The China Journal

CHINA SU09

  CHINA SU09 
  Originally uploaded by mcconnellcenter

The McConnell Scholars Class of 2009 pose for a quick photo at the Beijing Zoo. The class safely arrived in Beijing on Friday with their professor Dr. Shiping Hua (not pictured) and their student guide Matt Flairity. The class visited the Beijing Zoo, Beihai park, Yanjing Beer Factory tour, and Tienanmen Square.

2008 CHINA JOURNAL TEST

Yanshan University

Scholars arrive at Yanshan University, where they will stay for a week to in order to experience college life in a smaller town in China. Yanshan was very much like the University of Louisville with its beautiful centrally located campus. In this photo we are on the 7th floor of the 21st Century Building (yes that is the name of the building). In this building, particularly the 7th, international students meet and study. Most international students in Yanshan are from Russia or South Korea, and we had an opportunity to meet several of them in our hotel room.

Teresa de la Cruz

Temple of Heaven

Scholars at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. Here Nina attempts to reach for heaven. Scholars visited a number of temples in China, among them are the Lama Temple and the Confucian Temple. The Lama Temple is one of 10 must see sights in Beijing. the scholars have an opportunity to visit 8 of the 10 must see sights in Beijing (according Eleanor luken's guide book). However, the Lama Temple is particularly known for having the world's largest buddah made of sandlewood, 18 meters tall.  No pictures were allowed.

Teresa de la Cruz

A More Perfect Union- Justin Tooley

Random Thoughts on Government

One of the greatest challenges of this trip has been the Chinese politics course we are taking with the Chinese students.  There are language differences and obvious cultural differences that we must overcome.  One of the most intriguing moments of the course is when we ask questions about freedom of expression within the government and also the greater society.  Our response... slience.  That answers my question. 

I think one of the key challenges in the quest for liberty and freedom for China is that the Chinese must be equipped to help themselves.  Often times, we as Americans, want to recreate the World in our own image.  That is not always the best idea.  We should encourage the Chinese to express their own will not the will that reflects the interests of the United States.  One of the things that I have learned is that what is good for America is not always good for China or the rest of the World.  I think that urges me to think where our policies fit into the greater world ciizenry and what our responsibilities are to the global society. 

China is slowly converging their political ideas with those that more closely reflect America's, and as America grapples with issues such as national health care coverage, we are converging to more Socialist ideas.  However, both countries are eager to maintain their respective hats of Communism and Democracy.   Maybe both countries should reflect on the meaning of "a more perfect Union."

Philosophy in China

This Humble Aristotelian has been consistently suprised by the level of philosophical reading that has been done by our Chinese counterparts.  All the students I speak with understand the major contract theorists and have read Plato's Republic,  with some exceptional students who have read the whyole Platonic corpus.  The interesting thing is that there is a lack of learning, so it seems, outside of The Republic.  The love of the Republic is of little suprise since it lays the ideal state out as a very centralized system with praiseworthy officials and a corrupt and weak but necessary business class.  This may be what the chinese leaders have conceptualized their government to be.  It would make sense considering the modernization and market economy that has developed here.  It is possible that the communist party leaders surely need some justification for themselves besides the pursuit of pure power to justify the continued rule of their party in what is essentially an athoritarian capitalist society.  If some individualist philosophies were to take root among the intellectuals here, existentialism, Kantianism, or even Eudaimonistic ethics this could be a significant boon for freedom of expression and loosening of the control of the CCP in China.

Anthony Cash

Scholars Enjoying Chinese Cuisine

Here scholars enjoy chinese cuisine and try to master chopsticks.

How cultured am I?

I remember a quote from the plane ride to Tokyo:  After saying something Justin-esque, someone told Justin that since he is traveled 5 times as much as the average university student, he should act like he's a little more cultured.

Being "cultured" is relative of course.  As we've spent so much time in Beijing, most of what we have been trying to do is soak in the "culture."  For me, at least, I can never learn enough about the stange dress codes I've witnessed, wise but odd Chinese sayings, and weird tidbits about Chinese pop music.  All of this is contributing to my general understanding of what life is like for, say, Sky or Luke, two of our new friends from Renmin University.

So, needless to say, I have always considered myself a lover of the arts and all things "cultural."  However, I have never found this to be more untrue than at the Peiking Opera.  Opera is hard for most young people to swallow, but after seeing this performance in China I would sit through 1000 renditions of Madame Butterfly before seeing Peiking again.

The theatre was quite small and there were only two other groups present beside ourselves.  The "orchestra: consisted of 4 old men and an old woman, all dressed in streets clothes, sitting in front of a handfull of strange interests like a box, some cymbals, and a cello-like stand up instrument played with a bow but consiting of only one string.  We knew we were in for a bad performance when they began to warm up and I heard the most terrifying, screeching sound that I've ever had too be exposed to for more than two minutes.  Then, it got exponentially worse when we realized that this was not the warm up--this was the show.

To be fair, I'm not entirely sure that what we saw was actually a bonafied Peiking opera.  It was more like vinettes of three famous operatic stories: one of two men battling each other in a pitch black room, one of a princess spreading flowers, and one between the evil monkey king and a band of Buddha's followers (th monkey wins, go figure). 

The scenes involve an elaborately costumed person coming on stage and making sounds like a cat wailing.  I'm sure they were doing exactly what they were supposed to, but we're talking no tone, no melody, no rhythm.  And the music, all the while, is so loud and so caucophanous.  The worst part about the music was that there was no climax and ending.  Usually a song gets more exciting during the middle then dies down and you know it will end soon.  These songs continued on at full volume and intensity for the entire scene.

The dancing was not really dancing, more like tai chi moves consisting of waving arms and feet and staring intently.  Of course, it didn't really match the music.  There were some interesting flip and acrobatic moves.  The characters interacted in a "melo"dramatic way, I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing.

So, the opera was not a hit in my book.  Teresa accurately described it as something like a high school play.  But was it really bad, or am I just so uncultured that I can't begin to understand its merits?  I'm not sure of the answer, but surely I'm not a complete arts bufoon because on another day I went buckwild in one of Beijingsd

Scholars at Tiananmen Square

Scholars at Jingshan Park

Photo: Kyle Riggs, Chinese guide Francis, Anthony Cash, Andrew Chacko, Matt Flarity, Chinese guide Sara, Chinese guide Luke, Teresa de la Cruz, and Daniel Cameron