Asia and the World

I specifically cover China up through the Mongols after I have covered Europe up to about the end of the Crusades. In this way I can use the expansion of the Mongol empire to Eastern Europe to discuss how ideas and other influences from Asia affected the development of Europe at that time. Among the ideas that came into Europe from Asia at this time were the compass, gunpowder, improved shipbuilding methods, and possibly printing. Each one of these would have profound effects on the feudal system, and the expansion of trade in Europe.

Also, though often criticized for their brutal methods, it was the Mongols who created safety and order for the first time in lands that connected the East and the West. I like to show the video about the Mongols in the "Timeline" series that makes uses of "in-the field" reporters who show how the Mongols created their empire and brought order to the lands they conquered. Its an effective visual tool that shows some positive aspects of the Mongols rule. And, after all, it was primarily their rule that allowed not only these ideas and inventions to come to Europe, increased trade, but also would have the unforseen, and disastrous effect of spreading the Black Plaque to Europe. While the latter is hardly a positive influence (though this also would help kill the feudal system and spur the demand for individual rights), this, along with the other influences shows the major influence that Asia has had on the rest of the world. You might say that the Mongols empire was one of the earliest instances of globalization, with both positive and negative effects that would alter civilizations.

Perhaps this doesn't fit into the world category, but the conflict between these two "lands" continues to surprise me. I was reading in the UCLA Asia Institute article on "Taiwan and China Cross-Strait Debate Comes to UCLA" about how the National People's Congress (NPC) in China unanimously ratified a law that would make Taiwan's secession from China illegal. China gave itself approval to use non-peaceful means to uphold this law.

Countries have been breaking off from other countries for hundreds of years; people form smaller units that somehow seem beneficial to their populace. Fifty-five years ago Taiwan separated from China, but China has refused to recognize this separation ever since. Now, they are establishing their own "law" so they will have the "right" to attack Taiwan should the people do anything to make the separation more permanent. I know there is a complex story behind this situation, but -- as an outsider -- I have difficulty understanding China's obstinancy. It seems like the Chinese government is autocratic with it's population, and it doesn't see any reason not to extend their dominance over Taiwan.

Can this situation be compared to the sovereignity Great Britain holds over Ireland? I don't believe the Irish are trying to secede from Great Britain, and I believe the desire to fight against the English government is manifest in only a small percentage of the population.

One final thought. Ms. Liu, who debated on behalf of the Taiwanese, said, "Only the 23 million Taiwanese people have the right to decide on their own sovereignty." First, in the timeline of the world, that is a relatively new idea. It has usually been that the ruler with the greatest strength/army controls the land. Taiwan -- a tiny country -- is bucking that historical precedent and going against the will of it's massive "sister" country.

Secondly, it ocurred to me that Taiwan -- which is a major player in the world -- has only 23 million citizens, about the population of two Cities of Los Angeles. And their island is puny. It is amazing how much of a role it has played in the world, even though it is miniscule compared to China.
Courtney

The comments made about China and Taiwan are interesting. Just remember that in the last decade Quebec was undergoing elections to secede from Cananda. In an election that was tight as can be, Quebec stayed apart of Canada. I just thought to show this example as well.

I found an article by UCLA's Tom Plate in an on-line publication called the Japan Times.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/geted.pl5?eo20050509tp.htm

in this article Plate explains why in his opinion any war in Asia (err.. really any war regarding China) will not happen until after 2008. He explains this because of the Olympics coming to China. China will want to wear its best face and a struggle with Taiwan will not look favorable.

He also explains that in 2008 there will be a ncew presidential electin in Taiwan. President Shen (Taiwan's current president) can only serve 2 terms. Thus there will be a change. Shen is not favored in China.

I believe there is another aspect to the PRC's attitude toward Taiwan. This is ultimately to make an example of Taiwan. China has several other portions of the country which are made up of mostly ethnic minorities (that is until enough Han have been introduced to alter this) that have indepence issues, including Xin Jiang (North West China) and Tibet which China absorbed through invasion 50 years ago (after Taiwan "seperated").
I would argue, China can not let Taiwan go, because if they did they might suddenly experience a rash of resistance form other protions of the nation.

Any one else have thoughts?

David

I just want to comment on Time magazine's special report on China's New Revolution. The article by Michael Elliott suggests that "China is engaged in a crash program of modernization of its armed forces," and that Rumsfeld believes that China spends more on defense than they publish. This is a concern because no nations threaten China. Evidently, the U.S. and China are enjoying the best relations ever, but the U.S. is concerned about their major military build up. It sounds a little scary to me. What do you think?

Frank[Edit by="fwiley on Jun 27, 9:21:33 PM"][/Edit]

Referring to the June 27th edition of Times magazine, Wal-Mart is claiming that its "American-style standards and ethics of manufacturing...provide decent accommodations for workers." Wal-Mart claims to enforce the standards that reduce man hours in the work week and days that allow for overtime. They also claim that Chinese employees find the changes liberating. And lastly, Li, a high school graduates from a peaseant family states: "All that matters is your work.' In a country of 1.3 billion people, the Wal-Mart way may not yet amount to a great leap forward. But it is progress." My how communism has changed.

Frank

The article appearing in Newsweek, titled “ No Policy is Not Good Policy,” discusses the opposing policy goals of the United States toward North Korea. U.S. policy seems to be at odds, thus creating basically “no policy” in wanting both North Korea to renounce its nuclear weapons as well as rid North Korea of its current dictator. Interestingly, it appears that China also doesn’t want a nuclear North Korea. The author believes this would be a good time to “forge a common Sino-U.S. position,” especially since he credits the U.S. with assisting them with Taiwan. I hadn’t realized that President Bush had done something productive.
He also refers to the stalemate in Washington that is causing the “no policy” problem. I thought that was insightful as the whole Korean conflict in the 1950s is referred to as a stalemate.

UCLA student Nick Steele wrote a piece discussing his internship experience in China during the summer of 2004. This was particularly interesting because it was discussion from the point of view of an American trying to figure out Chinese business. My favorite part “WWMT” what would Mao think was brilliant and I liked his analysis. Would he be happy with the new form of economic expansion, leaving behind strict communism to the ills or perhaps the excesses of capitalism and the inevitable gaps it is creating in the class structure?

I’m thinking that I might use this piece for my economics classes as it is not only a fantastic commentary on what is going on in China, it also references things that my students can relate too and has many key vocabulary words in it. One could definitely use some sort of problem solving scenario exercise with it. Additionally it’s a first hand account of something cool you can do in college, awareness of the possibilities.

Regarding this article, I think that the relationship between China and Taiwan can be compared to The sovereignity that Great Britain holds over Ireland, except I think that Taiwan is a stronger and perhaps more powerful nation than Ireland, as Courtney pointed out. Taiwan is trying to make its presence felt more and more, and as the article states as long as there is no war things get better and better for this tiny nation.

This weeks Time is an anniversary issue of Hiroshima (August 6. 1945). I purchased it in order to scan some of the pictures for later use in a PowerPoint for class presentation. On page 4 there are 2 panoramic pictures “then” and “now” that make a nice contrast effect, especially since students may be somewhat familiar with the older picture, having seen it in film footage.

The article was tastefully done showing pictures of survivors, their age, the different disfiguring or chronic health problems they have experienced. Additionally, there is a write up about the crew of the Enola Gay and more of their perspective and words about the experience. There are four surviving crewmembers.

I plan to use the “Crossing the Moral Threshold” article on Monday with my summer school class. This will reinforce the reasons we dropped the bomb and prepare them for the exam essay question. I like this question, as there is no right or wrong answer in the opinion response; “Why did Truman decide to use the atomic bomb against Japan? Do you think that he did the right thing?”

If you don’t want to buy it, go to Time.com!

This week’s Newsweek, August 1, 2005 lists under deals, “Don’t Count ‘Baby CNOOC’ Out,” advising about the current plan of China to buy Unocal. China recently raised the value of the yuan by 2% (which is not significant), but what is significant is that the yuan is no longer pegged to the dollar, but to a basket of currencies although there are no details to what’s in the basket. This is scary because China could conceivably value the yuan at what it pleases, saying it’s “market based.”

The Chinese government is also aiding the Chinese bidder for Unocal Corp. The government subsidy pushes CNOOC way above the Chevron Unocal offer. This is an example of China playing by its own rules, not Western rules, but nothing in it is illegal. Additionally if the value of the yuan increases it would make products made in China more expensive for the United States to buy. This could have interesting consequences for both countries.

Appearing in the Newsweek dated July 25, 2005 on page 25 is a cartoon referencing Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Ping Ling, the CEO is sitting at the desk. I’m assuming he’s some market big shot in China but I couldn’t really find him on-line. If anyone can enlighten me I’d appreciate it. Anyway, the American says to the little kid while pointing back at Ling, “Willy Wonka’s gone. The Chinese bought it…” The cartoon tone is rather matter of fact; shouldn’t it express some “fear?”

Originally appearing in the Jamestown Foundation’s China Brief, an essay by Wenran Jiang sheds more light on this attempt by CNOOC to acquire Unocal. Unocal is the United States 9th largest oil company and Chevron is also trying to purchase it (the #2 oil company in the U.S.). There is a lot of suspicion with regard to the aims of both countries.

China maintains that it is only trying to prepare for future oil needs for its country. Apparently, Chinese foreign oil consumption is now 42.6% up from 6%. They project the amount of oil needed by China in the next 10 years will double. The United States of course is suspicious and not so eager to sell off a prime piece of American energy real estate to China. Perhaps many view it as another step toward Chinese world domination.

Conversely, the Chinese are suspicious of the U.S. whose actions it could be argued are trying to dominate the energy reserves in the Middle East and parts of Asia. China will be unable to access those markets or if so, at an inflated price. It’s like “cloak and dagger,” and makes one mistrustful of the motivations of either side.

At the Asia Media website there was an article written by Jung Sung-ki appearing in the Korea Times on Wednesday July 27, 2005 discusses the new proposed laws to restrict any notion of monopoly by Korean newspapers. Among its highlights, the government could subsidize smaller newspapers that comply with all the regulations. Any newspaper controlling over 30% of the market or it the three largest newspapers control over 60% of the market they will be sanctioned by monetary penalties and considered a monopoly. A lot of the hoopla stems from a perceived unequal treatment of the newspaper business as compared with other businesses in Korea. It appears that the government has much stricter rules for newspapers.

From my western capitalist perspective, less regulation is better. I don’t even think that 30% of the market share sounds like a monopoly – maybe more like 50 to 60 percent. The government should treat this business like others in the area of market share control

You'd think that pop culture is, to some degree, a beast that marches to the random beat of fad. In China, however, that might not be the case because cultural trends and buzz are monitored and controlled. An article in the Christian Science Monitor discusses it:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0614/p01s02-woap.html
The party will decide when something is too popular, how much media saturation is needed, and what makes the cut and misses the cut. The article makes a definite connection between a fad's stamina and the propaganda supporting it. As soon as something becomes too political, the plug is pulled and something new quickly fills the space. I think it is amazing that things Americans take for granted as being universal and irrepressable, like rock music and forms of expression, can be given and taken at the whim of a panel. I think this article would resonate with students because they value individuality so much. Also, to see modes of preference and expression controlled would give them some perspective of the life of a Chinese teen.

Stacy, Check out the following article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050802/ap_on_bi_ge/china_cnooc_unocal;_ylt=AqiAte75yXd2uJXU3o8O12Cs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3b2NibDltBHNlYwM3MTY-

"China's CNOOC withdraws $18.5 B. bid for Unocal."

In this article, CNOOC states their reason for withdraw as "the political environment in the US."

Basically, the concerns of critics and congress were that China's purchase "might imperil US energy security". Whic is true, of course... because as the populations of both the US and China are growing, so is the consumption of oil, as well as the eventual inevitable scarcity of it.

Also, I think it is interesting how surprised/shocked that CNOOC seemed to be about the US's reaction, I would think with a proposed transaction this large and of this nature(seeing that 70% of CNOOC is owned by the Chinese government) , the concerns and opposition should almost be expected.

Whatever the case, this can't be good for US-China relations.[Edit by="bklank on Aug 3, 1:42:49 PM"][/Edit]

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0728/p01s03-woap.html
After 26 centuries, is Japan finally fit for a queen?
This article states that, due to the lack of a male heir, Japan is faced with the decision of whether a woman can rule after 2600 years of male rule.

"After months of deliberation and official hearings, an advisory panel to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi recommended Tuesday that women be allowed to ascend Japan's imperial throne." (Quote from article)

Hmm... Will the United States have a female president first, or will Japan have a qeen first?

"The Missing Histories of the Hmong" by Angilee Shah is an article from the International insttitute website. http://www.international.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=25236

I took a class at UCLA through the international institute last summer, and we watched a video about the Hmong. It was an interesting look at another culture, especially the music and the courting rituals.

The article "The Missing Histories of the Hmong" is about the lack of recognintion that Hmong students were feeling at UCLA for their cultural identity and history. Sever Hmong students have gone about changing it by writing a syllabus for a class about the Hmong American experience and also by creating an "Association of Hmong American students" on the campus. This club also reaches out to hmong communities and has a yearly conference to discuss the experiences of Hmong Americans.

Hmong students have difficulty finding identity, because they do not have their own country. "Where are you from?" becomes a difficult question because the Hmong people have lived in China, and Laos, then many families fled from the Vietnam war and into Thailand...and now though 275,000 have come to the U.S., this is not a large percent of the population compared with other asian groups living in the U.S..

It is my opinion that Japan has a better chance of seeing a woman take on the role of Queen or Empress in that nation before the United States elects the first woman to the role of President of the country. Is it a matter of tradition? Japan had no problem recognizing the talent of writers in the early days of its literature. True, for years it has been expected that a male will take on the role of the head of the country (both here and there). Attitudes have been changing in both countries, and now we encounter such possibilities might lead to realities. Still, it appears to me as if we are sometimes afraid of change, and we do go back to safer (and at times more restricted) conventions.

It'd be wonderful to give opportunities to both sexes because wisdom is not a characteristic or a consequence of possessing a "y" chromosome. Let's go back to the ancient times and recognize, not forget those females who were in positions of power. Look at a chess game and see where the power is symbolized, and most importantly, let's look at nations who might in our opinion be perceived as "third-world nations" moving ahead of us in their appreciation of true qualification versus biases.

Who knows I might be wrong...

There is no dispute that China and India, with a population of abillion people each are the fastest growing econmies in the world. However their industrialization efforts are a disaster to our enviroment due to the green gas emissions. Interestingly together with USA, another big green gas contributer,have declined to sign the Kyoto conference to reduce pollution. At this trend, I wonder who will survive in the next 50 Years.

It's been 60 years now since the the Hiroshima and Nagasaki disaster that ended World WarII. This was the worst man made catastrophe in history. Diplomacy and reason should be given a chances to avoid anew and sure threat of another atomic: Nuclear. no World WarIII, I hope or all humanity will vanish.

Lao is for sure a forgotten country of Asia.This tiny mountaneous anmd isolated country has never known peace since 1945. Even the foreign aid never reaches the poverty stricken and hungry Laotians

An interesting article I found "Hiroshima survivors: 'never forget'" at Christian Science Monitor website http://

I found it interesting how the interviewee (Sunao Tsuboi, a survivor of the nuclear bombing) believes that the 9/11 attack is causing a new nuclear arms race, citing nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea as reference. "9/11 has changed everything," he says. "Since then, the US has even hinted at the use of nuclear weapons." (quote from the article).

The US has EVEN hinted on the use of nuclear weapons?

Its really interesting reading this article, "Memoirs of an Atomic Bomb Survivor: Shigeko Sasamori" because it is so personal, being an interview iwith a survivor. Sasamori is very descriptive about her experiences, and her burns and injuries, it is almost chilling.

Also... seems to make sense after you hear about the experiences why the survivors are so adamately speaking out against nuclear weapons and war. Wish this would get more attention from the press.

Now that's a name I haven't heard since I was a student in High School. I grew up in Central America, where for some reason we're taught more about World Geography than students in the states are exposed to. Right after I log out, I'm going to take a look at this neglected part of the world. The least we can do is to learn a little bit more about parts of the world tha are still remote and neglected. You never know what you might find.

You mention that the Hmong people who have immigrated to UCLA lack identity. Having travelled to the Golden Triangle of Thailand last summer, I'm not surprised that this group feels isolated and lost. In their own country...their own land...these groups are prisoners. Treated less than citizens, many of these tribes (including the Mien, Lahu, Lisu, Akha, Hmong, and Karen) resort to tourism to make a buck. Unfortunately, they are losing their culture with the onset of foreign visitors. It appeared to me that many of the tribes maintained their culture for the sake of sustenance. Who would blame them when the government does not intervene to ensure that all people are treated humanely!

Dear Colleagues,
I want to alert you to the current issue of Saudi Aramco Magazine, a magazine
published to promote Middle East issues. I find the magazine, with its archives
and open access, to be an invaluable source of articles and information. But the
current issue, is simply the cat's meow. It's title, The Indian Ocean and Global
Trade. You can access it using the following link: http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200504/
I hope you find this exciting and useful. You can copy articles into Word
or, I presume, other word processing programs and keep them for future use. Please
observe copyright laws and rules of use. nb

Nicholas Beck
apworld@earthlink.net
EarthLink Revolves Around You.

I have a number of articles that, if requests are limited, would be willing to share on the Silk Road and how goods, ideas, and culture was transmitted across it over time. Right now, I have over 50 requests that I need to respond to and fill. These are articles are from newspapers, magazines, and the Internet that I have formatted, but are copyrighted by their respective authors, so please observe the copyrights when using. Usually they are OK for classroom distribution and use.

I want to jump into a discussion of pop culture for the Fall 2005 seminar group and hope that others join.


thanks to the previous post for the Christian Sci Mon article. I'll check that out after writing this.

Two weeks ago, there was a subtitled show in a Chinese language on channel 18 called Kung Fu Soccer. On a whim, I tuned in because of the title mostly but also because I'm trying to focus on China.

I don't know if this was from Hong Kong, Taiwan, or Mainland China and don't know the dialect but I'm guessing it was from Hong Kong. The premise of the show was that this soccer team used magical Kung Fu while playing soccer. They were highly regarded by the people and admired for their skill in kung fu as well as soccer. After defeating another team that practices kung fu in a soccer match, an overarching governing soccer body legislated that kung fu could no longer be used in soccer. Initially distraught, the team pondered disbanding. However, they resolved themselves to practicing soccer without kung fu and win despite the change of rule.

I want to offer an interpretation: Soccer is an English invention. Kung Fu is a Chinese invention. I believe this could be a postcolonial critique of British global economics. Bear with me.


Like soccer, the global economy in its present state is very much a lingering remnant of Victorian English colonialism. Like soccer, the world is required to play by certain rules and like FIFA, the rules come directly from the Western powers embodied in the World Bank and the IMF. The kung fu is an allegory for Chinese ways of doing things or Chinese identity which has been rejected very much like the Chinese economy of Mao and Deng. However, like the Chinese economy of today, China will continue to struggle on and "beat them at their own game" like the economic free trade zones that have been established in China or the recent attempt by a Chinese style corporation like CNOOC to buy Unocal.

Does this ring true with anyone or am I stretching things too far?

waiting for responses, dan

Nick,

thanks so much for informing me about the ARAMCO website. I find the discussion of oil the most intriguing and troubling issue in the world and its issues usually parallel so many other economic strands such as rainforest depletion and modernization versus conservation (environmentally as well as culturally).

In terms of our current discussion of East Asia and the New Media in class, has there been a more telling display of American jingoism and protectionism in the face of the lip service we give to a free market economy.

For those who followed this story during the summer, certain reps in congress and certain editorials in newspapers like the Daily News did their best to frighten the American public by stating that China was trying all sorts of tricky gambits to steal our oil. At the same time, news coverage by newspapers like the Financial Times, responses from certain Unocal board of directors, and editorials by certain financial experts encourage the sale to CNOOC on the bases of 1) it was a richer deal for the share holders, and 2) to welcome China increasingly into the fold of the world economy. These accounts usually added that the UNOCAL holdings were so small that a sale to China would not put any pressure on our oil economy and that China made concessions already by floating their currency the Yuan.

Personally, I was appalled by the yellow journalism and the scare techniques pulled by the corporate media and the grandstanding members of Congress. I will enjoy the website that NIck has suggested to me to follow oil news more closely.

responses? dan

Dear Colleagues,
I subscribe to a magazine called "Education about Asia." This magazine is published by SPICE out of Standford University (Sorry UCLA.) I highly recommend this publication. This month's issue contains some of the following articles:

Asia in the 20th Century
Asia's Environment 1900-2000
World History Textbooks
Japanese Society in the 20th Century
20th Century India, An Overview
Teaching 20th Century Chinese History.

I find the articles very informative and interesting.
Their website is http://spice.stanford.edu and their phone number is 800-578-1114.
The magazine is not cheap, but is worth the price.
Nicholas Beck

Dear Colleagues,
I want to alert you to the current issue of Saudi Aramco Magazine, a magazine
published to promote Middle East issues. I find the magazine, with its archives
and open access, to be an invaluable source of articles and information. But the
current issue, is simply the cat's meow. It's title, The Indian Ocean and Global
Trade. You can access it using the following link: http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200504/
I hope you find this exciting and useful. You can copy articles into Word
or, I presume, other word processing programs and keep them for future use. Please
observe copyright laws and rules of use. nb

Using political cartoons is part of the state curriculum. So, in World History I use Sapajou who was a White Russian living in China in the 1920s to 1940s. His work is peerless and allows me to teach both Chinese history, Russian history, and the Spanish Civil War. The kids really get a kick out of making sense of this is an arcane bit of knowledge. I must say, we really enjoy it when we get to that bit of history in our course work. Below is the link to his story and his political cartoons. Don't load them and print them out for the overhead projector. They make a wonderful class lesson, especially if you have given the kids a through background in the history of China, Russian Revoluton, and the Spanish Civil War. Enjoy. nb

http://www.talesofoldchina.com/sapajou/sapajou1.cfm

cool website, nick. is there a reason why we shouldn't make an overhead for these? copyrights?

dan

Aheologists from Beijing had been digging in Lajia, an excavation site on the Yellow River in northeastern China for several years. They discovered the remains of a village from the Neolithic period. They uncovered houses containing human skeletons and animal bones, jade items, and pottery. According to their records, an earthquake proceeded by a flood hit the area. The silt carried in by the flood apparently preserved the items quite well. After digging 10 feet below the surface, the archeologists discovered a well-preserved bowl. When they lifted it, they uncovered 4,000 year old noodles. Amazingly, the pottery (and the layer of silt) preserved the noodles in an airtight space! Unfortunately, the noodles did not survive the discovery. Archeologists took a quick picture and the oxygen soon turned them into powder. Nonetheless, the team found that the noodles were made of millet, a grain which is still consumed by poor farmers in the region around Lajia today! WOW!!!

Hello and happy holidays,

Just a heads up about one of my favorite radio shows doing some broadcasting from and about China. The show MARKETPLACE on NPR from American Public Media will be doing live shows from China starting January 9 and running through January 20. The show is on at 2:00 pm on 89.9 (KCRW) but I listen to it online. The show reports on a lot of international and domestic topics relating to economics and politics.

Is anybody besides Reza out there? dan

Hey Christine,

Where did you find the information about the 4,000 year old noodles? What publication? I am highly interested, as I am gathering information to present in my upcoming Ancient China unit. That sounds really cool.

Thanks,

jem

I found the article in one of the ESL resources I get from my coach at school. However, there are some links you can look at to gather more information. They are as follows:

Neolithic Chinese Used Their Noodles

Picture of the World's Oldest Noodles

Have the rest of you noticed how news about China is regularly making it onto the front page of the L.A. Times? Yesterday's (December 31) Column One article described Chinese parents desire to get their adult sons and daughters married to the "right" person by congregating at parks and swapping info about the eligibility -- age, height, weight, educational degrees, income -- of their kids. A couple of interesting quotes: "It's the fate of Chinese parents, the park-goers say with a weary sigh, to do whatever they can for their children and future grandchildren, in a culture centered on clans, generational continuity and ancestor worship." "Traditionally marriage was seen as a union of two families, not something left to the whims of individuals. 'Marriage is for the parents, the society and future generations' says Chen Yiyun, head of a matchmaking webside...'It's not about happiness or love'".
As we study different ancient civilizations (6th grade), I urge my students to find ways the ancient ideas and customs might still be at work today. For one quarter I have the LA Times delivered one day a week and have students look for connections between what we've learned and what is being reported today. This is a great example. I hope China remains on the front page for the 3rd quarter of the school year.
I could see this article sparking an interesting discussion in high school classes -- where students are encouraged to see that there are many ways societies have of organizing lives. Is it best to marry for love or for family continuity? Should choice always be an individual decision or are there times that a nod to the good of the community is better?
Cheryl Tchir
[Edit by="ctchir on Jan 1, 4:26:02 PM"][/Edit]

A second front page article on China appeared in today's LA Times: "Child-Theft Racket Growing in China". This is a heart-breaking article showing how greed trumps basic moral virtues in the abduction for profit of thousands of Chinese children . Some are sold to adoption agencies catering to the Western world (in which China earns millions of dollars a year), others are forced into prostitution or begging. Here are a couple of interesting quotes: "Stealing children was virtually unthinkable 25 years ago when communism was the prevailing ideology and neighborhood minders watched a person's every move. The headlong rush for material wealth since then has resulted in "transition problems" as social mores give way to greed, experts say."
"Morality has disappeared and people now do anything for money," said Xia Xuelunan, a sociologist at Peking University. "Child abduction is a truly ugly phenomenon, an extremely serious social problem."
This article poses interesting questions for high school economics or history classes. When an extremely oppressive society, such as Maoist China or Communist USSR, starts allowing more economic freedom, will greed and loss of morals always cause misery along with the benefits? How should these potential problems be dealt with?
Cheryl Tchir [Edit by="ctchir on Jan 1, 4:46:25 PM"][/Edit]

I read both these articles and the many others there are, daily, about China in the LA Times these days. I agree that the one about the child abudctions was incredibly sad, especially when it was suggested that the authorities really didn't care because the children are usually stolen from the poorest citizens. They have noone to turn to for help. The article also suggests that most of the children are sold to foreigners (i.e. Westerners) because that is where the money is...approx $3000 per adoption. Sort of makes me wonder whether the Western adoption agencies are looking the other way. Are we egotistic enough to believe that the children would have a better future here in America than with their own parents in China? It broke my heart reading about the sadness of those parents. I can't imagine how I would feel if someone took away my children....

I have noticed the prominence of China recently too. I imagine as the sleeping dragon awakens, the world notices the rumblings.

on a lighter note, there was an article in the Christian Science Monitor a few days ago (12/30/05 or so?) about how SE Asia is seeing a huge increase in Chinese tourists. As many Chinese will visit Thailand as Japanese this year. But, the article's headline was not about the successes of Chinese economy but on the obnoxious behavior of the Chinese tourists. The article stated that their behavior rivals "ugly Americans"! Now that's going too far, I think.

The article explained that the Thais didn't mind because the tour agents were paid to take the tourists to certain places that they would spend their money. Hmm, did anyone else notice the panda bear coat and mink shoes that Clay was wearing recently? Just kidding, dan.

The Chinese one child law has left many female children aborted or in orphanages in China. Thus, many U.S. families have adopted these children. Such a kind a compassionate effort to help others, does have some issues, though. Here are many caucasian families raising Chinese daughters. What does that mean to the child?

The Asia Institute site posted an article in December about two groups who have come together to aide these children. One is an organization called Families with Children from China (FCC). The other is Chinese Cultural Dance Club (CCDC). These two groups have combined to give a little native culture and mentoring to these young girls. The dance group incorporates the young girls into their dancing classes. In addition, a big sister program has been set up so these young girls can have mentors as well. I was especially touched by one of the mothers reporting that before this experience, her daughter just wanted to be blonde and blue eyed, but now she finds value in her own looks, as she meets others who are kind and look like she does. What a great way to aide children in the sometimes difficult task of growing up multicultural.