The footage of the Tiananmen shooting completely shocked me. China's own Communist government were shooting down its innocent people, the people they were supposed to protect. Bodies filled the street. Deng was supposed to help the people, giving them freedom and equality, but instead, he was turning against the people in protest. It seemed that they were intentionally killing the students and citizens, giving them a short time to run before shooting them down like a game. Death to me is never an option, even if it was the last resort. Although a crackdown was necessary, like Lee Kuan Yew stated, an ex-prime minister of Singapore, there were several less violent, reasonable solutions that could have been done instead of having the loss of lives. It is true that if the protesters had gained power, chaos would erupt because of the various stances that the people took, and the Tiananmen Square event did prevent that but there are many other life-saving, resolutions that could suppress them.
In my History of China class, we talked about if China would be better off without communism and going with a government that allows the people to fight for their rites, such as democracy. It does seem that China's economy is improving nowadays, but the working conditions and lifestyle that the majority of China's working class is living in is unacceptable. Some workers don't even get paid until the end of the year and if the employers bail on them, they have wasted an entire year with their hard labour, which happens almost all the time. Before I get even more off topic, what I'm trying to say is that even though communism is what makes China unique and how it is today, I believe that the people are not getting the rites they deserve and that should be changed in any way possible, with a new leader or even an entirely new government.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
To Live - Movie Reflection
Part 1/2
In the Movie To Live, if you didn't know the background information during the time period, not much could be understood, by me that is. It was crucial to realize that all this was during the time of the civil war between the communists and nationalists of China. When the main character was captured by Chinese, it was quite confusing for he was just entertaining them the day earlier. After reading and understanding the history, it all became much clearer. Later on in the movie, when the nationalists had been defeated and Mao Zedong was in power, the Chinese peasants began killing landlords and mainly any rich person. At this point was also very important to know that all this happened under the 'speak bitterness' campaign which caused them to show such animosity at a time of unification. Also, when all the people began creating backyard furnaces, it was also unclear why all the metal needed to be taken and wasted until I read the chapters. I've realized that to understand many Chinese movies based on history, some background information always needs to be known.
Part 3
During the cultural Revolution, in the movie To Live, it was quite clear that Mao Zedong was worshipped, and if I had no background information whatsoever, I would've probably thought he was a God. When Mao was painted on the family's wall during the movie and was included even in the wedding picture, it could be related to the worshipping of Jesus. Both are significant figures which were worshipped and studied about throughout the day and both were sung praises to. During the end of the movie (spoiler alert), when the the main character's wife goes through labour and ends up dying, it was much surprise to me that all doctors were removed; it was obviously not planned properly. The book titled China Since 1900, explained that communist culture was put before education, closing colleges and schools to study about the governments ideas. Although Mao's rule was very effective economically, because of his ideal word of one class, removing the educated, especially doctors, was not thought through, resulting in probably many deaths throughout China.
In the Movie To Live, if you didn't know the background information during the time period, not much could be understood, by me that is. It was crucial to realize that all this was during the time of the civil war between the communists and nationalists of China. When the main character was captured by Chinese, it was quite confusing for he was just entertaining them the day earlier. After reading and understanding the history, it all became much clearer. Later on in the movie, when the nationalists had been defeated and Mao Zedong was in power, the Chinese peasants began killing landlords and mainly any rich person. At this point was also very important to know that all this happened under the 'speak bitterness' campaign which caused them to show such animosity at a time of unification. Also, when all the people began creating backyard furnaces, it was also unclear why all the metal needed to be taken and wasted until I read the chapters. I've realized that to understand many Chinese movies based on history, some background information always needs to be known.
Part 3
During the cultural Revolution, in the movie To Live, it was quite clear that Mao Zedong was worshipped, and if I had no background information whatsoever, I would've probably thought he was a God. When Mao was painted on the family's wall during the movie and was included even in the wedding picture, it could be related to the worshipping of Jesus. Both are significant figures which were worshipped and studied about throughout the day and both were sung praises to. During the end of the movie (spoiler alert), when the the main character's wife goes through labour and ends up dying, it was much surprise to me that all doctors were removed; it was obviously not planned properly. The book titled China Since 1900, explained that communist culture was put before education, closing colleges and schools to study about the governments ideas. Although Mao's rule was very effective economically, because of his ideal word of one class, removing the educated, especially doctors, was not thought through, resulting in probably many deaths throughout China.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wave 3
So basically, I have this assignment in my History of China class to choose five of the most interesting topics in a list my teacher put together consisting of the main ideas of Wave 3 (Period of Disunity, Sui, Tang, Song). All the subjects I chose are related to art in someway; they are Painting, Calligraphy, Sculpture, Music and Martial Arts.
Top Five
Martial Arts
Martial arts, also known as wushu, means "a system of fighting" which began during the Tang Dynasty but flourished most during the Ming. The most common form of martial art known today is Kung Fu.
In a Buddhist monastery in Henan, Shaolin monks began practicing kung fu for their goal was to reach enlightenment which could be done by developing mind and body and therefore, physical activity was important. The main virtues developed were tolerance and meditation. These monks would devote all their time to training their bodies to be more durable and practicing channeling their Qi. Martial arts is still practiced today, Judo and Taekwondo are even olympic sports.
Music
Throughout China's history, many instruments had been created over many dynasties. Most of them are string instruments and they are played in many different ways. The Lute family, contains stringed instruments that are plucked while the Huqin family, consists of stringed instruments that are played with a bow. Guqin, one of the plucked instruments, is the oldest instrument, since 600 B.C, and is played for good mood music and the Erhu, of the Huqin family, is the most popular in the group and it similar to a two-stringed fiddle but with the bow between the strings. A group in my Middle School once played them in a concert and it doesn't sound good in unexperienced hands.
Painting
This art form was practiced most during Tang where during that period, nature wasfocused on more than people. Animals, especially horses, were also popular since they also gave a peaceful feeling. The most common painting was landscape painting and Shanshui (Water-mountain painting). The Shanshui style was not to portray a direct picture from nature but to give the feeling and spirit of that place; therefore, details were not important, only the appropriate amount to create the right feeling.
Calligraphy
There were four treasures in Chinese calligraphy which demonstrate the different styles and brushes.
Brush - This was China's earliest writing utensil and was used since the Warring States Period. It is mainly used for delicate painting and it can still be used in many different ways depending on type of brush hair.
Ink stick - This was created during the Han and was mainly used for quality writing for things like poetry or copying texts.
Top Five
Martial Arts
Martial arts, also known as wushu, means "a system of fighting" which began during the Tang Dynasty but flourished most during the Ming. The most common form of martial art known today is Kung Fu.
In a Buddhist monastery in Henan, Shaolin monks began practicing kung fu for their goal was to reach enlightenment which could be done by developing mind and body and therefore, physical activity was important. The main virtues developed were tolerance and meditation. These monks would devote all their time to training their bodies to be more durable and practicing channeling their Qi. Martial arts is still practiced today, Judo and Taekwondo are even olympic sports.
Music
Throughout China's history, many instruments had been created over many dynasties. Most of them are string instruments and they are played in many different ways. The Lute family, contains stringed instruments that are plucked while the Huqin family, consists of stringed instruments that are played with a bow. Guqin, one of the plucked instruments, is the oldest instrument, since 600 B.C, and is played for good mood music and the Erhu, of the Huqin family, is the most popular in the group and it similar to a two-stringed fiddle but with the bow between the strings. A group in my Middle School once played them in a concert and it doesn't sound good in unexperienced hands.
Sculpture
 |
| Sculpture of Buddha Sculpturing in China first developed during the Sui dynasty but only peaked during the Tang. This was the time period when Buddhism flourished and therefore, Buddha sculptures were very common. Today, most of the sculptures created are of past emperors or famous battles. |
Painting
 |
| Shanshui Painting |
Calligraphy
 |
| Ink stick Calligraphy |
Brush - This was China's earliest writing utensil and was used since the Warring States Period. It is mainly used for delicate painting and it can still be used in many different ways depending on type of brush hair.
Ink stick - This was created during the Han and was mainly used for quality writing for things like poetry or copying texts.
Ink Slab - This was used to create and hold the ink and was mainly made out of stone while bronze, lacquer and porcelain was also used. It was a tribute to royalty during the Tang and it was known for elegance and sobriety.
Paper - This was one of the "Four Great Inventions" of China and was invented by Cai Lun around 100 A.D and during the time, was made of rice, mulberry or bamboo. Before paper, people used cloth to write on which was relatively expensive and inconvenient.
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