As teacher of English at the Canada china language center, you'll find that the brightest will take advantage to ask questions about life in Canada. In China, the ordinary Chinese is not encouraged to have contact with foreigners except in pursuit of official business, allowing them to assist in modernization of China. Students at an institute to learn Canadian English are among the privileged to learn the language and in the process can ask a bunch of questions, as language is a tool of communication. Important to organize that the structure of Chinese is different than structure of English and French, about getting after meaning behind the language. Teachers will need to try to absorb as much as you can about culture of China so you can understand point of view, make comparisons. Chinese follow socialist way, found it inefficient for production, so they introduced material incentives and private markets for farmers. We don't have a socialist system, but we have social welfare. You will find inevitably the social impact of government systems when talking with students. How to go about understanding China, books are the chief source. China is such a vast country, that we get many interpretations of society and history and motivations. China can't be explained in a nutshell. Part of reason for this is secretiveness of an authoritative government. Foreigners don't have access. Chinese had had to be pressed to allow for sociological and anthropological studies. Know more about the Russian system. Been asked to give an introduction to China, will give it from own account. Son of a missionary/professor in China prior to the war. Lived in China and Japan off and on until 18, went to UoT, at that time no undergraduate Chinese studies programs. Dealt with dept. of ex affairs in regards to pacific world for 2/3 of that time. China 1976-80. Chinese pride and the challenge of modernization. Reason to be proud of 3500 of recorded history, most coherent civilization of the world. Last survivor of the great agrarian states of Mesopotamia, Egypt etc. Contained many firsts. Brief history of China. Cultural influences to Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Language, Buddhism, Confucianism spread similarly to Christianity in scope. Gun boat diplomacy. Focus on northern and central Asia is part of the Chinese mindset in regard to the Soviet Union and the Mongol people. The animosity and fear felt in Chinese culture against Russia and hordes in central Asia. Chinese is part of world league Eng., doctors, scientists. Needs to decide whether to spend a bunch on military, or economic development. The debate continued in China as they do in inner councils of Taiwan. Philosopher Confucius taught that order and good government could be assured as long as everyone got along with each other. He left in 1935, very little change 1935-1949, because of the Japanese occupation in 1937, and the civil war in 1946. When he returned in 1976, struck by the regular layout of the rice fields because of land collectivisation and the electric pumps. Most of rural China, is electrified. Enough for water pumps and industrial purposes. People looked generally healthy, well clothed, pretty well fed. Lots of bicycles. Impressive accomplishments by communists. Land and agriculture had been collectivized, emphasis on production rather than consumerism. Closed down a lot of small little shops and restaurants. Rationing of meat, grain, cloth, etc. Full employment was supposed to be ensured, wasn't perfect. No work, no ration. Confucius replaced by Marx and Lenin. Full monopoly on information sources and police. More successful in rural, than industry and infrastructure. Intelligentsia disappeared. 1949-1976. 27years of communist power dominated by Mao. Successful strategist. Expert in use of military power. Erratic revolutionary. Russian gave extensive assistance in early years. Russian should be given considerable credit to the development. Shouldn't blame Russians for collapse of industry, would have collapsed regardless. Break in relations in 1960, all Russian experts and aid was gone. The material were recently introduced to try to improve upon Russian system for a Chinese context. Cultural Revolution. 11 years 1966-77. Middle schools encouraged to criticise and beat up teachers, 20 million youths joined Red Guard by 1966, universities closed etc. Many intellectuals did not survive. In sept 1967 people liberation army order to suppress Red Guard. 3 million died in revolution. Lost generation of 200 million. Briefly comment on role of intellectual in China. Always been a system to choose intellectuals to serve the state. 1949 communist system kept trying to entice intellectuals into system with rewards and better positions. Controlled by a series of checks. Chinese intellectuals seek a broader access to the international community and news. Leads to factionalism, look for patrons. Important to remember that we are not talking about liberalism in China as much as state-ism that intellectuals have always been attached to. During Cult rev, intellectuals were prosecuted. Generally regarded as a bad element of society because they were not a malleable. When the university and dance theaters etc. reopened, they had their programs significantly doctored by the radical influences which had been given impetus during the rev. University course reduced to 3 years, no entrance examinations, and lower classes given priorities. Teachers told they could not give cadres and lower class students failing marks, they needed to graduate and get a job in government/party. The campus in 1977 taken over as a medical university that reduced to a 3 year course. Enquired how they proposed to train medical teachers, told that there is a lot of time wasted in foreign medical schools, satisfied that everything necessary can be learned in 3 years, the next year went back and it was 5 years. Asked director, why had 3 been enough but no more, told state consul degreed that it was 5 years, knew that 3 years wasn't enough, what is the point of asking, you knew 3 wasn't enough. Chinese are only now getting over the disruption of the rev. Austerity of the radicals during rev, had just been a façade. Those in power abused it, spent too much etc. Provoked cynicism amongst intellectuals in particular. Modernization. First world refer to growth, third world refer to development. China says modernization. Not westernization. Mao advocated self-reliance, used throughout China. Others wanted China to catch up with advanced countries by end of the century. Sending of student abroad is a very interesting feature. Used to send sons of samurai to Europe and US to study, and a certain number of Chinese went abroad in the last century. In the early 20th century after WWI, quite a few went abroad. Combination of work and study. It is difficult for individual scientist, technocrat to change system that works country wide. The individual doesn't want to stick neck out too far. Most prefer to play it safe. By sending students abroad that they are lifted out of their domestic environment and see how others do things, develop comparative knowledge, and acquire prestige to intro proposals for change upon return. Lots of older people in positions at university, last thing they want to do is turn over department to a Hungary, Russian trained professor, want western trained like themselves. Abroad gives them the prestige to get these jobs. China have substantial resources in comparison to other developing countries. China's economic potential in the next 20, 50 years is very great. May in fact do some of the things that the Japanese have done, the Japanese Miracle. Industrialization of china is likely to benefit Canada in export of resources and foodstuffs. **sound a little slow and wonky** Population and population control. Worth mentioning. Population is expected, even with 1 child policy, to rise at least 11-1200 million
