Activism in the Digitial Age response (extra credit)

virtual spectators on weibo.com, photo credit: www.cyol.net

1. What have your learned from the China Digital Times articles on the Southern Weekly protest earlier this year? Cite the specific article(s) you consulted (notice the articles are ordered from new to old).

2. What have you learned from Prof. Guobin Yang's conclusion to his book The Power of the Internet in China? Use quotes with page numbers to support your observations.

Due Wednesday December 11 by 8 pm for one extra credit.

Exhibiting China response

Welcome back! Please read the three pieces for this week on Blackboard and write three concise paragraphs in answering the following questions:

Question for "Beijing 2008": In what ways do you think the comparison with Germany, Mexico, and South Korea is useful or not useful in understanding the Beijing Olympics of 2008? Give one textual evidence with page number to support your view.
Question for "Shanghai in the 21st Century": In what ways do you think the comparison with "world fairs" in history and other cities in the world is useful or not useful in understanding the Shanghai Expo of 2010? Give one textual evidence with page number to support your view.

Question for "Future": What interests you most in these 13 questions about China's future? Give one textual evidence with page number to support your view.

Due Wednesday 12/4 by 8 pm. Comments to two other responses due Wednesday 12/4 by 10 pm. Please be prepared to share the progress of your third and final paper in class this week.

From Taiwan back to the Mainland response

The Past and the Punishments by YU Hua (book cover)

Please respond to two short stories from Taiwan and one short story from the Mainland spanning a few decades (available on Blackboard). When were the stories written? What do they have in common? How do they differ from each other? Use quotes with page numbers from each story to support your analysis. Carefully cite any sources you use to avoid plagiarizing others. Due Wednesday November 20 by 8 pm. Comments to two other responses due Nov. 20 by 10 pm.

Cultural Milieu of the Reform Period response

Cui Jian in front of Tian'anmen, source: Chinese Avant-garde Art Archive

Please respond to HAN Shaogong's short story "Homecoming" and BEI DAO's poetry collection August Sleepwalker. What do these two samples of writings tell us about the cultural milieu of the 1980s in China? Use one quote from each reading to support your observation. Due Wednesday November 13th by 8 pm. Comments to two other responses due November 13th by 10 pm.

Cultures of the Cultural Revolution response

Scatter the Old World, Build a New World, ca. 1967, source: Chineseposters.net

1. Do you think the revolutionary model operas such as "The Red Lantern" are both government propaganda and popular entertainment for the people of China during the Cultural Revolution? Why and why not? Analyze a quote to support your argument.

2. What surprised you most in the "Growing Up with Posters" article? Explain with a quote and your analysis of it.

3. Click "themes" on the Chinese Posters website http://chineseposters.net/, and scroll down to "Campaigns, 1966-1976." Read through all links under this category and pick a poster that left the strongest impression and explain why.

Due Wednesday November 6 by 8 pm. Comments to two other responses due November 6 by 10 pm.

The Teahouse and Cultures of the Early PRC response

Ying Ruocheng as Liu Mazi (Pockface Liu) in Beijing People's Art Theater's 1958 production of Teahouse (Photograph: courtesy of Claire Conceison and Beijing People's Art Theater. Source: China Heritage Quarterly)

Please respond to Lao She's three-act play Teahouse, written in 1957 during the first decade of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Beijing.

1. What changes and continuities (if any) are observable across the three acts of the play?

2. What kinds of characters are Wang Lifa, Fourth Elder Chang, Qin Zhongyi, Pockface Liu, and Ding Bao, from your point of view?

3. What is the most memorable scene for you in this play? Why? Please cite a short dialogue or stage description and analyze why it epitomizes the play for you.

Due Wednesday October 30 by 8 pm. Your comments to two other responses will be due the same day by 10 pm.

Re-imagining Wartime Cultures response

Film still from Ang Lee's Lust, Caution (2007)
based on Eileen Chang's short story
photo credit: Amazon.com

Please respond to Eileen Chang's "Lust, Caution" and YAN Geling's The Flowers of War (Part I required Part II recommended) in two well-written short paragraphs. Write them in the style of a mini-essay, complete with concise analysis of short quotes (with page numbers) to support your central argument.

Post your response as a comment here on our class blog by Wednesday 10/23 at 8 pm and your comments to two other responses by 10 pm. Your “talking point” about the readings with name and date will be due at the beginning of classes as usual. Enjoy reading and writing!