A Chinese Lesson Overview

Brandon Lotti, Friends Seminary School, Manhattan
September 1998

The following is a description of a lesson plan provided by a student participating on the 1998 China Project. This overview offers insights from a high school junior about what might be important to consider and include when teaching about China.

The aim of the following lesson description is to give students a better understanding of China, in several different aspects. These aspects include religions and thought systems; the culture of China through its progression through different eras, both ancient and contemporary, and how these time periods relate to each other; China's geography; the different governments China has had throughout its history; China's significance and potential for the future; and its language. Part of this education process also includes actively and consciously removing stereotypes found through the media, textbooks, and other sources. Finally, the way that this information is taught must retain the attention of the students and make them want to learn more about China.

In my own humble opinion, the motivation and importance of such a lesson is extraordinary. On the world scale, China is already of marginal significance, and can only gain more in the decades to come. China is the next world superpower. The change that is presently occurring in China is moving at a very rapid pace, in areas of economy, politics, and technology, and extending far beyond these fields. Because China will be such an important part of the world in the near future, there will arise a great number of job opportunities. In order for the average individual to have the qualifications necessary to obtain such an occupation, one must be familiar with many aspects of modern China, and because these aspects tie in with all of the aforementioned points stressed in the aim of the lesson, one ought to be learned in those points as well. Beyond this idea for motivation, there is, of course, the fact that the Chinese culture is very rich and fantastic in its history. Chinese art, music, language, and other angles of Chinese life are so different from the cultures that most American or Western students are exposed to, and in this, China becomes immensely interesting. This is another reason that a special spotlight should be placed upon China.

To begin the lesson, one should ask oneself as well as the students a series of questions. These are useful to become aware of what one knows, or thinks one knows, about China. Questions could involve thinking about how modern China appears to oneself; ideas regarding the Chinese government; thoughts about modern religions and China's influence on them; and ideas regarding the placement of important events in China's history chronologically, according to some other events that the students may be more familiar with. One these questions are posed and pondered, the educator may make an activity out of showing pictures of modern China, Chinese people, religious artifacts, shoes for women with bound feet, et cetera. A comparison should start to form between modern and ancient China. It seems to me that moving in chronological order through China's past would be much easier to understand than moving backwards, or jumping back and forth. Thus, some objects revealing, perhaps, new ideas about China would be useful in piquing the interest of the pupils, as well as giving helping them understand that there may be more to China than they had originally thought.

The educator should then begin discussing ancient China: how and where it began; its geography and how it affected the growing civilization; and begin to move through the ancient Chinese dynasties. A textbook would certainly be useful for this. However, there should also be a focus on written documents from these time periods, particularly with a focus on religion. I am familiar with a book entitled Sources of World History, edited by Mark A. Kishlansky (1995). This book has excerpts from Confucius' Analects and the Tao Te Ching, by Lao-tzu. These writings provide a lot of insight into the ancient Chinese culture. An application of this would be asking the students to find examples of where these books can give modern historians ideas about ancient China, or relating these examples to modern China.

The teacher should continue moving chronologically through China's history, perhaps stopping to stress the Qin Dynasty. This is an important era of China's past, because it was during the brief time period encapsulating the Qin Dynasty that the basic symbol for China, to many foreigners and natives alike, it seems, was created--the Great Wall of China. To compliment this incredible work of mankind exists the terra-cotta soldiers guarding the tomb of the first and only Qin emperor, Qin Shi-huangdi, another world-famous creation from the Qin Dynasty. These two works of ancient China can conceivably do a lot to maintain a student's interest in the subject. To go along with this, there also exists a relatively well-known Chinese folktale that is called "Meng-Jiang Nyu" in an anthology entitled Chinese Folktales, compiled by Yin-lien C. Chin, et al (1989). This tale could be given to the students to help them gain a better understanding of the circumstances and situation under which the Great Wall was built, as well as giving a wider point of view than most textbooks can offer.

The teacher can continue moving again through China's history, eventually stopping to give particular attention to the Western Imperialism's effect on China; the revolutions occurring in the early 1900s and later the Communist revolution in 1949; and China's relations and involvement with Japan during and preceding World War II, from 1937 to 1945. But probably the most important section of Chinese history is the time period following the Communist takeover to the present date, and what changes have occurred in China during this time, because this is the way China has been in the most recent past and gives an idea of where it will go in the future. Focus on the China's changing economy, politics, and technology. A great symbol of the intertwining of more modern capitalist-turning China with the older China during the time of Chairman Mao Tse-tung is the infamous Mao lighter. This relatively attainable (perhaps) artifact displays the face of Chairman Mao on the front of a red or silver lighter that plays music when it is opened. This incorporates the great communist hero with more modern capitalist ideals--they are sold for about a dollar each at every tourist attraction in Beijing and Xi'an. Role-playing activities can be an interesting way to explain China's communist government.

Associations should also be made between ancient China and modern China, involving themes such as the continuing prominence of Confucianism and Buddhism; the reformation of the Chinese written language; the issue of Tibet's contemporary claim to independence; the rather awkward mix of modern technology with older ideals and practices; and so on. Students can brainstorm for more ties with the past. Making these associations is important to change the thread of Chinese history, or history in general for that matter, into a woven cloth; to show that history does influence the present as well as to display the significant changes that have occurred. Such associations can be shown through pictures, showing modern temples and the upkeeping of traditions by the Chinese people.

Throughout the entire lesson, China's uniqueness of culture should be displayed to the students, which can at this point be brought into focus by comparing and contrasting the Eastern and Western worlds. One important example of this is the different views that the Asian culture seems to consistently retain regarding their art and architecture in contrast to that of Europe and America. This idea stems back to the lack of material to make long-lasting monumental architecture in ancient China and Japan, causing them to build important temples, buildings, statues, etc., out of wood, for many years. The wood would eventually fall apart, and the artifact would usually be rebuilt. This seems to have created the notion that copies of important works of art are in fact as valuable as the originals themselves, which is greatly untrue in the Western world. Governmental systems and languages, as well as other themes, can also be put up against each other. The Chinese language in itself is a very remarkable thing, and should be brought up in the education of China as a whole. A comparison can also develop between the lives of Chinese high school students and American students, which can be seen through the video More Than Rice. This comparison relates China to the students on a much more basic level, which will hopefully also maintain their interest.

Finally, perhaps some sort of special activity like a visit to Chinatown or a sampling of Chinese foods at the end of the lesson would help accentuate the lesson itself in its entirety, as well as give the students something to look forward to.

In closing, all aspects of China's ancient and modern history must be explored to gain a good understanding of China. Education on China can meanwhile be entertaining and involving. China has a very rich history, which is not only exciting to learn about, but can also be quite valuable for every individual's future. Thank you (xiexie). :-)