HIST097 History of Modern China

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1 HIST097 History of Modern China Summer Session I (May 22 to June 28, 2017) Instructor: Sheng Mao Time: Tuesday 5:30pm-9:20pm;Thursday 5:30pm-9:20 Lecture Course Description This course deals with China s long journey from the mid-nineteenth century to the Xi Jinping regime. It surveys the complex history of Chinese tradition and modernity. In addition to the major political changes and the shifts in China s intellectual universe, we will also closely examine ordinary people s life experiences, the negotiation of the meanings of modernity, and the changing identities of the Chinese people. Assigned readings include personal memoirs, short stories, writings of major historical figures, and government documents. The ultimate goal of this course is to interrogate both the spatial and chronological aspects of Chinese tradition/modernity and question its meanings. Examinations and Grading Students are expected to come to class having done the readings. There will be one two short papers (3 4 pages, double-spaced) and one final examination. The grading standards for the exam and essays will differ somewhat, but as a general rule better grades come from an ability to make use of materials presented in lectures and the textbooks along with the readings from primary sources. You are strongly encouraged to think about essays as early as possible. Grading as follows: attendance 20%, first paper 25%, second paper 25%, final exam 30%. Absences and late papers will result in a grade reduction. Students cannot pass the course if: 1) they fail to attend the lectures on a regular basis, or 2) they fail to submit required papers and the final examination. Texts Jonathan Spence, The Search for Modern China (Norton, 1999) (This book serves well as a general introduction to modern Chinese history. However, it does NOT substitute for your personal approach to the primary sources. The prospective offered in class will often diverge radically from his.) Pei-kai Cheng and Michaels Lestz with J. Spence eds., The Search for Modern China. A Documentary Collection (Norton 1999) William Hinton, Fanshen: A Documentary of Revolution in a Chinese Village (Un. of California press, 1997) Anita Chan, R. Madsen and J. Unger, Chen Village Under Mao and Deng (Second Edition, Un. of California press, 1992) Two movies are also part of the assigned material. Copies of the movies will be placed on reserve in the library for individual viewing. Additional readings will be made available on the class website. 1

2 LECTURES AND READINGS 05/22 Lecture 1: Introduction of Modern China Focus: How China was viewed historically? What are key words of modern China? Xu Wu, The Real US Deficit with China Knowledge, The Christian Science Monitor, May 1, 2008, 9. Dorothy Ko, Bondage in Time: Footbinding and Fashion Theory, in Rey Chow, ed. Modern Chinese Literary and Cultural Studies in the Age of Theory: Reimagining a Field (Duke University Press, 2000), pp /24 Lecture 2: Clash of the Qing Empire Focus: How does the Macartney Embassy in 1793 reflect the different worldviews of the Qing dyansty and Great Britain? What was the symbolic and practical role of opium in the decline of Qing? The First Clash with the West, The Search for Modern China, pp Lin Zexu s letter to Queen Victoria, two translations, in Lydia Liu, The Clash of Empires. The Invention of China in Modern World Making (Harvard University Press, 2004), pp (The original letter was written in 1840 and the second more than a century later. How do they differ?) 05/26 Lecture 3: From Empire to Republic Focus: Compare Zou Rong and Sun Yat-sen s views of revolution. How do they view nation, ethnicity, and modernity in making their respective cases for revolution? The End of the Dynasty, in The Search for Modern China, pp Zou Rong, The Revolutionary Army, pp Sun Yat-sen, Prescriptions for Saving China, pp , /29 Lecture 4: Modernity and Modernization: The New Culture Movement Focus: How do the leaders of the New Cultural Movement view the way of strengthening the nation? How did new women differ from their predecessors in the traditional China? Chen Duxiu, Lu Xun, Ye Shengtao, et al., in Hua R. Lan and Vanessa L. Fong eds., Women in Republican China: A Sourcebook (M.E. Sharpe, 1999), Susan L. Glosser, The Truths I Have Learned: Nationalism, Family Reform, and Male Identity in China s new Culture Movement, , in Susan Brownell and Jeffrey N. Wasserstrom eds., Chinese Femininities Chinese Masculinities. A Reader (2002), pp

3 05/31 Lecture 5: The Rise of the Chinese Communist Party Focus: Examine the revolutionary process described in Fanshen. What are the characteristics of Chinese communism? How did Mao Zedong define class in 1926? William Hinton, Fanshen, ix-xiii, Mao Zedong, Report on the Peasant Movement in Hunan (1927) available at 1/mswv1_2.htm 06/02 Lecture 6: Revolution in the Countryside Focus: Describe effects of communist organization and activism in the countryside during the 1930s and 1940s. What mistakes were made and what kind of solutions were implemented? What was the main goal of the Chinese Communist Party? A Road is Made, The Search for Modern China, pp Communist Survival, The Search for Modern China, pp FIRST PAPER DUE IN LECTURE 6 06/05 Lecture 7: The Urban Space Focus: Compare Beijing and Shanghai in the 1920s and 1930s. What featured Chinese cities then? Madeleine Yue Dong, Republican Beijing (Univ. of California Press, 2003), Chap. 5. Leo Lee, Shanghai Modern (Harvard Univ. Press, 1999), Chap /07 Lecture 8: The Sino-Japanese War and Its Aftermath Focus: Describe the turning points of the Sino-Japanese War. How has the Nanjing Massacre been remembered in China and Japan? Bob Wakabayashi ed., The Nanking Atrocity (Berghahn Books, 2007), Introduction. Film: Devils at the Doorstep by Jiang Wen (2001) (What image of Chinese peasants revolutionary character does the movie convey?) 06/09 Lecture 9: The New China Focus: According to Mao Zedong, what issues were still unresolved even after China reached the socialist stage? Why did Mao change his mind about following the Soviet model? 3

4 The Search for Modern China, pp Mao Zedong, On the correct handling of contradictions among the people, available at 06/12 Lecture 10: Radical Democracy The Great Leap Forward Focus: Why did Mao launch The One Hundred Flowers Movement? What was the motive and result of The Great Leap Forward? Chen Village, Prologue and Chap. 1. Posters on the Great Leap Forward: 06/14 Lecture 11: The Cultural Revolution Focus: What were the motives and reasons behind the Cultural Revolution? Looking at the case of Chen Village, what were the major issues in the practical implementation of the radical program of the Cultural Revolution? Bombard the Headquarters and The 16-point decision in The Search for Modern China, pp Chen Village, Chaps /16 Lecture 12: China under Deng Xiaoping Focus: How would you describe the changes in the 1980s? What were the 1989 students demanding? Redefining Revolution, The Search for Modern China, pp Selection from Han Minzhu ed., Cries for Democracy: Writings and Speeches from the 1989 Chinese Democracy Movement (Princeton University Press, 1990), pp , , Videoclips: Heshang SECOND PAPER DUE IN LECTURE ONE 06/19 Lecture 13: The Market Strikes Back in the 1990s Focus: How did Chinese political and economic leaders manage to revive state-owned companies? What were the effects of various economic reforms? 4

5 Zhao Jianying, Tide Players (The New Press, 2011), Chap. 2. Henry Paulson, Dealing with China (Twelve, 2016), Chap /21 Lecture 14: The Road to the Beijing Olympics Focus: How did China become the world's second-largest economy? What does China under Xi Jinping look like? Sang YE, China Candid, pp. 1 9, 13 58, Jim Yardley, In Face of Olympic Challenges, Communist Party Is Resilient, The New York Times, August 7, 2008 Geremie R. Barmé, Olympic Art & Artifice, The American Interest Magazine, May /23 Lecture 15: Disagreements and Conflicts Focus: What are the most important social issues in contemporary China? How are they handled by the Xi Jingping regime? Perry Link et al. ed., Restless China (Rowman & Littlefield, 2013), introduction. Guobin Yang, The Internet and Civil Society in China: Coevolutionary Dynamics and Digital Formations, in Lowell Dittmer and Guili Liu eds., China s Deep Reform: Domestic Politics in Transition (Rowman &Littlefield), pp Ethnic Minorities, Don t Make Yourself at Home, The Economist, 17 January /26 Lecture 16: China and the World Focus: What kind of view of the connection between the local and the global does the movie convey? How would you evaluate the historical legacies of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping? David Shambaugh, Beautiful Imperialist: China Perceives America, (Princeton University Press, 1991), pp Film: The World by Jia Zhangke (2004) 06/28 Lecture 17: Conclusion and Review Session FINAL EXAMINATION: One-hour in-class essay questions. 5

HISTORY F100X-F71 MODERN WORLD HISTORY

HISTORY F100X-F71 MODERN WORLD HISTORY Dr. Walter Skya Summer Session II 2013 Department of History Gruening Hall, Room 605C University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks, AK 99775-6460 Tel: 907-474-2718 Email: