HS 421   Modern China: Revolution and Identity

Course Summary:  The traditional and modern culture of China will be the focus of this History elective course, and you will encounter its many revolutions since the 19^th century through music, the memoir of Jung Chang, Wild Swans, the stories of Lu Xun, the film ‘To Live’ and many primary source accounts. The story of China in the 20^th century is the story of revolutions, tragedy and re-birth.  It is also the story of globalization.  How and why did China experience three major revolutions in the 20^th century?  How did global events and Western European ideas influence China?  How did China respond to these challenges?   This course will examine major events in 20^th Century China, including the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, the Nationalist Revolution of 1911,  Japanese colonization,  the Communist Revolution of 1949, the  Cultural Revolution in the 1960’s and the Democracy Wall movement of the 1980’s that culminated in the Tiananmen Square protests.    The final assessment will ask you to  identify a research topic, develop a question and present your understanding of contemporary China in a Photo Essay: What is modern China and how is it influencing the world?

KEY TEXTS/RESOURCES:

Memoir:           Wild Swans, Jung Chang (1991)

            Films:              The Last Emperor, To Live, Seven Years in Tibet

                                       China: A Century of Revolution

            Field Trip        The Peabody Essex Museum   www.pem.org [Nov 7]