Jottings from the Granite Studio

Great post and translations by Joel Martinson over at Danwei about the controversy surrounding the recent college textbook, Essentials of Modern Chinese History (中国近现代史纲要). Textbook controversies in East Asia are bit like Florida rainstorms in the summer…a 10-minute intense burst of activity at exactly 3:00 p.m. every day which is soon forgotten when the sun comes back out. Nevertheless…

Shanghai Normal University professor Zhou Yumin is criticizing the textbook for its depiction of western colonialism in China. I added my own thoughts in a long, rambling comment that suggests I need should eat breakfast BEFORE trying to do history in the morning.

Check it out.