Day 17 to 20

Ask your China Questions

Today I am adding a little somthing extra.  You now have the opportunity to ask any question you want about China, its culture, history, language, government, economy,etc.  Just fire away.  If I don't know the answer, I have plenty of Chinese experts here I can ask.  You can ask a question either by posting a comment below, or by sending an email to jecohen@umd.edu

This week I gave a presentation on my research topic, "Courting differences between the American and Chinese Cultures".  It was a powerpoint presentation, and it went well.  The kids in the class and instructor liked it.  You can get the presentation here.

In class I have been learning quite a lot about Chinese culture, politics, etc.  A few of the topics we have been discussing include the following:

• The divisions within China that create many differences amoung the Chinese people
• The id system, Huko, that still segregates rural from urban folks
• The One Baby policy, and how it is implemented, enforced, and changed
• The various religions in China
• Confucianism - its core tenents and effect on Chinese society today
• Buddhism, Taoism and Daoism
• How the Chinese are very superstitious, and the many gods, like the marriage god
• The Wenzhou model for development of private enterprise
• The different phases of economic reform, initiated by Deng Xiaoping in 1978
• The huge migrations of people from urban to rural life, and the reverse
• The changes to Government owned and State Owned Enterprises
• Corruption and the shift of politicians every three years
• The welfare system, that includes pensions, healthcare and housing subsidies
• Education and the old examination system
• Chinese Industry - Primary, Secondary and Tertiary
• Shanghai history
• The Silk Road
• Five Star factories and shadow factories
• News and media - US China differences
• Internet blocking and monitoring

Yesterday we went to the home of Dr. Sun Yat Sen, the founder and first president of modern China.  He was the president that took over the government after the emperor was overthrown in 1911.  This ended the Dynasty period in China.  Below is a picture of our classmates in "Special Topics in Chinese Culture."  The tall blond is not actually in our class, but she wanted to hear my presentation on courting differences.  Our instructor, Dr. Sophia Chen, is the short one with the purple sweater in the back.  The picture was taken in front of the Dr. Sun Yat Sen museum (home), which was located in the French Concession area of Shanghai.

Tomorrow we go to the City of Hangzhou for the weekend.  Hangzhou is the capital of the province,  is rated one of China's best cities to live in, and it has a lot of history.



Our Chinese Culture class in front of Dr. Sun Yat Sen's Home and Museum



Group of school children we passed as we were headed to the shopping district



Popular shopping area for the younger set, in very narrow alleys with many bars, restaurants and shops