Read and then blog at this course blog thread below Part 2 of Peter Hessler's book ORACLE BONES: A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME IN CHINA. Remember to begin keying in on Hessler's themes - China's "deep" history, the importance of writing as a cultural unifier and censor, etc.
BLOG GUIDELINES
1. In your blog post, list and describe FIVE of Hessler's observations about China in this section of the book that you find important, intriguing, confusing, or useful, using 2-3 sentences to describe each observation. Feel free to use quotes from his book, but keep your selected quotes to a sentence or shorter, and be sure to cite a page number.
2. In the same blog post, raise one SPECIFIC question about China that this section of Hessler's book raises for you. Be sure your question starts with the following words: "My question about China is..."
Mojo a go go,
Dr. W
Observation 1: pg. 105 I thought it was really interesting that “publicity” and “propaganda” were defined as the same thing in China. I would have never thought the two words were related until I really thought about what each entailed. They both are forms of communication trying to influence an individual or group of people. In 1997 the government’s central committee changed its official English translation, but the Chinese name remained the same.
ReplyDeleteObservation 2: pg. 107 “1980 the production of Chinese cornstarch had increased by 1,150%. In china 40% of the cornstarch went towards making MSG. 60% of the US cornstarch goes towards making artificial sweetener. Those statistics seemed to say something profound about the differences between the two nations.”
Observation 3: pg. 115 “I worried about possible misperceptions of the united states. In China, people who had never been to America tend to take extreme views. Both sides were inaccurate. One side believed people would be possessed by demons, which is referred to in the book as evil incarnate. The other side believed in complete faith, wealth, opportunity, and freedom in the states. Hessler pushed people away from both extremes and tried to explain a happy medium.
Observation 4: pg.150-154. The Chapter “all night you’re not lonely” was interesting to me. I felt like we got to see what it’s like to be a woman in China from a different perspective. These women listen to the radio station and it reminds me of American women who listen to Delilah at night. Women call in with love stories, problems, and just talk on the radio. It makes me realize things that I and other women across the world have in common. I was also surprised to learn that with the education Emily had she really didn’t have that great of a job.
Observation 5: I was a little confused about the immigration chapter. Was Polat trying to illegally get into the United States? I didn’t understand why he was giving Hessler cash and Hessler gave him a check? I thought this chapter was interesting I just think it needs a little more explanation.
My question about china is….in 2000 the book says the currency rate was 8.4 yuan to the dollar, what is the currency rate now?
#1: On page 115 Hessler addresses his friend Polat’s desire to travel to America. This creates a discussion of the two extreme viewpoints possessed by many of the Chinese people Hessler has encountered. He says that some people view our country as an evil place, where as others believe that America fosters great wealth, opportunity, and freedom. He dislikes both extremes, and expresses that many individuals seem to view America as “an idea, not a place.”
ReplyDelete#2: On page 118, I noticed an aspect of Chinese culture that differs greatly from the customs we have in America. Hessler says that in China, everyone talks about money very openly from a personal standpoint. This is very different take on the subject than how we address it in America, here it is considered impolite to ask someone how much money they make, or what something has cost them.
#3: On page 178, Hessler tells the story of Old Mr. Zhao, and his conflict with the district housing office over his land. One aspect of this story that I found interesting, was represented in a quote Hessler credited to Mr. Zhao. He said, “Right now, in all of China, there are only two cities that are still intact… That’s all that’s left after five thousand years of history!”
#4: On page 126, Communism in China is addressed. Red is clearly perceived as the color meant to represent communism, which Hessler mentions on this page. He also goes on to say that in China, the color red also has a traditional meaning of happiness.
#5: The oracle bones are discussed and described in this segment of the reading. On page 138, Hessler mentions that aside from a few short inscriptions on bronze vessels, that the statements on the oracle bones are the only known examples of Shang writing.
Q: What is the history behind the significance of the color red in China?
Observation One: On page 107, Chinese cornstarch had increased by 1,150 percent. In china 40% of the cornstarch was used to make MSG, whereas in the United States, 60% of the cornstarch was used to make artificial sweeteners. This fact really stuck out to me. It shows how each nation is different. But also shows how American’s tend to use the cornstarch or food products in general for more unhealthy meals. This fact shows how that Chinese think about what their cornstarch is used for where as in the United States patrons just use it because it is in front of them.
ReplyDeleteObservation Two: On page 126, It is ironic that red is the color of communism but also the color of happiness in China. It is a bit confusing to think that red means both things.
Observation Three: On page 129, “the Chinese had never stressed strong community bonds; the family and other more immediate groups were the ones that mattered most.” This was especially interesting to me. This is because to me I feel as though the United States focuses much more on community than the Chinese. It may not be very visible but I feel as though it was taught in the mix of growing up. We put a high emphasis on family as well, but for the most part we try to care for the community as a whole too. For example if you think of the forms of media, all media reaches out to the public, not just one specific person, tying the community together.
Observation Four: On page 138, how they discuss the oracle bones is very interesting. The discussion itself shows how much history is behind the Chinese culture. It is said that the earlier known writings are intended to tell the future. This is ironic and confusing at the same time.
Observation Five: On page 145, “the Shang follows a rigid calendar, devoting specific days to the memory of specific ancestors. On these days bones are cracked, sacrifices are made, and words are inscribed. It is just interesting to see how different nations deal with the death of a person. One can tell just by this passage that the Chinese really treasure their ancestors and have full days devoted to them. Whereas in the United States we just devote ourselves to them when we please, it is not scheduled.
QUESTION: What makes a nation decide what colors represent them? Also can these “oracle bones” really guide the Chinese into the future?
1. Page 105: “The Chinese word for “publicity” is xuanchuan, which is also define in the dictionary as “propaganda.” There isn’t any distinction between the two meanings.” I just thought that was really interesting because I never really thought about how both the words were closing related, both meaning to grab the public’s attention and influencing people to believe something. In 1997, the Chinese government changed the English translation from Propaganda department to Publicity department, even though the Chinese name remained the same.
ReplyDelete2. Page 115: Hessler describes his friend’s increasing desire to travel to America. Hessler didn’t understand why Polat wanted to go to America because he didn’t speak English and most likely wouldn’t qualify as a student or businessman. The Chinese either view America as a place of evil incarnate or a place that had complete faith in wealth, opportunities, and freedom. Both are inaccurate and Hessler always tries to push people away from both extremes because to them, America was an idea, and not a place.
3. Page 116: There is an industry devoted to support the American dream because some people were not satisfied with the good life by Chinese standards. In the small town of Tantou, they offered courses such as “Restaurant English”, “Life English”, and “English for Leaving the Country.” It’s interesting to see that they offer different categories of English and people actually spend a full semester learning these different categories.
4. Page 169-173: In this chapter Polat finally flies off to America. I’m slightly confused with the political asylum deal—and how Polat can easily end up in jail. Is it that hard for one to immigrate to America?
5. Wenzhou became the largest producers of buttons in the world. They also made cigarette lighters, by the year 2000, between 60 and 70 percent of the world’s lighters came from Wenzhou. (Page 206)
Question: Sichuan was once the most populous province in China, what is the most populous province currently?
Observation #1:
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to know what kind of rumors circulate around the fringes of the state media influence. Hessler describes meeting a street vendor selling pamphlets with supposed answers to past events in China, such as the Cultural Revolution. In a way, due to the size of the population and country, the state media’s infrastructure is unable to deliver effective information to more rural areas. This lack of information more or less suppresses a large section of the population’s growth. (Page 104)
Observation #2:
Hessler discusses the role of currency and the black market. According to Hessler, the Chinese government originally pegged the RMB to the US dollar, maintaining stability and hoping that low-level manufacturers would be safe. However, this meant that the black-market “naturally flourished, serving as a proxy for other opportunities to earn money in China”. Nowadays, there is much coverage in the US regarding the administration’s urge for China to appreciate their currency, and also plenty of reporting on the country’s reluctance to comply. However, these reports rarely discuss the reason why China is reluctant to allow the yuan to appreciate. (Page 118)
Observation #3:
FalunGong’s clash with the Communist Party in China is something that I feel has not been properly understood. Hessler describes FalunGong as an organization that teaches meditation, exercises and also “points of faith”. However it was never describes as a religion, and according to Hessler, it sounds like the party only took notice when the group started to take a stern approach, protesting against articles that were critical of the organization. In some ways, I believe that the indignation of the organization may have sparked the conflict. (Page 124)
Observation #4:
Hessler’s description of Shenzhen is very special – there is a rift that is rising between special economic zones such as Shenzhen and Shanghai, and industrial areas. The composition of the population in these areas is vastly different, and so is the environment. Hessler mentions how there are vastly different ideals and opinions in Shenzhen, such as Emily, Hu Xiaomei and Miao Yong. It will be interesting to see how this rift develops in the future, and what consequences it will have. (Page 160)
Observation #5:
Hessler’s discussion on Beijing and its design are rather enlightening. It describes China’s desire for modern development, even while sacrificing its historical establishments. Of course, China’s desire for modern progress hasn’t completely undermined all historical links, but the point is noted. There are definitely certain things that need to be preserved, but as China knows all too well, everything must come to an end and progress is necessary. (Page 180).
Question: How will the information infrastructure of China evolve in the next 50 years? Will it still be a blanket of state media?
1. On page 104 he is explaining the pamphlet and i found it to be very interesting the reasons behind why Mao began the cultural revolution, including the continuation of class struggle, and how he felt threatened by another political figure. This is interesting that he started all of that for the sole reason that he wanted his beliefs to stand and for his threats to be taken care of.
ReplyDelete2. On page 105 i agree with Sarah Prak and found it interesting that there is no difference between the word publicity and propaganda. I never thought of them being closely related, maybe its because of the language differences and they are closely related in the chinese language.
3. On page 137 i found it very interesting that it said that chinese text is the oldest text in the world beside the egyptian symbols. Even the egyptian symbols could not be read until the rosetta stone was found, so this means that chinese was the oldest understood language.
4. On page 150 and 151 i found it interesting that the people on a certain floor could speak their own dialect of chinese and no one else would know what they were saying. After that it said that some plant managers would be very specific with who they hired so that they could not conspire about better wages or better work conditions.
5. On page 170 i found it interesting that Rebiya was arrested for her husband "revealing state secrets" in america, and she was back in China. I find that interesting because it shows that the chinese government can do any thing they really want to do and for extremely unrealistic reasons.
My Question about china is if it is really hard for one to migrate to America, or anywhere else for that matter?
book came in today
ReplyDelete1. p102 about Beijing: "the free-market economy was booming, but hadn't yet become completely standardized and large-scale."
This reminds me of America in the late 1800's/early 1900's. Business and industrialization propelled this country to economic power and I assume it will do the same for China.
2. p122 on neighborhood sweeps: "The command undoubtedly came from the top...down through the layered bureaucracy"
This is interesting because it shows the political distance between a government program (the police) and a higher level government bureau. Orders are handed down and the bottom level workers don't really have a choice but to follow them.
3. p143 section on the oracle bones
From my understanding, the oracle bones were found and then collected and translated. Before learning this, I had assumed that Chinese recorded history was extensive and complete. I now wonder why a civilization with such a history as China's would not keep a centralized record of its history.
4. p153: "When Emily was a child, her father never spoke to her about politics, and she believed everything that was printed in her textbooks."
This type of environment would stifle both political dissent as well as political progress. Emily's generation was the first to come out of the end of the Cultural Revolution. It's hard for me to imagine living in a situation where life is so controlled by the government.
5. p174: "Beijing homecomings were jarring: a month-long journey could make me feel like Rip Van Winkle."
Hessler talks about how quickly the city of Beijing was changing when he was writing about it in 2000. It would be weird to see anything like that change going on here except in a completely new development.
My question about China is "Do modern Chinese schools teach more world history now that China is rising in economic and therefore political power, or do they primarily teach Chinese history?"
1. The Chinese word for publicity is the same as the word for propaganda. This is very interesting on many levels, but considering how censored Chinese media is, it is not that surprising. If the government deems a business worthy of public recognition, it will also most likely make sure that the attention is fashioned in a way that they approve of.
ReplyDelete2. It is interesting that although America has been the land of opportunity in the past, it now does not hold the same potential for success. For example, Chinese citizens who want to immigrate to America most likely will actually do better and have a more secure future in China than in America.
3. In Chapter 6, Hessler says that “the Chinese had never stressed strong community bonds; the family and other more immediate groups were the ones that mattered most” (Hessler 129). In a way, this answers a question I had about the Chinese parenting article: Are the children’s social skills impacted by their inability to have play dates and therefore, develop close friendships? How does that affect them later in life?
4. In most of western tradition, the tendency over time is change and progress. This is different from the way the Chinese view time, “emperors and dynasties, emperors and dynasties, -- the endless spiral of time” (Hessler 143).
5. In the discussion of Shenzhen, the issue of freedom is brought up, and it is implied that the freedom that is present in Shenzhen, especially for women, actually complicates and puts pressure on their lives.
My question is: Could the fact that many of the Oracle Bones attempted to tell the future have anything to do with the advent of fortune cookies as an American addition to Chinese style food?
1. On page 117 I found the woman from Tantou interesting for a number of reasons. The extravagance of her home compared to her neighbors is the first; she lives in a new, six story building with gold characters inscribed on the gateway. The second is that she is able to almost perfectly spell where her daughter works in the US in a language she has never learned and does not understand. They symbols have personal meaning for her even if she does not know what symbols are.
ReplyDelete2. On page 118 I thought it was interesting that the economy of China doing well was actually a problem for some people, like Hessler’s friend Polat, because they relied on black market trade. I also found it interesting that “when wealthy Chinese had no faith in domestic stocks or real estate, they saved American dollars or used them to invest overseas.”
3. On page 124 I found it interesting to learn that the Communist Party recognized only five legal religions: Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism, and Protestantism. Growing up in a country like the US makes it hard to grasp the concept that a religion can be outlawed. People with in the nation may not always be tolerant, but under the constitution we have religious freedom. It is hard for me to imagine the resistance that only allowing these five religions would cause if it was implemented here.
4. On page 175 Hessler is describing old neighborhoods that are known as hutong, Mandarin for “water well,” which in most of the city were fast disappearing until twenty-five districts were protected. I find it interesting that Hessler went out of his way to live there even though it was not legal for foreign journalists to live there.
5. I find the information on page 179 to be a sad reminder of the power that one person can have if they are allowed it. Mao Zedong was a ruler with big ideas, according to Hessler, he envisioned Beijing as an industrial center and considered the city’s old gates and walls an impediment to progress. This justified many historic artifacts being destroyed to make room for roads and other various, modern structures.
My question about China is... Has the government taken more steps to protect what is left of their history?
Observation uno
ReplyDeleteI found the artificial sweetener statistic to be interesting. On page 107,
"In China, 40 percent of the cornstarch was used to make MSG, whereas in the United States, 60 percent of the cornstarch was used...". I always thought China would have the higher percentage.
Observation dos
I appreciated the covering of qigong, religious dancing and breathing techniques. I always enjoyed seeing the vast groups of people in parks doing qigong.
Observation Tres
The story on page 127 about the tourist getting his camera swiped was illin rillin. I would like to see the same thing happen in America and watch the response. Hooray to censorship?
Observation four
I don't if it's just me, or is the Chinese cultural revolution like America finding out that the world isn't bland during the sixties and seventies. Patterns on my tees.
Observation five
33 percent of our worlds population lives of rice! so cool.
My question
How many miles of land is devoted just to rice growing throughout China.
Observation 1. I thought it was interesting how persistent the Falun Gong was. Every anniversary, particularly in October, the Falun Gong followers protested in Tiananmen Square, even after being beaten and taken away by the police.
ReplyDeleteObservation 2. "In China, more women killed themselves than men, and the female suicide rate was nearly five times the world average- the highest of any country in the world," (158). In class we had talked about what the Chinese suicide rate was after reading the article by Amy Chua, because parents were too controlling, borderline abusive. Although Hessler's book doesn't provide child suicide rates, this statistics is amazingly sad, that conditions are so bad, particularly for factory working girls, that the suicide rate is that high!
Observation 3. One of my favorite quotes of the book so far is, "We often think of writing as history, and traditional Chinese culture is characterized by its tendency to idealize the distant past. But the irony of Chinese archaeology is that the earliest known writings attempt to tell the future,"(138). I don't know if this strikes me as interesting being a writer, but to think that this ancient civilization wrote down prophecies,and that now all we can learn about this Shang Dynasty is through hypothetical futures.
Observation 4. I want to know where Anyang and Sanxingdui are in reference to where we are traveling. It'd be cool to see these archaeological digs and artifacts if possible.
Observation 5. I had wondered what the Chinese flag symbolized and it was nice that Hessler included it in Chapter 6. I'm a little confused as to what the smaller stars mean. Hessler says it's soldiers, peasants, workers, and scientists and I feel that the scientists are very random. I would just like to know more about the reasoning behind the stars.
Question: What has happened to Polat, and how did he get in to the US so easily?
1. On page 102 Hessler says, "China was far more advanced than Western countries. The Chinese were the first to produce paper, printed books, gunpowder, porcelain, cast iron, silk, and the magnetic compass. With the Chinese history so limited due to lack of evidence, how is this known for certain?
ReplyDelete2. On page 104 Hessler talks about 'Jiade,' or fake news and publications. There is an article called, "Science News and Selected Strange and Secret Treatments," which was sold on the streets of Beijing. At home in Connecticut there are several fake news publications which are meant for humor and satire. Unfortunately, some do not realize the media is not always necessarily realistic.
3. Hessler compares Communism to Afghanistan. On page 120 he says, "They're the same as Communist, there's no freedom in Afghanistan. You have to believe in something, and you can't ask questions. That type of Islam and Communism are the exact same." From what we hear about both Communists and Muslims in Afghanistan, this summed it up pretty well. However, every political system and religion has certain requirements and regulations that need to be met.
4. On page 154 Hessler's friend Emily feels the government has "Many policies that were designed to prevent students from thinking or asking question." Every government controls and regulates culture, media, education, etc. Not just the Chinese government. Many times we learned things based upon biased views inflicted on us.
5. When there was a 'Falun Dafa' protest in downtown Beijing one afternoon, Hessler received an email about a 'party' hinting at the protest. Being a travel journalist, did he get this email by giving out his card to locals and protesters? Perhaps somebody had a breakthrough story.
Why do journalists and photographers have to keep their hands in their pockets during protests?
5.
My first observation came on page 104 when he was talking about the man selling the pamphlets about controversial history. I found this part interesting when Hessler was talking about the people who sell information to the masses. Here in the US we take information about our government for granted. In China, they don’t get information so they are left to deal it out like drugs, where here we almost get more information than we want.
ReplyDeleteThe second thing I found interesting was on page 112-113 when Mark was arguing with Mr. Wang about Mr. Xu’s photograph. Mr. Wang was pretty fierce in his argument that Xu would not want to take his photo in the factory. I am comparing this to my own personal experience with company executives in my work. I found that the CEO of the company I worked for was always in the warehouse checking up on the workers on a daily basis. Also whenever the company does photo shoots they always take them in the warehouse because it makes them look like part of the process.
Another thing I found interesting were the boxers. I never knew anything about any of that so I found it interesting to see that there was prejudice against foreigners in China. I always learned that they were accepting and it was never touched on in any of my high school books. It also interested me that the government liked it because they didn’t like the foreign influences either.
The fourth thing I find interesting about the reading were the hutong villages. It interests me because the Chinese don’t normally destroy their old buildings they keep them around as a way to remember the past. When we are in Beijing I want to see one of these villages if at all possible. I am interested in getting a real visual representation of the houses he is describing.
The last observation I found interesting is that the Chinese just seem to stumble upon their ancient past because the cities are so old. I thought it was interesting that they use archaeologists as a preservation tool to get the artifacts out so they can finish their projects. They seem to be used to it so its almost common for it to happen when they’re digging deep into the ground.
My question about china is; is there any discrimination towards Americans in China today?
Observation 1- There was three reasons why Mao Zedong had started the Cultural Revolution. He felt threatened by Liu Shaoqi, chairman of the People’s Republic of China from April 1959 to October of 1968. He wanted to continue class struggle. And, hoped to fully develop Marxism, Leninism, and Communism.
ReplyDeleteObservation 2- In Chinese, the word for publicity is xuanchaun. This is also the same word for propaganda. If you’re asking yourself why this doesn’t seem right, that is because in China, there is no distinction between the two words.
Observation 3- Even though Men statistically outnumber women in china, the suicide rate among women is much higher than that of their male counterparts. The female suicide rate for China is nearly five times the world average, the highest of any country in the world.
Observation 4- For most of its history, China’s rulers have been from the north. It was only in the past 60 years of political upheaval and revolution in which the trend in leadership shifted from people of northern descent to people who were born in the south.
Observation 5- Towards the end of the chapter, the book mentions Mr. Xu talking about politics in Chinese government and how they are linked to archeology. He goes on to explain that in this new age of economics, a leader wields power not from the party that backs him, but from his willingness to preserve Chinese culture and history.
My one question about China is … Do Chinese citizens have the same civil rights that we do in the United States? Such as, the freedom of expression, speech, print, and religion.
1. On page 108 it says that noboy eats corn in China anymore, because they have the money to buy better food. I thought this was interesting, because it seems like western things that we take for granted here are often considered luxuries in china, but corn isn't anymore.
ReplyDelete2. On page 124 I thought it was kind of ironic that the Falun Gong would protest newspapers that said anything bad about them, but when a newspaper decided not to give in and they turned to the government to help with their censorship, their religion was banned.
3. I found Hessler's speculation on pages 128 and 129 about "the shift toward the rule of law" to be fairly interesting, the idea of the "lack of rational legal climate" and cultural upbringing leading to a natural breaking of laws, seems to me to be the opposite of what I expect with a government that tries so hard to control everything.
4. I found Hessler's statement on page 143 that compared to china, the west expects change, to be fairly intriguing, especially since earlier in the chapter he noted that the earliest Shang writings had been attempts to predict the future.
5. the idea that Hu Xaiomei and Miao Yong did not like eachother's work, on page 160 was interesting. To me it seemed like the radio show, and the novels were both trying to shed light on the specific culture of Shenzhen, and that their mutual dislike stemmed from the class divisions between the interior and exterior of the city more than anything.
My question is, since the black market was beginning to fail in 2000 when it is talked about in the book, does it still exist today, 11 years later?
p. 113: Hessler learns earlier in this chapter that in Chinese, the word for propaganda and publicity is the same. After being commissioned to write a story about starch for Dorr-Oliver, he proceeds to interview many people within the company so he can get facts to use in this story. After hearing what they have to say, he observes that in propaganda, what you leave out of a story is more important than what you put in. He learned how to manipulate people by omitting some key facts.
ReplyDeletep. 116: In Hessler’s dealing with the Chinese, he found that they were very opinionated about the US, but their ideas weren’t very realistic. He came to the conclusion that for the Chinese, America is not a place, but an idea. Some Chinese were chasing a dream of freedom, or wealth, but as Hessler says, they’re chasing a star that might be dead by the time they get there.
p. 128: Hessler points out that the Chinese don’t really have a sense of community. The relationships they value are the immediate family. He points out that this may be due, in part, to the “endless regulations” the people are subjected to. Individuals are so focused on their own individual issues that they can’t rally around a common cause.
p. 158: Hessler observes that when he was a teacher, his best female students seemed more isolated and depressed than the boys. He also points out that the female suicide rate in China is the highest in the world – five times higher than the world average. These are women from rural areas who have some education. It makes me wonder what it is that causes them to be so depressed.
p. 201: As he’s waiting for the protest in the square to begin, Hessler can easily pick out the protesters and the cops. He has the realization that as a group, the cops are young men who have little education and not enough work. He realizes that both the protesters and cops are dispossessed and neither are going to get what they want.
My question about China is if there is really a connection between education and suicide rate.
Way to five deep, Chain Mojo.
ReplyDeleteMissing:
Pollack
Taberman
Blythe
Don't be bashful!
Dr. W
I think you mean Pollock Rob, I think I can forgive you as long as you forgive me for being late with my posting though.
ReplyDelete1. On page 103 Hesseler is describing the markets where “used goods, display models, test units, smuggled sets, factory leaks, fakes, jiade” were sold. I thought it was interesting that these dealers could make a living selling what basically sounds like junk. I wonder what will happen to these little black markets when China’s economy turns around and if the goverment will crack down on this back alley vending.
2. On page 120 I found Polat’s opinion of the Islam in Afghanistan very insightful to the situation. He compares their sector of Islam in that region to Communism. I think it is important to realize as Americans that there are different branches of all religions and that Islam is no different. I know that a lot of people ignorantly plop together the idea of Islam with terrorism and this is only because a fraction of radical Muslims are terrorists.
3. On page 145 I thought it was really fascinating that on one of these ancient oracle bones from which the book is named, there was the phrase “In the next ten days there will be no disasters. Tonight there will be no disasters”. I think it is strange that someone would take the time to inscribe this on something so sacred as a bone, it makes me wonder if this was some sort of a prayer.
4. On page 157 Hessler is listening to a radio show host named Hu Xiaomei. She explains that she is going to marry someone who isn’t very succesful at writing but he loves doing it. Comparitavely she also explains how she once dated a man who was only interested in his buisness and making money. I think it’s interesting that she didn’t see the security of a man who makes a lot of money more appealing than an artist, a classic case of the “Wedding Singer” with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore.
5. On page 193 it’s important to note that just because the only trace of writing we find from ancient Asian culture is on durable materials like the oracle bones and bronzes. It’s fascinating that archealogists can correlate a symbol to the possible existance of other forms of writing that have long since perished. Just thinking that there was the remote possibility of learning more about a culture from so long ago that has gone with nature is a solemn thought.
Q. My question about China is are all women like Hu Xiaomei, in that they would rather have a more meaningful relationships - is it a reflection of their culture? Or are there just as many who would prefer to be with a man solely for money?
1. My first observation from Part 2 of Oracle Bones comes from page 102, where Hessler discusses the difficulties of freelance journalism. He explains how strange it felt for him to be writing for publications so far away, and only interacting with his editors through telephone communication. I found it even more interesting when he explained that what he was doing was illegal, and how he and other journalists got around this by buying six month business visas and hoping to get hired on as a full time correspondent.
ReplyDelete2. The next observation that I found was on page 110, where Hessler is having a conversation with his friend Mark about taking photos of factory workers. Mark explains that he was taking photographs of factory workers with dust on their faces, when one particular factory worker got very angry and started yelling at him because he though that he was either trying to portray the workers in a negative light, or a spy from another factory. This is one particular conflict that I worried about every day when I was in China, and year after year of taking photographs has taught me that it is inevitable that a photographer will one day piss someone off by taking their picture, and it has become even more evident to me that a good photographer needs to know how to handle that situation professionally.
3. The third observation that I found to be very interesting came from page 114, where Hessler is describing his dinner with Polat at “Hollywood.” He describes the restaurant/ nightclub as very Americanized, with random artifacts from various Hollywood movies. This tells me that even the Chinese are attracted by American pop culture, and this was a fact that I found to be even more true when I spent time in China. I often noticed people wearing shirts that either displayed English lettering or phrases, and even American pop icons, and when we went out to the nightclubs in Beijing, every single song that played was by an American pop or hip-hop artist. After a few days I realized that the Chinese are very fascinated in many ways about the life and culture of every day Americans, because we were constantly being looked at, and those who could speak English would barrage us with questions about why we were in China and what the U.S. was really like. This was a far different experience than I expected from the Chinese locals.
4. The fourth observation that I found to be interesting was from page 123 where Hessler describes the Falun Gong demonstration in Beijing. Hessler describes the event as a mass gathering of people, probably close to five thousand, with no banners, no signs, and no slogans, protesting in complete silence. He then explains that no one will talk to him about what is going on until he finds one woman who tells him what the demonstration is for, and after only a few minutes of talking to her a black sedan pulls up and motions her inside. Once she gets out, she is no longer willing to talk to Hessler about the event. This reminds me of how serious Chinese officials are when it comes to protest, and how much more serious they are about foreign journalists covering protests in China. When we were there we had to be sure not to tell any locals that our class is media based, and nor were we encouraged to tell people that our visit what school-related. We were tourists, and tourists alone as far as anyone was concerned, yet I still felt anxious at times about having my camera out and around my neck everywhere we went.
ReplyDelete5. My final observation comes from page 127 where Hessler describes one of his encounters at Tiananmen Square involving protestors. Hessler explains that he was trying to blend in to an American tour group when a lone peasant drops into the lotus position and is immediately bombarded by undercover police in plain clothes. The American tour group from the Midwest does not understand the severity of the situation and one man starts to put up a fuss about how the police handled the situation and brags about getting a picture of it. Hessler realizes that this is not a good situation to be in when the Midwesterner starts to talk to him about getting the picture, and he gives him some good advice to put the camera away. The man does not listen and is quickly approached by a police officer, whom confiscates the camera, and rips the film out. Hessler then decides to disassociate himself with the American group and wanders on to witness a group of about a dozen protestors beaten to the ground, once again by plain-clothed officers. This segment reminded me of going through the security checkpoints and witnessing the numerous police officials when we were entering the Square. I remember wondering to myself, “How many of these normal looking people are actually police officers, watching my every move?” Granted, the congressional meetings were taking place and security was ramped up, but I can imagine that a similar situation to Hessler’s happens there all the time.
My question from this segment of the book has to do with the way in which protestors are dealt with in China. I frequently found myself asking, what are the objectives of Chinese officials with this type of behavior? Do they hope to scare a nation of over a billion people into accepting everything that their government does without question? And finally what will happen when people get the courage, like the students in ’89, to stand up for what they believe in? I think that the officials realize that they are vastly outnumbered in this situation, and for now fear is keeping the people at bay, but I have a feeling that one day the Chinese will face that fear, and hopefully the result will not be a repeat of Tiananmen Square in ’89.