Now some teachers will write about their students, sharing odd or quizzical bits from papers and exams for the sake of humor. I wouldn’t do that to my students, but OTHER people’s students…sure, why not?
From an op-ed on China and North Korea in Student Newspaper from the University of Southern State, USA*:
The Chinese mentality is nothing new. If one delves deep into the history books, they can find that the Chinese have possessed such a thought process since their earliest days. They were, and remain, “The Middle Kingdom” or “The Central Nation.” (In fairness, the Europeans have often thought of themselves as “The Middle Earth,” but they at least have the geography to back it up.)
Ok, I’m not a Europeanist, but has anyone not named J.R.R. Tolkien ever used the term “Middle Earth” when thinking of Europe? And exactly what kind of maps do they use at this school to geographically “back up” Europe’s location in the middle of the earth? (I’m not even going to get into the whole “let’s read WAY too much into the ‘Middle Kingdom’ translation of Zhongguo,” more experienced journalists than this kid have made the same mistake.)
Since the rise of Mao Zedong and the People’s Republic in 1949, the ambition and pride has been melded with secrecy and authoritarianism.
Well, Mao rose to power beginning in about 1928 or 1935 or the 1940s (it was a bumpy road) but yeah, secrecy, authoritarianism, and a decent braised pork were pretty much the secret of the Chairman’s success.
China is a country that remains in denial about its murderous rampage two decades ago at Beijing’s Tianenmen Square.
Other than the odd mix of Wade-Giles and pinyin, the kid has it mostly right. Except that “China” did not go on a murderous rampage in Tiananmen Square or Beijing. The PLA, under orders from the CCP leadership, opened fire on the Chinese people. That’s why it’s tricky to use countries as subject nouns.
China is a country that continues to actively persecute religious orders, including Christianity and Tibetan Buddhism.
Overlooking that Christianity and Tibetan Buddhism aren’t “religious orders” but religions, it’s only half true that the CCP persecutes followers of either faith. That is, they persecute the half that follows the wrong guy. You can be Catholic in China, just not ultimately loyal to the Pope. You can be a Tibetan Buddhist, but it’s probably not a wise idea to decorate your home in Dalai Lama paraphenalia.
China is a country that is constantly attempting to assert its power in a negative way. The detention of an American naval crew in 2001 — after a Chinese fighter jet rammed the American surveillance plane in international airspace — was but one example of Beijing trying to execute a power play.
Ah, the hyperbole of youth. Name a country that asserts its power in a positive way 100% of the time? Norway? In any case, it’s probably a stretch to think that the PLA had one of their pilots pull an airborne Nathan Hale for the sole purpose of playing five on four hockey for two minutes.
Now the purpose of this isn’t to mock the student op-ed editors (okay, maybe just a little). But the attitude and ideas in this student editorial are actually pretty representative of a general public perception of China, especially among conservatives. It’s easy for academics or journalists living and working in Beijing to forget how little your average American really knows about China, and this lack of information can lead to all kinds of misunderstandings.
Every semester, a new group of students arrives at our center here in Beijing, and one of the joys of teaching is helping students understand the nuance and complexities of China, challenging misconceptions, and offering guidance as the students experience a new country and culture.
Paraphrasing a cliche used for everything from preaching to print journalism, I see the job of a history teacher as “answering questions and questioning answers.” It’s about not letting students become too comfortable in certainties, but rather able to keep their minds open to all the possible ways of understanding the past. I tell ya, It’s a helluva way to make a living and I wouldn’t trade it for a single thing.
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*My goal is not to single out one student or university, but if you really must know which school it was, click here for the full editorial.
