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Donald Wagner has compiled two nice websites on woks and the Chinese tinkers who produced them. The wok is widely known and is used all over (even in the places where they get used to prepare french fries). Students may be curious as to how these were produced in the past. Wagner's pages explain this, using photos, prints, and excerpts from texts.

http://www.staff.hum.ku.dk/dbwagner/tinkers/tinkers.html

http://www.staff.hum.ku.dk/dbwagner/wok/wok.html

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We've been encouraging teachers and others to utilize Peter Hessler's Oracle Bones with students to learn about the realities of life in China today. These include migration, gender issues, job insecurity, and more. Here is a link to Fora.tv's version of Hessler's 2006 CSPAN-recorded presentation. It opens with a commercial, then you can navigate to various topics. Fora.tv is technically quite impressive and the video quality is usually better than it is on this segment.

http://fora.tv/2006/05/15/Peter_Hessler

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Jenny, thanks for posting your project. I hope others will do so as well. Please do comment on each other's work.

Jenny mentioned using NPR, which is a great resource, especially when you can download the stories as mp3 files so you don't have to worry about the quality of your connection.

Here are some Chinese immigrant-related stories NPR has featured:

Wayne Wang (director of Joy Luck Club and many other films):
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94756151

Amy Lee, a Boston teenager (this is the story that Jenny mentioned)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111388928

KQED in San Francisco used to produce a program (yes, Freeman Foundation funded) on Asian Pacific issues. Old Pacific Time shows are in the KQED archive and can also be downloaded for free from iTunes.
http://www.kqed.org/radio/programs/audio-archives.jsp?wsvc=1&pgmid=RD37

I like radio programs which can stimulate the imagination of students and it gets them to focus on the writing of stories.

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Hi Angelica and others,

I'm glad you found the Bongiorni reading interesting. The book is a quick read and students might enjoy it.

Here's the NPR interview mentioned in class with the author:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12056295

Three summers ago, USC students and students from Beijing's Communication University of China paired up to make short documentaries about the "global city." The program continues and alternates between LA and Beijing.

In that first year, Tom Xia was one of the participating students and he looked at perceptions of Chinese in Arcadia, CA. See his The Elephant in the Pink Tutu here:
http://china.usc.edu/ShowArticle.aspx?articleID=1425

Tom and Alicia Dwyer, another USC grad, are now making a film that Angelica and her students may find interesting: Xmas without China. With luck, they'll finish it in time for the holidays. The economic downturn has slowed exports from China, but they remain significant.

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Still Life is quite interesting, but slow. It allows a clear view of how mega-changes affect communities and individuals. Another Jia Zhangke film worth seeing is The World which is set among an amusement part featuring small versions of famous landmarks.

Here's an article which looks at Jia's past and at the making of The World.
http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/04/32/chinese_underground_film.html

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US-China Today has published several interactive graphics that you may find useful and might wish to refer your students to.

1) Map of Africa
This map shows Chinese investments in Africa, recent visits there by Chinese leaders, and Confucius Institutes established there.
http://www.uschina.usc.edu/ShowFeature.aspx?articleID=3436
(scroll down to see the map)

2. Map of Latin America
This map shows two way trade between China and various Latin American countries. It also shows the recent visits to the region by Chinese leaders.
http://www.uschina.usc.edu/ShowFeature.aspx?articleID=3814
(scroll down to see the map)

3. Map of China
This map shows the population of Chinese provinces and regions. Through color coding it indicates population density.
http://www.uschina.usc.edu/ShowFeature.aspx?articleID=3136

4. Chart -- Chinese Ownership of U.S. Federal Government Debt
This chart shows how China's share of American treasury notes has risen over the years.
http://www.uschina.usc.edu/ShowFeature.aspx?articleID=4105

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While conditions for most women in China are much better than they were in 1949 or 1979, it's clear that there has been a roll back in real determination to remedy gender discrimination. With China's economic rise, some women have become fantastically rich and powerful. These are often the daughters of powerful officials, but there are exceptions. One of the richest women is Zhang Yin. She became one of the giants in the recycling business. Here's a NY Times article about her:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/15/business/worldbusiness/15iht-trash.4211783.html

Other women are (as those in our seminars know) going into a wide variety of businesses, especially in the service industries (restaurants, beauty salons, and so on).

But in the corporate sector, discrimination remains common. Job advertisements specify that height, weight, and looks are important qualifications. Rich men are taking on girlfriends, and in some cases, men from Taiwan or Hong Kong have dual families, one in their native place and one on the mainland.

Newsweek's Duncan Hewitt uses recent news stories about official support for underage prostitution and other abuses to launch a good discussion of women's position in China today. It errs a bit in being too negative, but his points are well made. What do you think?

http://www.newsweek.com/id/209954/page/1

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Two hamburger ideas, both raised by members of our 2009 summer seminar.

You can look at globalization in many ways, but one of the most interesting is looking at local adaptation of global products/trends. One thing students consider themselves experts on is American fast food.

A great academic reference (parts of which might be adapted for high school students) is Golden Arches East. It looks at McDonalds in Asia. For example, the intro by Woody Watson (he organized the project, his students, now professors elsewhere, wrote on their special areas) includes a great note about a project to acculturate mainland Chinese immigrants to Hong Kong. The culuminating activity is a visit to McDonalds!

Here's an excerpt by our friend and UCLA colleague Yan Yunxiang:
http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/w/watson-arches.html

Note, please, that a second edition came out in 2006. You can see part of it in Google Books and easily buy it online or borrow it from the library.

Here's the Big Mac Index that The Economist publishes. It hints at how well or poorly markets price currencies (but also neglects local market conditions that might affect commodities that are rendered into the hamburger.
http://www.economist.com/markets/bigmac/

Please also note that it's not just McDonalds that has gone global. Yum Brands owns KFC, Pizza Hut, and other chains. It derives the bulk of its growth and profits overseas, especially in China. Your students could study the growth of these chains in China and elsewhere. See if they can see what kind of promotions they run, what sort of advertisements they use, and the extent to which they modify the menu to accommodate local norms and preferences.

US-China Today features an article on this:
http://www.uschina.usc.edu/ShowFeature.aspx?articleID=3945

Finally, it's important to note that there are many more Asian restaurants in the US than Western restaurants in Asia. Perhaps your students could inventory the range of restaurants and food stores within 3 miles of the school. They could also look for Asian foods on the shelves of local markets.

As always, please do share your experiences working with students on topics such as these. Please also share student work.

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Two hamburger ideas, both raised by members of our group during the week.

You can look at globalization in many ways, but one of the most interesting is looking at local adaptation of global products/trends. One thing students consider themselves experts on is American fast food.

A great academic reference (parts of which might be adapted for high school students) is Golden Arches East. It looks at McDonalds in Asia. For example, the intro by Woody Watson (he organized the project, his students, now professors elsewhere, wrote on their special areas) includes a great note about a project to acculturate mainland Chinese immigrants to Hong Kong. The culuminating activity is a visit to McDonalds!

Here's an excerpt by our friend and UCLA colleague Yan Yunxiang:
http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/w/watson-arches.html

Note, please, that a second edition came out in 2006. You can see part of it in Google Books and easily buy it online or borrow it from the library.

Here's the Big Mac Index that The Economist publishes. It hints at how well or poorly markets price currencies (but also neglects local market conditions that might affect commodities that are rendered into the hamburger.
http://www.economist.com/markets/bigmac/

Please also note that it's not just McDonalds that has gone global. Yum Brands owns KFC, Pizza Hut, and other chains. It derives the bulk of its growth and profits overseas, especially in China. Your students could study the growth of these chains in China and elsewhere. See if they can see what kind of promotions they run, what sort of advertisements they use, and the extent to which they modify the menu to accommodate local norms and preferences.

US-China Today features an article on this:
http://www.uschina.usc.edu/ShowFeature.aspx?articleID=3945

Finally, it's important to note that there are many more Asian restaurants in the US than Western restaurants in Asia. Perhaps your students could inventory the range of restaurants and food stores within 3 miles of the school. They could also look for Asian foods on the shelves of local markets.

As always, please do share your experiences working with students on topics such as these. Please also share student work. I'll post this message in the Asia in My Classroom forum to see if we can coax others into the discussion.

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Hi Folks,
A great UC Irvine historian, Ken Pomeranz, has just published a detailed analysis of the Himalayan watershed's past, present, and future. It's a grim portrait. He notes that the North China drought of 2008 was the worst since the drought that made the famine produced by the bad decisions of the Great Leap Forward even worse. The article includes a nice map and, as I've said, enormous detail. For those that are interested in the water challenges confronting China, it's an excellent resource.

http://www.newleftreview.org/?view=2788

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Here are some free blog hosting services. For a fee, you can purchase your own domain name (e.g., hooverhistory.org). The free version would be something like hooverhistory.wordpress.com. Some services will require that you permit search ads (e.g., supplied by Google), but they would allow you to choose a "no adult ads" option.

http://wordpress.com

http://www.typepad.com/pro/index-3.html

https://www.blogger.com/start -- a Google product (look at the "team blog" and "private blog" options -- this will allow you to restrict access to the site)

Any blog software can support a conversation -- you can ask a question and then students could "comment" on it and what others say.

A paid option is 1and1.com -- this is the largest web host in the world. They have reasonable prices, but there are many other web hosts who will arrange for your domain name, etc. 1and1.com has a $4/month option that includes plenty of space, etc.

http://1and1.com

Be sure to check with your school's webmaster. The district may have a free option that they can provide.

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Please sign up for the Talking Points and Teaching about Asia newsletters. You can do so at http://china.usc.edu/subscribe.aspx. Please be sure to enter your name, your email address and to select both "All Others" and "K-12" so that you'll get both newsletters. You can see back issues of Talking Points at: http://china.usc.edu/Resources60.aspx. It comes out each week. You can see back issues of the Teaching about Asia newsletter at: http://china.usc.edu/ShowArticle.aspx?articleID=189#newsletter.

We'd greatly appreciate your help in telling others about the newsletters. You can always elect to stop receiving the newsletters. Just hit "reply" and put "unsubscribe" in the subject line and we'll take you off the list.

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Hi Folks,

Korean is a bit trickier, because the South Korean government recently embraced a different romanization system, which may be a better fit with the International Phonetic Alphabet but isn't a great fit with English.

Here is a YouTube video which as clear graphics and negative examples. The opening is cheesey. And - since I don't speak Korean, I can't tell you if "Professor Oh" is steering you in the right direction. Prof. Jennifer Jung-Kim can help with this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdiR-6e1h0o

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Hi Folks,

Japanese is fairly straightforward with many similarities to Spanish. It's not a tonal language.

Here's a Harvard page with pronunciation tips.

http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~bestor/easy_pronunciation.htm

About.com has an "audio phrasebook" that will help you get the knack of Japanese sounds.
http://japanese.about.com/library/blphrase.htm

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Visual Sourcebook of Chinese Civilization
http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/

Japan Information Network
http://jin.jcic.or.jp/

Metropolitan Museum of Art

China: Dawn of a Golden Age
http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/china_dawn/index.html

Timeline of Art History
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/splash.htm?HomePageLink=toah_l

Chinese Museums

Palace Museum (Beijing)
http://www.dpm.org.cn/index.html

National Palace Museum (Taipei)
http://www.npm.gov.tw/main/fmain_en.htm

Japanese Museums

Tokyo National Museum
http://www.tnm.go.jp/en/servlet/Con?pageId=X00&processId=00

Kyoto National Museum
http://www.kyohaku.go.jp/eng/index_top.html

***MIT Visualizing Cultures Project***
http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/home/index.html

Korean Museums

Horim Museum (Seoul)
http://www.welcome.to/horim

National Museum of Korea (Seoul)
http://www.museum.go.kr/

Korean Village Folk Museum (Yong-in)
http://www.koreanfolk.co.kr/folk/english/index.htm

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