Iron and Silk post #1

"The four of us had a difficult time in Canton the day before. A China Travel Representative had approached us as we got off the train from Hong Kong and insisted that we would require his services if we expected to reach our destinations in China. China Travel Service, China's only travel service, specializes in imposing services on foreigners and failing to carry them out properly, thus creating a need for more services." (Pages 5 and 6) This made me laugh, and realize that scamming has been around forever, but also made me curious. China is notable for being very hospital to its guests, but as soon as you get there you find there to be only one travel service in the country and soon find that they are scamming you. There's nothing to do about it though, you are in a massive country you have never been to before, and only a few people speak English, and even fewer are willing to help. So you have to continue your trip knowing that you are being overcharged for their services but can't complain. That doesn't seem very hospitable to me. I also did some research on China travel service and found that they are still around today, so whatever they have been doing all these years must have been working. But I'm sure their prices are more reasonable due to the increased amount of travel services available.   

Aria's Third Blod Post

BLOG POST NUMBER 3

The beauty of this book is really in how Mark was able to show an appreciation for Chinese culture while simultaneously using it as the punch line of his jokes. The tone is didactic but inquisitive. It is impartial yet satiric. Early in the book Mark says, "I'd been interested in China since I was thirteen. I had seen the television movie "Kung Fu" and decided right away that peace of mind and a shaved head were what I had always wanted” (17). He is unquestionably captivated by the beautiful chinese culture. That is why his retellings of different experiences are so fascinating. If he didn’t have the kind of respect towards the culture that he does, the tone would not work. Comedians tend to make fun of themselves in their comedy acts because we actually absorb many messages through humor. The same is true for Iron and Silk. The lighthearted tone allows the reader to be more open to new ideas and experiences. Humor also lets us relate to these experiences.

Review/Favorite Part:

Something that I admire in Mark was how he made his passion his biggest priority and moved to China to live a life where he could practice his art form, teach his classes and explore the cultural diversities that life has to offer. Mark’s biggest passion in life is martial arts and he also likes calligraphy and language. After first studying it in the United States for years he is able to be taught by the best in China. He develops his internal strengths, “qi” and “gong fu.” But in addition to  following his passions, he learns about some inspiring beliefs that the Chinese have. They are dedicated and respectful people who are loyal to their friends and family. They are not arrogant and they punish any kind of disrespect. Also Mark meets people who change some of his views on life like when he met the fisherman who promises to by Mark his own fishing boat just because he is so honored that mark is his friend. This book just goes to show that every one of us has a story to tell. It starts with our ancestors and stops right now. Sometimes moving to a new place helps us appreciate the cultural diversity. That is why this book inspires me to travel and meet beautiful people like the people Mark met when he went to China. 

Frantic and Fantastic

The tone of the last third of the book seemed a little frantic. Over all the book had a very relaxed feel to it, truthful but not in as a rushed confessional way, more like he was telling you his story with a glass of wine listening to classical music. For the first two thirds it was all about Mark, and how he settled into China making it his home and experiencing the culture it has to offer. However, the last third of the book seemed to be about him tying up loose ends. There were multiple relationships that came to an end. He finished his taiji lessons with teacher Liang, and his wushu lessons with Pan drew to a close. "We don't have much time. Just a few months... What is the one thing you want to learn before you leave? Choose it, and I'll give it to you."(pg 185) Mark had two years in China and the last third of the book really concentrated on the different events that would leave an imprint on him. I think they were mainly the relationships that he had. At one point he talks about this professor that he meets who has a heart and liver condition. He practices his calligraphy with him  and the professor helps him perfect his brush strokes. Two weeks later however the professor goes into a coma. There were a lot of moments like this that were mentioned in the last third. The way that Mark told his story kept the reader relaxed while event after event piled onto of each other as the book drew to a close."My last month in China was a busy one, as I had to complete my teaching duties, prepare my belongings for the move back to the States, attend farewell meetings and banquets and begin saying goodbye to my friends, students, colleagues, and teacher."(pg.210) What Mark didn't realize was that he began saying good bye long before the final month or chapter of his story. He was desperate to experience the nation in it's true form and he did. The book had varied syntax which defiantly kept the reader interested and it was extremely funny so that the reader was never board during the journey, The syntax also added to making the reader feel more anxious as the end of Mark's story came to a close. there were more factual shorter sentences which added to the more frantic tone of the third half. The fact that it was frantic made the story unique. It made you want to keep turning the page and experiencing the next awkward encounter for yourself. It compelled you to ward the final word.

I really enjoyed Iron and Silk. It was a light read. I mean that in the way that it was easy to turn to the next page. It was funny and written in a really relaxed style that made it seem like he wanted you to experience what he was feeling, and Salzman did just that. The series of events that he chose to talk about were light and each event always had a moral of it's own. They mad you look on topics or ideas with a different perspective. For example there is an incident with a rat and Mark goes to collect a reward for killing it. However the rat collection office could not give it to him due to the fact that he was a foreigner and they couldn't let the world know that China has rats."I couldn't resist asking the student if he didn't think it was a bit silly. 'Of, of course it is very silly. But the comrades in the office, like anyone else, would rather do something silly that something stupid.'" Salzman did a wonderful job really hitting the morals or the knowledge that he gained from each experience home. I also loved the imagery that He used it really helped bring you into the story. There were many examples of this through out the book but one of my favorite moments was at the very end when he finally is dueling Pan with the sword."At that moment, everything was magnificent- the night, the heat the sword, Pan and I- we were all magnificent. I flew through the routine, and when it was done, I thought i had never known such exhilaration before."(pg. 211) The author did a wonderful job of including just the right amount of imagery with his factual encounters that it really made the story seem realistic and not just the memoir of some guy. Iron and Silk was filled with laughter and the joy of experiencing a different culture, making it light, relaxed, and an inspiration to those that want to go far in life.

Overview of Iron & Silk: Impartial and Empathetic

The blunt and almost impartial voice of the book made it easier and more comically interesting with its good amount of irony and naivete to balance out the history and cultural references. While having the class perform skits in English, their first time performing with members of the opposite sex, some of the students slip up because they are nervous and are learning a language they aren't too familiar with:
    "Duncan: Excuse me, girls. May I enjoy you?
     Me: Duncan, you mean 'join you.'
Duncan, embarrassed that he had made a mistake, turned purple.
     Me: Keep going.
The two girls put their imaginary paddles down angrily.
     Heidi: No! Go play with yourself!
     Me: You should say 'play by yourself'.'  You play with others, and play by yourself (192)."
The blunt and impartial way Mark narrates this scene makes it all the more funnier. Throughout the book, he tries to include sections that show naivete of others, which add to the comic relief. This section is funny because the characters don't understand (are naive to the fact) that what they are saying is actually an unintended sexual reference in which the narrator doesn't poke fun at, but just smoothly glides over and ignores. Overall, the constant naive humor strewn throughout the book through a practically impartial and blunt voice made this book enjoyable and definitely worth reading.

One of my favorite things about this book was the narrator's interactions with others and their empathy. One of the best examples of this is when Mark is on the train with two men released from corrective labor, and one of them tells him he is excited to see his mother again, "The big fellow struck him hard in the chest with the back of his forearm, knocking him out of his reverie and nearly out of breath.
     'What did you do that for?' the smaller man screamed, his face now crimson.
     His partner looked down at the floor between his legs and said quietly, 'Don't talk like that, about seeing your mom.'
     'Why not?'
     He pointed at me without raising his eyes. 'Because he's from far away. He can't see his mom at all. He doesn't need to know how happy you are. (178-179)'
     This hits me hard, because taking into consideration how someone else might feel is the definition of empathy and is exactly what the "big fellow" did. He didn't like his friend bragging about his excitement to see his mother because he knew Mark wouldn't be able to, and might feel sad, nostalgic, or jealous because he can't do the same thing. This perfect example of empathy, compassion, and humility  adds so much more depth to the book and is why this section is my favorite part.

Haste and Sorrow; The Tone of the End of the Book

Owen Hamilton

March 20, 2014

Brio/ Heart Rattle

Tone

Towards the end of the book, Mark is soon to leave China, so there is a sorrowful atmosphere in his last months.  He hastefully strives to fulfill everything he came to achieve.  Learning wushu from the world's greatest warrior is coming to an end, but he wants to make it count.  One day Pan tells him seriously, "We don't have much time.  Just a few months.  I don't have time for English anymore--there's only wushu now.  What is the one thing you want to learn before you leave?  Choose it, and I'll give it to you" (pg. 185).  As a parting gift, Pan gives Mark the choice of any teaching he would like. The time to leave had come too soon, and Mark must end his time with Pan with one last teaching. During his last months in China, Mark meets many people such as an African studying medicine in China, a beautiful woman who wants to learn more English, and an old calligrapher.  This old calligrapher hears of Mark, and hastily asks him if he will come to his house before he goes back to the United States, "I heard recently that a young American at Hunan Medical College was interested in calligraphy, and had even gone to the trouble to learn it himself to understand it further.  When I heard this I was deeply moved, and hoped I could meet you before you returned to your country" (pg. 193). Mark spends much time meeting new interesting people in his last months to learn new things in China. He has many interesting experiences, but he sadly knows that he will be leaving them behind soon.

Favorite Part of the Book

My favorite part of the book was within the first twenty pages.  Mark has just started teaching an English class, and they want to give him some feedback on his teaching.  "At the end of the first week of classes the Class Monitor read aloud the results of their 'Suggestions for Better Study' meeting: 'Dear Teacher Mark.  You are an active boy!  Your lessons are very humorous and very wonderful.  To improve our class, may we suggest that in the future we (1) spend more time reading, (2) spend more time listening, (3) spend more time writing and (4) spend more time speaking.  Also, some students feel you are moving too quickly through the book.  However, some students request that you speed up a little, because the material is too elementary.  We hope we can struggle together to overcome these contradictions!  Thank you, our dear teacher'" (pg. 18).  First of all, it is hilarious how they wrote this so enthusiastically!  "You are an active boy" is such a funny line.  It is also hilarious how they compiled the different suggestions for better study, and came up with contradicting things.  It seems that the students all want different things.  If every student got what they wanted, Mark would have to teach more of everything! (Reading, listening, writing, and speaking).  It is also funny how they leave him with a terrible problem, and don't give any suggestions on how to solve it.  Why would they make a class with almost fluent speakers and beginners together?  

Iron and Silk Review

Iron and Silk is written very subtly - it seems as though Mark Salzman is writing it the way you fill in a diary; very factually and as you experienced it. I think this bluntness can add to the humor sometimes and other times make the story seem more realistic and more touching, it all depends on how it is written, what's happening in the story. That means that his tone changes a lot through the book, depending on what was going on.

He doesn't use a lot of adjectives. It's very honest, to-the-point writing; he's not using any flourishes, not making the writing too flowery. I actually found it quite refreshing, because I'm reading Ginsberg right now and even though he's fantastic, his writing is pretty much all adjectives. Mr. Salzman is very plot oriented.

The book was in fact very funny, like in this passage,

"When everyone had eaten they took turns dropping their trousers, leaning off the sides of the boats and using the river as a toilet. At the same time, Old Ding insisted it was time to wash up. He dipped an iron cup into the filthy water and began splashing it on his face and neck, inviting me to do the same. I declined, to everyone's surprise... everyone agreed that it was an odd thing that Americans who supposedly live in a fantastical future world understand so little about personal hygiene." (128)  

but there were parts that moved me to tears, and parts that seemed sort of wistful, like he was regretting things that could not be. I found this form of writing really satisfying because it seemed realistic. Life doesn't just have one tone; it's fickle and changing and some parts are funny and some parts make you want to move to China and study wushu for the rest of your life. You just never know.

I loved reading Iron and Silk. I felt a very personal connection with the book, because I practice karate and a couple other martial arts and I guess even though I don't have that cherry-blossoms-and-kimonos thing going with my dojo, I think that gong fu comes in all different types. So maybe even though my karate isn't gong fu in the years-of-tradition-and-history sense, it does have gong fu in that I have devoted most of my life to it. I also think that Mark Salzman is a fantastic writer and must be so interesting to talk to. He's devoted his life to the two things most important things in mine.

Humorous and Insightful

The entire book of Iron and Silk is humorous and insightful. One example of when it is humorous is in the first chapter ("Leaving") where he has to preform a martial arts demonstration to prove that he was a legitimate martial arts student, and not someone trying to smuggle swords out of China.

"Somewhere in mid-air my pants split wide open, from the bast of the zipper to the belt line in back. A crowd of giggling old ladies rushed forward with needles and thread ready, followed by an equal number of old men with incurable illnesses who believed that I must have learned traditional medicine as part of my martial arts training..." (4).

 This sentence was inserted early on in the book to introduce humor into the book so that the reader would continue to read. To keep the reader engaged, there are many more examples of this humor in other places in the book and example of this is:

"'Binglang is like wine,' he said, 'it makes you feel a little drunk. We thought you were used to it, and that was why you chewed so many. Just one or two of them makes us feel dizzy!" The jolt of adrenaline I had just experienced must have quickened the effect of the drug, which is known as betel nut in the West, for my legs began to feel long and rubbery, a buzzing filled my ears, and the bus ride, which only lasted for fifteen minutes or so, seemed to go on for over an hour" (111).

This quote took place when Mark, one of his martial art's teachers, and some of his other students went to go visit his teacher's friend. Mark had no idea what he was eating, and so he ate many of the nut. It is also interesting to see that all of the Chinese who went with him thought that Mark would know about the nut already, but he has no idea, showing the cultural gap between the West and China. This is an insightful way to show the gap because it was also humorous. Another time when this book was both insightful and humorous was when Mark and some of his students spoke about retirement in China:

"Many doctors in China are not allowed to retire, and some of them have never even had a vacation. This woman announced that she had a retirement plan: she would pretend to die, have herself nailed in a coffin and driven to her home village, then climb out during the funeral and declare herself a ghost. 'Then I could have a garden and take care of my grandchildren'" (145).

This book has some very interesting insights into the Chinese world., technically China is very strict, but there are also many time where they sound just like us, and our dreams. This book was able to change what I thought about China, and when I read it, I thought that it was funny but also very interesting.

My favorite part of this book was when Mark went to the house of the poor peasant fishermen and slept there. It really was interesting to see what the people who had never seen a Caucasian thought of velvet, and what they thought of Western music. I enjoyed Mark's confusion when the talked over him playing the cello and when Mark showed them the photos of his family, and they said that the woman dressed too colorfully. My favorite of this scene was when the author described the grandmother of the family: 

"The grandmother had brilliant white hair, carefully combed and tied back, and sparkling eyes that looked at me without blinking. She wore thick cotton trousers and a padded cotton jacket, all black, and though worn threadbare, her clothes were spotless. She sat only a few inches away from me, absorbed in pure wonder. She had a great dignity nonetheless, occasionally turning her head as if to show me her profile in the candlelight" (121).

DIRECTIONS for third posting

Third Posting due Thursday, March 20
Third comment due Tuesday, March 25

For this post, write a CCQC that identifies the TONE of the last third of the book.  The claim should include an adjective or two that you think describe the tone, then you need lots of examples/quotes from the book that prove your claim.  Sophs, if you need a refresher on TONE, I have put it up on the Edmodo site.

Then write a paragraph that does one of these things, your choice:
*describes a favorite part of the book
*is a review of the book
*uses some part of the book to comment on an issue that interests you


For the comment, find someone who has a different idea than you do about the tone, or about some other part of the book in their second paragraph.  Add to their evidence, or challenge their idea by countering it with evidence of your own.

Honor East vs. West

In the East, China, they have very strict beliefs about honor, or as they call it a matter of face, while the West, the United States, has a much more slack view on honor. Mark went to support the friend of his teacher Zheng, while he was going through a difficult time. While he was there, he leaned that the friend, Lin, really liked Michelangelo, so Mark promised Lin that he would have his family send a book filled with pictures of Michelangelo and his work. A little time goes by, and Mark discontinues his lessons with Zheng, one of his marshal arts teachers. He then goes to a friend who knows Zheng, asking if he could get the book to Zheng to get the book to Lin. The friend says no due to the fact that it's a matter of face. "Under these conditions, it would be impossible. Lin, as a matter of face, would not accept it, because you have insulted Zheng by discontinuing your lessons. You will ave to give it to someone else..."(pg.116) As it turns out Mark really can't give the book to Lin for these reasons. In the United States we really just wouldn't care that somebody would be 'loosing face' if we accepted the gift. I think that that we, the west, don't really acknowledge honor in the way the Chinese do they go to great lengths to protect not only their own honor but the honor of their friends and those around them. I think this is mostly because it kind of reflects back on to them. In the book Lin only has one picture of Michelangelo and yet he says that Michelangelo is his sculpture teacher. So a book filled with many pictures of Michelangelo and his work would have been priceless to Lin and yet he wouldn't have accepted the gift due to the fact that Mark insulted his best friend. In the United States I think that we don't care as much about honor. We wouldn't give up something that would be priceless to us due to the fact that it was from someone that insulted a friend. I think that in the United States we are a little more selfish than the Chinese we don't put the honor of our friends before our own hopes and desires at all times , and it seems to me that it can be a downfall in our society.

Music

     The East (Chinese) and the West (Americans) have significantly different ways of showing appreciation for music. While playing the cello for the fisherman's family, Mark is slightly offended when everyone starts talking and doesn't show that they appreciate his music in a way he is accustomed to, "I must admit that I felt disappointed that their first exposure to cello, and to Bach, was generating  so little interest. But then I remembered what a Chinese friend had told me one night at a performance of instrumental music where the audience talked, laughed, spat and walked around during the show. I mentioned to him that the audience seemed unbelievably rude, and he answered that, on the contrary, this showed they were enjoying it" (123). Unlike Americans, the Chinese show their enjoyment of music/musical performances through chatter and socializing. Americans see classical performances, such as Bach, as formal events where silence is an expectation, because not interrupting a performer and focusing our attention completely on the performer is our way of showing respect. If someone ever talks, laughs, spits, walks, or even whispers during a music event in the West, such as the symphony, they'll get chastised and scorned until they're ashamed enough to stop. This is much different in the East, where music is an encouragement to gather and bond, rather than relax in an uptight environment with an implied rule of silence. This point in the book pokes fun at the main difference between Western and Eastern music customs: oneself vs.ones' community. In the West we thrive off of individual needs, so of course we appreciate music by quietly and intently listening to music, gaining our own individual spiritual ore relaxation experience, which shows the performer we appreciate them because we aren't disrupting them and are giving them our undivided attention. In the East, a lack of attention to the performer shows appreciation of the art because its based off of a more community oriented experience, in which socializing and bonding are the focus, rather than an individual experience. The performer gains appreciation because they know that by causing joy and fun in the community they are appreciated.

New Ideas

Owen Hamilton

March 13, 2013

Brio

New ideas seem to be frowned upon in China, whereas they would be celebrated in America.  Hai Bin is a master calligrapher.  He knows exactly how to stroke the brush, and the history of the art.  When he sees that a Frenchman painted his calligraphy using a free-form, abstract manner, "Hai Bin's face twisted into a grimace.  'This is so-called freedom,' he said, and wanted to see no more" (pg. 95). Here in America, freedom is a good word.  People hate to be put in a box, and they love to challenge the rules.  This Frenchman tried something new, but Hai Bin disapproved.  If no one liked this Frenchman's style, his work would not be on show.  However, some people certainly have a hard time adjusting to what they have been taught, what they are used to, and what they love.  It is humorous that Hai Bin is disgusted by this new form of calligraphy, but it is implied that the main character does not feel the same way.  He does not express his feelings, but he just puts up with the beliefs of this stubborn man.  He grew up in America, so it is most likely that he is used to an atmosphere of new ideas.  The open-minded American dealing with the stubborn-minded Chinese is a funny and interesting part of the story.

P.S.  I hope I did not put too much stereotypes on Americans and Chinese.  I was just trying to analyze this situation, but not assume that every Chinese person does not like abstract calligraphy. If this seems racist, I will definitely change it.

Audience Participation

Aria Schwartz
Brio
3.13.14

Cultural Clash: Audience Participation

The manners that society considers to be essential for being a polite audience is very different in the East compared to the West. This can be seen when Mark goes to a party and is struck with curiosity and amusement when he plays his cello when the guests did the opposite of what is considered polite in his culture. They began to talk amongst themselves. When Mark stopped, because he thought they didn't like it, asked him to keep going. "Right away they resumed their conversations, the children laughed and played with the case, and Fu Manchu insisted an arm wrestle with the third brother" (123).  This scene is humorous because although, Mark thinks that the guests are seeming unbelievevly rude, in actuality, they are showing their enjoyment through their culture's display of appreciation. The reason being is that for the majority of Chinese who are peasants and laborers, music is enjoyed as a sort of background entertainment and is intended as an accompaniment, according to one of Mark's Chinese friends. "Renao is the Chinese word for good fun, the kind you might have at an amusement park in American and noise and movement are essential to it" (123). Still more interesting, the Chinese manners for listening to someone sing is different their manners for live instrumentals. When Mark is asked to sing, they become very focussed and listen intently. This variation of attentiveness seems to be universal yet the differences seem to allow for humor in a lot of places in this book. 

Difference Between America and China

The difference between American and Chinese people can be summed up in a few sentences from the mouth of Hai Bin, the Chinese man Mark trains with. "Yes," he said, "but these goals can be achieved so easily! All you have to do is be kind and work hard. But to eat and sleep well, that is a difficult wish because you cannot control these things yourself." This isn't really a funny culture clash but I like it because it brings to light the difference between America and China - in fact you might say it sums up the entire book in a couple sentences. This shows how even Mark, who is as far as Americans go, very healthy and hard working, can be distracted by things like whether or not people like him. But Hai Bin realizes that these things are under our control and that it is very simple to make these things happen. Instead he wishes for good food and uninterrupted sleep.

Michael Dunn

Zest

Word play in China is an important part of humor. Jesse Appell, an exchange student in Beijing from the US learned this first hand. He still remembers the first time he told a joke in chinese. 

"I got a nose bleed in class. The word liuxue means to flow blood but it's a perfect pun for the word exchange student," explained
Appell.

So when Jesse left class to take care of his nose bleed, he called out to the class in Chinese, 'Don't worry about me I'm just an exchange student.' His classmates erupted in laughter he says.

Word play is an essential element in the ancient Chinese art of comedy. Substituting words with different meanings are a common form of humor. Some humor is shared with the US. For example, jokes about north Korea are considered funny in both countries. 

Improvisation is also popular in China. 

http://www.pri.org/stories/2013-09-04/why-whats-funny-china-might-surprise-you

Qi (pronounced chi)

Owen Hamilton

March 12, 2014

Brio

"'It's not skill!  It is qi,'" he said, giving me a mysterious look" (pg. 107).

What is qi?

In the book, master Zheng describes qi as a "force that resides in the lower abdomen and circulates through the body" (pg. 107). However, qi has much more to be learned about.  Qi is known by many names, and can be found all over the world!  According to About.com, qi is the life force that is worshipped by Japanese (ki), Indians (prana or shakti), ancient Egyptians (ka), ancient Greeks (pneuma), Native Americans (Great Spirit), Christians (Holy Spirit), Africans (ashe), and Hawaiians (ha or mana).  Qi isn't just an imaginary force used by Chinese boxers, it is the life force wellknown throughout mankind!

To be able to control and feel your qi takes much training.  It comes easier to some people than others. Taoism teaches the power of qi because most humans perceive our bodies as firm solid objects. However, we find our qi when we realize that our body is mostly made up of water.  Such a fluid substance!  And if we look at the atomic level, our body is almost completely space and emptiness! When we let the power of our qi flow through our fluid empty bodies, we can do things like master Zheng!

Beauty in China

The West and the East (more specifically the United States and China) have very different thoughts on what beauty is in women. One example of this is when Mark, the main character, and a couple of other doctors from the college go to see Tess of the D'Urbervilles, a movie from the West. Mark asked them what they thought about it, and when they said that they did not enjoy it much, Mark asked them why. To this they responded, "Miss Kinski, the star, was not beautiful... her lips were too big... According to Chinese taste, a women's lips should be small and delicate" (74). Part of the reason that the Chinese believe this is because in their culture, people do not kiss, or at least they kiss very rarely. According to Iron and Silk, they only people that the Chinese kiss are babies, less than three years old. If the Chinese kiss their children when they are older, than they will embarrass them immensely. Because they do not kiss, the need for large, or full lips is greatly diminished, and that is why they do not find larger lips beautiful. Talking about kissing and larger lips with the teachers of the college made the teachers feel very uncomfortable, and so when Mark asked about this, they was "an embarrassed spell of throat clearing and teacup refilling" (75).

Today, however the Chinese are more understanding of Western culture and do not object as much to kissing in public. In this article from 2003 (which was 11 years ago) a Chinese teacher in London was alright with being kissed, but only when in the West, not in when in China.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/jul/25/gender.uk1

Ruby Nelson

The Chinese Cultural Revolution

“During the Cultural Revolution Teacher Wu became a target and had to endure not only her own public denouncement and humiliation but those of her son, who was ‘sent down’ to the countryside for nearly a decade.”(pg. 20)

What is the Chinese Cultural Revolution and how did it affect the development of China?

According to the the History Channel, or history.com, the Chinese Cultural Revolution started in 1966 due to China’s communist leader at the time Mao Zedong. He did so to try and assert his authority over the Chinese government fearing that it was turning in the wrong directions. His cultural revolution worked until his death in 1976. He used the help of his wife and the defense minister to attack the leadership at the time. The revolution grew quickly. The nations schools were closed. The students formed military groups called the Red Guard. As we read in the this section the Red Guard reeked havoc on households and people who Mao believed had a superior educations. This was because he feared they were acquiring to much power at his expense. Mao wanted everyone to be united in working together no matter whether they were peasants, workers, or educated people. China's economy began to suffer as the Red Guards got out of hand and began to attack foreign embassies, as well as other troupes of Red Guards. The Cultural Revolution quickly became out of control. Eventually the army was sent in and the Red Guards were forced to end their destruction. The revolution ended with 1.5 million dead and millions of others were either imprisoned, socially humiliated, were victim to property seizure and much more. The revolution actually had the opposite impact on china than Mao had hoped for, the Chinese began to question their government and lose faith in it all together. Eventually a new leader was elected helping to bring order back to China.

DIRECTIONS for second posting & comment

Second Posting due Thursday, March 13
Second comment due Tuesday, March 18

A Humorous Look at East v. West
    Much of the humor in Iron and Silk comes from the very different world views of East (China) and West (the US).  The Eastern view honors traditions, family, submits to fate; the Western view celebrates the individual and struggles to overcome fate.  Find one of these humorous encounters between East and West.  Write a CCQC; in your claim point out the culture clash that is going on, describe the context, use a quote, then in your commentary go on to define why the culture clash exists and how it provides for humor.

   When you go to make a comment, find a post where you have more commentary or another quote to add to theirs.  It may be that you found another instance when the same kind of culture clash occurred.  Or it may be that you see the quote they used in a very different way.  Or you might want to do some research on the culture clash that they describe and see if more people than Mark have noticed it and written about it.

Gong Fu in Modern Martial Arts

“In the West, Chinese martial arts are called “gong fu” or “kung fu”, but the word gong fu actually means skill that transcends mere surface beauty.” (30)

I really liked this quote and I looked it up to see how it would pertain to my own martial arts training, and it seems that the word has been so Westernized that it doesn’t appear on the Internet as a Chinese word with that meaning anymore. It only appears as a term meaning traditional Chinese martial arts. While that is a form of the word, I think it’s ironic that so much of Western martial arts has no gong fu at all, at least not in the way it was described in the book - I am referring to the part when the narrator goes to Dr. Li’s house and practices on top of the grave with the flow of history pouring through him.

World War II

"But  Teacher Mark! It is a fact that the Japanese had already surrendered to the Communist Eighth Route Army of China. America put the bomb on Japan to make the world think that America was the... the..." (54).

How did World War II actually end?

According to Mother Jones, the necessity behind America dropping bombs on Japan to end World War II is very controversial, but this does not include the idea that the Japanese had surrendered to the Chinese Communist Party. The debate about how world War II ended is between the people who think that the bombs were necessary for Japan to surrender, and the people who think Japan would've surrendered anyway because they were already doomed (with the Allied forces/some of the world's most powerful countries against it). This, along with some decoded messages between Japanese diplomats proving they were ready to end the war, that Harry Truman (President of the US at the time) was aware of , could have made a negotiation possible before bombs were brought into the equation.

Also, according to the Encyclopedia of China, China was in the midst of a Civil War between the Communists and Nationalists, which made it difficult to fight against Japan. The quote (at top) shows that since the Communist Party now controls China, they probably changed the facts to make themselves look better and gain support from the people, because what's a better way to gain popularity than by being successful?

Kissing

Aria Schwartz
Brio
3/6/14
Blog post #1
“I mentioned that, since coming to China, I had never seen two people kiss each other, even in the movies, except for mothers kissing their infant children. Thier eyes opened wide and they nodded vigorously. ‘Of course not! Here in China, it is very different from your country. People don’t kiss here’” (74-75). This quote demonstrates how back then kissing as a public display of affection was discouraged as a cultural behavior. It was not so much that they didn’t have affection for each other but their cultural conditioning was against it. For example, Mark’s students skirted around the topic of kissing and added that it is not acceptable to kiss a child if it is no longer an infant. Shortly after, a different student of his shyly admitted that although he wants to kiss his teenaged children, he can only do it in secret as to not embarrass them or himself. The whole idea of conveying a message through an action is interesting because the same motion could be perceived so differently to different cultures and in different periods of time. An article on the Davidson in China Website commented on the fact that due to culturally embedded beliefs that one's behavior is a reflection of one’s family, proper conduct is required to avoid “losing face.” Also by understanding that one's reputation is at stake, it is easy to comprehend why relationships are regarded with such seriousness. Now, with western influences, kissing in public is culturally accepted but it is also interesting to recognize the cultural interaction between America and China.

The Red Guards

"One night the Red Guards came. They took everything in the house and burned it. They wanted to take the piano, too, but" -and here she smiled at the floor- "It was too heavy for them to throw out the window! So they just hit it for a while and left...." (Page 22)

Who are the Red Guards and why did they destroy everything in Teacher Wu's home?

Earlier in the book, on page 20, we learn that "Teacher Wu's husband came under attack during the Anti-Rightist Campaign in the late 1950's; to protect his family, he apologized to the State for his "crimes against Socialism," then took his own life."

According to Morning Sun, the Red Guards were first a group of middle school students that supported Chairman Mao, but soon, this term became any group that was supported by Chairman Mao to "Rebel against the system."

The Red Guard caused a considerable amount of damage to people and property, and sooner than later, began to fight with the other older revolutionary rebels.  After this guard had helped overturn the old order, many of the younger fighters were exiled from cities to be re-educated by peasants in the countryside.

Who is Chairman Mao? According to BBC History, Chairman Mao (Mao Zedong) became a high ranking communist leader in China. After a failure of a movement called the "Great Leap Forward" created by Mao, he began a movement called the "Cultural Revolution." This move attempted to destroy any 'impure' elements in the country and revive revolutionary spirit. This move was a complete success and probably when Teacher Wu's house was ransacked. Though this movement was a success, it cause one and a half million deaths and destroyed much of the country's cultural heritage.

Because something that Teacher Wu's husband may or may not of done, their whole family suffered greatly. Mao's reign was supposedly a success, but with so much destruction it does not actually seem like one.

Chinese Host and Guest Customs

Owen Hamilton

March 5, 2014

Brio

"As soon as I entered his home I realized that it had been considerable trouble for him and his family, for not only was the entire three-room apartment spotlessly clean, but a nine-course banquet was waiting for me on the dinner table" (Pg. 46).

Why does Chinese Culture demand that hosts give such nice treatment toward its guests?

According to China Highlights, Western guests respect the ways of the hosts, but contrarily in China the host gives the guest much respect, and gives the guest many privileges.  For example, the guest has the unspoken permission to smoke in the house, even if the hosts do not smoke.

Wikipedia says that eating a good meal is one of the most common ways to honor guests.  The Chinese people believe in good hosting manners because it brings them good luck, and shun bad manners because it brings shame.

Chinese Revolutionary Music

Michael Dunn

Zest

"I don't know exactly when the loudspeaker woke me up, but it was early, and the song was "Without the Communist Party There Would Be No New China""(Pg 5).

 I was interested in what role music played in Chinese Communism. According to Music in China (Oxford University), Pro-communist propaganda is a given in any socialist state, but nothing was better at reaching peasants but music. In China, this kind of patriotic music is called "Guoyue", and is typically performed in a grand presentation to encourage national pride. Since 1949, Guoyue has been aggressively promoted by the Chinese government, causing Guoyue to become popular throughout the country. The first popular pro-communist song was written in 1934 called "The March of the Volunteers" and was debuted in a Shanghai play. "The March of the Volunteers" was later adopted by the Chinese government as the national anthem in 1949.

Another popular pro-communist song written in 1950 is "Without the Communist Party, There Would Be No New China", a song that celebrates the Communist Party. A popular theme in Guoyue is a reverence to Mao Zedong, the songs either praising him or honoring his exploits. An example of this is the song "The East Is Red", a personal anthem for Mao Zedong, celebrating his birth and the birth of Chinese Communism. "The East Is Red" was sung in place of the Chinese national anthem during the 1960's in order to build a personality cult for Mao Zedong.

Guoyue songs have been updated through out the years in order to reflect popular culture in the world. In 1991, Mao Zedong anthems were remixed to a disco theme in the album 'The Red Sun', an instant best seller in China. This poster issued in 1986 called 'Youthful Dance Steps' was in response to the popularity of Disco in China. This poster and others like it were put up in government buildings and public meeting areas to show Chinese people that they are allowed to dance to Disco without fear of being reprimanded for dancing in a Western style.

DIRECTIONS for first posting

Welcome to your ROCK blog on Iron and Silk
Divide your book into three roughly equal sections.
 Read the first third in one week.
Your first blog post is due Thursday, March 6.
Your first comment is due Tuesday, March 11.
The next two weeks will match this same format.

For your first blog post, after reading the first third of the book, you are undoubtedly curious about the setting, the period, the conflict.  Do some research on something that you have a question about.
In your blog post, describe the following:
1.  What did you read in the book (page #), and what did it make you wonder about?
2.  Cite your source.  This doesn't have to be a formal citation.  You can say something like "according to...."
3.  Paraphrase (don't cut and paste) your research.

For your first comment, read through the blog and find someone else's post that interests you, someone who researched something else you were interested in.  ADD to their research like so:
1.  Tell them what happened in the book that made you wonder about the same topic.
2.  Add further research about that topic.  Cite your source and paraphrase your research.