jiang's view. See Eastman-1981-who-lost-china.pdf which is attached.

The U.S. Government issued a massive "white paper" on China in August 1949. A short one page statement from the US Secretary of State Acheson is attached. See White-Paper-Excerpt.pdf.

Remembering - 2015.9.3 (Chinese date order), military parade celebrating the 70th anniversary of victory over Japan (3 hour English language coverage, sample it as you please) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCfdGzXPN_w
edited by cgao on 11/11/2016

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Cindy Hsiao's presentations are attached.

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