Ezy Bloging

“In the quarter century following the end of the Second World War, most other core countries this regime of capital accumulation while recovering from the War. These economies became profitable sites of investment for American transnational corporations and viable markets for American products” (Hung p. 4).

The United States was a world power that was looked up to by developing countries as well as countries that were trying to achieve the same sort of power obtained by their partner across the Atlantic. Hung further continues to explain that those countries did not benefit from their ventures because they further implanted themselves as the subservient countries to United States because their sole economic objective was to grow and harvest natural resources to sell to American and in return they would then buy the products made by America from the natural resources they had bought from the lesser countries. The problem with this system was that the lesser countries were selling the natural resources for a lower price than they were buying the American products for, thus gaining no profit. My question is, will the rest of the global market ever follow the Chinese formula for economic success as countries followed the United States in the decade after WWII or will the Chinese continue to follow the footsteps of the United States and take the lead of the capitalist market for good?

It seems that the people of China have gotten what they wished for though they were not aware of the consequences that would come with the changes brought about when their country tried become less focused on socialism and more so on capitalism. Some of these changes were the following: no more life long job security, user charges for schooling and medicare, and an increase in unemployment because of employers ability to fire and hire workers on the basis of increasing productivity which had not been an issue before (Hung p.51-54). With all of these new factors at hand, the citizens of China are struggling to find a happy-medium within their government as seen by the continuation of protests, “According to the official statistics, in 1998 there were 6,676 collective actions (usually strikes or go-slows with a minimum of three people taking part) involving 251,268 people” (Hung p. 53). The old saying, “you must be careful what you wish for because it may just come true” applies here. The people of China wanted more individual freedom with less government influence and that exactly what they received even though they were unaware of how things would drastically change for the “every-man.”

Will the people of China ever find what they are looking for, a happy medium of government support, and if they do what will they go on strike about then?

In regards to the process of creating an ideal nation state, Balibar claims that an ethnicity suited for the nation’s agenda must be created. According to Balibar, “History shows us that there are two great competing routes to this: language and race” (p. 6). The argument that seems most plausible is the language because of the abilities of the government to ensure that a certain school curriculum will be taught. In this process, it becomes very easy for people all of the state to reach a certain point of commonality with people that they have never met merely because of their ability to communicate. Plus, as Balibar mentions later in this section, the spoken language is an integral part of the process, but there is the use of the written word in the form of historical documents that allows one to familiarize themselves with their fellow countrymen that came before them.  By familiarizing themselves with the history of their country it allows them the ability to feels as though their life could one day have some meaning in the grand scheme of things, thus bringing to them ownership of theirself within the physical nation and the ethnic one simultaneously.

The one question I have is how is the use of teaching foreign languages seen? Is it similar to the United States in that foreign languages must be learned or are students forced to learn their native language only and must earn the privilege to study others for fear that students may take hold to a foreign language and claim it as their own?

“‘Heroism’ has often been cited as the main standard for evaluating characters in the Cultural Revolution productions” (p.3).

Their is a focus on the “heroism” throughout the remembering of the Cultural Revolution that young men and women desired to capture. This makes sense because these young people wanted their efforts to mean something. In addition to that they may have done some things that they were not so proud, thus they might have wanted to chalk it up to doing something for the cause and acting as others would have acted. Plus, since there was such a mass of people they wanted their efforts to stand out from the rest, to prove their worth and worthiness to their comrades. Looking back these formally young and influential young teenagers want to believe that they were fighting a mighty foe and because of their “heroic” efforts they were able to march onward for the betterment of their country.

Not all young men and women were able to achieve such bravery though. Braester claims that characters, like Xiaojun, that felt their actions were not as “heroic” as they could have been for either a lack of heart or lack of opportunity, what ever the case may be these people do try to make up for their lack luster efforts when reflecting on past events. Also, they have the even more lofty task of convincing themselves that they do hold the potential to act bravely. This is evident from a quote from The Red Lantern when Xiaojun is looking in the mirror and acts out instances of bravery. To me this in an attempt on his part to prove to himself that he is worthy and brave and heroic. After all, no matter how tough a person may act they are the only one who truly know have brave they are.

This talk of “heroism” makes me wonder how current youth views themselves in comparison to those that took part in the Cult Rev and whether or not they could ever be as brave as their predecessors?

http://chineseposters.net/gallery/e16-204.php

The caption at the bottom of this poster readers, “The commune’s canteen is powerful, the dishes are deliciously made. You eat like you wish, production ambitions are rising.” This poster comes from the era of the Great Leap Forward, which from our discussion in class we know that the governments efforts to institute a commune system failed drastically. People in the communes were met with famine and heartbreak. This poster, on the contrary shows a different story. The image on this poster that sticks out the most is the wealth of food that is available. From this poster it is clear that while in the commune system people will be provided with plenty of food, plus more than they can eat. This is evident in the poster by the lady holding bountiful amounts of food while she stands behind the man eating as if to say, “their is plenty where that came from sir.”

Secondly, there is the stature of both the people at the center of the poster. These two people seem to be very well fed, and look to be at the point of being a little overweight. Their faces are very full, his cheeks full with food, and are their hearts. Along with the physical appearance of the two main characters, there is the appearance of the room that they are dining in. There is some festive looking decorations hanging from the ceiling, there are paintings on the wall and some ornate window panels. In addition to the decor, it is evident from the basket of grain and people in the kitchen, behind the lady, that food is very plentiful as long as people are willing to work. In addition to people working together, this poster allows the viewer to realize that the commune are not meant for any one type of person, meaning, families are more than welcome and also are wanted at the commune. This is evident by the family seated at the rear of the dining hall. The family is composed of three adults and even a child. The presence of the child is very important in showing that the commune is suitable for all ages, not just those that are old enough to work.

Lastly, the color of the border on the poster and the colors used within the poster are all very warm and invited. The color of the border, mossy green, is somewhat symbolic for the for the green fields that will be the result of the hard work put forth by those at the commune. These green fields will be just what the country needs to turn its luck around for the best. The other, bright colors, like the red used for the caption at the bottom of the poster, show that spirits are high and all is well when you come to live at the commune with other hard working countrymen.

Evans and Donald lay out their work in such a way that makes one consider all of the images they see in life, whether they are for advertisement or some kind of public service announcement. They make it clear that though these images can be interpreted in a variety of ways, one must be aware of the era and situation that they were created. For them it comes down to the difference between politics and the reinforcement of political ideas juxtaposed to aesthetically pleasing artwork. Both authors make it clear that Mao was not a big proponent of art because of its site value, especially in reference to these posters. “Mao Zedong rejected the theory of art for art’s sake and stipulated that the political criteria for art were primary, while the aesthetic ones were secondary”(p.2-3). He believed that these posters should reinforce the ideas and ideals that were being spread to the masses during the Cultural Revolution. Whether it be an image of young people venturing out into the country side or young people moving toward thwarting the plans of counterrevolutionaries, Mao wanted young people to realize that they were not alone and that their efforts where being matched and were just, according to Mao himself. The one question I have is whether or not commercial ads had a place or if the sides of buildings and bill boards were solely the property of these propaganda style posters during the time of the Cultural Revolution.

After looking around the web for some interesting ideas I came across a couple that sparked my interest.

The first potential topic that caught my eye was the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. Evidently it is the biggest in the world, sorry Hoover Dam lovers. The only problem with this topic is that it presents a couple of paths that can be taken. I could look into three of the following: the negative environmental factors that have followed the construction of the dam, the relocation of a million people away from the Yangtze River, and the flooding of archeological sites that had yet been searched. The path that I have looked into was the environmental side effects. Looking at the ScienceDirect database in the college library website I found some primary sources that deal with the potential pollution problems that are currently being faced by the Chinese government. So, if anyone has any ideas for the other two paths, relocation of civilians and flooding of archeological sites, I would appreciate the insight.

The second potential topic would be the Karamay fire that took place in a theater. This fire made the news because civilians were told to remain seated while the Communist Party Officials were allowed to leave the building safely. This was a costly mistake because some 300 people or so died because of that decision. Since this topic had to do with the death of civilians at the cost of government officials, it surely made news internationally. Thus, I have looked into the New York Times archives and other newspaper archives to find some primary sources about some the aftermath seen within the general public after the fire. So, I said with the first topic, if anyone has any other ideas about primary sources it would be greatly appreciated.

The first interview I read was entitled, “The Union Rep: A Worker Against the Party.” This narrative is very interesting because the worker tells off the early years in China’s industrial history in which much of their material possessions and tools were imported. He also claimed that often times they would work to buy foreign fuel instead of monetary payment. This is in stark contrast to the current condition of today’s global economy in which China is at the top of the exporting totem pole. The Union Rep made it clear that things in the industrial world were not up to his standards. He even claimed that things were “much better in the 50s and 60s than they are now.” He then claimed, “That was when the workers really were in charge.”

The next interview was the exact opposite to the first one that I read. “Little Sweetie: A Thoroughly Modern Mistress” is an interview with a young woman whose goal in life is to marry a man wealthy enough to take care of them without them ever having to work a day in their life. Also, she was much different in her approach to Sang Ye’s wanting to get an interview. Where as the Union Rep made Ye prove his worth, the Little Sweetie made it a point to volunteer herself for an interview. She also did not care about what others thought about her and the way she chose to live her life. In the end she makes it apparent that money is not the sole path to happiness. She claims that she is most happy when she remembers her parents fighting over a few “yuan,” something that she never has to do in her current situation.

These narratives give the reader a good look into the social ups and downs that are faced by the people of China and how their lives are similar to ours in so many ways.

While looking through the suggested sites, one story jumped out. There has been a growth in interest for coffee in china. The article is entitled “Growing coffee in China’s tea country,” and it is located on the “China Digital Times” website. In the article it is made apparent that the coffee industry in the country has increased immensely. Much of this new fondness for coffee comes from western influences. The article lays out a leading cause for the shift to growing coffee, increased availability and popularity of commercial coffee providers like Starbucks that has built over 400 locations in the country in just the last decade. For now, the farmers are growing more coffee even though they still pledge their allegiance to the tea leaf. Though they believe in the flavor and the cultural importance of tea, coffee provides them the ability to make more money and get out of the shadow of the tea farm owners that have taken advantage of the farmers for years. According to the article, they also wish to some day grow coffee for themselves instead of selling their crops to western companies. This article is very interesting because it sounds similar to an article that  would be seen in any local newspaper in the states.