Read and then blog at this course blog thread below Chapters 16-23 of Rob Gifford's book CHINA ROAD: A JOURNEY INTO THE FUTURE OF A RISING POWER. Remember to begin keying in on Gifford's themes re: China.
BLOG GUIDELINES
1. In your blog post, list and describe FIVE of Gifford's observations about China in these chapters 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. How do Gifford's observations compare with Hessler's? Similarities? Differences? What do you notice?
2. In the same blog post, raise one SPECIFIC question about China that these chapters of Gifford's book raises for you. Be sure your question starts with the following words: "My question about China is..."
3. What was the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT INSIGHT about China you gleaned from reading Gifford's book? Be prepared to share this at the NEWARK AIRPORT next Friday morning!
Mojo a go go,
Dr. W
Observation 1: pg 195. The 1999 campaign “Go West”, talks about Beijing trying to raise the standards of living for people who live there, especially the ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, Tibet, and other remote provinces.
ReplyDeleteObservation 2: pg 201. “We Chinese invented gunpowder, but you westerners invented the gun with which you came here to kill us. We Chinese invented the compass, but you westerners used it to sail out east and occupy our land.”
Observation 3: I found the chapter about the Buddhist caves to be interesting. If I understood correctly the Chinese government destroyed the caves to build and more efficient highway. Many people think it is cursed because they are superstitious.
Observation 4: pg 227. ‘Don’t get involved’ “Is still the first rule of life in China.” I feel like that is completely different from our culture because usually people are always getting involved and wanting to help people sometimes because of their own self interest or karma.
Observation 5: Reading the first part of chapter 23 made me think about what it’s going to be like flying into Beijing and seeing how much effort the government has put into developing this country.
OBSERVATION ONE: Page 212, talks about how a man in his fifties states how life is so much better now with so many more opportunities. This is so true. This doesn’t have to much to do specifically with China, but with the whole world instead. Things have changed but people still want more change, more progress.
ReplyDeleteOBSERVATION TWO: Page 216, the name of Dunhuang in Chinese means “Blazing Beacon.” This was very interesting and describes the Chinese culture in how it is expanding in population size.
OBSERVATION THREE: Page 237, the Chinese language difficult to get into and really speak it .I know this from knowledge, it is already hard and I am not even in the culture of China yet. I hear that Chinese and English are the two hardest languages to learn.
OBSERVATION FOUR: Page 243, expenses paid places at schools in eastern China, for good and well-rounded students who have been exceeding the success bar. The United States would never have an incentive like this one. I feel like this is more of an award for the families since they are the ones who pay.
OBSERVATION FIVE: page 274, “ it’s impossible to be neutral about China. Some foreigners hate it from the moment they set foot here. Others love it so much they put down roots and never go home.” I really hope I enjoy it! However, I feel like it is like this for every new place.
QUESTION: What makes the Chinese language so hard to learn?
1. On page 195, i found it interesting that when he was talking about how Bejing is trying to bring the west of China into the picture with modernization. He compares it to how the United States had problems with the people and the land when we were moving west.
ReplyDelete2. On page 203, i think it would be absolutely incredible if they joined the two cities together to make one giant one. I could definitely see China doing that and squeezing the desert completely out of the picture. He says that all the construction on the outsides of the cities are the first step.
3. the first paragraph on page 213 describes the way that rural china is, and how poor it is. Then he describes how much better it is in China compared to the famines and cultural revolution, and how you may not see it, but it is definitely better. The way that he explains it as well comparing some horrors that no one in the West have ever experienced in their life.
4. On page 249, the Uiguur man said that his culture is going away with the oppression by the Han chinese. The children are being taught chinese earlier and earlier and the Uighur language is disappearing. The parents are sending their children to Han schools because they think that is where the future lies, which i could possibly see it happening.
5. The first paragraph of chapter 23 is crazy because they are saying that China is building its own continent, they have so many people living in the Chinese state that they are as big as a continent, such as europe. China is a huge world power and bejing is as the front, making their country as good as it can be.
my question about China is, when are they going to take over the world?
1)Page 195 "xi bu da kai fa" "Go west campaign". The Chinese conquest westward of raising living standards and the general welfare of the people that live there.
ReplyDelete2)I was kind of surprised myself when I read the true description of the silk road on page 196, "grimy towns, poverty, bandits, filthy inns, endless barren desert". Also on this page the fashion statement Zhang Guoqing, "no self-respecting chinese man would ever wear scandals without socks" Hahaha not the case at all on Cape Ann.
3) Page 207 the term for the British/Anglo traders was "Ocean People". Then the description of the opium trade wars, a very important part of Chinese history, whose outcomes are still enforce to this day.
4)Page 220-221 the description of the cave library and all its contents is unbelievable. Even harder to believe that it was put together around 1000 A.D and the caves atmosphere alone preserved the documents. World's best wine cellar.....
5)The three randoms against corrupt policemen, glad I don't have that problem here in VerMont.
My question is will I be able to romp n' stomp on this boat cruise?
1.) I thought it was interesting that Aurel Stein and Sven Hedin are considered archaeologists who discovered the Cave of a Thousands Buddhas and the neighboring area. There were monks present who watched over the caves. Hedin and Stein only discovered the caves for the West, but how could they go down in history as these men who made huge contributions to archaeology.
ReplyDelete2.) I thought it was cool that Chinese cell phones receive texts when they enter a new province. It's also kind of scary to think how the government always knows where you are.
3.) I was surprised that the Turpan Depression could have grapes. Gifford said it is one of the hottest places in China, so I would assume that the grapes would instantly become raisins.
4.) I'm shocked at all the undercover sex scenes in China. There karaoke bars are prostitution cover-ups, and hotels are giving away free sex coupons to foreign businessmen.
5.) I can't believe that Xinjiang province is so huge. If it wasn't part of China it would be the 16th largest country in the world. No wonder China has problems with governing!
My Question goes along with my observation #1. I really don't understand how those men could get credit for stealing another culture. It wasn't like it was an archaeological dig, that found these caves. They were out in the open!
Insight of China: In America I feel I was taught that China is backwards and has all these problems with no improvement, and from Gifford traveling into rural China you see the improvements on life there, but the lack of improvement on crucial aspects of survival.
#1: Gifford notes that China is busy developing the western regions, just like the United States did previously. This is rather interesting to me because western China has typically been outside the periphery of attention. It remains to be seen whether the government’s efforts to bring it close and under the spotlight will be successful or not. (Page 195)
ReplyDelete#2: Gifford writes on page 199 that he noticed small groups of people picking ‘facai’. The man explaining is absolutely correct that it sounds like the words for ‘get rich’ in Cantonese. However, facai actually means ‘black hair’, and it is named such due to its appearance. Although, as he says, I have no doubt that there remains a sliver of probability that people eat it because of ‘superstition’.
#3: Aurel Stein’s discovery of the unearthing of the Mogao Caves on page 220 is one of the things I would very much like to experience too. I am very interested in the scriptures that were found and what they reveal regarding the past. For example, I would love to examine the Diamond Sutra, and at least attempt to understand the reasons behind this document. I would also love to be credited, one day, with the unearthing of another grotto too; I just have to find it.
#4: Gifford writes that to write on a computer in Chinese, you have to use the character’s transliteration in Western alphabet. This is only true for one particular system, and there are other systems out there that are more efficient and popular. However, this example serves to illustrate the difficulty in the integration of Chinese with technology. One should consider the impact of the keyboard – if English wasn’t the default language on keyboards – what would be and how would it affect our ability to communicate with everyone else? (Page 237)
#5: I really like the two versions of the same story provided by Gifford on page 264. Most people that have studied history in school have long known Qianlong Emperor as a wise and able ruler. He was part of the Golden Age that began with his grandfather’s reign. It is interesting to note the different opinions Uighurs and the Han have regarding the same story, even though they have two completely different endings.
My question about China is … will we be able to discover another grotto filled with scripture that will shed even more light into the history of China? I really hope so.
Single most important insight: China is really big.
1. It was really interesting to read about China's take on outer space. I had no idea that the first Chinese manned space craft was not launched until 2003 (and that some members of the population were unaware of its existence, or even the existence of outer space itself.)- pg 202-203
ReplyDelete2. Gifford speaks about the Turpan Depression on page 250. He mentions that it is the second lowest place in the world, with extremely high temperatures and a successful crop of grapes. It was also really interesting to read about their irrigation system, and the fact that the water flows by way of gravity.
3. On page 276 Gifford makes an insight about China in regards to the Chinese government. He says that "it's the same as it's always been." He also speaks about the lack of checks and balances, and a surplus of corruption.
4. Gifford talks about how "there are too many contradictions in Chinese society," on page 284. The party wants to create a modern environment, yet they are not willing to take the steps necessary for making that happen.
5.Even though it's something I have heard before, it is always jarring to read about the state of China's environment. The deterioration of the environment has an impact on the land and resources, in addition to the health of the population. (289)
Question: Because the Chinese economy is rooted in the utilization of resources, can the environment be improved while still maintaining their current level of industry?
Insight: The tremendous gaps existing between classes in China.
1. Page 197 talks about all the different sales men, mainly seed (sounds like a fun job) and cell phone sales men. Gifford explains that the Internet and cell phones is having a transformation effect on Chinese society, even far out in Western China where they don’t even have land phones—people have jumped straight to cell phones. “At the start of 2007, China had more than 450 million cell-phone subscribers, with the total increasing by about 5 million a month”
ReplyDelete2. Page 199- I find it interesting that Hong Kongers eat this nasty tasting grass because the plant sounds like the word for “get rich” in Cantonese so they eat it because they are very superstitious and think they might get rich from eating this type of grass. Hey you never know I guess…
3. Page 218- there were rumors for sometime during the mid-19th century of Buddhist cities hidden underground sands of Chinese Turkestan, and probably an entirely forgotten Buddhist civilization.
4. Page 263- Most Han people are oblivious on the fact that most Uighur and Tibetans hate them because they were taught that all of China’s ethnic minorities are happily integrated. Gifford explains that there was a famous story from the 18th century that the Hans and Uighurs told—both have the same story line but totally different endings, so there is hostility between the two.
5. Page 289- “The Chinese Government banned logging within China, but it still needs tons and tons of lumber, so forests in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America are being depleted to feed the Chinese economic monster”.
My question about China is…Why do the Uighurs love Americans more than the Han Chinese? Question was answered on page 263.
Single most important insight: China Road is really really long--From mother road to route 312- 3,000 miles from Shanghai to Turkestan. The silk road was an adventure in itself-filled with a lot of history.
1. Throughout the whole book, as well as in Oracle Bones, China's 'one child' policy is a very controversial topic, especially to foreigners. On page 179, Gifford has a conversation with a lady who thinks it is unjust that our country doesn't limit the number of children people can have. The lady actually says, "It's not right to have more than two children." It goes to show how different countries have completely different views on nearly everything. Also, it is interesting that the term 'abortion' is rarely mentioned.
ReplyDelete2.Throughout the whole book Gifford talks about woman in China and makes it seem like they are all prostitutes. On page 281, he refers to the attractive woman as, "Performing animals." I think that Gifford gives the wrong impression of females in China and exploits woman. Just because a group of woman are wearing bright red lip stick it does not mean they are hookers.
3. On page 216 Gifford says, "Foreigners try to re-create some intangible, romantic Chinese past, while Chinese people try to escape the past and build a tangible, very unromantic future." This quote real stuck out to me and i actually disagree. I think foreigners AND the Chinese are both trying to discover China's past because so much of it is a mystery. And China's building their future based on what is known of the past and there are things that are still done the same way. The dynasties seem never ending.
4. On page 219 Gifford describes the inclement weather conditions of the Gobi desert. Typically, it is a good idea to stay away because of the scorching hot sun or the subzero temperatures. But it is necessary to visit the Gobi desert for archaeological excavations. He says, "It was considered easier to work in the freezing cold than in baking heat." Aside from research visits, Gifford encountered a group of college students bicycling in the Gobi near Kazakhstan just for fun, regardless of the hundred degree temperatures and the "Merciless Gobi sun."(228).
5. On page 229, Gifford describes the 'city' of Xinjiang. He says, "It is the size of Texas, Montana, and Colorado combined." If it were a country, it would be the 16th largest in size but the population is just 20 million. Xinjiang is not a province and actually called the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region and is predominantly Uighurs. I was surprised that it was mostly Uighurs because there population is so small.
My question is what is a 'cartographer'? Gifford mentions a man Sven Hedin who was a archaeologist, geographer, and cartographer.
I find it interesting about how many provinces and cities that are throughout China and are usually forgotten about because most people don't realize they even exist. These random, forgotten cities have populations up to nearly a billion people. China really is a huge country and is definitely still a huge mystery.
The first thing that I thought was interesting is found on page 195, “The project is called the xi bu da kai fa, which literally means ‘Great Opening Up and Development of the Western Regions.’” I think it’s interesting that now China is following a pattern of development similar to the US.
ReplyDeleteOn page 197 Gifford tells us, “At the start of 2007, China had more than 450 million cell-phone subscribers, with the total increasing by 5 million every month.” I think that those are amazing numbers. One thing that I don’t know if I will ever fully grasp is how many lives there really are in China.
On page 198 Gifford also tells us, “China now depends on oil.” I think this is important to note because of all the recent talk about ‘peak oil’ and competing for resources. China is now in a position where they can compete with other regions of the world. This may cause problems the west was not anticipating.
On page 208, there is an account of acts in May of 1839. There was a command to seize two hundred cases of opium and order to dump it into the sea. This is to me like the Chinese’s version of the Boston Tea Party.
On page 220 Gifford is talking about manuscripts that were discovered. “It was a treasure trove of manuscripts in many languages, including Chinese, Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Uighar, some forty thousand in all.” I feel that this is significant, once again, because of the sheer numbers involved. It takes many people to speak forty thousand or so languages.
My question about China is… How many dialects have survived until today?
1. I really like the way Gifford starts chapter 16 with the image of the westerner practicing the ancient traditional tiaji, and the elderly Chinese women trying to follow a contemporary fitness lesson on a large TV. I think it is a great statement about the two cultures and how they were they both are heading, and how much of an influence both of the cultures have on each other.
ReplyDelete2. At the beginning of chapter 18 on page 215 Gifford again starts out with an interesting observation at the Silk Road Dunhuang Hotel. He comments on how romantic the image is of the surrounding Orient, and how glorified it has become for the tourists, something to keep in mind for our journeys abroad.
3. At the end of chapter 20, on page 246 Gifford is having a conversation with a couple Chinese men while the sun is setting over the Gobi. The men were very optimistic about their country saying that not only is the country becoming wealthier, but it is also becoming a better place to live. This optimistic point of view could be coming from their background as holding secure jobs, but it assuring to hear such progressive thoughts.
4. On page 262 Gifford brought to my attention the grisly story of how the US put a Uighur group called the East Turkestan Islamic Movement on its list of terrorist organizations and the events that followed. I was not aware that because of 9/11 the US and China became allies when there was some question as to the whether or not China would actually be an enemy, the world would be a much more different place if we were to ever go to war with one another.
5. The way Gifford summarizes the possible issues that the Chinese government might face on 283 is very interesting. It is easy to forget that the system that is currently in place relies on so many different factors that if just one of them were to change the whole machine that is the economy could stop working. Though Gifford also notes on 282 that “it has already proved itself an adept ideological chameleon, able to transform itself to fit the changing environment”, only the future will tell if the chameleon will one day find that its surroundings are not such a pleasant hue of green.
Q. My question about China is if there are going to be some serious reforms in terms of human rights being that they were once a nation supported by their peasants.
Insight. I feel as if Gifford allowed for a raw and open canvas to display his own adventure, bringing with it a perspective that looked at not only the beautiful things but also the real salt of the earth too. It has made me want to keep a fantastic documentation of my adventure and I hope to do so in the very near future.
1. The impact that cell phones and the Internet had on China is absolutely fascinating. As Gifford says, “in North America and Europe, cell phones and the Internet have changed society, btu in many ways they have just made things that were already available more convenient. The impact in China has been far greater. At the start of 2007, there were already 137 million people…accessing information that was never accessible to them before” (Gifford 197). This impact is incredible, but what is additionally fascinating is the Chinese tendency to both imitate and critically view the technologies and fashions of Westerners.
ReplyDelete2. One thing that is very interesting about China is mentioned in Chapter 16. Here, Gifford quotes a woman he met on the road who speaks of a few Chinese inventions, which were then used by the Western world against them, like the compass and gunpowder. The irony in this situation is incredible and I wonder how the Chinese were so easily taken advantage of in those times.
3. In Chapter 19, Gifford says, “My cell phone vibrates, as all Chinese cell phones do on entering any new province or region. A message says, ‘Welcome to Xinjiang.’ Then comes another one: ‘Looking for a gift? Khotan jade is perfect for any occasion. Call this number now’” (Gifford 230). Although the book was not required for this course, this reminds me of Anderson’s Feed. The level of the inclusion of a “big brother”-like figure in Chinese life in incredible.
4. The discussion of Chinese characters is very interesting. It amazes me although there are many dialects spoken in China, they can all ready the same language. The dissection of the characters helps to explain to me how this is possible.
5. The belief that China will follow Taiwan and South Korea and become a democracy is very interesting to me. From past readings, I was under the impression that many Chinese think that a change like that is impossible.
My question is: A current motivation for Chinese growth is how they see themselves in comparison with the rest of the developed world. Is the fact that they were the most advanced for so long the reason that they did not use their incredible potential for growth when they were the most powerful nation in the world? And if so, if there had always been competition between powerful nations, how advanced would China be today?
p. 197: Cell phones and internet access have had a bigger impact on China than they’ve had on North America or Europe. In places along the New Silk Road where there were no land phones, people have cell phones; there is perfect cell phone coverage. Cell phones have modernized areas of China much sooner than if they had to wait for miles and miles of telephone wires. It’s easier to build a cell phone tower and it has a bigger impact on more people.
ReplyDeletep. 200 - 201: While riding on a bus, Gifford engaged some of the passengers in a conversation in which they told him the thing they want most from the West is respect. They pointed out times in history when we were not so respectful. For example, they had some pretty great inventions, like gunpowder and the compass, but we invented guns to kill the Chinese, and used the compass to go east and occupy their land. They are patiently waiting for us to change our attitude toward them.
p. 220 – 222: Several archeologists from the West took advantage of the Chinese by removing many ancient manuscripts from the Caves of a Thousand Buddhas. This started with the British archeologist, Aurel Stein, who convinced the overseeing abbot to give him the manuscripts. Following this, several archeologists from other countries began a 20-year raid of the caves that the Chinese couldn’t stop. This strikes me as the ultimate show of disrespect.
p. 230 – 232: Gifford talks to a café owner who is upset because government officials have sealed up his well in an effort to force him to buy water from the local water company, which the officials run. He protested, but was threatened with an arrest for terrorism. This would mean he’d have no lawyer or any sort of protection. So he concluded that he just had to endure the treatment of the officials. I feel like this should not surprise me at this point because of all I have read about China. But it does.
p. 216: “ Foreigners try to re-create some intangible, romantic Chinese past, while Chinese people try to escape the past and build a tangible, very unromantic future. This is quite an irony, but I can understand that many Chinese just want to get a way and build a better life.
My question about China is why are the Chinese people in such a hurry to get ahead when it comes to technology and who are they competing against?
Single most important insight: One thing I realized from reading this book is how vastly different the rural and urban parts of China are. Gifford’s account of his trip along route 312 made me realize that my view of China was inadequate. In reality there is not just one China, there are different cultures and experiences depending on where you go. You cannot generalize China.
I thought it was interesting on page 199 when Gifford is asking some other travelers if china has enough oil, and one replies, "not yet". To me this seems somewhat ironic, with the rising gasoline prices and the push to move away from fossil fuels here, it's weird to read about someone expecting more oil to come, instead of running out of it.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I found interesting was on page 208 where it says, "The emperor, who had personally approved Lin's tough policies, dismissed him. Lin Zexu became the scapegoat for China's defeat." After watching the documentary in class about the Tienanmen square protests it seems that lots of problems throughout china have been scapegoated off on someone instead of the person in charge taking the blame when they get found out.
The part on page 230 where Lao Zhang is talking about how government officials came and sealed his centuries old well so he would buy water from the company they owned, was very striking to me. I thought it was interesting and at the same time sad, that the only way out of it he saw was to "endure", when the first thought that came to Gifford's mind was revolution.
I thought Gifford's observation on page 238 that because Chinese can only be learned by memorizing characters that cannot and will not ever change contributes to creating a different mindset than someone who learns a language that uses an alphabet has, was very interesting. It kind of reminded me of something I read once about how people who are multilingual are more likely to express certain emotions in certain languages.
I also thought that the part on 239-24 about removing the "dog" part of the character for "Muslim", and the idea that it was supposed to make Uighurs part of china as a whole, instead of barbarians despite what they wanted was interesting. for some reason while reading this part I thought about how the song "Yankee Doodle" is a patriotic song in the US, but it was made by the British to make fun of us during the Revolutionary War.
My question is why does China emphasize the expansion of communications technology so much, if it's just going to censor the communications?
I feel like the most important thing I got from this book was Gifford's implication towards the end of the book that we have to think less about China as it was in the past, despite being partially caught in a cycle of imperial-type rule and rebellion, ti has modernized, and left behind too much of it's past now to keep thinking of it solely as we do.
Wow - provocative postings on CHINA ROAD, colleagues.
ReplyDeleteNice work.
Missing here - get on the blog --> Dan, Alex, Steve, Sean, and Blythe.
Git 'er done - a go go!
W