24 Hours of Culture China Options
(Please note that this is a very incomplete list....The rest of the assignments will be be posted in mid-January after students learn about post-Mao China.)
Movies:
Note to Students and Parents:
The following descriptions of the films are from the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com). Details and a parent’s guide to a film’s possibly objectionable material can be found at this site. Some of the movies are rated “R”, so NO CREDIT WILL BE GRANTED FOR R-RATED MOVIES WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM A PARENT OR GUARDIAN E-mailed to the teacher.
“The Last Emperor” (1987) (3 HOURS OR Watch only the first hour for one hour of credit)
is the story of Puyi, the last Emperor of China before the Qing dynasty collapsed, marking the end of Imperial China. It shows his life as ruler from the age of two up to his political rehabilitation and life as a civilian under Communist party rule. The greatest strength of the movie is how it contrasts the two very different worlds of the monarchy and the one-party system. PG-13
Please Vote for Me (2007) (1 HOUR) WATCH HERE What would happen if democracy were to come to China? The elections for third-grade class monitor in a Chinese school may hold some clues.
Need a prompt for reflection? Try: "Based on these children, is Democracy a good idea for China?"
“To Live” (1994) (2 HOURS) WATCH HERE is often considered to be the best movie about China ever made. It portrays a Chinese family that is reduced to poverty and must battle with the Communist party and its oppressive regime just to scratch out a resistance during the years of Mao. SUBTITLED – PG 13 (Blood)
Need a prompt for reflection? Try: What did you learn about these years that was not covered in class?
Mao’s Last Dancer (2009) (2 HOURS) Plucked from his village at age 11 to become a ballet prodigy, Li is trained by the Chinese government at the height of the Cultural Revolution. The story follows his life from boyhood to beyond his decision to stay in the USA.-- PG
Need a prompt for reflection? Try: "How does Li's childhood in Maoist China affect his decisions once he reaches the United States?"
Last Train Home: (2009): (2 HOURS) A couple embarks on a journey home for Chinese New Year along with 130 million other migrant workers, to reunite with their children and struggle for a future. Their unseen story plays out as China soars towards being a world superpower. PG
Need a prompt for reflection? Try: Is China's rush to modernity worth the sacrifices?
Videos:
Faces of China Series (1-4 Hours)
A series of eight 30-minute videos from al-Jazeera. Students may complete any even number of videos for credit, and may write about any two in separate paragraphs of the same submitted entry.
Need a prompt for reflection? Try: What did you learn in each video that you did not know about China? -or- Have these videos changed your opinion about anything?
Topics:
- Nobody's Child (A man embarks on a journey to discover the link between China's Cultural Revolution and his parents' divorce)
- Family Matters (An insight into the problems presented by China's rapidly aging population)
- Harvesting the Future (An impoverished Chinese farmer struggles to equip his daughters for a better future in a changing world)
- The Graduates (An insight into the aspirations and frustrations of China's university graduates)
- The Travelling Court (A team of magistrates travel to remote mountain villages in a bid to bring state justice to rural China)
- Heavy Metal (Fengjiang is home to a vast digital dumping ground, but e-waste could be endangering those who live there)
- A New Shelter (An impoverished family faces uncertainty after a devastating flood washes away their home)
- Three Strings (Follow one couple's struggle to keep the ancient tradition of storytelling alive in modern China)
Travel Videos: (Available through the school account at Discovery Education)
Globetrekker:
Central China (1)
Beijing (1)
South Korea (1)
Vietnam (1)
Mongolia (1)
Question for reflection: "What did you learn that reflects positively on the region or country? What did you learn that reflects negatively?"
Books:
Hoff, Benjamin. The Tao of Pooh (1982) (6 hrs.)
Daoism (Taoism) explained by everyone’s favorite Taoist…Winnie the Pooh! “While Eeyore frets…and Piglet hesitates…and Rabbit calculates…and Owl pontificates…Pooh just is.
Question for Reflection:
What did you learn from the book about Daoism (or Taoism), and how can it apply to your life?
Note: Do not try to write about the whole book. Instead, write only about the passages which really spoke to you or changed your thinking.
Jiang, Ji-Li. Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution (1997) (5 hrs.)
The true story of one girl and one family's courage and determination during a time of madness.
Need a question for reflection? Try: "Do you agree with all of the choices the girl made? Explain."
Hessler, Peter. Country Driving: A Journey through China from Farm to Factory. (2010)
Part II: The Village (P. 127-276): (7 hrs.) A fascinating account of a village and its inhabitants as change slowly creeps into it during China’s modernization in the 1990s.
Need a question for reflection? Try: Is China's rush to modernity worth the sacrifices?
Part III: The Factory (P. 281-424): (7 hrs.) Following a town and one of its factories from creation to closing with a cast of unforgettable characters showing the realities of the new China.
Need a question for reflection? Try: Is China's rush to modernity worth the sacrifices?
Graphic Novels:
Otie, Philip and Li Kunwu. A Chinese Life. Chapters 1-2 (2012) (4 hrs.)
A chilling graphic novel (comic book) depicting one family's experiences trying to make it through and make sense of the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution.
Question for Reflection:
What did you learn about the time period in addition to what you learned in class?
Yang, Gene Luen. Boxers and Saints. (2013) (5 hrs.)
A two-part series about a Chinese boy and girl who end up on different sides of the Boxer Rebellion.
Need a question for reflection? Try: "With which side do you have more sympathy?" -or- What did you learn about the time period in addition to what you learned in class?
Travel Stories: (Copies available upon request from the teacher if not available for direct download)
Osnos, Evan. Europe on Fifteen Hundred Yuan a Day (1 Hr.) (Be sure to click on “Continue” on the bottom right of the webpage to view all pages.)
A fascinating look at Europe through the eyes of Chinese tourists
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/04/18/110418fa_fact_osnos
Question for Reflection:
What did you learn about the Chinese people and their mentality?
Hessler, Peter. Kindergarten (2005) (2 hrs.) DOWNLOAD
A chapter from the book listed above, the story of a small boy starting kindergarten and needing hospitalization in China.
Question for Reflection:
Is China a modern country?
Hessler, Peter. Hutong Karma (2007). (1 hr.)
Everyday life in one of Beijing’s rapidly-disappearing old neighborhoods.
Question for Reflection:
Is China's rush to modernity worth the sacrifices?
Mishra, Pankaj. The Train to Tibet (2008) (2 hrs.) DOWNLOAD
On China's new rail line to Tibet, wondering what it will mean for the Tibetans.
Question for Reflection:
What did you learn that reflects positively on the region or country? What did you learn that reflects negatively?
Hessler, Peter. Wheels of Fortune (2008) (1 hr.) DOWNLOAD
Driving in China--accident by accident.
Question for Reflection:
What did you learn that reflects positively on the region or country? What did you learn that reflects negatively?
Hessler, Peter. Strange Stones (2010) (1 hr.) DOWNLOAD
Cruising around China in a rental car.
Question for Reflection:
What did you learn that reflects positively on the region or country? What did you learn that reflects negatively?
Osnos, Evan. The Forbidden Zone: How Far Can a Provocative Editor Go? (1 hr.)
A female magazine editor pushes the boundaries of China’s censorship laws.
Question for Reflection:
Does China need to relax its censorship laws?
Activities:
Visit the Freer Gallery’s Asian Art collection at the Smithsonian (4 hrs.)
Question for Reflection: What did you see that you recognize from the class' study of Chinese culture?