18 May 2014
Today, Professor Xiong Zhiyong gave us some
great insight into the Chinese perspective regarding Tibet and Taiwan. He also
showed us some nuances in the Sino-US relationship that were incredibly
interesting and reveal the tough history China and the US have had. This might
have been old news to everyone else, especially those who have taken Chinese
Foreign Policy, but since I have only taken one NSD class, the required theory
course, I found this incredibly interesting. Now that I know more about the
issue, I am anxious to see how the Taiwan issue continues to develop in the
future, and if policies towards Taiwan play a role in the next presidential
election. Unfortunately, the time limit was short, and the Tibet issue did not
receive as much detail as the Taiwan issue received. This may have been on
purpose, however.
After the lecture, the group split up and spent
the afternoon in different places. Claire, Jason, and I went to the Lama Temple
in downtown Beijing. We learned from our lecturer earlier that afternoon that
the Lama Temples is one of only two ancient temples in the region that survived
the Cultural Revolution, because it had served as a military headquarters. I have
been to the Lama Temple before, and I was eager to go back because I knew
Claire and Jason would like the site. Though it is a tourist attraction, the
Lama Temple is a very active religious site, and one gets a glimpse into a
religious culture that we do not often see in the United States. The temple is
expansive, and the crown jewel is a Buddha statue that is eighteen meters high
(and three meters deep); it was carved from a single piece of sandalwood. From the
size of the statue, it looks like it could only have been carved from a
California Redwood. I really cannot imagine a tree being that big.
After the Lama Temple, we went to
Nanluoguxiang, a narrow alley full of small boutique stores, and sat in a café
to rest and people watch. We kept an eye out for shirts in English that make
any sense. My personal favorite had a picture of an apple and said,
“chocolate.” Luckily, we found our entire group there, and we all went together
to Hohai, a recreational lake area. We were supposed to meet at the front gate,
but I really doubt we would have been able to find each other since it was a
good distance away from the metro stop. The area was really nice, but it
clearly catered to Westerners. Nevertheless, there were many Chinese enjoying
the weather and the lake. Thanks to Ben’s Mandarin skills, we were able to find
a reasonably priced restaurant after being led through several layers of
hutongs. I’m surprised anyone who is not a local can find this place. After
dinner, I stayed in Hohai with Ben, Caroline, and Sean for a little while
before heading back to the hotel.
- Andrea
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Shanghai Institute of International Studies
Tuesday May 27, 2014
The lectures we have had at SIIS have been really interesting and more interactive than the past two universities. The Chinese students sit in on the lectures too, although they are not as vocal as us (most likely because it is hard to debate politics in your second language).
Today's lecture was especially stimulating because the professor conducted it more like an actual class. Instead of lecturing and having a Q&A at the end, he asked us tough questions and forced both the Chinese and American students to not only answer the question, but to think through the logic of our answers and provide logical reasoning. He also gave us all push back on the answers we gave, essentially playing devil's advocate. This approach was just like our classes back home and I think it is the best way to learn. If you aren't put on the spot and forced to think through these issues it's easy to just give any answer and not really understand the depth of these issues.
The first question he posed, which we spent a significant amount of time on was "is China becoming more assertive?" The Americans generally answered that yes China is, while the Chinese all agreed they weren't. However I think this divide is largely due to how each side views the word assertive. I think the Chinese students view it with a negative connotation, therefore it would not apply to them. I also think they do no see how their military modernization, regardless of their intentions, appears inherently threatening to the US and the region.
There were so many great comments, I wish I could regurgitate them here, but there is not enough room so I wii have to end here!
Cheryl
The lectures we have had at SIIS have been really interesting and more interactive than the past two universities. The Chinese students sit in on the lectures too, although they are not as vocal as us (most likely because it is hard to debate politics in your second language).
Today's lecture was especially stimulating because the professor conducted it more like an actual class. Instead of lecturing and having a Q&A at the end, he asked us tough questions and forced both the Chinese and American students to not only answer the question, but to think through the logic of our answers and provide logical reasoning. He also gave us all push back on the answers we gave, essentially playing devil's advocate. This approach was just like our classes back home and I think it is the best way to learn. If you aren't put on the spot and forced to think through these issues it's easy to just give any answer and not really understand the depth of these issues.
The first question he posed, which we spent a significant amount of time on was "is China becoming more assertive?" The Americans generally answered that yes China is, while the Chinese all agreed they weren't. However I think this divide is largely due to how each side views the word assertive. I think the Chinese students view it with a negative connotation, therefore it would not apply to them. I also think they do no see how their military modernization, regardless of their intentions, appears inherently threatening to the US and the region.
There were so many great comments, I wish I could regurgitate them here, but there is not enough room so I wii have to end here!
Cheryl
To ‘Avoiding Entrapment’
While out at dinner with graduate students from
the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS) tonight, the
world’s favorite dictator came up in conversation. Namely, the tradition
of
memes begun under Kim Jong-il, entitled “Kim Jong-il looks at things,” which has been so nobly continued by Kim Jong-un, under the auspicious label “Kim Jong-un looks at things,” came up.
One of the SIIS students bemoaned the Chinese-North Korean relationship as an embarrassing nuisance. We shared our concerns that North Korea’s precarious political leadership and penchant for provocations could lead to conflict on the peninsula. In comparison, I observed, “The United States worries about entrapment by Japan in the same way China worries about entrapment by North Korea.” In other words, both China and the United States could be pulled into armed conflict because of long-term allegiances and promises to two nations which recently increased in feisty-ness. In a semi-solemn moment, we gladly raised our glasses to ‘Avoiding entrapment.’
If the students we ate dinner with tonight reflect the thinking of China’s next generation of diplomats, then there is hope China will at least refuse to be drawn into another peninsular debacle stemming from the Kim family’s hunger for power and perhaps even clamp down on the
North Korean regime’s erratic behavior.
Look on, little Kim. So long as looking is all you do.
Benjamin J. Hayford
memes begun under Kim Jong-il, entitled “Kim Jong-il looks at things,” which has been so nobly continued by Kim Jong-un, under the auspicious label “Kim Jong-un looks at things,” came up.
One of the SIIS students bemoaned the Chinese-North Korean relationship as an embarrassing nuisance. We shared our concerns that North Korea’s precarious political leadership and penchant for provocations could lead to conflict on the peninsula. In comparison, I observed, “The United States worries about entrapment by Japan in the same way China worries about entrapment by North Korea.” In other words, both China and the United States could be pulled into armed conflict because of long-term allegiances and promises to two nations which recently increased in feisty-ness. In a semi-solemn moment, we gladly raised our glasses to ‘Avoiding entrapment.’
If the students we ate dinner with tonight reflect the thinking of China’s next generation of diplomats, then there is hope China will at least refuse to be drawn into another peninsular debacle stemming from the Kim family’s hunger for power and perhaps even clamp down on the
North Korean regime’s erratic behavior.
Look on, little Kim. So long as looking is all you do.
Benjamin J. Hayford
Monday, May 26, 2014
Chinese Television
Watching Chinese TV is an interesting experience. Unlike in the US where we have telenovela, every single channel is in Chinese. Not that I expect them to accommodate us, we don't have any Chinese channels in the US. But it really hits you how much you are cut off from the world without news when you get email that Thailand (where I am going after this trip) has declared martial law and absolutely no one on the trip knew.
My favorite Chinese show, hands down, is a show called something like "Sing With Me." Basically it's like The Voice except judges vote by deciding to sing along. It's all very dramatic when a judge pushes a button and a microphone comes swinging around and they burst out in song. The interesting part is how much they have taken form American TV vs how much they have added. They have shows that are literally The Voice China, but once they find a good idea they take it to a whole new level. It results in a whole group of American students talking about the great Chinese television rather than some of the less appealing aspects of China like extreme inequality or lack of human rights. Well played China, well played.
Caroline Rothrock
My favorite Chinese show, hands down, is a show called something like "Sing With Me." Basically it's like The Voice except judges vote by deciding to sing along. It's all very dramatic when a judge pushes a button and a microphone comes swinging around and they burst out in song. The interesting part is how much they have taken form American TV vs how much they have added. They have shows that are literally The Voice China, but once they find a good idea they take it to a whole new level. It results in a whole group of American students talking about the great Chinese television rather than some of the less appealing aspects of China like extreme inequality or lack of human rights. Well played China, well played.
Caroline Rothrock
Tian'anmen Square
Tiananmen Square was an interesting experience. In America you hear about the event involving the students in the 1980s, however much of the population seems unaware that there were any deaths there just a few decades ago. Much like the other sites, we were treated like super stars. People came up to all of us to get pictures with the tall Americans, which is still a novelty to them.
One thing that surprised me about Tianamen was how open the area was. For some unknown reason I assumed the area was somewhat blocked off. Instead it was surrounded by rather busy roads. We were able to walk to the square from the Forbidden City and then right over to the national museum afterwards. Seeing the squares surroundings explains why that location was chosen. Not only was it right next to the historically important Forbidden City, but it was also directly in front of the People's Congress. We didn't get too close to the giant picture of Mao, but honestly we didn't need to. It was just a wall next to the street. For a place with such intense history the scenery was surprisingly underwhelming.
Caroline Rothrock
One thing that surprised me about Tianamen was how open the area was. For some unknown reason I assumed the area was somewhat blocked off. Instead it was surrounded by rather busy roads. We were able to walk to the square from the Forbidden City and then right over to the national museum afterwards. Seeing the squares surroundings explains why that location was chosen. Not only was it right next to the historically important Forbidden City, but it was also directly in front of the People's Congress. We didn't get too close to the giant picture of Mao, but honestly we didn't need to. It was just a wall next to the street. For a place with such intense history the scenery was surprisingly underwhelming.
Caroline Rothrock
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Honest and Brave Intellectuals are Needed for the U.S. and China to Become Good Friends
In the United States, academics and businessmen from
time to time receive political appointments and serve at the pleasure of the
President. Various roles throughout the administration are filled by women and
men with experience leading Universities and corporations. The revolving door
between administrations and think tanks is not replicated in the Chinese
governance system. In China, political reliability is highly valued and
politicians are advanced based on performance measures, with an emphasis on
economic performance over the past thirty years. However, the Democratic and
Republican parties value political reliability as well. The Communist Party of
China and the Democratic and Republican parties in the United States groom
individuals who are politically reliable. To be an honest and brave
intellectual while remaining politically reliable can be a difficult task in
the People’s Republic of China (P.R.C.).
This morning we had the distinct privilege of
hearing from one of the most honest and brave intellectuals in the P.R.C., Yang
Jiemian. His words renewed my hope for a bright future between China and the
United States. Yang believes, “The best way for peace is to do business.”
He spoke to us about the recent Conference on
Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Summit, which was
held in Shanghai last week, on the 20th and 21st. Yang
noted, “We need a new momentum of building Asia into a more secure, more
peaceful, and more prosperous region of the world.”
Looking forward, he is confident China and the U.S.
can become good friends. His poignant words left a lasting impression on our
combined group of Bush School and Shanghai Institutes of International Studies
graduate students. “We are all human beings,” he said. “We want a happy life.
We want to educate ourselves. We want our children to be better than ourselves.
We want peace.”
Following the lecture, Dr. Mu observed, “Sometimes
intellectuals must be brave and say what they think.” Indeed, Yang Jiemian is
the type of brave and honest intellectual China desperately needs as it rises.
Benjamin J. Hayford
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
21 May 2014 Pengzhou, Sichuan Province
Today we left the bustling cities, smoggy air, and heavy traffic behind as we headed to Pengzhou, a rural community north of Chengdu. On our way we picked up several undergraduate students from the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics (SWUFE) and enjoyed the opportunity of conversing with and learning much from them. Pengzhou was a beautiful mountainous region full of lush green trees towering over a quiet riverbed. Among the solemnity lay a few scarred remains of the 2008 earthquake that killed about 70,000 people, a humbling thought for those of us who have never experience such vast tragedy.
S
We made a few stops in the area to observe a little bit of the life of the rural Chinese. We paused for a bit at a little nursery with rows of greenhouses full of blooming Gerber daisies and corn drying above. Aligned in neat rows out front were fruit trees, various types of vegetables, and large hydrangeas not quite ready to make their show of beautiful pinks and blues. The little row of rooms where the caretaker lived were accompanied by pens of chickens and massive pigs. And a little old lady graced us with her presence and shyly allowed us to take some pictures with her. It is amazing to ponder the events that have transpired in her country over her 80 years of life and the changes she has witnessed.
With a hand full of daisies, we left the little nursery to visit a nearby primary school. A little class of six and seven-year olds joined us in the courtyard and sang a couple of songs for us. We presented each little girl and several of the bravest little boys with a daisy as they each told us their name. Fortunately they were willing to interact and speak with us and we greatly enjoyed seeing their excitement of having such strange visitors. We were impressed by how nice the school was, especially being in such a rural area. It is obvious that China does put a good amount of investment into at least some rural education programs.
This visit to Pegnzhou was a very rewarding experience for all of us and we were grateful for such an opportunity to experience a side of China rarely seen by foreign eyes.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)