POSC 356 Midterm

Several of the books, lectures, handouts, video and film assigned for this class assess the relationship between the Chinese state and the society it governs. What are the key arguments presented in the various sources that are relevant to this question? Do you consider the arguments presented to be in general consistent or divergent? [Note: You should have at least three sources, including at least one book, although the total number of sources you use is less important than your understanding of state-society relations and how they can be conceptualized in very different ways]

Chinese government is out of touch with whom they are governing and their wants Street of Eternal Happiness: Believe that they are doing a good thing in rejuvenating Shanghai and knocking down old buildings, but they are missing that they are displacing people who have lived there for years before. Missing that the hometown high school laws are unfair and disadvantaging people who risked everything to move to China's cities because their children will live a worse life like Zhao and her children. To Live (Film): Chinese government puts laws into effect that are not realistic for the Chinese people and do not better them. All the issues that Fugui and his family face come from high up in the Chinese government. It is not the local government that is causes issues for the Chinese people it is the central government because they are out of touch with the reality of the people they govern. Handouts on Pollution and Coal: Chinese government are not looking into the needs of the entire population when it comes to their pollution problems and trying to make China more environmentally friendly. In trying to reduce their coal usage they are bettering the environment but also leaving many people without means to cook or heat their houses in the winter. Also, when they write reports on the pollution levels, they often omit information about less populated and known cities to make their efforts seem better. They are forgetting about the needs of people living in other cities and how when pollution or smog moves out of coastal cities due to wind it is typically moving in land to smaller cities but affecting them equally.

In his lecture, Professor Rosen noted that while the CCP clearly refers to the Chinese Communist Party, there are reasons why some observers think it would be equally plausible to call it the Chinese Confucian Party or the Chinese Capitalist Party. Compose an essay in which you examine the CCP and discuss why these observers may have a point, or why they're wrong in their analysis of the CCP as being something more than just the Chinese Communist Party. Please provide evidence for your conclusions, particularly evidence drawn from the materials assigned for this class.

Confucianism became a social order for China, teaching that social relationships are the most important. People slowly started to believe in it, because they wanted to have peace, but they had to care for themselves too. As a result, Confucianism brought the people love, harmony, and respect for one another.

Survey(s) on the attitudes of Chinese youth toward the U.S. and their importance (or lack of importance) in Chinese politics (PPT and China Reader)^^^

Elaborate: Over last decade american animosity towards China surpasses chinese animosity towards US. 72% strive for individual success not communism. 82% believe western visual culture propagate western political concepts. 51% identify with american cultural concepts. 70% of students in beijing preferred the american political system because of separation of powers.

The "post-80's generation" of Chinese youth

Identify: Born following the adoption of the reform and opening up policy in 1978, China's post-80s generation was always going to play an important role in the nation's development. As the country's economy and confidence has grown, so too have they. About 65 percent of the overall post-80s generation - aged 20 to 29 - were from one-child families, while that figure rose to 85 percent in urban areas. During their advancing years, they have been branded spoilt, materialistic and self-centered, and accused of lacking a sense of social responsibility. They have no belief system 41.4%. Join the communist party because its an advantage in finding a job. Elaborate: But those opinions have all but been reversed by an eventful 2008, a year in which they came under the spotlight not only during the worldwide Olympic torch relay, but also during the Beijing Games, and volunteered in their hundreds to boost earthquake relief efforts following the May 12 disaster in Sichuan province. Now many are dubbing them patriotic, persistent, caring and responsible. So which is the real post-80s generation? They react politically, support western multiparty politics. They are concerned for their own benefits. They are more international 53% watch english films without subtitles and use websites banned in China. Use foreign goods because of high quality and durability. Significance: An American journalist with a major news agency in Beijing, who asked not to be named, told China Daily the Western media were paying close attention to the young people of China as they would define the future direction of the country. "The post-80s generation has access to the Internet and information in different languages, and they also have more money than preceding generations in China," he said. "But they are also patriotic, an emotion that can breed social responsibility and could be behind the relatively sudden rise in volunteerism. "Today's youth does not represent Chinese society today, but once they reach an age where they control companies and government departments their views will influence the generations that follow." Employment opportunities will be reduced and housing prices and income inequalities cause more and more of them to intensely dissatisfied with their income.

Gender equality and women's development in China (from The China Reader)

Identify: China has made significant strides to equality. Elaborate: By the end of 2004, the number of both urban and rural women workers reached 337 million nationwide, accounting for 44.8 percent of the total employed; and the number of women workers in urban work units stood at 42.27 million, accounting for 38.1 percent of the national total. At present, women owners of small and medium-sized enterprises account for about 20 percent of the national total number of entrepreneurs, and 60 percent of them have emerged in the past decade. By the end of 2004, the number of both urban and rural women workers reached 337 million nationwide, accounting for 44.8 percent of the total employed; and the number of women workers in urban work units stood at 42.27 million, accounting for 38.1 percent of the national total. At present, women owners of small- and medium-sized enterprises account for about 20 percent of the national total number of entrepreneurs, and 60 percent of them have emerged in the past decade. Significance: At present, China has one woman Vice-Premier and one woman State Councilor on the State Council, and 25 women incumbent or vice ministers or ministerial-level directors or heads in the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, and the ministries and commissions under the State Council. In 2004, the proportion of girl students in junior and senior middle schools reached 47.4 percent and 45.8 percent, respectively; the proportion of girl students in secondary vocational schools reached 51.5 percent. -In the past decade, women have displayed great enthusiasm in participating in electing deputies to the people's congresses at all levels and exercising their democratic rights. Some 73.4 percent of women turned out to elect deputies to local people's congresses. -In the past decade, women have displayed great enthusiasm in participating in electing deputies to the people's congresses at all levels and exercising their democratic rights. -In 2004, female membership in the Communist Party of China was 12.956 million, accounting for 18.6 percent of all CPC members, an increase of 3 percentage points over 1995.

Pollution levels in Beijing and elsewhere (handout)

Identify: Some parts of China have remained true to form, with 2017 air pollution levels rising in eight Chinese provinces. But nationwide, pollution fell 6.5 per cent last year, the Chinese government says - and nowhere has been better than Beijing, where nearby mountains have been visible in crisp relief, the snap of winter's cold unsullied by floating soot. Elaborate: There were multiple instances of "Two Sessions Blue" around annual political meetings - each permutation of blue the temporary result of government fiat. Once the parades, the foreign dignitaries and the politicians dispersed, the redolence of burnt coal returned. Winter has typically brought the thickest smog to northern China due to coal-fired heating furnaces. During the worst episodes, flights are cancelled, schools are closed and people are afflicted with a dread that each breath is filling their lungs with carcinogens. It has been a windy winter, to be sure, and gusty conditions have always brought clearer skies to Beijing. Roughly half the improvement this year came from weather, according to Greenpeace research. Even so, the change this winter has been staggering. It was less than three years ago that Chinese Premier Li Keqiang called for a national "war" on pollution. In the fourth quarter of 2017, Beijing's levels of fine carcinogenic particulates called PM2.5 dropped by 54 per cent relative to the same period in 2016, an analysis by Greenpeace determine. So when rising commodity prices prompted an industrial surge - China's raw coal output rose 3.2 per cent last year, while 2017 steel production hit an all time record, with November steel-mill profits touching a 20 year high - the resulting smog billowed up far from Beijing. Significance: There has been a reduction in pollution, but it is thought that much of this is due to weather rather than to change. The government focuses primarily on the pollution in big cities and pays little attention to the pollution levels in less populated or less known cities. Pollution levels are extremely important in China for the rest of the world because they are one of the main emitters of greenhouse gases.

The Red Guard Movement (from Politics in China and The Mao Years documentary)

Identify: Teams first occurring in Beijing high schools and universities in response to the breakdown of the Leninist order. Elaborate: These students provided some of the cultural Revolution's most riveting images, for example, excited adoration of Mao during the summer of 1966 rallies at Tiananmen Square, and the cruel abuse of campus authorities, including professors, and leading party-state officials paraded through the streets in dunce hats. by 1967 the violence let loose by significant numbers of Red Guards against such targets and "bad class elements" in society had been overtaken by brutal clashes among Red Guard factions. Significance: Were the soldiers of the cultural revolutions. However, there was a lot of internal conflict as many factions developed among them. Thus, the movement dissolved in 1968.

The differences between the film and the book of "To Live"

Identify: The film is heavily censored relative to the book. The film is also not as dark as the book. In the book everyone except for fugui dies. In the film, many other characters live. For example, fugui's wife, little bun, etc giving a more hopeful ending to the movie so that it could pass China's sensors. Elaborate: In the book, when longer is being taken away for execution, he yells to fu gui "I AM DYING FOR YOU!" In the film, no such scene occurs. In the book, Fugui's son died by having his blood drained in order to save the principle of the school who is the county magistrate's wife. In the book, he dies from being tired at school and falling asleep behind a wall that is knocked over by the county magistrate's car. Significance: The book is a critique of the importance of chinese officials, the film is a critique of the great leap forward. Much more graphic and violent criticism of China can be passed in books rather than in movies.

Mass campaigns in post-1949 China

Identify: There were many mass campaigns that took place in post-1949 lead primarily by Mao. Examples: Great Leap Forward, Cultural Revolution, land reform Significance: It's how Mao mobilized the masses. There is now a legacy of Maoist China through mobilizing people. Mass campaigns have been transformed after Mao, but they stay relevant in a different from in the post Mao period. The Belt and Road initiative is a mass campaign working to further develop western China.

China's rural unrest

Identify: Today the Chinese countryside has become noticeably less stable. One indicator is that the number of "collective incidents"— a euphemism for popular protests— has jumped tenfold in the past dozen years, from 8,706 in 1993 to 87,000 in 2005, with about 40 percent occurring in the countryside. Elaborate: Recent bloodshed in Guangdong and Hebei over insufficient compensation for valuable farmland is only the tip of an iceberg. Research by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences shows that land expropriation is now the most volatile issue in the countryside, particularly in coastal areas. Other issues near the top of the list of villager grievances are rampant cadre corruption, rigged village elections, government violence against protesting villagers, and, until recently, thanks to the gradual abolition of agricultural taxes that began in 2004, excessive local taxation and the use of violence to collect taxes and fees. Chinese villagers have employed, usually without success, at least six lawful methods to defend their rights and interests in the past two decades. Most commonly, they petition. Significance: Chinese villagers have numerous grievances, some of which arise out of central policies— for example, Beijing's birth control policy, a household registration system that still bars free migration to cities, and systematic discrimination against rural dwellers in education, medical care, and social welfare. Restrictions like these often place villagers in a dilemma. If they pursue their claims strictly in accordance with the law, their likelihood of winning is slim because they cannot apply sufficient pressure on their foes. If they wish to be effective, they have to work around or brush against the law by, for example, sending multiple teams of representatives, bypassing levels of government, going to Beijing en masse, or camping out in a government compound and refusing to leave until a grievance is redressed. Beijing has done little more than allow villagers to defend their "lawful rights and interests" individually.

The articles in the section on "Society" in The China Reader (pp.156-232) offer an analysis of different areas of Chinese society, including inequality, demography and gender, nationalism and identity, religion, youth, urban and rural, and ethnic tensions. Choose any THREE of these issue areas and discuss the challenges China faces, the solutions offered, and their likelihood of success.

Inequality: The death of Mao led to a launch of market reform under Deng in 1978, centrally planned socialism and other old reform policies were dismantled. Growth Rates accelerated under Deng and caused a rise in living standards, reducing poverty, deprivatization of housing/agriculture, and investment in infrastructure (highways, skyscrapers etc). But inequality is on the rise as a consequence to the pursuance of economic growth at all costs. This wealth gap between rich and poor is alleged to be creating anger and resentment among citizens, leading to mass protests that increasingly threaten Chinese political stability. The Chinese haven't offered many solutions to countering inequality, while The China Reader doesn't mention Chinese wishes to reform inequality, it mentions that inequality surely does not equal a lack of social mobility. It is also notable to mention that compared to the poverty levels of the Mao era, 500 million Chinese people have transcended internationally set poverty levels they were a part of prior to the post Mao economic realignment. The quality of life is improving for all people in government, just at "unequal speeds" (China Reader 165). Demography and Gender A major portion of Chinese workforce is aging rapidly, growing about 100 million in just fifteen years. In addition, China is forced to deal with 160 million internal migrants seeking better lives elsewhere in the country and more than 160 million families in China only have one child due to the one-child policy. These three groups are acting as the catalyst for a demographic change that will cause a shift in resources from investment and production. These population shifts, in conjunction with a declining labor supply, will have a profound impact on the world economy in that China, being the world's factory, might have to change its economic growth model to one never seen in China before. China, albeit understanding that these demographic changes will ripple throughout the country and world, still hesitates to phase out their one-child policy due to the belief that overpopulation is the root cause of all problems. The simple truth is, that the rapid expansion of the Chinese economy took place in a demographically (among other sources of luck) favorable time, but scholars say that this fortune has been exhausted and dubbed China's once immense labor force as a "non-repeatable historical phenomenon"(C.R. pg. 169). China must act quickly to respond to these changes by re-orienting their social and economic infrastructure, but it seems as though their rapid developments to this point have also led to a difficulties with the time constraints it takes to respond to this reorientation. This time-restraint will not only strain the Chances of China to make good decisions regarding future policies, but it will also impede on their likelihood to succeed in their plan to adjust. Gender: the Chinese also have encountered problems in spending that coincide with the emergence of woman in the area of labor, small-business ownership, and professional distinctions. In only thirteen short years, spending on women and children's healthcare-related services has increased thirty-fold. Besides these problems some might see in spending, China has seen the significant rise of women across all parts of China, mainly through the help of government legislation giving women many opportunities they didn't have in the past. Religion: China has taken very little note of religion as something that may be the biggest threat to the CCP's ability to maintain control. A massive growth in religious beliefs and movements is a threat to CCP power because they see it as a hindrance to the preservation of social harmony and economic modernization. The government's State administration for Religious Affairs (SARA) is charged with the task of determining which religions count as "true or false", and often moves to eradicate religions it deems to be false (among other intrusive activities). One part of China's official secularization policy aims to actively promote that religion is false, and seeks the eradication of policy by waiting for scientific education (Document 19). But the idea that religion will generally recede was wrong -based on what we're seeing in China and around the world, and has prompted the interference of government through SARA. The Chinese attempts to quell religious fervor, first by waiting, then through the intervention of SARA, have not really worked. This is evident in the establishment of unofficial Christian "house churches", which have been spreading so fast that "the government can neither stop them nor ignore them". This prevalence of religion and its growth has led (then dubbed the successor to Jintao) Xi Jinping to mention the respecting "cultural pluralism", but also mentioning that government is still the master and religion is the follower. This represents a shift from the absolute-atheist, communist viewpoint of a few years prior. Since the first two attempts for the CCP to combat religion didn't succeed, the party made a change in allowing religion contingent upon the idea that it will not interfere with the government's practices.

Some of the material discussed in a number of the books assigned for this class, as well as the videos "To Live," and "The Mao Years," overlap chronologically and therefore cover some of the same events. Choose at least two events that the different sources cover and compare and contrast how they analyze these events. Which sources have been most effective in helping you understand the events in question? You can choose to discuss one of the books or several of the books (but you should include at least one book), and you should include, if relevant, the film and the video documentary in your discussion as well.

The Great Leap Forward To Live (book): graphic, describes the effects on the countryside To Live (movie): less graphic, shows effects in the city where things were not as bad The Mao Years: gives more of an informative view of the event bypassing information about individual people or families Cultural Revolution To Live (book and movie): Daughter dies because the doctors are being kicked out the hospitals by students, not blamed on anyone specifically, more overall anger towards the system of the Chinese government The Mao Years: Show how students became violent and was blamed on the Gang of Four The Street of Eternal Happiness: Zhao misses out on an education due to the cultural revolution

In Street of Eternal Happiness, Rob Schmitz reports on the inhabitants of just one street in Shanghai. The individuals he discusses vary in their attitudes and behavior. There are of course many reasons why their behavior might vary, including social structural and personality characteristics such as age, gender, class, religious beliefs, willingness to take risks, and so forth. Choose any three characters in the book and compare and contrast their attitudes and behavior.

CK: runs the sandwich shop and has a pessimistic attitude towards the Chinese government because of how they treated his parents and in return his parents treated him. He tried to kill himself as a child because he was so upset with his father especially after his parents' divorce. He does not hate his family as it is Chinese tradition to care for and love your family. He blames his parents' behavior on the "system" they grew up in where everything was chosen for them and how they instilled the same behavior onto him. Old Kang: resents the Chinese government and their movements to redefine Shanghai and in the process knocking down building complexes without properly compensating the residents. He is angry with the industrialization of the city and is now homeless hoping from one friends' residences to another. He believes that China has issues because laws are not properly enforced and nobody has rights. He sees the issue in the Chinese government that is to have a fair government where people have rights, would require independent judiciary which would threatened the CCP's total power. Zhao: appreciates the life that moving to Shanghai has given her, but also resentful of the Chinese government from preventing her sons Big Sun and Little Sun from living their best possible lives. She came to Shanghai after leaving her husband expecting to find a beautiful city by the sea, but was hit with the reality of a dirty and crowded city. Zhao did not get a proper education due to the cultural revolution and when she arrived in Shanghai worked in a factory with all other women. Zhao brought Big Sun to live with her in Shanghai creating long term issues for both her sons. Big Sun excelled in middle school, but could not attend high school in Shanghai because of his residency status forcing him to return to their rural home village in which he was not prepared well enough for high school. Little Sun suffered from being a "left-behind child" and was misdiagnosed with a mental disability and sent away. Zhao resented China for preventing her sons from living their best lives due to the residency high school rules.

The upsurge of religion in China (from The China Reader)

Elaborate: Unlike liberal democracies, which generally accord their citizens the right to complete freedom of religious belief and practice, the People's Republic of China claims that it needs to control religion in order to preserve social harmony and economic modernization. The government has a bureau that is officially in charge of religious affairs— the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA). Until fairly recently, these social scientists would probably have overwhelmingly agreed with Document 19 that religion is a historical phenomenon whose demise will inevitably come with modernization, albeit probably not until a period of "cultural lag" has run its course: "Old thinking and habits," cautions Document 19, "cannot be thoroughly wiped out in a short period." The problem for the secularization thesis— and hence for the CCP— is that it appears to be wrong. Far from inexorably receding, religions all over the world are growing and seeking increasingly vigorous engagements with public affairs. The problem for the secularization thesis— and hence for the CCP— is that it appears to be wrong. Far from inexorably receding, religions all over the world are growing and seeking increasingly vigorous engagements with public affairs. Significance: When Mao Zedong and his Communists triumphed over the Nationalists and established the People's Republic in 1949, there were fewer than a million Protestants in all of China. Under Mao, who died in 1976, restrictions on religion and the religious were severe. Since 1979, however, the ranks of Chinese Protestants have grown exponentially. The first response to the breakdown of the old policies has been to tolerate different experimental, ad hoc responses to local religious developments, while officially maintaining the framework of Document 19.

The Tinananmen Incident 1976

Identify: A gathering of people at Tiananmen square to honor the death of Premier Zhou. Elaborate: The death of Premier Zhou enlai on January 8, 1976, produced genuine grief within the chinese population. Although Zhou received of cial honors following his passing, the tribute in no way matched popular feelings. Moreover, mourning activities were restricted, the mourning period was curtailed, and the media shifted its emphasis to attacking "right deviationist winds," code words for the policies of Zhou and Deng xiaoping. Mao declined to attend any memorial events. In late March, a series of demonstrations that featured attacks on the Politburo radicals took place in Nanjing. News of this development reached beijing and fed into the underlying pressure that had been growing since mid-March with the approach on April 4 of Qingming, the festival for honoring the dead, an occasion that allowed the public to express respect for Zhou and resentment over his treatment. The crucial decision, pushed through by Jiang Qing following reports of how strongly she was being attacked by protesters, was to remove the wreaths despite an informal understanding that they could stay for several days. This occurred overnight following Qingming, but as news of the removal spread on April 5, several tens of thousands of outraged people gathered on the Square. Significance: People lost respect for Mao and the government. This was a spontaneous demonstration that represented widespread public sentiment opposing Mao's policies and apprehension about China's future.

The Hundred Flowers Period 1956-1957

Identify: A two year period in which Mao and the CCP promoted the expression of public opinion concerning the communist regime. This was in response to the great criticism the CCP faced from intellectuals who were ostracized and estranged by the party. Elaborate: This was one of the first party promoted campaigns to hear self-criticism. Many intellectuals spoke up about the dangers of the continual trust in the CCP. In fact, this was a step towards Western ideology and liberalization which went against the flow of Party promoted ideas. Significance: Interestingly, the CCP followed up the Hundred Flowers Campaign with an Anti-Rightist crackdown which sought out intellectuals who appeared to favor capitalism and who were against collectivization. Interestingly, the CCP's definition of rightist was never clearly defined and was often used as an advantage; the CCP also used the anti-rightist movement to purge the party of left leaning party members. (I can add some more later...) After this brief period of liberalization, Mao used this to oppress those who challenged the communist regime by using force. The crackdown continued through 1957 as an Anti-Rightist Campaign against those who were critical of the regime and its ideology. Those targeted were publicly criticized and condemned to prison labor camps. It was Mao's first notable failure.

Angry Youth

Identify: A video sparked national pride to an extent of hatred for international companies. Elaborate: On the morning of April 15th, a short video entitled 2008 China Stand Up! appeared on Sina.com, The video, which was just over six minutes long and is now on YouTube, captured the mood of nationalism that surged through China after the Tibetan uprising, in March, sparked foreign criticism of China's hosting of the 2008 Summer Olympics. Citizens were greeting the criticism with rare fury. Thousands demonstrated in front of Chinese outlets of Carrefour, a French supermarket chain, in retaliation for what they considered France's sympathy for pro-Tibetan activists. The film ends with the image of a Chinese flag, aglow in the sunlight, and a solemn promise: "We will stand up and hold together always as one family in harmony!" Significance: Nineteen years after the crackdown on student-led protests in Tiananmen Square, China's young elite rose again this spring— not in pursuit of liberal democracy but in defense of sovereignty and prosperity. The timing couldn't have been more opportune: after more than fifteen years of reform and Westernization, Chinese writers were pushing back against Hollywood, McDonald's, and American values.

Rob Schmitz subtitles his book "Big City Dreams Along a Shanghai Road". What does he mean by this?

Identify: Although Shanghai is considered to be a "Big City" the development and city life does not correlate with the lives the Chinese live in Shanghai. Elaborate: The characters in the book have big dreams for themselves and their families, but Shanghai at some points is what stops them from achieving their dreams. For example, Big Sun moves to Shanghai with his mother in hopes of them both having a better life, but because Big Sun has to move back to his rural hometown for high school in which he is years behind in school, he cannot go to college or lead to life that in middle school seemed like his future. Significance: Although Shanghai is a city, it does not always share the promise of other big world cities like New York.

The debate over the book Unhappy China in China (from my chapter in Chinese Politics book)

Identify: Book written by "five grassroots intellectuals" which discusses state-society relations. It directs anger at those within China who have not sufficiently defended China's interests against Western influence. Considered a sequel to 1996 China Can Say No. Elaborate: The book "depicts the decline of a school of ideas that has existed in China for three decades and has dominated the world-views of the country's political elites, government economists, and cultural elites." The debate within China over Unhappy China mostly takes place on the internet. Significance: The debate around this book is about what china should do about their economy and politics. Some argue that "China should seize the best opportunity created by the financial crisis and stand out as a leader." Other believe "this radical nationalism must be brought under control, and we should adopt a more rational and realistic thinking."

Why does hip-hop scare the Chinese Communist Party? (handout)

Identify: CCP feels threatened by rap culture in China and their use of derogatory language. Elaborate:Rapper Wang Hao has had all his music removed from music-streaming services because of their use of derogatory language and references to drug use. Wang blamed his rap lyrics on the influence of "black music." China's media regulator was reported to have circulated guidelines informing broadcasters that they should not feature hip-hop music or give airtime to people with questionable morals, undesirable ideologies or visible tattoos. In 2014 the country's leader, Xi Jinping, said there was a place in China for imported art forms such as rap as long as they conveyed "healthy and upbeat" messages. Foreign pop idols are finding it harder to get permission to perform in China. Justin Bieber and Katy Perry are among the most famous to have been barred in recent months. Significance: This is significant because it is an example the CCP's efforts to censor artists and stop the influence of Western culture, yet the CCP's motives are incongruent with the evolving taste of younger Chinese.

Chinas coal country

Identify: China has been working to decrease their reliance on coal in an attempt to be more environmentally aware. China's demand for coal rose this year after declining the previous 3 years. Elaborate: Trying to decrease their use of coal in the house through heating and cooking. There is now a huge demand for a new source of fuel (natural gas)creating a shortage and raising prices. Many people are without heat, so the government has allowed homes without heating failures to keep using coal. The reduction of coal has very good public support due to the national issues of pollution and its health effects. Significance: Decreasing their coal usage has already benefited some Chineses cities and eventually could benefit the entire world. Although the reduction of coal has had many setbacks, it does have public approval.

1. The CCP's view of Western culture and Western ideas (mentioned in my PPT lecture, my PPT slides and my book chapter)

Identify: China sees Western Culture as a threat to the CCP's continued existence based on what has happened in the Soviet Union and other countries that have become more democratic countries. Elaborate: The Seven Perils/ Dangers to the CCP Rule, almost all dealt with Western Culture (western democracy, promoting universal human rights, media independence and civic participation), Blame western culture/ideas for the century of humiliation; this anti-western sentiment progressed into the government promotion of "The Chinese Dream" and a return to former greatness. Government cracked down on western series now have to be submitted a year in advance with subtitles to be approved, only 44 revenue sharing films are allowed a year, CCP thinks it's the reason the Soviet Union fell and other revolutions. Significance: Given the negative attitude of the CCP to Western Culture it would be tightly controlled as to what the people would see. They are very wary of Western Culture which doesn't mean the end of Western Culture but it will continue to be restricted by the CCP. In fact, the CCP views American soft power as a greater threat than its military power. CCP fears a revolution influenced by foreign cultures.

Xi Jinping: who he is and why he's important

Identify: China's current leader. Elaborate: Xi Jinping is extremely powerful and unchallenged in China. Xi is trying to bring China back to its former glory before the 19th century when they fell behind by not modernizing during the industrial revolution. The "Xi Jinping Thought" means that any challenge to the president will now be seen as a threat to Communist Party rule. Significance: He was shown on the cover the Economist in 2017 labelled the world's most powerful man. Under him, China has enacted economic reform to combat slowing growth, such as cutting down bloated state-owned industries and reducing pollution, as well as its One Belt One Road trade project. Questions are arising if he is seeking to extend power. The Chinese Communist party just recently voted to remove age barriers so that President Xi could continue to serve as China's leaders. Some are expressing concern that this event bears a striking resemblance to China's past history.

Hong Kong bookseller Gui Minhai's situation as reported in Chinese and Western media (handouts, one from China and one from the Guardian)

Identify: Chinese and western media express different interpretation on Gui's arrest by the Chinese government. Elaborate: From Chinese media perspective, Gui Minhai was used and manipulated by the Swedish government to provide national secrets and intelligence to the government. The description of Gui and his family's attitude toward Swedish government was very negative. The article said, Instead of leaving for Sweden, Gui wanted to voluntarily stay and live in China and did not want to receive any awards. From Western media perspective, Gui was forced and coerced by the Chinese government to make the confessions. They thought this indicated Xi Jingping's hardline rule with a succession of government critics. The media utilized the missing tooth to show Chinese government's "brutal intervention". Significance: It illustrates the difference between Chinese and western perspective of the sensitive issues. Chinese perspective defends Chinese government and attacks Sweden (the west). It shows that the western country brutally intervenes the peaceful life of Gui in China. Western media perspective criticized Chinese government's use of forced confession. This could be seen as the hard power that western country always condemns.

The relative importance of nationalism in China today as discussed by Rosen in class and in the readings assigned for the class (including The China Reader)

Identify: Chinese nationalism precludes great power and intensity, its existence cannot be denied. Elaborate: In recent years, the Chinese have come out strongly (in demonstration) against past actions of other countries towards them. The American bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, the EP-3 incident in 2001, the virulent criticisms of Taiwanese leaders, and most importantly, the Chinese attempts to bolster their economic and military power is also an attempt to Bolster Chinese national pride in uniting their people against the West. Chinese nationalism is a reaction to the past humiliation (xiuru) and insecurity caused by the dominance and abuse of China in the past by foreign nations. This has left China's nationalism to develop 1. based upon the teachings of the Chinese Communist Party whose name and teachings are synonymous to patriotism; 2. By promoting the mistrust of foreign countries in spreading their ideas, specifically the fight against Western imperialism; 3. Through the essential role played by Chinese Elites in the manipulation and propagation of the nationalist ideology and their need modernize China in connection to the elitist character of Confucian societies. Significance: The Chinese attempt of raise nationalism in China's is important because it can be attributed to the tumult of Chinese history and acts as a driving force behind China's bright future.

Chinese and Western technology firms and their attempts to break into each other's market (handout)

Identify: Chinese technology companies have cultivated a tech universe so large that it exists almost exclusively on its own sustained by the country's population, but cut off from the rest of the world by Beijing's Fire Wall. Western technology companies exist within the rest of the world but many are not allowed in China. Technology companies must either make products aimed at China or the rest of the world. Elaborate: Tech companies need to have two different sets of partners for China and the rest of the world. Technology that includes use of social media banned sites in China must be removed/replaced before entering the Chinese market. Significance: It is very difficult for Western tech companies to enter the Chinese market and vise versa due to their differing concerns about security. The increasing difficulty for Chinese and US companies to break into each other's markets had forced both sides to adapt and change as they look to appeal to each other. For Chinese companies to break into the Western market they have to down play their roots.

Strategy used by the Chinese government to win back legitimacy after June 1989

Identify: Continue reform and give endorsements to the central and southern China. Elaborate: In what became known in the West as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, troops with automatic rifles and tanks killed at least several hundred demonstrators trying to block the military's advance towards Tiananmen Square. The number of civilian deaths has been estimated variously from 180 to 10,454. What nally turned the tables was his dramatic Southern Inspection Tour (Nanxun) in early 1992, in which he decamped from beijing for central and southern China, where the country's most notable economic progress had taken place.14 During his tour, he gave a series of speeches with ringing endorsements of the bold and successful economic reforms in the areas he visited, saying bluntly, "Development is the absolute principle" and warning the party of the danger of being "overcautious" in promoting reform. Significance: Party conservatives, particularly Premier Li Peng, fearing they would be deposed by Deng, began frantically issuing documents in support of reform. e signal given to provincial and local leaders was invest, invest, invest. Growth and foreign investment surged. At the national congress held in October 1992, the party formally committed itself to building a "socialist market economy," replacing the "socialist planned com- modity economy" that had been touted as the o cial aim of economic reform since 1984—a slight change in wording with momentous signi cance for the economic miracle to come because of the use of the word "market."

Polarization between rich and poor in China today (inequality chapter in China Reader page 210, rural urban )

Identify: Currently ratio of city household income to rural is 4:1. China has 408 billionaires, but its costly to lead a middle-class life in china. Elaborate: Social equality used to be a priority in the Mao era, but now economic growth has been the priority and equality has been abandoned. But the abandonment of Mao-style egalitarianism was more direct than this statement implies. Deng rejected Mao's egalitarianism as "everyone eating from the same big pot," an approach he saw as destroying incentives. Instead, he argued, "it is good to allow some people to get rich first," as this would stimulate others to try to do so as well. After 1979 China established special economic zones (SEZs) along the coast where tax relief and other incentives attracted foreign companies to set up factories. As a result of these and other market-oriented reforms, China's coastal cities and SEZs began to develop very rapidly, and after the mid-1980s the gap in average incomes between the coast and the interior, and between urban areas in general and the countryside, began to widen once again. Significance: Many suggest that the widening gaps between rich and poor in China, and the contrasts of such gaps with the egalitarianism of Mao's day, are creating anger and resentment among the citizens, fueling mass protests that increasingly threaten China's political stability.

The May Fourth Movement

Identify: From 1919 to 1924, a crucial period in China's political, social, cultural development. The name of the movement is taken from the events of May 4, 1919 when students and others gathered in Beijing and other cities to protest the terms of the Versailles Peace Treaty, which gave Japan control of former german concessions in Shandong province following WWI. Elaborate: The major themes of the movement were national independence, dignity, and salvation. The twenty-one demands, a set of demands made by imperial Japan on the government of China in January 1915, gave Japan territory and other concessions in China. The weak response by the Chinese government led to widespread student protests which gave rise to the May Fourth Movement. Significance: Many intellectuals were radicalized by the event of the time, one result of which was the founding of the CCP on July 1, 1921.

The fate of three characters of your choice in the film "To Live" (long er, feng xia, you qiang, chun shang)

Identify: Fugui - ends up living; Chunsheng - falls into a deep depression (almost kills himself - does in the book); Fengxia - dies in labor Elaborate: Fugui - everything he's done to support the Communist revolution has resulted in ruin; everything he's done selfishly has benefitted him (Gambling his house away removed his landlord status, continuing the tradition of shadow puppets - a reminder of the dynastic periods of China - saved his life when the Communist army defeated the nationalist, etc). Chunsheng - continued supporting the revolution and rose in the ranks to become the district head; although his superior status represents the epitome of success in the Communist Revolution, he still contemplates suicide because of his wife's suicide and the party turning against him Fengxia - becomes mute because of the lack of medicine and professional medical help when she is younger; dies in labor because all of the intellectuals (doctors, professors, etc) have been locked away and the common people have been entrusted with her life; represents the oppressed and voiceless people (who trusted the CCP's vision and promise of safety and success) who died because of the CCP's lack of responsibility and knowledge. Significance: The fate of the characters in the book are much harsher because films are more heavily censored. The film is more of a critique of the Great Leap Forward, while the book is more of a critique of Chinese officials. To get approval for the film, Fugui had to be optimistic at the end of the film. Every time you try to do something politically correct, it ends up hurting you.

The Cultural Revolution 1966-1976

Identify: It was a sociopolitical movement in China from 1966 until 1976. Elaborate: Launched by Mao Zedong, then Chairman of the Communist Party of China, its stated goal was to preserve 'true' Communist ideology in the country by purging remnants of capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society, and to re-impose Maoist thought as the dominant ideology within the Party. The movement was fundamentally about elite politics, as Mao tried to reassert control by setting radical youths against the Communist Party hierarchy. The Cultural Revolution aimed for a purge of capitlistic ideals via violent class struggles. Significance: It marked Mao's return to a position of power after the Great Leap Forward. Some 1.5 million people were killed during the Cultural Revolution, and millions of others suffered imprisonment, seizure of property, torture or general humiliation. The Cultural Revolution's short-term effects may have been felt mainly in China's cities, but its long-term effects would impact the entire country for decades to come. Mao's large-scale attack on the party and system he had created would eventually produce a result opposite to what he intended, leading many Chinese to lose faith in their government altogether.

Lin Biao

Identify: Lin Biao was a Marshall of the People's Republic of China who was pivotal in the Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, especially in Northeast China. Elaborate: Long March veteran, and one of the CCP's greatest military leaders during the civil and anti-Japanese wars. A Mao favorite, he became defense minister in 1959 following the dismissal of Peng Dehuai for criticism of the Great Leap Forward. Mao chose Lin as his successor at the start of the Cultural Revolution, an appointment written into the 1969 CCP constitution. Mao grew increasingly unhappy with Lin over a number of bizarre mat- ters starting in 1970. Lin and other members of his family were killed in a plane crash while trying to flee China after an alleged (but unlikely) failed coup attempt against Mao. Significance: He helped stabilize China after the cultural revolution by reviving educational system and restoring numerous former officials to power. Helped develop The Cultural Revolution and kill Liu Shaoqi who had been Mao's second in command. In the new constitution, Lin was made Mao's successor until he amassed too much power.

Mao Zedong

Identify: Mao Zedong was the absolute ruler of China from the founding of the People's Republic on October 1, 1949, to his death on September 9, 1976. One of the founders of the CCP in 1921. Elaborate: Under his leadership the communist regime achieved initial successes followed by two decades of wrenching failures, most notably the Great Leap Forward (1958-1962) and the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), and periods of partial, tortured recovery. Mao's policies varied greatly. Two broad tendencies can be identified: the "revolutionary romantic" and the pragmatic. He avoided unnecessary struggles, sought to maximize the united front of potential allies, and bided his time until the balance of forces shifted to the CCP's favor. Significance: Mao had overturned an exploitative social system, brought peace and order, launched economic construction, and, above all, expelled the foreign powers and restored China's national dignity.

The basic contradictions that mark youth attitudes and behavior in China

Identify: Nationalism, Internationalism, and Materialism Elaborate: They have become internationalist in their global outlook and looking to foreign trends, always looking to have a good lifestyle, and love of their country. These will come in conflict with each other, for example after 1999 bombing, do you boycott western products? There was a boycott of Carfour because when the olympic torch went through Paris, someone grabbed the torch out of a blind Chinese woman's hands. Someone wanted to start the boycott after all their coupons had expired. Nationalism, love of their country which can be seen through the amount of volunteerism that followed the Sichuan earthquake. Materialism, worrying about living a good life. Significance: An understanding of Chinese state society relations: are the Chinese dream and each individual's dream compatible? Makes it hard to aggregate individual interests into national interest.

Can Germany overcome bias against China?

Identify: New disagreements between China and Germany have added to the already troubled bilateral ties. Recent trouble was stirred up by the German side that misunderstood certain issues or viewed China with prejudice. Behind the rhetoric lies problems with Berlin's mindset. The powerful European nation has yet to adapt to the rise of China; it is anxious about China's behavioral patterns and is in disagreement with China's systems and rules. Elaborate: Since 2000, China's aggregate economic output has outpaced several developed countries, making it the world's second largest economy. It surpassed Germany in 2007, and though the Chinese economy needs to improve its quality, its size alone is enough to make Germany feel uncomfortable. Furthermore, China's rising political and diplomatic influence over the years has also exacerbated China's uneasiness. Restrained by history, the German elite and people tend to play it safe and fail to adapt to changes in the outside world. Most of them are unwilling to understand China and lack proper channels to do so. Influenced by media critical of Beijing, the German people the German people have misunderstood China and developed prejudices. Ultimately, Germany disagrees with China's system and development path because of of their long held intolerance of other cultures and from their emphasis on rules and regulations. German public opinion is rooted in the fear of China being a non-transparent, unfair and unruly investor and untrustworthy player in international affairs. This derives both from Germans' intolerance of other cultures and from their emphasis on rules and regulations. Significance: A slew of anti-China activities has taken place because of rising populist mood within Germany. "Shaping China" has been a wish of some German elite, so they would show their disapproval when China adheres to its own road of development and political system. On the one hand, Germany has increasing space for cooperation with China due to the latter's direction of development, including its opening-up policy and assumption of more international responsibilities; on the other hand, Germany as a country has its own vested interests, and is feeling pressured by economic and institutional competition in the current international order. Cooperation amid confrontation will be a prominent feature on Germany's attitude toward China in the future.

How Sharp Power threatens Soft Power (handout)

Identify: Sharp power uses misleading information to change the will of people. Sharp power is a form of hard power. Elaborate: Sharp power is different now because of the speed with which disinformation can spread and the low cost of spreading it due to the internet. Sharp power is challenging for democracies to use because their use of soft power is powerful due to their honesty and transparency. Soft power is rarely sufficient on its own. But when coupled with hard power, it is a force multiplier. Authoritarian governments have long tried to use fake news and social disruption to reduce the attractiveness of democracy. In the 1980s, the KGB seeded the rumor that AIDS was the product of U.S. government experiments with biological weapons; the rumor started with an anonymous letter to a small New Delhi newspaper and then was propagated globally by widespread reproduction and constant repetition. But if sharp power has disrupted Western democratic processes and tarnished the brand of democratic countries, it has done little to enhance the soft power of its perpetrators—and in some cases it has done the opposite. n Australia, for example, public approval of China was growing, until increasingly alarming accounts of its use of sharp power tools, including meddling in Australian politics, set it back considerably. As democracies respond to sharp power, they have to be careful not to overreact, so as not to undercut their own soft power by following the advice of those who advocate competing with sharp power on the authoritarian model. Significance: Sharp power refers to the information warfare being waged by today's authoritarian powers, particularly China and Russia. The use of sharp power could make the US and other democracies to rethink the tools they use to respond, as sharp power and soft power work in different directions from each other with regards to how we frame information (deception versus acceptance).

The key points made by Clayton Dube during his guest lecture

Identify: Why take this class? China's large population, economy, and emissions. Does history matter? Yes, but there are many different parts to history and history is reinterpreted for modern needs. How much of history is myth? Unknown How is history used to justify the present? Used to promote new things Confucius - finds history important Legalism - rule by law, do not believe in history Belt and road initiative- (manifestation of the qing dynasty) Population growth after 1949 Land area vs population in eastern and western china Mandate of heaven Mongolian Empire Ming Dynasty (population at highest was less than 100 million) Building of Great Wall Jesuits introduce maps Chinese had to wear a braid as a sign of submission s Elaborate: China's history, albeit tumultuous, has led China to this point wherein their economic development and rapid transformations are making it a world leader on par with the United States, which is sure to cause an interesting dynamic between the two countries in the years to come. The U.S. and China, although different in almost every way, have futures that are much more likely to depend on working with each other then against one-another. Significance: The U.S. china

Chinese and American soft power

Identify: Soft Power: getting other countries to behave how you want them to behave through attraction (culture, practices, etc.) rather than economic incentives and military coercion. The effectiveness of soft power resources depends on context, soft power cannot be understood without reference to the social context in which it operates. In international politics, soft power (a term I first used in a 1990 book) is the ability to affect others by attraction and persuasion rather than through the hard power of coercion and payment. Indirect sphere of influence through nongovernmental media. Elaborate: American soft power has been remarkably successful in China despite a general disinterest in soft power promoted by the American government. Chinese soft power abroad has not been very successful although they spend around $10 billion annually. Chinese popular culture has little global appeal next to the US or even South Korea. The "Soft Power 30" index ranks China 25th (and Russia 26th) out of 30 countries assessed. In public diplomacy, when Moscow's RT or Beijing's Xinhua broadcasts openly in other countries, it is employing soft power, which should be accepted even if the message is unwelcome Significance: American soft power is more effective because it is not related to American government while China's is related so anytime it does something negative, it reflects on China's image.

The Chinese dream

Identify: The China Dream is promoted as "national rejuvenation, improvement of people's livelihoods, prosperity, construction of a better society and miliary strengthening as the common dream of the Chinese people that can be best achieved under one party, socialist rule." The American dream focuses on individual happiness and individual prosperity and success and rise in social status. Elaborate: The "Chineses Dream" combines 1.3 billion dreams into one and is reliant on self-sacrifice for the state. The China dream is about glory of a nation and pays little attention to the happiness of the individual. China's deep rooted history underscores the collectivism of the nation in order to bring happiness, whereas America is comprised of immigrants pursuing individual freedom. Significance: The China dream is a state dream while the American dream is an individual dream. The China dream can be seen in The Street Of Eternal Happiness and how people behave differently in hopes of it. Seven differences between the China and American Dream: 1. Geographical and historical differences: America focuses on individual wealth and China focuses on increasing the nation's prosperity and strength 2. China has many nationalities and have not been sufficiently united; America is a nation of immigrants so less attachment to one's native place 3. American Dream stressed one's birth or social class is irrelevant, relying on own strength everyone has equal opportunity to be successful, a great attraction for immigrants; China has to rely on he 1.3 billion people already there 4. China has the concept of the country as a family with a strong collective consciousness, so that happiness can only be shared together (family and state). American culture stresses individualism. 5. China's deep sense of 5,000 years of history and civilization, and former great power status; American has 200-300 years of history and reliance on immigrants 6. China Dream relies on collective consciousness; American Dream is the search for individual happiness; country's strength comes from these individual efforts 7. China has dealt with pain and adversity since Opium War; China Dream for glory of nation; American dream about individual prosperity, success and rise in social status

The Gang of Four

Identify: The Gang of Four was the name given to a leftist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist party officials. Members were Jiang Qing, Mao's last wife, and her clse associates, Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan, and Wang Hongwen. Elaborate: They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution and were charged with a series of treasonous crimes. The Gang of Four controlled the power organs of the Communist Party of China through the latter stages of the Cultural Revolution, although it remains unclear which major decisions were made by Mao and carried out by the Gang or made by the Gang. Jiang Qing staged revolutionary operas during the Cultural Revolution and met with the Red Guards. Significance: The Gang of Four along with Lin Biao were labeled the two major "counter revolutionary forces" of the Cultural Revolution and officially blamed for the worst excesses of the societal chaos that ensued during the ten years of turmoil. They fell in a coup d'état a month after Mao's death that brought about major celebration marking the end of a turbulent political era in China.

The Great Leap Forward 1958-1961

Identify: The Great Leap Forward of the People's Republic of China (PRC) was an economic and social campaign by the Communist Party of China (CPC) from 1958 to 1962. Mao's greatest catastrophe. Elaborate: Seemingly unable to accept personal responsibility and seeking a new success, Mao undertook an unusually personal initiative in pushing the Great Leap, much to the surprise and consternation of his colleagues. The underlying objective of the Great Leap program was economic development at a rate far exceeding anything achieved in world history. This goal had broad support among the populace. The extreme reliance on mass mobilization devalued expert knowledge that might have moderated outlandish targets and methods. Apart from the deadly interaction of the procurement mechanism and false understanding of the real situation in the countryside, several speci c policies worsened conditions. one was the continued exporting of grain as famine conditions deepened in 1959-1960. Part of this was due to the need to export in order to generate the foreign exchange necessary for modern inputs from abroad; another was Mao's insistence on meeting and even speeding up contracted exports to the Soviet Union as the Sino-Soviet con ict intensi ed. even more detrimental was favoritism to the cities, a basic aspect of ccP policy since 1949 but now it resulted in deadly consequences. Although malnutrition occurred in urban areas, the cities were basically spared starvation as a conscious act of of cial policy. Another key to the catastrophe was the failure to report accurate information up the chain of command that would have revealed production shortfalls or exposed starvation. Throughout 1961, a series of measures were implemented to cope with the situation: drastic cuts in excessive investment; shifting resources to agriculture and consumer industries; ending radical decentralization to enhance economic coordination. People had to give in their metal to make iron that rarely worked. Significance: Demographic efforts to estimate "unnatural deaths" due to starvation generally place the number from around twenty- ve million to as high as the mid-forty millions. Moreover, when depressed birth rates are taken into account, the total "lost population" is estimated at between fty and seventy-six million. The Great Leap Forward affected people in the countryside differently than those in cities. The film "To Live" shows the great leap forward in a town where the conditions were not as bad because much of the food being grown in the country was being brought to the cities. To Live, the book, looks at the great leap forward from the countryside where everyone was extremely thin and starving. In the film, The Mao Years, film shows the devastating effects of the great leap forward on the peasants.

"The Golden Years" in the Maoist period (from Politics in China)

Identify: The first few years (1949-1956) of the PRC. Elaborate: This initial period of the PRC was, in the party's own terms, a great success. e economy was restored more or less on schedule by 1953, before beginning rapid growth along the lines of Soviet-style central planning. All of the country except for Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau had been brought under beijing's control by 1951. Through skillful diplomacy and especially by ghting the world's foremost power to a stalemate in the Korean War, China's national pride and international prestige had grown significantly. Significance: After a period of careful reassurance to the general populace and key groups, the CCP began to penetrate society and establish totalitarian control through organizational measures that reached into urban neighborhoods and villages. Moved towards Marxist objective of socialist transformation.

Zhou Enlai

Identify: The first premier of the people's republic of China (a diplomat). Zhou Enlai served alongside Mao Zedong, and was instrumental in helping the communist party come to power. Elaborate: he helped devise policies regarding the bitter disputes between the United States, Taiwan India, etc. Long March veteran. Headed the machinery of government after the founding of the PRC. Key role in détente with United States in early 1970s. Valued by Mao as a skilled administrator and diplomat, but not particularly respected by the Chairman. Some regard Zhou as a moderating in uence during the Cultural Revolution; others see him as an obsequious underling to Mao. Nevertheless, Mao became increasingly unhappy with Zhou in 1973-1974. Significance: While Mao was busy with the cultural revolution, Zhou was the one busy dealing with affairs of the state. He was relatively more progressive compared to other state leaders at the time. He struggled against the gang of four for leadership in China and died shortly after, the tiananmen square incident took place as a result of this.

A Post-Engagement US-China Relationship? (handout)

Identify: Trump is shifting US away from China and the US-China economic relations. US policy was engagement with China until the China started moving away from changing into a western market-oriented economic model. China's stause by the US has changed to "strategic competitor" with Russia. Elaborate: China no longer maintains ambiguity about the nature of the Chinese system and whether it will converge with OECD norms: it emphasizes the differentness and says it won't. The US now defines China as a strategic competitor, not a transitional nation converging with our norms, and sees economic dynamics as core to this competition: engagement is not a verb--sometimes the right action--not a noun describing a policy. Significance: We cannot be certain that the change by the US is permanent due to the current political situation. The US strategic shift is more likely to be sustained because Chinese leaders are doing relatively little to counter it. It would be more beneficial to both the US and China to work together rather than as competitors. They must work together with security (North Korea), pollution, politics, and economics.

China's population density (from The China Reader)

Identify: Unbalanced age and gender ratios could have catastrophic implications for China and the world. Elaborate: With 1.33 billion people, China today remains the world's most populous country. In a little more than a decade, however, it will for the first time in its long history give up this title, to India. But, even more important, China's demographic landscape has in recent decades been thoroughly redrawn by unprecedented population changes. Significance: With 1.33 billion people, China today remains the world's most populous country. In a little more than a decade, however, it will for the first time in its long history give up this title, to India. But, even more important, China's demographic landscape has in recent decades been thoroughly redrawn by unprecedented population changes. Political legitimacy in China over the past three decades has been built around fast economic growth, which in turn has relied on a cheap and willing young labor force. An aging labor force will compel changes in this economic model and may make political rule more difficult. An aging population will force national reallocations of resources and priorities, as more funds flow to health care and pensions. Political legitimacy in China over the past three decades has been built around fast economic growth, which in turn has relied on a cheap and willing young labor force. An aging labor force will compel changes in this economic model and may make political rule more difficult. An aging population will force national reallocations of resources and priorities, as more funds flow to health care and pensions.

The role of intellectuals in post-1949 Chinese politics (state and society section of the China reader)

Identify: Under Mao, especially during the cultural revolution, intellectuals were essentially banned from outwardly expressing their opinions, now still controlled but sometimes allowed. Elaborate: Under Mao Zedong, who ruled from 1949 until 1976, China was governed by a totalitarian system in which Mao and the Communist Party dominated not only the country's political life but also the intellectual, artistic, economic, and personal lives of their subjects. Under Mao Zedong, who ruled from 1949 until 1976, China was governed by a totalitarian system in which Mao and the Communist Party dominated not only the country's political life but also the intellectual, artistic, economic, and personal lives of their subjects. Under Mao Zedong, who ruled from 1949 until 1976, China was governed by a totalitarian system in which Mao and the Communist Party dominated not only the country's political life but also the intellectual, artistic, economic, and personal lives of their subjects. Significance: Under Mao Zedong, who ruled from 1949 until 1976, China was governed by a totalitarian system in which Mao and the Communist Party dominated not only the country's political life but also the intellectual, artistic, economic, and personal lives of their subjects.

The importance of the NATO bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia in May 1999 as a factor in the Sino-American relationship (mentioned in Rosen's PPT lecture and elsewhere)

Identify: Under the Clinton regime, NATO "accidentally" bombed the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade. Three Chinese officials died in the bombing and strained Sino-American relations even further. The Chinese public responded with outrage, while the government called it a "Barbarian Act". Elaborate: Mass protests erupted in almost every major city in China. Chinese Leader Hu Jintao gave a globally broadcasted speech condemning American actions as a violation of NATO and UN agreements and sovereignty. Hu Jintao stated that the unauthorized protests represent the outrage of the Chinese people. Chinese protesters cornered American officials in the Beijing embassy and held riots for 4 days before Jintao finally agreed to broadcast Bill Clinton's apology message which had been blocked prior; the two countries attitudes were appeased on May 14th. Significance: The Chinese people collectively spoke out in congruence with the CCP and government. A step closer to anti-western sentiment. The event is not spoken about much anymore because it is not beneficial to the government to bring it up. It is unlikely an event like this will ever happen again, but it has further instilled a fear of western culture in China.

The roots of China's ethnic conflicts

Identify: Unequal economy growth, Peripheral regions, Religious resurgence/governmental interference, migrant competition, trouble at school Elaborate: Ethnic tensions in today's China, which has 55 official minority groups, mainly concern the historical outer peripheries, Tibet and Xinjiang. Notably, state sponsorship of religious revival occurred mainly in sensitive ethnic regions. This conflict between community needs for religious education and state bans on private madrassas defines the religious problem in Xinjiang.Preferential treatment in college admissions is perhaps the most polarizing carrot in China's minority policies. In interior regions, Han students complain that minorities look like them and go to the same schools but receive extra points on college entrance exams. In heavily ethnic regions, minority students may take those exams in their native language and receive a significant amount of extra points. The exams in ethnic languages are also easier in content. Demand for Mandarin-speaking, hard-working migrant labor is a major reason for their presence, not deliberate population transfer by the state. Such unskilled migrants have posed direct competition to ethnic labor within the minority regions. The massive unemployment among Uighurs— especially college graduates and youths— raises the question of why intensive economic growth in post-Mao China has not sufficiently lifted a key minority region such as Xinjiang.

China's performance at Davos

Identify: While Davos was underway, China was making other efforts to stretch the geographical ambitions of its Belt and Road initiative even further. Elaborate: President Michel Temer of Brazil welcomed an unexpected offer from Beijing for Latin American nations to work closely with a Chinese initiative, known as the Belt and Road, intended to spread its economic and diplomatic influence abroad. Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi of Pakistan used his talk to praise the rapidly expanding Chinese investments in his country, including to build power stations and a large port. Belt and Road started as a plan to not only spread Chinese influence globally, but also revive economic investment and diplomatic links across Central Asia. The plan gradually extended to include the Mideast, Europe and eastern Africa, with Beijing promising hundreds of billions of dollars of investment in highways, rail lines, ports, power stations and other infrastructure, much of it through loans from Chinese state-owned banks. However, skeptics argue that recipients of this plan will incur debt and it will also cause environmental damage; for instance, Venezuela has yet to repay massive amounts of debt to Russia, thus Russia has exerted control via Russian warships on Venezuelan ports. Despite such remarks, China believes that this initiative is economically and financially feasible Significance: National leaders seemed to vie with one another in Davos in calling for closer cooperation with China, which starkly contrasts US protectionism and aggressive trade policies.

China's Power, Rejuvenated by Force (handout)

Identify: Written by Wong, a Chinese American journalist. China is shaping the world as a result of the Communist Party's exercise of hard power rather than the product of gravitational pull of Chinese ideas or contemporary culture. Elaborate: While the United States uses soft power lead by their promises of freedom and clean government, Chinese power in domestic and international realms has become synonymous with brute strength, bribery, and browbeating. China uses hard power not soft power nationally and internationally to benefit the CPP. Significance: China is using things such as the Belt and Road which will have benefits for other nations but will also allow China to pressure them to do business with Chinese state-owned enterprises, as they have done in Asia and Africa. Pessimistic article in criticizing the Chinese government and their way of influencing people/other countries through hard power.

The likelihood of student protests today in comparison to the situation in 1989 (specific evidence is better than vague generalities)

Identify:It is very unlikely that student protest today as they did in 1989. Elaborate: Nothing was open at night (bars, restaurants). The government needed to prove legitimacy by listening to what the people wanted and actually act on it. They opened up everything in Beijing (and other cities) and made taxis cheaper. "People who shave heads make more money than those who thought with them (PHD)." It can be seen through The Street of Eternal Happiness that young people are not concerned with protests. Most of the things students were protesting for they got. Significance: The Likelihood of a student protest today is much less likely than in 1989 because a lot of what students were protesting for in 1989, students and the youth have today. For example, nike shoes, taking a date out to the bar. Government is tightening up on the internet because they do not want an opening for another protest to take place.

A number of the sources used thus far have suggested that the Internet has played an enormous role in changing China, in the areas of language, identity, politics, state-society relations, and culture, to name just some of the obvious areas influenced by the development and growth of the Internet. At the same time, the Chinese State has labored to control this expanding arena for public opinion. Compose an essay in which you address the Internet and its role in promoting change in China and the changing rules of the game that link the State and Chinese citizens.

Internet has given Chinese the ability to discover more about other countries and cultures allowing them to find faults in their own country. Can be seen through China's firewall protections that the internet is a fear for the CCP. The soft power of the US and their culture has influenced the Chinese in a way that the China has not influenced other countries. This scars the Chinese government. The Internet is allowing Chinese forums to speak about common issues and bring them out to each other. This allows for people from different parts of China to communicate and could cause a mass uprising, but because of the governments harsh censorship of the internet it is unlikely that this would happen.

Given the many changes in China after the death of Mao, what, if anything, is the legacy Mao has left to China? In other words, what aspects of Mao's "thought" or "vision" are likely to remain permanent or semi-permanent features of the Chinese landscape in years to come?

Mao Zedong ought was intensely practical and oriented toward contemporary problems. e focus was on concrete Chinese conditions, as exemplified in Mao's famous dictum that Marxism-Leninism was the arrow, but its significance was in hitting the target of the Chinese revolution. Another seminal concept was "truth from facts"—that theory must never blind leaders from the reality of the situation. In concrete terms this led to cautious military policies, as be t the weaker forces of the CCP, and exible rural policies that pushed mild or more far-reaching social reforms according to prevailing conditions and the party's needs. Mao left a legacy of Communist singe party China, mass campaigns, he helped to boost the economy, but during times of the Great Leap Forward, it was at the cost of peasants Left the legacy of mass campaigns, can be seen now with Xi and his Belt and Road program and the China Dream Mao's authority was absolute, but his manner of rule was less intrusive or disruptive than in any subsequent period of the PRC. Although imposing his views in a small albeit crucial number of cases, generally Mao served as the chairman of the board, allowing his more specialist colleagues, notably Premier Zhou enlai and economic czar Chen Yun, to shape programs in the areas of their special competence, with Mao largely acting as a synthesizer and arbiter of policy decisions. Mao continued the consultative style of the 1940s, acknowledged his own lack of expertise, and re ected his relatively centrist position on the issues of the day. In contrast to the full-blooded Maoism of the Great Leap or Cultural Revolution, Mao's ideological position up to 1956 was largely the orthodox Marxism that saw socialist victory in terms of seizing ownership of the forces of production, and his political task was the relatively incremental one of adjusting the pace of socialist transformation.

Implicitly or explicitly the lectures, readings, and video material have addressed the differences between Mao's China and post-Mao China (including China under Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping). Write an essay in which you compare and contrast political, social and economic life in Maoist and post-Maoist China.

Maoist China Political: only one party, power concentrated at the top and then dispersed throughout the rest of the country, serious issues coming for the highest parts of the government (seen in To Live), use of campaigns for mass movement Social: Little to no freedom, assigned to where you would be and what you would do by the government, shut out to foreign influences Economic: communist economy, given what you need by the state Post-Maoist China Political: still only one party, moving away from the US Social: more freedom, but still very censored, influences from western world through Hollywood, fashion, and other things Economic: Economy extremely large and powerful, communist still but with some market economics

It is September 1976 and Mao Zedong has just died. The editor of the Los Angeles Times has heard that you are a renowned China scholar and has asked you to write an obituary of the Chairman, emphasizing such aspects as his Thought, his contributions to China (enduring and otherwise), his failings (if any), and his role in the Chinese political process. After writing his obituary, please discuss how your obituary would be different if Mao had died in 1965? What about if he had died in 1945?

One of Mao's greatest achievements in the 1935-1945 decade was to fashion a unified party. In contrast to the bitter and often violent inner-party factionalism of the early 1930s, Mao created a uni ed leadership around his person and policies, a pro- cess that was not based on advancing over the broken bodies of opponents, as often claimed, but instead on a shrewd process of garnering broad support. Apart from the crucial matter of propagating a successful revolutionary strategy, Mao accomplished this by moderate treatment of former political opponents, eschewing a Politburo* made up of or even including his own closest supporters, but instead, drawing widely on talent and from representatives of different party constituencies or "mountaintops" to sta key positions. Had a decentralized party structure. Legacy--Mass campaigns and how they changed Thoughts: Urged people to follow a new path, making China up to par with its previous glory Contributions to China: improved infrastructure, organized the country Failings: The Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, Role in Chinese Political Process: mass campaign, propaganda Died in 1965: after the Great Leap Forward, before the Cultural Revolution Died in 1945: before Mao came to power in 1949, seen as a revolutionary who created a unified party. Mao created a united leadership around his person and politics and gained broad support.

Reasons for discontent in China today (many sources)

Pollution, Dislike of Rap, More restrictions on television

The attitudes and behavior of Chinese youth today are marked by a series of contradictions, reflecting their internal conflict over pragmatic (materialist), nationalist and internationalist values. Compose an essay in which you discuss the current state of youth values in China, and how Chinese youth are able to hold simultaneously and even reconcile such contradictory values in their minds. (handouts, PPT slides, China Reader, Street of Eternal Happiness)

Pragmatic (materialist): looking to have a good lifestyle, contradicts the China Dream which requires self-sacrifice to help China become a better nation, unlike the American dream which honors individuals and their hopes and dreams, the China dream is only about improving China not the individual Nationalist: love for their country, seen through the amount of volunteerism that followed the Sichuan earthquake Internationalist: global outlook and looking into foreign trends, Hollywood films, there are high approval ratings from Chinese youth regarding the government three branch system in the united states, this directly counters the Chinese government system is which there is no balance of power and checks and balances These come into conflict with each other for example 1999 bombing, do they boycott western products. There was a boycott of Carfour because when the Olympic torch went through Paris someone grabbed the torch out of a blind Chinese woman's hand. Some wanted to start the boycott after all their coupons has expired.

In the course of this term we have used some "unconventional" sources for information on China, including a feature film, videos, a novel (the basis of the film I showed in class, where I discussed some differences between the novel and the film), and handouts of various types. Do these unconventional sources add anything not also readily available from more conventional sources such as textbooks, monographs and lectures? Write an essay in which you compare, specifically, the conventional and unconventional sources we have used this term. What are the advantages and disadvantages of these divergent sources?

Unconventional sources add visuals See how things are interpreted by the local people through films and books Interesting to see what can and cannot pass censors When using textbooks, the information is spilled out simply and clearly, but lacks some visuals and real life examples New Paper articles give information about current events and how everyday decisions are affecting China Advantages of Unconventional Disadvantages of Unconventional They Can't get the same visual images in the textbook, visual can be more powerful