2013 Teachers Workshop Videos

“China in Transition – Current Social and Political Issues”

Monday, August 5  
Dr. Margaret Booker and Dr. Daniel Chao 1990 Institute 2013 Teachers Workshop – Welcoming Remarks
Summary: Program Chair Margret Booker welcomed the teachers who attended this workshop. Chairman of Board, Daniel Chao, introduced the mission of 1990 Institute and explained the goal of this workshop.

Dr. Thomas Gold China: The Past is always the Present – Part 1
  China: The Past is always the Present – Part 2
Summary: In the first part of the speech, Prof. Gold provided an introduction to China’s geography, the nature differences between the north and south, China’s history of controlling nature, the dominate Han culture, culture artifacts, and the standardization of language. In the second part of his Keynote speech, Dr. Gold illustrates China’s current value system as still somewhat based on the Confucius concept of class, social harmony, and upward mobility through education. In governing, however, there is also the history of legalism – ruling with the iron fist, suppressing decent, and emphasis on the collective over individual rights. Dr. Gold also talks about the Communist Party’s goal of restoring the golden age of China, as when it was the “Middle Kingdom”.
Dr. Mark Henderson China and Environmental Sustainability
Summary: Dr. Henderson indicates that historically China has emphasized living in harmony with nature. However, China’s transition from a rural agriculture community to an urban, industrial community has had detrimental impact on the environment both globally and locally. Dr. Henderson presents convincing graphs on the effect of this transition to global climate change and its effect on China itself. However, the Chinese Government is paying attention “to make our country green”, people’s consciousness are being raised, local people are making many more protests appealing to the Central Government on environmental issues, and a number of international corporations manufacturing in China are also raising environmental standards.
Helen Wang The Biggest Story of our Time: The Rise of China’ s Middle Class
Summary: Mrs. Helen Wang explores the various economic effects of China’s rapidly rising middle class, ranging from increased urbanization to a burgeoning retail and e-commerce market. Sharing anecdotes of the Chinese dream of upward mobility and Alibaba’s rise, Mrs. Wang illustrates how the dynamics China’s middle class shape the “biggest story of our time.”
Mr. John Kamm China Rising: Domestic and International Challenges
Summary: Mr. John Kamm, who works with the Dui Hua Foundation on human rights issues in both China and the United States, discusses challenges that China faces in terms of income inequality, a slowing economy, corruption, environmental pollution, food safety, social unrest, territorial disputes with neighbors, and the lack of trust in the U.S.-China bilateral relationship. He also addresses misperceptions about China, including the idea that it is on the verge of overtaking the U.S. economically and that Chinese human rights practices are in all cases worse than those of the United States.
Thomas Gold, Mark Henderson, Helen Wang, John Kamm Questions and Answers
 
Dr. Scott Rozelle, Matthew Boswell China in Transition 1 – Rural Education Action Project
Summary: Dr. Scott Rozelle explains the Rural Education Action Program’s mission in improving health, nutrition, and education in rural China and introduces their “China in Transition” curriculum.
Dr. Scott Rozelle, Matthew Boswell
China in Transition 2 – Rural and Urban Disparity
Summary: This first video installation to the “China in Transition” curriculum documents the lives of two schoolchildren, Ma Huixia in the rural Haiyuan County and Zhen Sihua in Central Beijing, and juxtaposes their vastly different educational opportunities and living standards.
Dr. Scott Rozelle, Matthew Boswell
China in Transition 3 – Rural to Urban Migration
Summary: Dr. Scott Rozelle recaps the documentary from “China in Transition 2 – Rural and Urban Disparity” and details the conditions of poverty in urban China. Explaining both the costs and benefits of rural to urban migration as an escape from poverty, Dr. Rozelle concludes with a second video depicting the lives of Chinese migrant workers.
Tuesday, August 6  
Dr. Roselyn Hsueh Globalization and the Politics of Market Reform in China
Summary: Dr. Hseuh explains how the economic transformation of China occurred since 1978. She gives an exciting and animated presentation, characterizing the economic globalization of China, its causes and consequences. The presentation contains rich images, illustrative graphs, and informative statistics, plus recommended reading for the post-Mao era. Topics discussed include the growth of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), uneven development in urban and rural areas, centralization and decentralization, the consequences of globalization, the bifurcation strategy, etc.
An excellent introduction to the fundamentals of China’s remarkable economic development in the last 35 years.
Dr. George Koo A View of China Not Understood in the U.S.
Summary: Dr. George Koo offers a Chinese perspective on political differences, disparate styles of international diplomacy, and causes of economic friction between the United States and China. Recounting several key events of the modern century, Dr. Koo presents a view of China from the inside looking out, and advocates a nuanced understanding of China as a means for better bilateral relations.
Li-chi Wang The Costs of Breakneck Growth and Development in China
Summary: Dr. Ling-chi Wang describes four pivotal moments in the history of America-China relations and offers his opinion on current “hot button” social and political issues, ranging from the one child policy to Chinese immigration. In doing so, he challenges the audience to think beyond what is covered in American news and approach each topic from new vantage point.
Pete Hammer Our Filtered View of China
Summary: Pete Hammer, a teacher in San Francisco who has been visiting China regularly since 2000, encourages teachers to seek out Chinese sources when teaching students about China. He illustrates the filters that he thinks U.S. media imposes on information from China by describing the experience of a Chinese friend who spent six months in military detention for filming a video of an underground Christian church meeting and the reaction to that experience by two U.S. journalists who Pete knew in Beijing.
  Highlights of the 2013 Teachers Workshop