WEBVTT 00:00:12.800 --> 00:00:16.880 This isn't really the official start of 00:00:15.279 --> 00:00:19.198 class, but I just thought I wanted to 00:00:16.879 --> 00:00:21.198 start with this new like big game that 00:00:19.199 --> 00:00:23.600 just dropped and it's like making waves 00:00:21.199 --> 00:00:26.560 I guess in video game communities across 00:00:23.600 --> 00:00:27.920 the world. And this game for the if you 00:00:26.559 --> 00:00:30.479 haven't heard of it, that's totally 00:00:27.920 --> 00:00:33.359 fine. The main character is Sumuku Kong 00:00:30.480 --> 00:00:35.439 and the the game is based loosely on 00:00:33.359 --> 00:00:38.000 this great Chinese novel of the 16th 00:00:35.439 --> 00:00:41.599 century Journey to the West Cog. Yeah. 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:43.679 And the thing is uh so have you heard of 00:00:41.600 --> 00:00:44.960 the Monkey King or Sumukong? Some of you 00:00:43.679 --> 00:00:46.960 have heard of him. Some of you may have 00:00:44.960 --> 00:00:49.600 not have heard of him. That's okay. He's 00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:53.039 like a real iconic figure in Chinese 00:00:49.600 --> 00:00:55.760 culture. You could say literature. 00:00:53.039 --> 00:00:57.679 uh he's not a historical character 00:00:55.759 --> 00:01:00.079 although the journey to the west is a 00:00:57.679 --> 00:01:02.159 historical journey uh taken during the 00:01:00.079 --> 00:01:04.879 Tong dynasty to India to retrieve 00:01:02.159 --> 00:01:07.599 Buddhist sutras and all of that um but 00:01:04.879 --> 00:01:09.600 starting in like the southern song 00:01:07.599 --> 00:01:11.839 dynasty don't worry you'll know all of 00:01:09.599 --> 00:01:13.919 these dynasties pretty soon we cover all 00:01:11.840 --> 00:01:15.680 of them this semester starting in about 00:01:13.920 --> 00:01:18.320 like I'd say the 11th century this 00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:20.880 figure of a monkey uh as kind of the the 00:01:18.319 --> 00:01:23.839 the sort of accompany the the the 00:01:20.879 --> 00:01:26.158 accompany of this main t uh you know 00:01:23.840 --> 00:01:27.920 monk character came to the foreground 00:01:26.159 --> 00:01:29.840 and his character evolved over the 00:01:27.920 --> 00:01:32.240 centuries and I think one of the reasons 00:01:29.840 --> 00:01:34.960 why he's so beloved in China is he's 00:01:32.239 --> 00:01:36.399 like this fearless person right he's he 00:01:34.959 --> 00:01:39.199 laughs in the face of danger because 00:01:36.400 --> 00:01:40.960 he's like a monkey right so it makes him 00:01:39.200 --> 00:01:44.240 very beloved and makes him like sort of 00:01:40.959 --> 00:01:47.438 very interesting um he's also kind of a 00:01:44.239 --> 00:01:50.000 force of chaos in a sense uh is that he 00:01:47.438 --> 00:01:51.758 literally makes a mess of heaven even uh 00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:53.680 he gets in trouble with the Jade Emperor 00:01:51.759 --> 00:01:56.079 all of these really great stories, but 00:01:53.680 --> 00:01:58.799 in that sort of his sort of causing 00:01:56.078 --> 00:02:00.399 chaos where he goes, he forces truth to 00:01:58.799 --> 00:02:02.719 come to the surface. He's got the power 00:02:00.399 --> 00:02:05.118 to see evil where evil is sort of 00:02:02.718 --> 00:02:07.118 latently present. Uh so you can see 00:02:05.118 --> 00:02:09.360 here, I just thought I'd say a few words 00:02:07.118 --> 00:02:12.239 about him. There's a there's a big 00:02:09.360 --> 00:02:14.239 debate in Chinese history about where 00:02:12.239 --> 00:02:16.878 monkey comes from. where the character 00:02:14.239 --> 00:02:19.280 of Sumukong comes from. Hooser, the 00:02:16.878 --> 00:02:21.039 great early 20th century intellectual. 00:02:19.280 --> 00:02:23.759 You don't have to know him exactly, but 00:02:21.039 --> 00:02:25.359 he's a big name. He actually envisioned 00:02:23.759 --> 00:02:29.199 that monkey may have come from the 00:02:25.360 --> 00:02:32.160 Ramayana, from the character of Hanuman, 00:02:29.199 --> 00:02:34.639 the sort of protector of King Rama. Uh, 00:02:32.159 --> 00:02:36.959 and there are there is a serious theory 00:02:34.639 --> 00:02:39.199 that that is actually the origin of his 00:02:36.959 --> 00:02:41.439 character. Lucin disagreed with that 00:02:39.199 --> 00:02:43.199 theory. Actually the other big 20th 00:02:41.439 --> 00:02:45.120 century great writer of Chinese history 00:02:43.199 --> 00:02:46.719 had another theory. You can see over the 00:02:45.120 --> 00:02:49.840 centuries this is from a very early 00:02:46.719 --> 00:02:52.159 edition of the novel. This is from the 00:02:49.840 --> 00:02:54.560 uh summer palace in Beijing. Right? So 00:02:52.159 --> 00:02:57.840 the literally depictions from the novel 00:02:54.560 --> 00:03:00.479 like sused you know uh big you know 00:02:57.840 --> 00:03:02.959 artistic uh scenes in late imperial 00:03:00.479 --> 00:03:04.878 China. Uh this is from a temple in 00:03:02.959 --> 00:03:07.039 Vietnam and you can see here this is 00:03:04.878 --> 00:03:09.280 monkey and shrines right. So he enters 00:03:07.039 --> 00:03:11.359 religion, popular religion and of course 00:03:09.280 --> 00:03:13.199 big opera, right? Opera for performances 00:03:11.360 --> 00:03:15.280 of Journey of the West, the character of 00:03:13.199 --> 00:03:17.280 Monkey and all of that. So I thought 00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:18.400 that I would just say just really if 00:03:17.280 --> 00:03:20.158 you've been thinking about this video 00:03:18.400 --> 00:03:22.319 game or you want to go check out this 00:03:20.158 --> 00:03:24.799 video game at the beginning here, he's 00:03:22.318 --> 00:03:27.199 been beloved across generations. Every 00:03:24.800 --> 00:03:29.120 era sort of reinvisions him. You know, 00:03:27.199 --> 00:03:30.798 this is Princess Iron Fan. This is a 00:03:29.120 --> 00:03:32.640 story from Journey of the West. 00:03:30.799 --> 00:03:35.760 Incredible. This is China's first 00:03:32.639 --> 00:03:37.839 animated film, 1941, made in Shanghai 00:03:35.759 --> 00:03:39.759 during World War II. And it's kind of 00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:41.280 like Monkey at that time. You think 00:03:39.759 --> 00:03:43.439 about the War of Resistance against 00:03:41.280 --> 00:03:45.039 Japan, right? All of the symbolism with 00:03:43.439 --> 00:03:47.680 that. Somebody mentioned that they saw 00:03:45.039 --> 00:03:49.919 the 1986. Oh, where's my 1986? There's 00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:51.760 my 1986. Journey to the West. This a big 00:03:49.919 --> 00:03:54.479 TV series. You can get it all on YouTube 00:03:51.759 --> 00:03:56.399 for free. Really fun. This actor who 00:03:54.479 --> 00:03:58.079 plays Monkey is really incredible. Like 00:03:56.400 --> 00:04:00.400 he's comes from like an oporatic 00:03:58.080 --> 00:04:02.799 tradition. He really carries that forth. 00:04:00.400 --> 00:04:04.319 Late editions of Monkey, recent editions 00:04:02.799 --> 00:04:06.719 of Monkey have kind of shown him to be 00:04:04.318 --> 00:04:08.719 like hyper masculine and muscular and 00:04:06.719 --> 00:04:10.639 everything like that. It's actually not 00:04:08.719 --> 00:04:12.479 necessarily how he's been portrayed 00:04:10.639 --> 00:04:14.000 historically, but again, it tells us 00:04:12.479 --> 00:04:16.639 something about how his character 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:18.560 evolves over time. All right, that is 00:04:16.639 --> 00:04:20.079 the sort of prelude. Now, let's actually 00:04:18.560 --> 00:04:21.358 get into dynastic China. This is 00:04:20.079 --> 00:04:23.600 probably how you thought I would begin 00:04:21.358 --> 00:04:25.680 the class, which makes total sense, 00:04:23.600 --> 00:04:27.280 right? Forbidden City. Some of you went 00:04:25.680 --> 00:04:30.478 to Beijing this summer. Some of you have 00:04:27.279 --> 00:04:32.000 been to Beijing, I'm sure. This is like, 00:04:30.478 --> 00:04:33.758 you know, the tragedy with the Forbidden 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:35.918 City is once you see this palace, you 00:04:33.759 --> 00:04:38.240 can't go visit any other palace. They 00:04:35.918 --> 00:04:40.159 all just look so silly in comparison to 00:04:38.240 --> 00:04:41.600 this Versailles. I mean, forget about 00:04:40.160 --> 00:04:43.360 it. It looks like a house. [music] I 00:04:41.600 --> 00:04:45.840 mean, seriously, this I mean, it's the 00:04:43.360 --> 00:04:48.560 largest palace structure in the world. 00:04:45.839 --> 00:04:51.279 It's I've been I've visited probably 00:04:48.560 --> 00:04:53.439 five times over my lifetime, and every 00:04:51.279 --> 00:04:56.079 time it's different. 00:04:53.439 --> 00:04:59.120 When you go in the summer, there's not a 00:04:56.079 --> 00:05:01.680 lot of shade. You get killed by the sun 00:04:59.120 --> 00:05:03.439 in the crowds. I went on an academic 00:05:01.680 --> 00:05:04.959 sort of with an academic delegation this 00:05:03.439 --> 00:05:06.560 summer. So, we went to all these like 00:05:04.959 --> 00:05:08.239 secret places and that was really, 00:05:06.560 --> 00:05:09.759 really fun. But this is a place you 00:05:08.240 --> 00:05:11.680 absolutely have to visit. There's so 00:05:09.759 --> 00:05:13.840 much of Chinese history [music] in this 00:05:11.680 --> 00:05:15.280 palace in the center of Beijing. And 00:05:13.839 --> 00:05:17.599 I'll just say actually one funny thing 00:05:15.279 --> 00:05:19.519 about it is this palace was so nice that 00:05:17.600 --> 00:05:21.439 when the Mans [music] invaded China in 00:05:19.519 --> 00:05:24.000 the 17th century, they said, "We'll keep 00:05:21.439 --> 00:05:25.519 the palace." They moved right in. How 00:05:24.000 --> 00:05:26.879 often does that happen when somebody 00:05:25.519 --> 00:05:28.478 invades say we'll keep the White House? 00:05:26.879 --> 00:05:30.800 No, no, I we could do better than the 00:05:28.478 --> 00:05:32.639 White House. They kept this one. Okay. 00:05:30.800 --> 00:05:35.038 Okay. So, this is actually a Ming 00:05:32.639 --> 00:05:36.639 Dynasty palace that was used right up 00:05:35.038 --> 00:05:39.599 until the early 20th [music] century. 00:05:36.639 --> 00:05:41.120 Today, a museum. Okay. All right. I 00:05:39.600 --> 00:05:43.439 thought I was thinking about like how do 00:05:41.120 --> 00:05:45.360 you even introduce this subject? Right. 00:05:43.439 --> 00:05:46.959 This is like it's I love this subject. 00:05:45.360 --> 00:05:50.560 I'm sure you got that from my email. 00:05:46.959 --> 00:05:52.799 Okay. Uh I I I'm so excited to share 00:05:50.560 --> 00:05:55.120 about this subject with you. And I 00:05:52.800 --> 00:05:57.120 realize there's never a good way to get 00:05:55.120 --> 00:05:58.879 into this subject because it's so big. 00:05:57.120 --> 00:06:01.120 It's so much to cover. But I'll just 00:05:58.879 --> 00:06:02.879 say, let's look at a map right here. 00:06:01.120 --> 00:06:05.038 Okay, this is, as you could imagine, 00:06:02.879 --> 00:06:06.240 Beijing, right? This is the Forbidden 00:06:05.038 --> 00:06:08.318 City. This is the palace. I think this 00:06:06.240 --> 00:06:11.199 map is from about the 1950s or something 00:06:08.319 --> 00:06:14.960 like that. And there's these three quote 00:06:11.199 --> 00:06:16.560 unquote high to the to the left, right, 00:06:14.959 --> 00:06:19.198 to the to the western side of the 00:06:16.560 --> 00:06:21.680 Forbidden City, right? Anybody know what 00:06:19.199 --> 00:06:24.879 those three high are? with those three 00:06:21.680 --> 00:06:27.759 lakes. Anybody have you anybody visited? 00:06:24.879 --> 00:06:29.839 Have you been to Bay High Park? It's 00:06:27.759 --> 00:06:32.800 okay. It's okay. Let me just tell you 00:06:29.839 --> 00:06:35.918 there are three lakes there. Okay. The 00:06:32.800 --> 00:06:38.160 top lake is the northern lake. Okay. 00:06:35.918 --> 00:06:40.159 That was an imperial garden and that is 00:06:38.160 --> 00:06:43.600 today a public park. You can access that 00:06:40.160 --> 00:06:46.000 one. The second one and the last one are 00:06:43.600 --> 00:06:49.199 the middle lake in the southern lake. 00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:50.639 That's Jong Nan High. Have you Have you 00:06:49.199 --> 00:06:53.120 ever heard of Jong Nan High? That's 00:06:50.639 --> 00:06:55.360 where the head of the communist party 00:06:53.120 --> 00:06:57.120 is. That's basically where the nominally 00:06:55.360 --> 00:06:58.479 the Cinping lives and everything like 00:06:57.120 --> 00:07:00.879 it's kind of like the White House and 00:06:58.478 --> 00:07:03.120 the Kremlin together. Okay. Very very 00:07:00.879 --> 00:07:05.199 big place. Those two lakes are not open 00:07:03.120 --> 00:07:07.598 to the public. That area is like the 00:07:05.199 --> 00:07:09.280 compound of the I think you know the 00:07:07.598 --> 00:07:11.839 center of the party's power structure 00:07:09.279 --> 00:07:13.598 basically. So there's so much right just 00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:16.799 in this little how many kilometers of 00:07:13.598 --> 00:07:18.959 space. Okay. China history from th 00:07:16.800 --> 00:07:22.079 hundreds of years ago all the way up to 00:07:18.959 --> 00:07:25.038 history going on today. Right? So the 00:07:22.079 --> 00:07:31.198 thing I love about this term is that the 00:07:25.038 --> 00:07:34.000 word high means sea, ocean or lake. In 00:07:31.199 --> 00:07:36.319 Mongol actually this distinction you can 00:07:34.000 --> 00:07:38.879 imagine why is not really made between 00:07:36.319 --> 00:07:40.479 ocean and a big body of water. And sort 00:07:38.879 --> 00:07:43.360 of some Chinese dialects over the 00:07:40.478 --> 00:07:46.639 centuries adopted that or also had that. 00:07:43.360 --> 00:07:48.400 So you can kind of see here I I think 00:07:46.639 --> 00:07:50.000 and I know this might be sort of a 00:07:48.399 --> 00:07:51.439 little corny to say but I want to just 00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:54.160 say it here at the very beginning and 00:07:51.439 --> 00:07:56.879 I'll just say it once. It's like Chinese 00:07:54.160 --> 00:08:00.000 history is like a sea or an ocean. Okay. 00:07:56.879 --> 00:08:01.840 That's it's big. It's how do I say it? 00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:03.680 It's vast. It's beautiful and it's 00:08:01.839 --> 00:08:05.198 difficult. It can be dangerous. Right? 00:08:03.680 --> 00:08:07.120 Of course I'll talk about how history 00:08:05.199 --> 00:08:10.080 can be dangerous in just a second but 00:08:07.120 --> 00:08:12.319 it's not like perhaps other kinds of 00:08:10.079 --> 00:08:14.159 history you've studied thus far. Um, 00:08:12.319 --> 00:08:15.919 I'll just say that, you know, I started 00:08:14.160 --> 00:08:18.240 studying it however many like almost 20 00:08:15.918 --> 00:08:19.918 years ago. I will be a student of it for 00:08:18.240 --> 00:08:22.079 the rest of my life. I'll never be able 00:08:19.918 --> 00:08:24.240 to master this, right? It's not 00:08:22.079 --> 00:08:27.198 something you master. It's just too much 00:08:24.240 --> 00:08:30.160 stuff. Okay? But that's the thing. This 00:08:27.199 --> 00:08:32.320 class, what I can do is I'll take you to 00:08:30.160 --> 00:08:33.680 the ocean and I'll say in that first 00:08:32.320 --> 00:08:35.039 time you see the ocean, right? Think 00:08:33.679 --> 00:08:36.239 about that. Think about where you were, 00:08:35.038 --> 00:08:37.759 especially if you didn't grow up near 00:08:36.240 --> 00:08:39.120 the sea, right? The first time you saw 00:08:37.759 --> 00:08:40.559 the ocean, you say, "Wow, that's a 00:08:39.120 --> 00:08:41.679 beautiful site." Or, "Wow, that's so 00:08:40.559 --> 00:08:43.278 interesting. Look at the waves. 00:08:41.679 --> 00:08:45.120 Whatever. Whatever. Whatever. That's 00:08:43.278 --> 00:08:48.240 what this class can do. It's like we're 00:08:45.120 --> 00:08:50.080 I'm going to show you across time, okay? 00:08:48.240 --> 00:08:51.919 From the Joe dynasty, from the origins 00:08:50.080 --> 00:08:54.560 of writing in China, which is Chong 00:08:51.919 --> 00:08:56.879 Dynasty, but whatever. Han dynasty, the 00:08:54.559 --> 00:08:58.639 medieval period, all the way up to the 00:08:56.879 --> 00:09:00.240 early modern era. I'll show you 00:08:58.639 --> 00:09:02.080 something about every era that I think 00:09:00.240 --> 00:09:04.000 is interesting, okay? That I think 00:09:02.080 --> 00:09:06.800 you'll appreciate. And then it's up to 00:09:04.000 --> 00:09:08.559 you to go from there, okay? So, so I'll 00:09:06.799 --> 00:09:11.278 take you to the sea. You can swim 00:09:08.559 --> 00:09:13.759 however you want to you however far you 00:09:11.278 --> 00:09:15.039 want to swim. I'm still swimming. Okay. 00:09:13.759 --> 00:09:18.958 So that's what we're going to do. This 00:09:15.039 --> 00:09:22.000 is okay. Dynastic China 2024. Okay. So 00:09:18.958 --> 00:09:23.518 let me say something at the outset here. 00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:25.278 What I'll do today is I'll introduce 00:09:23.519 --> 00:09:27.039 Chinese history in the broadest possible 00:09:25.278 --> 00:09:28.879 terms. How do we think about it? Some 00:09:27.039 --> 00:09:30.639 key terms. We'll go over the syllabus, 00:09:28.879 --> 00:09:31.759 the requirements for the class, and then 00:09:30.639 --> 00:09:34.319 I'll talk we'll I'll give you a 00:09:31.759 --> 00:09:35.759 geographical tour of China, which is 00:09:34.320 --> 00:09:37.760 really fun. Actually, it's really fun 00:09:35.759 --> 00:09:39.200 just to go talk about food and here's 00:09:37.759 --> 00:09:40.319 this province and here's this province. 00:09:39.200 --> 00:09:41.680 The rest of the class won't be like 00:09:40.320 --> 00:09:43.200 that, but you do need to know the 00:09:41.679 --> 00:09:44.958 geography of China. There will be a quiz 00:09:43.200 --> 00:09:46.480 in a couple of weeks. Okay, this is the 00:09:44.958 --> 00:09:48.639 forbidden city that we were just talking 00:09:46.480 --> 00:09:51.360 about. And you can see here, this is 00:09:48.639 --> 00:09:54.159 this is I think the largest single hall 00:09:51.360 --> 00:09:56.560 within the palace complex. This Taiuen, 00:09:54.159 --> 00:09:59.278 the hall of supreme harmony. Okay, this 00:09:56.559 --> 00:10:01.439 a Ming dynasty structure. That's don't 00:09:59.278 --> 00:10:03.759 get overwhelmed. Uh that's like let's 00:10:01.440 --> 00:10:05.600 say a 15th century structure. Okay. Uh, 00:10:03.759 --> 00:10:07.759 and this is basically where the emperor 00:10:05.600 --> 00:10:10.159 had major audiences. Weddings were held 00:10:07.759 --> 00:10:12.080 here. Enthronements were held here. And 00:10:10.159 --> 00:10:13.600 you can see it's right here. It's right, 00:10:12.080 --> 00:10:15.759 it's kind of like in the almost looks 00:10:13.600 --> 00:10:18.079 like the center. It's like right in that 00:10:15.759 --> 00:10:19.919 central access. Okay, that's where it 00:10:18.078 --> 00:10:21.838 is. There's another place and it's not 00:10:19.919 --> 00:10:24.639 like a famous place. The place of 00:10:21.839 --> 00:10:26.640 everlasting spring. This chun. 00:10:24.639 --> 00:10:28.799 Okay, it's in the back. It's right over 00:10:26.639 --> 00:10:31.439 there. I highlighted it right there. I 00:10:28.799 --> 00:10:34.479 bring out these two sort of parts of the 00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:37.040 palace to you because in a way they kind 00:10:34.480 --> 00:10:39.360 of represent two tides of Chinese 00:10:37.039 --> 00:10:42.399 history or two ways of thinking about 00:10:39.360 --> 00:10:45.278 Chinese history. Okay, there's junction, 00:10:42.399 --> 00:10:47.120 right? Official history. What is 00:10:45.278 --> 00:10:48.559 official history? Now, when you think 00:10:47.120 --> 00:10:49.759 about history in China, don't just 00:10:48.559 --> 00:10:51.278 think, oh, I'm sitting down. I'm 00:10:49.759 --> 00:10:55.600 thinking about history. Oh, that's so 00:10:51.278 --> 00:10:58.720 fun. No sh refers to a k a kind of 00:10:55.600 --> 00:11:01.600 writing. It's a genre of writing. There 00:10:58.720 --> 00:11:04.639 are officially 24 official histories 00:11:01.600 --> 00:11:07.200 across China, Chinese history. The 00:11:04.639 --> 00:11:08.799 dynasty that follows the previous 00:11:07.200 --> 00:11:12.160 dynasty writes the official history of 00:11:08.799 --> 00:11:14.319 its predecessor. Okay. Ironically, we do 00:11:12.159 --> 00:11:16.639 not yet have an official history of 00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:19.040 theQing dynasty, the last dynasty. 00:11:16.639 --> 00:11:21.838 That's an ongoing big football project 00:11:19.039 --> 00:11:23.838 of of a game of, you know, tension 00:11:21.839 --> 00:11:25.680 within China today. Okay. How to write 00:11:23.839 --> 00:11:28.959 that history of the last dynasty. but 00:11:25.679 --> 00:11:31.039 quoteunquote we have 24 um that's this 00:11:28.958 --> 00:11:32.958 official history you know emperors 00:11:31.039 --> 00:11:36.000 dynasties battles natural disasters 00:11:32.958 --> 00:11:38.159 recorded by state authorities okay but 00:11:36.000 --> 00:11:41.200 then there's something else okay that's 00:11:38.159 --> 00:11:42.879 not all we look at that's not all we 00:11:41.200 --> 00:11:47.759 talk about there's also this kind of 00:11:42.879 --> 00:11:50.240 idea in Chinese of yes wild history 00:11:47.759 --> 00:11:52.000 that's outside things that happened in 00:11:50.240 --> 00:11:54.000 the past that are not in those official 00:11:52.000 --> 00:11:55.679 histories but are still worthy of 00:11:54.000 --> 00:11:57.440 talking about that are still worthy of 00:11:55.679 --> 00:11:59.599 remembering. Okay. And that's like 00:11:57.440 --> 00:12:02.959 folklore, families, women, popular tales 00:11:59.600 --> 00:12:06.079 not recorded by state authorities. And 00:12:02.958 --> 00:12:08.239 you know, so you one way you can think 00:12:06.078 --> 00:12:10.638 about Chinese history is that it's the 00:12:08.240 --> 00:12:12.320 tension between these two things. Okay? 00:12:10.639 --> 00:12:14.159 It's like also going back to the sea 00:12:12.320 --> 00:12:15.920 metaphor, high tide and low tide, 00:12:14.159 --> 00:12:17.919 whatever you want to say. Okay? There's 00:12:15.919 --> 00:12:19.599 the stuff that's officially recorded. On 00:12:17.919 --> 00:12:21.120 this day, the emperor said this, but 00:12:19.600 --> 00:12:22.879 then there's all this unofficial stuff 00:12:21.120 --> 00:12:26.000 that we piece together and say what was 00:12:22.879 --> 00:12:28.320 really going on. Okay, this what is so 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:29.519 great about Chinese history is that you 00:12:28.320 --> 00:12:31.920 actually don't need a textbook. There 00:12:29.519 --> 00:12:34.159 are so many sources. There's art, 00:12:31.919 --> 00:12:36.159 there's so much writing, there's private 00:12:34.159 --> 00:12:38.159 writing, there's writing by scholars, 00:12:36.159 --> 00:12:41.600 there's debates, there's so much you can 00:12:38.159 --> 00:12:44.078 look into. But take a look at again that 00:12:41.600 --> 00:12:46.159 sort of palace. What I said is that 00:12:44.078 --> 00:12:47.599 looking at itself at the palace, it kind 00:12:46.159 --> 00:12:49.600 of tells you a story about Chinese 00:12:47.600 --> 00:12:52.000 history. This is that sort of like 00:12:49.600 --> 00:12:53.680 juncture type of place. The things that 00:12:52.000 --> 00:12:55.519 happened in the hall of supreme harmony 00:12:53.679 --> 00:12:57.919 are recorded in official type of 00:12:55.519 --> 00:12:59.759 histories. But the stuff that happens in 00:12:57.919 --> 00:13:02.399 the rear of the palace, this is the 00:12:59.759 --> 00:13:05.120 hogong. That's where the imperial family 00:13:02.399 --> 00:13:06.078 lived. Okay? That's actually where they 00:13:05.120 --> 00:13:07.120 lived. They didn't live in the front of 00:13:06.078 --> 00:13:08.879 the palace. This is a that's an 00:13:07.120 --> 00:13:10.399 expression in Chinese. Hogong, the back 00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:11.679 of the palace. That's the imperial 00:13:10.399 --> 00:13:13.120 family. That's where they actually 00:13:11.679 --> 00:13:14.799 lived. And that's where all of By the 00:13:13.120 --> 00:13:16.799 way, if you watch Chinese dramas, family 00:13:14.799 --> 00:13:18.240 dramas, they're all about that. Okay? 00:13:16.799 --> 00:13:19.439 Nobody really cares about this, but 00:13:18.240 --> 00:13:22.240 they're all about that, right? What's 00:13:19.440 --> 00:13:24.800 going on? the the romance, right? All 00:13:22.240 --> 00:13:26.399 this stuff, you know? Yeah, sure. Wild 00:13:24.799 --> 00:13:28.479 history has a lot more to it than just 00:13:26.399 --> 00:13:31.600 that, okay? I'm not endorsing any drama, 00:13:28.480 --> 00:13:33.600 by the way. Uh but but but it's a way to 00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:35.680 think about it. This is an incredible 00:13:33.600 --> 00:13:38.320 hall. We will return to it in the last 00:13:35.679 --> 00:13:40.719 class of the semester because in this 00:13:38.320 --> 00:13:42.879 palace of everlasting spring and the 00:13:40.720 --> 00:13:45.519 rear of the palace, on its walls are 00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:47.600 depicted murals of the probably the 00:13:45.519 --> 00:13:50.720 greatest novel of Chinese history, Hong 00:13:47.600 --> 00:13:53.600 Mong, A Dream of the Red Chamber. images 00:13:50.720 --> 00:13:56.160 from that novel uh were painted on the 00:13:53.600 --> 00:13:58.399 walls of this kind of residential 00:13:56.159 --> 00:14:00.399 complex for the imperial family uh you 00:13:58.399 --> 00:14:04.240 know one of the consorts in the 19th 00:14:00.399 --> 00:14:05.919 century that sort of uh p that that 00:14:04.240 --> 00:14:08.399 those scenes or that novel is all about 00:14:05.919 --> 00:14:09.599 a family in decline right so it's 00:14:08.399 --> 00:14:11.519 actually I've always thought it's 00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:14.159 extremely moving and thoughtprovoking to 00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:17.519 think that the emperor that the imperial 00:14:14.159 --> 00:14:20.958 family has these images on that wall 00:14:17.519 --> 00:14:23.120 okay all right So let's talk about why 00:14:20.958 --> 00:14:25.198 would you even take this class? Okay, 00:14:23.120 --> 00:14:28.399 why talk about dynastic history? Why get 00:14:25.198 --> 00:14:30.078 into it? Well, the the answer could be 00:14:28.399 --> 00:14:31.759 because like China's a really important 00:14:30.078 --> 00:14:33.120 place today, right? I think it's going 00:14:31.759 --> 00:14:34.480 to have the largest economy in the 00:14:33.120 --> 00:14:36.078 world, whatever. It has the second 00:14:34.480 --> 00:14:37.680 largest population. It's an important 00:14:36.078 --> 00:14:39.278 place. There's a lot of interesting 00:14:37.679 --> 00:14:41.439 technological developments going on with 00:14:39.278 --> 00:14:44.958 that, you know, all of that stuff. My 00:14:41.440 --> 00:14:46.639 favorite of which are these like robots 00:14:44.958 --> 00:14:48.559 that I'm sure if you've been to China 00:14:46.639 --> 00:14:50.959 recently, I'm sure you've encountered 00:14:48.559 --> 00:14:52.879 these. If you stay in a hotel and you 00:14:50.958 --> 00:14:54.719 get takeout, 00:14:52.879 --> 00:14:56.879 somebody brings it to the hotel front 00:14:54.720 --> 00:14:59.199 desk and then this this Gichi red this 00:14:56.879 --> 00:15:00.639 robot sends it to your room so you don't 00:14:59.198 --> 00:15:03.519 have to actually talk to any human 00:15:00.639 --> 00:15:05.519 beings. Okay, this was a this was a 00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:07.360 thing that came in during COVID, I 00:15:05.519 --> 00:15:09.039 think, and now it's just like standard 00:15:07.360 --> 00:15:10.800 across the country. So, I mean, you 00:15:09.039 --> 00:15:12.559 could set you get medicine, you get all 00:15:10.799 --> 00:15:14.719 this stuff like that, but it was like my 00:15:12.559 --> 00:15:16.479 first night in China this summer. I was 00:15:14.720 --> 00:15:18.560 I arrived at like 1:00 a.m. for a 00:15:16.480 --> 00:15:21.039 conference and then this like I got a 00:15:18.559 --> 00:15:22.638 phone call and this it was like a 00:15:21.039 --> 00:15:24.159 robotic voice and it said, "I'm here." 00:15:22.639 --> 00:15:26.000 And I'm like, "What's going on?" And 00:15:24.159 --> 00:15:27.360 then, "Please open the door." And I open 00:15:26.000 --> 00:15:29.360 the door. It's one of these. And they 00:15:27.360 --> 00:15:30.800 go, "Please press this button." And I 00:15:29.360 --> 00:15:32.560 press the button and then it's like and 00:15:30.799 --> 00:15:34.240 then there was this like rice and like 00:15:32.559 --> 00:15:36.159 all this food, right? And it's like 00:15:34.240 --> 00:15:37.680 they're walking all over these hotels, 00:15:36.159 --> 00:15:39.198 right? And they even say like, "Please 00:15:37.679 --> 00:15:41.519 excuse me. I need to get to the 00:15:39.198 --> 00:15:43.359 elevator." So, it's I don't know why we 00:15:41.519 --> 00:15:45.679 don't have them yet, right? And and and 00:15:43.360 --> 00:15:47.519 and if any budding anthropologists in 00:15:45.679 --> 00:15:50.000 the room, there's so much to study about 00:15:47.519 --> 00:15:51.519 these these robots, right? About how 00:15:50.000 --> 00:15:54.240 humans interact with them and such like 00:15:51.519 --> 00:15:56.159 that. But yes. Okay. So, I understand 00:15:54.240 --> 00:15:58.720 the current scene of China is worth 00:15:56.159 --> 00:16:00.559 paying attention to is is is relevant, 00:15:58.720 --> 00:16:02.800 is important. Okay. But then we get back 00:16:00.559 --> 00:16:06.638 to this question, why study dynastic 00:16:02.799 --> 00:16:09.039 China? One reason, okay, is that if you 00:16:06.639 --> 00:16:10.879 spend time in China and you talk to 00:16:09.039 --> 00:16:13.919 people in China, people in China talk 00:16:10.879 --> 00:16:15.759 about their history all the time. Okay, 00:16:13.919 --> 00:16:17.838 from from the top leadership all the way 00:16:15.759 --> 00:16:19.759 down to everyday people, people driving 00:16:17.839 --> 00:16:21.759 cabs that you'll meet, you know, just in 00:16:19.759 --> 00:16:24.240 day-to-day life. Okay, history really 00:16:21.759 --> 00:16:26.480 matters in this place. Okay, it's the 00:16:24.240 --> 00:16:30.000 way that people talk about issues in the 00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:31.920 present. Um, it also is really 00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:33.839 contentious, right? I just mentioned to 00:16:31.919 --> 00:16:35.919 you this kind of like question of the 00:16:33.839 --> 00:16:37.920 official Ching history. There's been an 00:16:35.919 --> 00:16:40.399 ongoing project to write the official 00:16:37.919 --> 00:16:43.039 Ching history in theory since the days 00:16:40.399 --> 00:16:44.240 of like Mao and Joe and Lie. It started 00:16:43.039 --> 00:16:45.519 and then it stopped because of the 00:16:44.240 --> 00:16:47.039 cultural revolution and then it got 00:16:45.519 --> 00:16:49.120 started again in recent years and now 00:16:47.039 --> 00:16:51.198 it's kind of again controversial. How do 00:16:49.120 --> 00:16:53.278 you officially record that history? That 00:16:51.198 --> 00:16:54.719 should tell you something. There's all 00:16:53.278 --> 00:16:56.720 of these debates. There's all these 00:16:54.720 --> 00:16:59.360 tensions that go on within China about 00:16:56.720 --> 00:17:02.079 how to understand what happened in 00:16:59.360 --> 00:17:03.360 dynastic China. Okay, we don't pay 00:17:02.078 --> 00:17:06.318 attention to Well, the Wall Street 00:17:03.360 --> 00:17:08.480 Journal did a cover of it. Okay, but 00:17:06.318 --> 00:17:12.399 that kind of signals its importance, 00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:14.959 right? So, I do not think in any way 00:17:12.400 --> 00:17:17.120 that this class, Dynastic China, is less 00:17:14.959 --> 00:17:19.439 relevant or less practical than modern 00:17:17.119 --> 00:17:22.318 China. I'd say if you had to pick, take 00:17:19.439 --> 00:17:25.360 this one. Forget about modern China. 00:17:22.318 --> 00:17:27.759 Okay. the 20th century. It's a tough 00:17:25.359 --> 00:17:29.678 century. This we cover a lot more 00:17:27.759 --> 00:17:31.119 centuries here. Okay. So, you get more 00:17:29.679 --> 00:17:32.480 bang for your buck. Okay. But they're 00:17:31.119 --> 00:17:36.479 both good. I mean, they're, you know, 00:17:32.480 --> 00:17:39.200 take it take it in 2026. Yeah. Okay. Um, 00:17:36.480 --> 00:17:40.720 so now let me tell you another reason 00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:44.319 kind of building on what I was just 00:17:40.720 --> 00:17:46.079 talking about is that people in China 00:17:44.319 --> 00:17:47.839 like to talk about their history. They 00:17:46.079 --> 00:17:49.599 have a long there's a long recorded 00:17:47.839 --> 00:17:51.038 history in China. So, that means there's 00:17:49.599 --> 00:17:53.279 a lot to talk about. There's a lot to 00:17:51.038 --> 00:17:55.519 debate and there's a lot to analyze. I'm 00:17:53.279 --> 00:17:59.359 sure many of you may be familiar with 00:17:55.519 --> 00:18:02.000 this opening sentence. Has anybody read 00:17:59.359 --> 00:18:04.719 Sanguani, Romance of the Three Kingdoms? 00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:06.240 I think m Professor Dung has a class on 00:18:04.720 --> 00:18:07.759 Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Some of 00:18:06.240 --> 00:18:09.120 you might be taking it or want to take 00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:11.038 it. You should you should take it. It's 00:18:09.119 --> 00:18:14.159 an interesting This is another one of 00:18:11.038 --> 00:18:15.519 those two those great novels. Okay, we 00:18:14.160 --> 00:18:17.440 talked about Journey to the West a 00:18:15.519 --> 00:18:19.279 little bit earlier. This is Romance of 00:18:17.440 --> 00:18:23.480 the Three Kingdoms and there's a this 00:18:19.279 --> 00:18:23.480 opening lines of it right this 00:18:24.880 --> 00:18:29.679 writes there's a saying there's a saying 00:18:26.880 --> 00:18:31.919 in our country that 00:18:29.679 --> 00:18:34.480 you know long divided it must unite long 00:18:31.919 --> 00:18:36.080 united it must divide think about that 00:18:34.480 --> 00:18:40.000 for just a second and then let me show 00:18:36.079 --> 00:18:42.240 you this quote okay by Mark Elvin 1973 00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:44.400 the Chinese empire is the major 00:18:42.240 --> 00:18:46.319 exception in the preodern world to what 00:18:44.400 --> 00:18:48.480 would appear to be the rule that units 00:18:46.319 --> 00:18:50.639 of territorial and demographic extent 00:18:48.480 --> 00:18:54.000 comparable to China are not stable 00:18:50.640 --> 00:18:56.640 entities over long periods of time. So 00:18:54.000 --> 00:18:59.119 one of the things where you say why look 00:18:56.640 --> 00:19:01.679 at it, why study it? Why think about it 00:18:59.119 --> 00:19:04.319 is because actually this kind of does 00:19:01.679 --> 00:19:05.919 seem to happen, okay, that there are 00:19:04.319 --> 00:19:08.000 periods of division where everything 00:19:05.919 --> 00:19:10.160 falls apart, okay, and it looks like, 00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:11.679 okay, this is going to be Italy and this 00:19:10.160 --> 00:19:13.519 is going to be France and this is going 00:19:11.679 --> 00:19:16.160 to be Switzerland and then all of a 00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:18.639 sudden it comes back. Rome comes back. 00:19:16.160 --> 00:19:21.519 Okay, Rome comes back and it keeps 00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:23.919 coming back and you're like, why? Right? 00:19:21.519 --> 00:19:26.240 What's going on? Right? And people, you 00:19:23.919 --> 00:19:28.080 know, across the centuries noticed this, 00:19:26.240 --> 00:19:29.519 right? It was like a thing they they 00:19:28.079 --> 00:19:33.199 noticed and talked about it or even 00:19:29.519 --> 00:19:35.279 anticipated. That's not to overstate 00:19:33.200 --> 00:19:37.038 continuity in Chinese history. I don't 00:19:35.279 --> 00:19:38.960 want you to think, oh yeah, 20,000 years 00:19:37.038 --> 00:19:41.119 ago that was China and China today it's 00:19:38.960 --> 00:19:43.679 like the it's not the same. It's very 00:19:41.119 --> 00:19:46.239 different. Tons of things happen. Tons 00:19:43.679 --> 00:19:47.919 of things change. But this conversation 00:19:46.240 --> 00:19:50.558 that we're talking about right here is 00:19:47.919 --> 00:19:52.400 very old, right? So I think Chinese 00:19:50.558 --> 00:19:54.639 history is good for training your mind 00:19:52.400 --> 00:19:56.400 about how to think about big difficult 00:19:54.640 --> 00:19:58.240 questions. You have a ton of data. You 00:19:56.400 --> 00:20:00.400 have a ton of information. You can think 00:19:58.240 --> 00:20:01.919 on different scales. When people do 00:20:00.400 --> 00:20:04.080 climate history, what's the first place 00:20:01.919 --> 00:20:05.840 they look to? They look to China, right? 00:20:04.079 --> 00:20:07.759 Because China wrote about its climate 00:20:05.839 --> 00:20:10.558 for people in China wrote about climate 00:20:07.759 --> 00:20:12.798 for like thousand at least 2,000 plus 00:20:10.558 --> 00:20:15.839 years, right? All all sort of 00:20:12.798 --> 00:20:17.119 meteorological phenomenon, comets, etc. 00:20:15.839 --> 00:20:18.480 All of these records are in those 00:20:17.119 --> 00:20:21.439 histories that I was talking about, you 00:20:18.480 --> 00:20:23.759 know? So, it's really, really great to 00:20:21.440 --> 00:20:25.120 think about history, right? If you 00:20:23.759 --> 00:20:26.640 haven't taken another history course 00:20:25.119 --> 00:20:28.399 here before, this is a great 00:20:26.640 --> 00:20:30.000 introduction. Even if you don't want to 00:20:28.400 --> 00:20:31.600 continue with China, right? You want to 00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:33.200 go and do England, take this class and 00:20:31.599 --> 00:20:34.879 then go think about England, take this 00:20:33.200 --> 00:20:36.558 class and then go think about India. 00:20:34.880 --> 00:20:39.360 Okay? You can you can do all of that 00:20:36.558 --> 00:20:41.759 stuff. Okay? History is ancient, but 00:20:39.359 --> 00:20:42.959 it's an ongoing conversation and really 00:20:41.759 --> 00:20:44.400 uh filled with nearly endless 00:20:42.960 --> 00:20:45.919 perspectives. And here's the key point. 00:20:44.400 --> 00:20:47.280 this class about eavesdropping into that 00:20:45.919 --> 00:20:48.880 conversation. This goes back to that 00:20:47.279 --> 00:20:51.038 image that I was given to you. I take 00:20:48.880 --> 00:20:53.200 you to the ocean, you swim. Okay, you 00:20:51.038 --> 00:20:55.519 eavesdrop into the conversation. This is 00:20:53.200 --> 00:20:57.038 a huge conversation. Lots of people are 00:20:55.519 --> 00:20:58.240 going to say stuff. Lots of You're going 00:20:57.038 --> 00:20:59.359 to have dowists. You're going to have 00:20:58.240 --> 00:21:00.319 Buddhists. You're going to have 00:20:59.359 --> 00:21:02.959 Confucians. You're going to have 00:21:00.319 --> 00:21:05.519 Confucians who hate other Confucians. Uh 00:21:02.960 --> 00:21:07.679 you're going to have terrible emperors. 00:21:05.519 --> 00:21:10.400 You're gonna have some decent emperors, 00:21:07.679 --> 00:21:12.880 but really bad emperors, too, right? You 00:21:10.400 --> 00:21:15.759 know, you'd have everything, right? And 00:21:12.880 --> 00:21:17.840 the it all comes together as people over 00:21:15.759 --> 00:21:19.119 the centuries try to make sense of it 00:21:17.839 --> 00:21:20.720 right and that's that ongoing 00:21:19.119 --> 00:21:23.038 conversation that conversation continues 00:21:20.720 --> 00:21:24.558 in China to today. So you get a little 00:21:23.038 --> 00:21:25.919 in this class you get to eaves drop on 00:21:24.558 --> 00:21:28.079 it right think about it a little bit 00:21:25.919 --> 00:21:30.640 okay so here are the class goals and 00:21:28.079 --> 00:21:32.558 aspirations okay first of all let me 00:21:30.640 --> 00:21:34.960 tell you what the game plan is and it's 00:21:32.558 --> 00:21:37.519 like a really intimidating slide so just 00:21:34.960 --> 00:21:39.679 buckle up okay there you go so so 00:21:37.519 --> 00:21:42.400 basically that's the game plan okay not 00:21:39.679 --> 00:21:44.720 this part okay so not this this part's 00:21:42.400 --> 00:21:46.880 modern China okay so that's the thing I 00:21:44.720 --> 00:21:51.440 take two classes one does this and then 00:21:46.880 --> 00:21:53.840 one does this okay so so uh look what I 00:21:51.440 --> 00:21:56.640 can tell you is I'm a historian 00:21:53.839 --> 00:21:59.199 primarily of this era, right? The Ming 00:21:56.640 --> 00:22:00.799 andQing dynasties, the last two imperial 00:21:59.200 --> 00:22:03.519 dynasties. That's my specialty. That's 00:22:00.798 --> 00:22:05.279 what I love. But the thing is is that 00:22:03.519 --> 00:22:08.319 because this is the class you're taking 00:22:05.279 --> 00:22:10.639 at MIT that is dynastic Chinese history. 00:22:08.319 --> 00:22:13.918 I feel I I have to give every era its 00:22:10.640 --> 00:22:16.880 due. So, I really try I really go out of 00:22:13.919 --> 00:22:19.038 my way even though I'm not like the 00:22:16.880 --> 00:22:22.720 biggest fan of the Han dynasty, you 00:22:19.038 --> 00:22:25.359 know, like I'm I don't I I love the Tong 00:22:22.720 --> 00:22:27.279 Dynasty as a sort of like a historian 00:22:25.359 --> 00:22:29.119 who works on another period, but I will 00:22:27.279 --> 00:22:31.200 give you what I think is the essentials 00:22:29.119 --> 00:22:33.918 to know about that era. Every period 00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:35.840 that we cover, I try to get you, you 00:22:33.919 --> 00:22:36.960 know, that those kernels, right, that 00:22:35.839 --> 00:22:38.879 say, "Oh, wow, that's really 00:22:36.960 --> 00:22:40.319 interesting. I didn't know that before." 00:22:38.880 --> 00:22:42.000 So that when you look at this by the end 00:22:40.319 --> 00:22:44.158 of the semester, you'll say, "I know 00:22:42.000 --> 00:22:46.720 what happened pretty much across this 00:22:44.159 --> 00:22:48.240 whole time span, right? I know 00:22:46.720 --> 00:22:52.319 something. I can say something about 00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:54.960 it." Okay? And then that way you go off 00:22:52.319 --> 00:22:57.279 in your winter holiday and you can have 00:22:54.960 --> 00:22:59.840 great conversations with your parents, 00:22:57.279 --> 00:23:01.519 right? Or friends or you can travel and 00:22:59.839 --> 00:23:02.879 you can visit places and say, "I know 00:23:01.519 --> 00:23:04.480 what that is. I know when that was 00:23:02.880 --> 00:23:06.720 built. I know what I know what's going 00:23:04.480 --> 00:23:08.798 on here." Okay. All right. So class, 00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:10.640 goals and aspirations, 00:23:08.798 --> 00:23:13.038 learn something about China. 20% of 00:23:10.640 --> 00:23:14.400 humanity. This is a good aspiration. We 00:23:13.038 --> 00:23:16.158 should learn something about China, 00:23:14.400 --> 00:23:18.159 right? Especially in the United States, 00:23:16.159 --> 00:23:19.919 right? I mean, it's credible. I have to 00:23:18.159 --> 00:23:21.919 say it. Okay. Learn something about 00:23:19.919 --> 00:23:24.559 history. Okay. So there's two things 00:23:21.919 --> 00:23:27.360 here. This is a class about China. It's 00:23:24.558 --> 00:23:29.519 also a class about history. Okay? Of 00:23:27.359 --> 00:23:31.839 course, these things can overlap, right? 00:23:29.519 --> 00:23:34.480 But history is a discipline. It's a way 00:23:31.839 --> 00:23:37.279 of thinking. Okay? We have certain ideas 00:23:34.480 --> 00:23:40.079 in history. primary sources. Secondary 00:23:37.279 --> 00:23:42.319 sources. Okay, this is a secondary 00:23:40.079 --> 00:23:44.240 source. This is a secondary source. 00:23:42.319 --> 00:23:46.639 These are not primary sources. Primary 00:23:44.240 --> 00:23:49.200 sources referring to the original 00:23:46.640 --> 00:23:52.000 sources that were written in the 00:23:49.200 --> 00:23:54.960 original language by people at the time. 00:23:52.000 --> 00:23:57.279 Okay? Those are the premiums in history. 00:23:54.960 --> 00:23:59.600 Okay? But of course, we as historians, 00:23:57.279 --> 00:24:01.759 we write textbooks. We write books, 00:23:59.599 --> 00:24:04.879 right? So just realize history is not in 00:24:01.759 --> 00:24:07.599 a textbook. Okay? Textbooks are like the 00:24:04.880 --> 00:24:10.159 least. We historians look down on 00:24:07.599 --> 00:24:12.079 textbooks, okay? We we don't like 00:24:10.159 --> 00:24:13.440 textbooks, right? Because with 00:24:12.079 --> 00:24:15.359 textbooks, you have to edit, you have to 00:24:13.440 --> 00:24:17.519 take out, you have to do that. Go back 00:24:15.359 --> 00:24:19.439 to the originals. Make your own 00:24:17.519 --> 00:24:22.000 textbook, right? That's what we're going 00:24:19.440 --> 00:24:23.200 to do in this class. Okay? So, that's 00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:25.440 that's what I want you to think about 00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:27.120 history. I don't want to turn you into a 00:24:25.440 --> 00:24:29.120 walk encyclopedia. Sort of I do 00:24:27.119 --> 00:24:31.038 actually. Uh that would be nice, but to 00:24:29.119 --> 00:24:32.879 equip you to approach related issues. 00:24:31.038 --> 00:24:34.319 One of the things I say, and I'll just 00:24:32.880 --> 00:24:36.960 tell you right up here, yeah, it's a 00:24:34.319 --> 00:24:38.960 it's a contentheavy class, right? 00:24:36.960 --> 00:24:40.880 Because I sort of I don't know if it's 00:24:38.960 --> 00:24:43.038 oldfashioned or what, but like I think 00:24:40.880 --> 00:24:44.799 you just need to know it, right? I think 00:24:43.038 --> 00:24:48.798 you need to know it. You need to leave 00:24:44.798 --> 00:24:50.639 this class in command of knowledge. 00:24:48.798 --> 00:24:51.839 Okay? And one of the things that you 00:24:50.640 --> 00:24:53.440 will realize, you might think, oh, this 00:24:51.839 --> 00:24:55.038 is a lot. I, you know, why do we have to 00:24:53.440 --> 00:24:59.278 know all this stuff? When you go to 00:24:55.038 --> 00:25:02.158 China, you will realize that people that 00:24:59.278 --> 00:25:05.919 you encounter in everyday life know so 00:25:02.159 --> 00:25:08.080 much about history. Okay? They blow they 00:25:05.919 --> 00:25:09.919 will blow away the average American 00:25:08.079 --> 00:25:11.599 about what they can say about history 00:25:09.919 --> 00:25:14.799 that happened 2,000 years ago. Even if 00:25:11.599 --> 00:25:16.319 it's wrong, even if it's wrong, okay? 00:25:14.798 --> 00:25:18.158 Even if it's just like kind of like 00:25:16.319 --> 00:25:20.158 romanticized or whatever, but they talk 00:25:18.159 --> 00:25:22.000 about it. They know it. So, you got to 00:25:20.159 --> 00:25:24.799 know it. Okay? That's the That's the 00:25:22.000 --> 00:25:26.480 thing, okay? And it's not, and let me 00:25:24.798 --> 00:25:28.158 just emphasize here why you should take 00:25:26.480 --> 00:25:30.319 it, why I think you should take this 00:25:28.159 --> 00:25:31.600 class, why I think maybe this weekend 00:25:30.319 --> 00:25:34.319 you should convince your friends to take 00:25:31.599 --> 00:25:36.719 this class, okay? Is that it's not 00:25:34.319 --> 00:25:39.678 something you can just pick up like with 00:25:36.720 --> 00:25:42.798 a book. Like so many people think with 00:25:39.679 --> 00:25:45.278 history, oh yeah, I'll I'll over the 00:25:42.798 --> 00:25:47.359 summer I'll read a book and catch up. 00:25:45.278 --> 00:25:48.960 No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You 00:25:47.359 --> 00:25:50.639 don't. With computer science, with 00:25:48.960 --> 00:25:53.038 physics, you don't just read a book over 00:25:50.640 --> 00:25:54.640 the weekend and become an expert. Okay, 00:25:53.038 --> 00:25:56.558 Chinese history is one of those fields 00:25:54.640 --> 00:25:58.240 where you got to take a class in it. You 00:25:56.558 --> 00:26:00.240 actually you got to drill it. You got to 00:25:58.240 --> 00:26:01.919 know it. You got to think about it from 00:26:00.240 --> 00:26:03.278 all these different angles and then you 00:26:01.919 --> 00:26:05.440 can say you know something about it. 00:26:03.278 --> 00:26:07.919 Okay, it's not actually something that 00:26:05.440 --> 00:26:09.679 you just pick up with osmosis. Okay. Or 00:26:07.919 --> 00:26:10.960 what you can pick up by osmosis by 00:26:09.679 --> 00:26:12.798 reading Wikipedia and sort of bad 00:26:10.960 --> 00:26:14.159 history, right? But that's what we're 00:26:12.798 --> 00:26:15.599 going to try. We're going to try to do 00:26:14.159 --> 00:26:17.679 something better than that in this 00:26:15.599 --> 00:26:19.199 class. Yeah. Okay. Okay. And this 00:26:17.679 --> 00:26:20.480 knowledge will stay with you. I always I 00:26:19.200 --> 00:26:24.319 always say that. I always say that, 00:26:20.480 --> 00:26:26.558 right? 50 years from now, let's say 30, 00:26:24.319 --> 00:26:28.079 you graduate from MIT, you're talking to 00:26:26.558 --> 00:26:29.519 your relatives or your children or 00:26:28.079 --> 00:26:31.278 whatever it is. What are you going to 00:26:29.519 --> 00:26:33.519 talk to them about? You're going to talk 00:26:31.278 --> 00:26:34.798 to them about this class. You're going 00:26:33.519 --> 00:26:36.639 to say, "Hey, you know, the three 00:26:34.798 --> 00:26:37.918 kingdoms, I know something about that 00:26:36.640 --> 00:26:39.759 because this is the type of thing that 00:26:37.919 --> 00:26:41.600 people want to talk about, not whatever 00:26:39.759 --> 00:26:42.879 Python or whatever, right? Like, you 00:26:41.599 --> 00:26:44.879 know, it's like it's not it's not a 00:26:42.880 --> 00:26:47.520 table of conversation, right? This is 00:26:44.880 --> 00:26:49.520 this is I guarantee you I guarantee you 00:26:47.519 --> 00:26:53.278 a holiday break of great conversations 00:26:49.519 --> 00:26:55.278 after this class." a minimum. Okay. So, 00:26:53.278 --> 00:26:57.359 why do I like Chinese history? Oh, wow. 00:26:55.278 --> 00:26:59.200 Where to begin? Okay. Well, I went to 00:26:57.359 --> 00:27:00.558 China for the first time in like right 00:26:59.200 --> 00:27:02.558 around the right before the Beijing 00:27:00.558 --> 00:27:04.319 Olympics. And that was me many years 00:27:02.558 --> 00:27:06.639 ago. You can say I changed a little bit, 00:27:04.319 --> 00:27:08.480 maybe a little bit. That's me in Taiwan. 00:27:06.640 --> 00:27:10.799 I think I'm in a Yonga Dawang, which is 00:27:08.480 --> 00:27:12.480 like a breakfast place. And I love it. 00:27:10.798 --> 00:27:15.759 Right. I go like you get the you get the 00:27:12.480 --> 00:27:18.159 dojang, the the the soy, it's soy beans, 00:27:15.759 --> 00:27:19.839 sort of a milk substance with yo, this 00:27:18.159 --> 00:27:21.600 fried doughnut. It's like heaven. You 00:27:19.839 --> 00:27:22.959 know what I mean? It costs like $2, 00:27:21.599 --> 00:27:26.240 right? And it's just like it's 00:27:22.960 --> 00:27:28.480 incredible. Huge lines, right? Um, so 00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:30.720 that was me. And then, okay, food. So, 00:27:28.480 --> 00:27:32.798 it's not just about the food, but we but 00:27:30.720 --> 00:27:35.038 we can talk about food. I don't think I 00:27:32.798 --> 00:27:36.720 have to convince most of you. China's 00:27:35.038 --> 00:27:38.720 got really good food, right? It's got a 00:27:36.720 --> 00:27:40.720 ton of different types of food. Okay. 00:27:38.720 --> 00:27:42.558 Uh, the US Chinese food has gotten 00:27:40.720 --> 00:27:44.720 better in my lifetime, but it's still 00:27:42.558 --> 00:27:47.519 it's that's right. It's was starting at 00:27:44.720 --> 00:27:49.919 zero. So I mean so so the thing is is 00:27:47.519 --> 00:27:51.839 that it is better but it good Chinese 00:27:49.919 --> 00:27:53.759 food in the US tends to be expensive in 00:27:51.839 --> 00:27:55.278 China you just get so much right you 00:27:53.759 --> 00:27:57.440 have so many options everything like 00:27:55.278 --> 00:27:58.798 that we can talk about food I have 00:27:57.440 --> 00:28:00.320 another class called nature and 00:27:58.798 --> 00:28:02.319 environment in China we do a whole week 00:28:00.319 --> 00:28:04.240 on food so if you really want to talk 00:28:02.319 --> 00:28:06.480 about food maybe consider that class but 00:28:04.240 --> 00:28:08.319 we'll do a little bit of food here okay 00:28:06.480 --> 00:28:10.558 uh and then this is me playing ma jang 00:28:08.319 --> 00:28:13.200 right so what I'm trying to say what I'm 00:28:10.558 --> 00:28:15.119 trying to say is that you get in right 00:28:13.200 --> 00:28:16.240 when you go to a place and Maybe it 00:28:15.119 --> 00:28:18.000 won't be China for you. It could be 00:28:16.240 --> 00:28:20.720 Japan or it could be Mongolia. It could 00:28:18.000 --> 00:28:22.720 be Russia. It could be 00:28:20.720 --> 00:28:25.759 Italy. You know, something's going to 00:28:22.720 --> 00:28:27.839 grab you. It might not be the coliseum. 00:28:25.759 --> 00:28:29.919 It might be just like everyday life, you 00:28:27.839 --> 00:28:32.240 know, drinking espresso, you know, in a 00:28:29.919 --> 00:28:34.799 Florentine afternoon. And you go, I just 00:28:32.240 --> 00:28:36.558 love this. I really love this. And then 00:28:34.798 --> 00:28:38.480 you go, I want to learn the language, 00:28:36.558 --> 00:28:40.079 and I I want to I want to understand 00:28:38.480 --> 00:28:41.038 what happened here. And I want to 00:28:40.079 --> 00:28:42.240 understand what happened here in the 00:28:41.038 --> 00:28:44.558 19th century. I want to understand what 00:28:42.240 --> 00:28:46.000 happened here 2,000 years ago. Okay, I 00:28:44.558 --> 00:28:48.000 want this to happen to you. It doesn't 00:28:46.000 --> 00:28:49.599 have to be China. It can be, right? It 00:28:48.000 --> 00:28:51.200 could be Mexico. It could be any place, 00:28:49.599 --> 00:28:52.639 but someplace that you weren't born in 00:28:51.200 --> 00:28:54.080 and then you go there and you go, "Wow, 00:28:52.640 --> 00:28:55.278 I really want to understand this place." 00:28:54.079 --> 00:28:57.119 That's a wonderful part of the human 00:28:55.278 --> 00:28:59.038 experience. I hope you all have it. 00:28:57.119 --> 00:29:01.278 Okay? But that kind of happened to me in 00:28:59.038 --> 00:29:03.759 China. Okay? And it wasn't one moment, 00:29:01.278 --> 00:29:06.640 right? It was many meals. It was many 00:29:03.759 --> 00:29:09.919 gambling sessions. It was it was it was 00:29:06.640 --> 00:29:11.440 it was this is me on the many years ago 00:29:09.919 --> 00:29:13.038 probably going to Tibet. I can't 00:29:11.440 --> 00:29:14.960 remember, but it was on one of those 00:29:13.038 --> 00:29:17.679 sleeper trains, you know, back in the 00:29:14.960 --> 00:29:19.840 day. I have to say I have become like a 00:29:17.679 --> 00:29:22.480 middle-aged Chinese person in the sense 00:29:19.839 --> 00:29:24.079 of because I've been in China now for 00:29:22.480 --> 00:29:26.640 the like the past 20 years and I've seen 00:29:24.079 --> 00:29:28.158 all this change. So, I remember like, 00:29:26.640 --> 00:29:29.840 oh, the green trains that went super 00:29:28.159 --> 00:29:32.000 slow and like you had to stay on them 00:29:29.839 --> 00:29:33.759 for like overnight. Like the train I 00:29:32.000 --> 00:29:35.119 took the train from Beijing to Shanghai. 00:29:33.759 --> 00:29:37.200 The first time I took it, it was like I 00:29:35.119 --> 00:29:39.359 was standing. It was I was eating 00:29:37.200 --> 00:29:42.159 instant noodles praying that they 00:29:39.359 --> 00:29:44.240 wouldn't like tip over in a very crowded 00:29:42.159 --> 00:29:46.000 car because we didn't even have there 00:29:44.240 --> 00:29:48.399 weren't even tickets left for a bed, 00:29:46.000 --> 00:29:50.960 right? I mean, and now it's like, oh, 00:29:48.398 --> 00:29:52.558 it's it's business class highspeed rail 00:29:50.960 --> 00:29:54.558 all the way, right? I mean, it takes 00:29:52.558 --> 00:29:56.398 four what five hours? Five hours, right? 00:29:54.558 --> 00:29:58.240 Five hours now, right? It's totally 00:29:56.398 --> 00:30:00.319 changed, right? But there were a lot of 00:29:58.240 --> 00:30:02.319 fun experiences on Chinese trains back 00:30:00.319 --> 00:30:03.678 in the day. you talk to Chinese parents 00:30:02.319 --> 00:30:05.038 or you talk to people of a certain 00:30:03.679 --> 00:30:06.960 generation, they will have stories for 00:30:05.038 --> 00:30:09.278 you about taking long, long train rides 00:30:06.960 --> 00:30:10.720 in China. Uh, and the whole generation 00:30:09.278 --> 00:30:12.798 who grew up in the culture revolution 00:30:10.720 --> 00:30:14.399 have these especially. Yeah. Uh, and 00:30:12.798 --> 00:30:16.319 then I've gone back. Oh yeah, I wrote a 00:30:14.398 --> 00:30:18.158 book. I was there this summer talking 00:30:16.319 --> 00:30:21.038 about my book. Right. And then, oh yeah, 00:30:18.159 --> 00:30:23.200 the last thing I want to say. So, I got 00:30:21.038 --> 00:30:24.319 into it. I continue to go back. I can't 00:30:23.200 --> 00:30:26.960 tell you the number of times I've been 00:30:24.319 --> 00:30:29.119 there. I probably live there, you know, 00:30:26.960 --> 00:30:31.440 for a few years overall, but it's like 00:30:29.119 --> 00:30:33.599 more every year I go for a few months. 00:30:31.440 --> 00:30:35.360 This summer I went for, you know, a 00:30:33.599 --> 00:30:37.519 month and a half or something like that. 00:30:35.359 --> 00:30:40.398 The one thing that I say that really 00:30:37.519 --> 00:30:42.000 really has struck me in terms of changes 00:30:40.398 --> 00:30:44.639 when I first went to China, hey, how you 00:30:42.000 --> 00:30:46.960 doing? When I first went to China, you 00:30:44.640 --> 00:30:48.720 know, the coffee was terrible. Uh, and 00:30:46.960 --> 00:30:50.640 it and for somebody addicted to 00:30:48.720 --> 00:30:53.360 caffeine, 00:30:50.640 --> 00:30:55.840 uh, it was brutal. And I had to drink a 00:30:53.359 --> 00:30:57.439 ton of tea to make up for it, right? And 00:30:55.839 --> 00:30:59.599 it's just like too much tea. You know 00:30:57.440 --> 00:31:01.600 what I'm saying? Uh, but I love tea, 00:30:59.599 --> 00:31:04.079 don't get me wrong. Coffee is now way 00:31:01.599 --> 00:31:06.319 better. Okay, coffee I and I actually 00:31:04.079 --> 00:31:08.079 tweeted about this like when I got back. 00:31:06.319 --> 00:31:09.839 Coffee in China is now better than 00:31:08.079 --> 00:31:11.519 coffee in the United States. I come back 00:31:09.839 --> 00:31:14.398 here and I'm like, this I'm just so 00:31:11.519 --> 00:31:16.480 disappointed. The thing is is that what 00:31:14.398 --> 00:31:18.239 China has actually accidentally 00:31:16.480 --> 00:31:19.519 perfected and I say is in you can also 00:31:18.240 --> 00:31:23.038 find this in Thailand. You also find 00:31:19.519 --> 00:31:25.599 this now in Korean cafes is nondairy 00:31:23.038 --> 00:31:27.839 espresso drinks. And it's just it it's a 00:31:25.599 --> 00:31:29.678 world that like Starbucks is just out to 00:31:27.839 --> 00:31:32.558 lunch. They're not getting this. You 00:31:29.679 --> 00:31:35.679 take espresso, you create an Americano 00:31:32.558 --> 00:31:39.599 with sparkling water and you add lemon. 00:31:35.679 --> 00:31:41.759 Incredible. Grapefruit. Incredible. Liy, 00:31:39.599 --> 00:31:44.480 whatever. like all of these they call 00:31:41.759 --> 00:31:47.919 Chongi Cafe, right? trying me cafe like 00:31:44.480 --> 00:31:49.839 creative Americanos and I and I say like 00:31:47.919 --> 00:31:51.679 why don't you take this global you know 00:31:49.839 --> 00:31:54.158 this is this is the next thing I mean 00:31:51.679 --> 00:31:55.919 this is the next bubble tea for sure but 00:31:54.159 --> 00:31:57.679 it's like I I think that there's an 00:31:55.919 --> 00:31:59.440 interesting thing of like they feel like 00:31:57.679 --> 00:32:01.759 oh but maybe it's we're not doing it 00:31:59.440 --> 00:32:04.399 right like the Italians enough with the 00:32:01.759 --> 00:32:06.558 Italians enough with the cappuccinos we 00:32:04.398 --> 00:32:09.439 got to go to the next phase it's all 00:32:06.558 --> 00:32:12.000 these milky drinks it tires you out 00:32:09.440 --> 00:32:15.679 right this is like the absolute pickup 00:32:12.000 --> 00:32:17.278 low calorie too. Love it. So, check out 00:32:15.679 --> 00:32:18.640 coffee in China next time you're there. 00:32:17.278 --> 00:32:19.919 Okay, that's been an interesting change. 00:32:18.640 --> 00:32:21.440 All right, let's talk about syllabus. 00:32:19.919 --> 00:32:23.120 All right, so I just have like a bunch 00:32:21.440 --> 00:32:25.440 of I usually I used to do a printout 00:32:23.119 --> 00:32:28.239 syllabus, but then MIT students told me 00:32:25.440 --> 00:32:30.159 that like nobody does that anymore. So, 00:32:28.240 --> 00:32:33.038 then I felt like a historian, but in a 00:32:30.159 --> 00:32:35.440 bad way. So, I said like, okay, let's 00:32:33.038 --> 00:32:37.440 just put it all online, right? So, uh no 00:32:35.440 --> 00:32:40.000 prerequisites. You're all welcome to 00:32:37.440 --> 00:32:41.278 enroll. You can bring guests. Just let 00:32:40.000 --> 00:32:42.640 me know. You can bring your parents. 00:32:41.278 --> 00:32:43.919 Some people bring their parents, right? 00:32:42.640 --> 00:32:45.038 If they're visiting, right? They want 00:32:43.919 --> 00:32:46.960 to, you know, again, what are you going 00:32:45.038 --> 00:32:48.158 to bring your computer science classes? 00:32:46.960 --> 00:32:49.759 Come on. Right? You want to bring them 00:32:48.159 --> 00:32:51.840 here, right? Okay, that's fine. Just let 00:32:49.759 --> 00:32:53.679 me know that they're coming. Okay? Uh 00:32:51.839 --> 00:32:55.759 it's Chinese. Chinese is not a 00:32:53.679 --> 00:32:58.720 prerequisite. Some of you are doing a 00:32:55.759 --> 00:33:00.480 Chinese minor. Okay? That's fine. And 00:32:58.720 --> 00:33:02.640 for all of the primary sources that I 00:33:00.480 --> 00:33:04.480 give you this semester, I'll try to give 00:33:02.640 --> 00:33:06.720 you the Chinese original if you want to 00:33:04.480 --> 00:33:08.480 look at it. If you're learning Chinese, 00:33:06.720 --> 00:33:10.480 take challenge yourself. Take a look at 00:33:08.480 --> 00:33:12.640 it. Right? You don't have to look at it, 00:33:10.480 --> 00:33:14.240 but you can. So that's an option. If you 00:33:12.640 --> 00:33:18.720 want to do the minor for this class, you 00:33:14.240 --> 00:33:20.960 should be looking at those. Okay. Um, so 00:33:18.720 --> 00:33:23.600 that looks good. Study guides. Okay. So 00:33:20.960 --> 00:33:25.600 the thing is is that when I first taught 00:33:23.599 --> 00:33:27.678 this class, it was like essays and then 00:33:25.599 --> 00:33:30.158 I was like, I'm done with essays. I had 00:33:27.679 --> 00:33:31.840 a I had a historical evolution at MIT 00:33:30.159 --> 00:33:33.360 and I realized if you teach the class on 00:33:31.839 --> 00:33:35.038 Chinese history, you got to offer an 00:33:33.359 --> 00:33:36.479 exam. For those of you who know about 00:33:35.038 --> 00:33:38.158 Chinese history, you know how important 00:33:36.480 --> 00:33:40.558 exams are in Chinese history. you'll 00:33:38.159 --> 00:33:42.480 realize, yeah, you you need an exam. So, 00:33:40.558 --> 00:33:44.720 I just do midterm. We're going to have a 00:33:42.480 --> 00:33:47.200 final. Don't worry. The average of the 00:33:44.720 --> 00:33:49.759 midterm last year, it about every year 00:33:47.200 --> 00:33:51.840 tends to be about a 90. Most of the 00:33:49.759 --> 00:33:53.679 students who take the class, let's just 00:33:51.839 --> 00:33:56.480 be frank here, modern China, we get 40 00:33:53.679 --> 00:33:59.200 or 50 maybe. Mo many many people get 00:33:56.480 --> 00:34:02.240 A's, A minuses, A pluses, whatever. Uh 00:33:59.200 --> 00:34:05.120 some people will get B's, the occasional 00:34:02.240 --> 00:34:08.960 C. If you get below a B, you're trying. 00:34:05.119 --> 00:34:11.358 Okay. uh you if you get in the B range 00:34:08.960 --> 00:34:13.599 uh it's it's you know what I mean to say 00:34:11.358 --> 00:34:15.838 here is if you put the work in you put 00:34:13.599 --> 00:34:18.240 the effort in there shouldn't be a huge 00:34:15.838 --> 00:34:21.199 issue okay with getting the grade that 00:34:18.239 --> 00:34:22.799 you want okay uh it is a challenge you 00:34:21.199 --> 00:34:24.319 do have to study all right you do have 00:34:22.800 --> 00:34:26.079 to study and some people will bomb the 00:34:24.320 --> 00:34:27.919 midterm some people and everything like 00:34:26.079 --> 00:34:29.039 that and that's that's okay it's not the 00:34:27.918 --> 00:34:30.799 end of the world we'll figure it out 00:34:29.039 --> 00:34:32.239 I'll show you the group here's the 00:34:30.800 --> 00:34:35.039 grading rubric we'll talk about this 00:34:32.239 --> 00:34:36.158 okay so first things attendance let's 00:34:35.039 --> 00:34:38.079 say let to say something about 00:34:36.159 --> 00:34:40.398 attendance right up at the front. There 00:34:38.079 --> 00:34:42.079 are two excused absences over the course 00:34:40.398 --> 00:34:44.239 of the semester. You come in, you scan 00:34:42.079 --> 00:34:46.480 the QR code. That's how we know that 00:34:44.239 --> 00:34:48.479 you're in class. Okay? You have two 00:34:46.480 --> 00:34:50.960 excused absences. Just let us know. 00:34:48.480 --> 00:34:53.679 Okay? I realize some of you want to take 00:34:50.960 --> 00:34:55.918 this class and you have a conflict with 00:34:53.679 --> 00:34:57.599 another class. That's a partial 00:34:55.918 --> 00:34:59.679 conflict. Not a complete conflict, but a 00:34:57.599 --> 00:35:02.880 partial conflict. If you have a partial 00:34:59.679 --> 00:35:06.159 conflict and you can come to 50% of 00:35:02.880 --> 00:35:08.320 these classes, then the Linda, the TA 00:35:06.159 --> 00:35:10.480 and I will make an an arrangement for 00:35:08.320 --> 00:35:12.320 you. You can come. We will not take you 00:35:10.480 --> 00:35:13.760 down if you have a class conflict that 00:35:12.320 --> 00:35:15.920 you show us your schedule and you show 00:35:13.760 --> 00:35:17.040 us I have this conflict at this time and 00:35:15.920 --> 00:35:18.079 we'll give you two extra writing 00:35:17.039 --> 00:35:20.000 assignments over the course of the 00:35:18.079 --> 00:35:21.839 semester. And that way we just take the 00:35:20.000 --> 00:35:24.159 question off the off the table. So you 00:35:21.838 --> 00:35:25.759 can but if you want that arrangement, 00:35:24.159 --> 00:35:27.598 you got to let us know in the next week 00:35:25.760 --> 00:35:30.079 or so, okay? Because we need to know 00:35:27.599 --> 00:35:32.160 that. All right. So, we're happy if to 00:35:30.079 --> 00:35:33.920 accommodate, but otherwise we're really 00:35:32.159 --> 00:35:37.199 hoping everybody will be here, you know, 00:35:33.920 --> 00:35:39.599 most of the time. Okay. Um, so there's 00:35:37.199 --> 00:35:41.118 so in terms of writing, the major 00:35:39.599 --> 00:35:42.720 writing that you will do over the course 00:35:41.119 --> 00:35:44.320 of the semester is your discussion 00:35:42.719 --> 00:35:46.239 responses. I'll tell you about what I 00:35:44.320 --> 00:35:48.400 expect from those discussion responses 00:35:46.239 --> 00:35:51.519 in just a second. There are 10 of them. 00:35:48.400 --> 00:35:53.519 Each of them is worth two points. If you 00:35:51.519 --> 00:35:55.039 do a decent job on them that you get the 00:35:53.519 --> 00:35:57.039 two points, right? That's as simple as 00:35:55.039 --> 00:35:58.960 that. You can do it late. It's worth one 00:35:57.039 --> 00:36:01.199 point if it's late. Okay, that's just 00:35:58.960 --> 00:36:03.440 it's just we every time like in every 00:36:01.199 --> 00:36:05.598 semester somebody comes and says I'm I'm 00:36:03.440 --> 00:36:07.358 didn't do any of them. I didn't know 00:36:05.599 --> 00:36:09.119 that, you know, they were required or 00:36:07.358 --> 00:36:10.960 something like that. Okay, just letting 00:36:09.119 --> 00:36:12.720 you know we will accept it late. That's 00:36:10.960 --> 00:36:15.280 what it's worth if it's late. Okay, 00:36:12.719 --> 00:36:17.439 there's a geography quiz. All of the 00:36:15.280 --> 00:36:20.160 quizzes and the tests with the exception 00:36:17.440 --> 00:36:24.000 of the final, okay, there will be a 00:36:20.159 --> 00:36:25.679 retake and it's open to everybody. Okay. 00:36:24.000 --> 00:36:27.519 So, what that means is you come in, you 00:36:25.679 --> 00:36:29.440 do the geography quiz. If it didn't go 00:36:27.519 --> 00:36:31.358 well, you can take it again and I'll 00:36:29.440 --> 00:36:32.880 just take the highest score. If you 00:36:31.358 --> 00:36:34.480 can't make it the day of the geography 00:36:32.880 --> 00:36:35.838 quiz because you have to take an absence 00:36:34.480 --> 00:36:37.280 or you have one of those conflicts that 00:36:35.838 --> 00:36:40.639 I just mentioned, that's fine. There 00:36:37.280 --> 00:36:42.560 will be one retake. Okay? Same with the 00:36:40.639 --> 00:36:44.799 classical text quiz, right? Where I quiz 00:36:42.559 --> 00:36:47.358 you on with Confucious and the Dowist 00:36:44.800 --> 00:36:49.680 and all that. One retake offered 00:36:47.358 --> 00:36:51.119 midterm. We do one retake offer for the 00:36:49.679 --> 00:36:53.358 midterm, too. Okay? And it's like a 00:36:51.119 --> 00:36:55.920 totally it's a new exam. Some people 00:36:53.358 --> 00:36:57.838 like literally take everything twice 00:36:55.920 --> 00:36:59.838 because they just like the challenge. 00:36:57.838 --> 00:37:02.078 I've had that. MIT students are 00:36:59.838 --> 00:37:04.400 incredible. Okay. It's like you took 00:37:02.079 --> 00:37:07.519 this midterm, you got a 95. I want to 00:37:04.400 --> 00:37:09.440 take it again. All right. We're going 00:37:07.519 --> 00:37:12.000 for that five points, right? I get I got 00:37:09.440 --> 00:37:14.880 it. Okay. All right. Uh so there is a 00:37:12.000 --> 00:37:17.838 timeline uh project. It's not It's not 00:37:14.880 --> 00:37:19.680 bad. You just propose a topic. This is 00:37:17.838 --> 00:37:21.279 where you can kind of follow your own 00:37:19.679 --> 00:37:23.358 interests. If you want to do the history 00:37:21.280 --> 00:37:25.359 of a certain type of fashion in China, 00:37:23.358 --> 00:37:27.199 Chinese certain type of Chinese food, 00:37:25.358 --> 00:37:29.039 you can follow that over time. You just 00:37:27.199 --> 00:37:30.559 create a timeline. I give you all the 00:37:29.039 --> 00:37:32.480 sort of way. How do you create the 00:37:30.559 --> 00:37:33.920 timeline? That's it's not bad. And the 00:37:32.480 --> 00:37:35.679 final exam and then that's the final 00:37:33.920 --> 00:37:37.920 grade. One thing that we do, and I just 00:37:35.679 --> 00:37:39.598 want to say we're really uh excited this 00:37:37.920 --> 00:37:41.838 semester, we have a TA from the HAS 00:37:39.599 --> 00:37:44.559 program, Linda Rinsswan, uh who's 00:37:41.838 --> 00:37:47.119 wonderful to join us. Anthrop anth 00:37:44.559 --> 00:37:49.599 historian his history a historian of 00:37:47.119 --> 00:37:51.680 nuclear energy. So really really excited 00:37:49.599 --> 00:37:54.000 to have Linda and Linda does had does 00:37:51.679 --> 00:37:56.000 does know Chinese history fairly well. 00:37:54.000 --> 00:37:57.920 So definitely co correspond with me, 00:37:56.000 --> 00:38:00.159 correspond with Linda during the 00:37:57.920 --> 00:38:03.280 semester as as I try to do in all my 00:38:00.159 --> 00:38:06.399 classes. We'll do one sort of it's like 00:38:03.280 --> 00:38:08.880 a required office hour mid semester. So 00:38:06.400 --> 00:38:10.720 you come to my office, Linda and I will 00:38:08.880 --> 00:38:12.559 greet you and we talk for 10 minutes 00:38:10.719 --> 00:38:15.279 about whatever you want to talk about 00:38:12.559 --> 00:38:16.880 typically about what what confuses you 00:38:15.280 --> 00:38:18.880 in Chinese history or questions about 00:38:16.880 --> 00:38:21.280 the midterm or questions about whatever. 00:38:18.880 --> 00:38:23.200 Right? So everybody does that and that's 00:38:21.280 --> 00:38:25.440 also part of the grade. Okay? So you you 00:38:23.199 --> 00:38:27.279 you do have to do that once you're happy 00:38:25.440 --> 00:38:29.358 to answer questions at any time. Okay? 00:38:27.280 --> 00:38:32.240 But that's that's uh that's what we do 00:38:29.358 --> 00:38:33.759 expect. Okay. All right. So let me just 00:38:32.239 --> 00:38:36.078 say something final point about the 00:38:33.760 --> 00:38:40.400 discussion posts. Okay. So, discussion 00:38:36.079 --> 00:38:43.280 posts. Um, yes, I'll do I I've changed 00:38:40.400 --> 00:38:46.639 this. I'll do Wednesday. I'll give it to 00:38:43.280 --> 00:38:48.880 you Wednesday before 3:30. I'll give you 00:38:46.639 --> 00:38:50.879 a little bit extra time than Tuesday. 00:38:48.880 --> 00:38:53.519 So, get them in before that time, the 00:38:50.880 --> 00:38:55.920 Wednesday class. Okay? Basically, what 00:38:53.519 --> 00:38:58.880 you have to do is you have to look at 00:38:55.920 --> 00:39:00.320 the readings uh and you have to answer a 00:38:58.880 --> 00:39:02.640 question. I'll give you an example uh 00:39:00.320 --> 00:39:05.838 for next week's discussion post just a 00:39:02.639 --> 00:39:09.199 second. You write two paragraphs. Okay? 00:39:05.838 --> 00:39:11.039 Uh and the the the two paragraphs, 00:39:09.199 --> 00:39:12.639 right? I'll tell you exactly how we want 00:39:11.039 --> 00:39:15.199 the structure of these paragraphs to 00:39:12.639 --> 00:39:17.118 look like. You have some agency and 00:39:15.199 --> 00:39:18.319 creativity in it. Don't worry. But I'll 00:39:17.119 --> 00:39:21.200 tell you about what we're looking for. 00:39:18.320 --> 00:39:24.800 Okay. Um so the thing I want to just 00:39:21.199 --> 00:39:27.118 remind you all the facts, inferences, 00:39:24.800 --> 00:39:29.440 uh judgments and opinions, right? How 00:39:27.119 --> 00:39:31.680 you sort of separate out those things, 00:39:29.440 --> 00:39:34.079 right? facts, things that we know to be 00:39:31.679 --> 00:39:35.838 true based on evidence. Bees make honey. 00:39:34.079 --> 00:39:37.760 Inferences, statements of the unknown, 00:39:35.838 --> 00:39:39.519 based on the known, derived from reason, 00:39:37.760 --> 00:39:41.520 right? Judgments, and then all the way 00:39:39.519 --> 00:39:44.960 to opinions, like I like whatever ice 00:39:41.519 --> 00:39:47.679 cream. Okay? When you write a post, I 00:39:44.960 --> 00:39:50.079 don't want just opinion, right? I hate 00:39:47.679 --> 00:39:52.879 Confucious, so congratulations. Okay? 00:39:50.079 --> 00:39:54.960 But that's not a post. Okay? I I we want 00:39:52.880 --> 00:39:57.200 a combo, right? You can give me the 00:39:54.960 --> 00:39:59.679 opinion at the end in the second 00:39:57.199 --> 00:40:02.480 paragraph. The first paragraph, we want 00:39:59.679 --> 00:40:04.799 you to focus on facts and inferences 00:40:02.480 --> 00:40:06.559 based on the primary sources of that 00:40:04.800 --> 00:40:09.119 week's reading. So you look at the 00:40:06.559 --> 00:40:11.119 question, you try to answer based on the 00:40:09.119 --> 00:40:13.920 primary sources, and then in the second 00:40:11.119 --> 00:40:16.079 paragraph, you can expand into judgments 00:40:13.920 --> 00:40:18.480 and opinion. Okay? So that way you know 00:40:16.079 --> 00:40:21.039 what we expect. You know how to do it. 00:40:18.480 --> 00:40:23.280 All right? So laid it out, I think 00:40:21.039 --> 00:40:24.480 really just clearly and nicely for you 00:40:23.280 --> 00:40:27.040 there. Let's take a look at what we're 00:40:24.480 --> 00:40:28.480 doing next week. I have to tell you this 00:40:27.039 --> 00:40:31.199 is just give you an example for next 00:40:28.480 --> 00:40:33.119 week. So next week on Monday you come in 00:40:31.199 --> 00:40:36.239 I'm going to like rush you through the 00:40:33.119 --> 00:40:39.200 rise of agriculture the origins of state 00:40:36.239 --> 00:40:41.039 formation in China and we end up on next 00:40:39.199 --> 00:40:43.199 Monday with I think one of my favorite 00:40:41.039 --> 00:40:45.519 lectures of the whole semester the rise 00:40:43.199 --> 00:40:47.838 of writing in China and writing is super 00:40:45.519 --> 00:40:50.239 fascinating is it's a technology and 00:40:47.838 --> 00:40:52.960 China was a very early place to have it 00:40:50.239 --> 00:40:54.879 so what is writing what counts as 00:40:52.960 --> 00:40:57.199 writing right one of the questions I 00:40:54.880 --> 00:40:58.960 think we have are emojis writing right 00:40:57.199 --> 00:41:00.960 what counts as it you can answer that 00:40:58.960 --> 00:41:02.559 question if you'd like next week. Right? 00:41:00.960 --> 00:41:05.599 So, this is what we're kind of doing, 00:41:02.559 --> 00:41:07.838 right? So, you look at it, you'll notice 00:41:05.599 --> 00:41:08.960 up here every week, you'll see, wow, it 00:41:07.838 --> 00:41:11.358 looks like there's a lot of reading. 00:41:08.960 --> 00:41:13.599 There's not that much reading. You just 00:41:11.358 --> 00:41:15.759 have to break it down. The primary 00:41:13.599 --> 00:41:18.720 sources are what you really need to 00:41:15.760 --> 00:41:21.520 focus on. That is the original, right? 00:41:18.719 --> 00:41:24.078 Translation of oracle bone inscriptions, 00:41:21.519 --> 00:41:25.679 something like that. Translations of Joe 00:41:24.079 --> 00:41:27.039 Bronzes, right? You'll see those are 00:41:25.679 --> 00:41:30.639 primary sources. That's what you focus 00:41:27.039 --> 00:41:34.318 on. But if you're like, I don't really 00:41:30.639 --> 00:41:36.078 understand what this is, then you go to 00:41:34.318 --> 00:41:38.079 secondary source, which for the 00:41:36.079 --> 00:41:40.000 beginning part of this class will be 00:41:38.079 --> 00:41:41.440 Leong's Early China. Very nice book. 00:41:40.000 --> 00:41:43.440 I've given you sort of selections from 00:41:41.440 --> 00:41:47.039 it. I've uploaded them. Right. This is 00:41:43.440 --> 00:41:49.200 like a pretty like sophisticated book of 00:41:47.039 --> 00:41:51.279 early Chinese history, right? It's it's 00:41:49.199 --> 00:41:53.358 like really good. It's it's fairly 00:41:51.280 --> 00:41:56.240 comprehensive. Yeah. And then if you're 00:41:53.358 --> 00:41:59.119 like, I took a look at this and I still 00:41:56.239 --> 00:42:02.479 don't know what's going on. We have the 00:41:59.119 --> 00:42:05.358 textbook big picture. Okay, so this is 00:42:02.480 --> 00:42:09.039 the optional textbook. Okay, I provide 00:42:05.358 --> 00:42:11.519 you with three different ways to break 00:42:09.039 --> 00:42:14.639 down sort of an era's writing or an 00:42:11.519 --> 00:42:17.838 era's sources. The primary sources, 00:42:14.639 --> 00:42:19.920 secondary sources, and a textbook. The 00:42:17.838 --> 00:42:22.639 secondary sources in the textbook are 00:42:19.920 --> 00:42:24.318 optional for you. Okay? If you want to 00:42:22.639 --> 00:42:26.000 read it, you can read it. If you feel 00:42:24.318 --> 00:42:27.599 you need it, some some errors you might 00:42:26.000 --> 00:42:29.760 feel, I know three kingdoms, I don't 00:42:27.599 --> 00:42:30.800 need it. Right? I know Tong Dynasty, I 00:42:29.760 --> 00:42:32.640 don't need it this week. I'll just do 00:42:30.800 --> 00:42:34.240 primary. But some errors you might be 00:42:32.639 --> 00:42:36.480 like, oh, you know, North South 00:42:34.239 --> 00:42:38.399 Division, I want to read the textbook. 00:42:36.480 --> 00:42:40.240 Right? So, it's there if you need it. 00:42:38.400 --> 00:42:43.838 Right? So, it's not as much as it looks. 00:42:40.239 --> 00:42:45.838 Okay? And I got the uh dynasty China 00:42:43.838 --> 00:42:47.599 geography quiz study guide. I put up all 00:42:45.838 --> 00:42:49.838 the study guides. Don't worry. Okay. 00:42:47.599 --> 00:42:52.960 Questions? 00:42:49.838 --> 00:42:55.920 How's it sound? 00:42:52.960 --> 00:42:57.280 Interesting. Yeah. How do you compare to 00:42:55.920 --> 00:42:59.039 your other classes? Yeah. Pretty good, 00:42:57.280 --> 00:43:00.720 right? Yeah. Like, let me know. Let me 00:42:59.039 --> 00:43:04.079 know. You know what I mean? You know, 00:43:00.719 --> 00:43:06.959 like, all right. So, 00:43:04.079 --> 00:43:09.839 let's talk about how we talk about 00:43:06.960 --> 00:43:12.079 Chinese history. Periodization. 00:43:09.838 --> 00:43:15.199 All right. There are ways. This is just 00:43:12.079 --> 00:43:17.599 getting you into like foot in the door. 00:43:15.199 --> 00:43:20.239 Foot in the door. Remember that long 00:43:17.599 --> 00:43:22.240 sort of like list, that chronology I 00:43:20.239 --> 00:43:25.759 gave you of all those reigns, dynasties, 00:43:22.239 --> 00:43:30.239 whatever. Here's how we break it down. 00:43:25.760 --> 00:43:32.240 First, preodern China. Preodern China. 00:43:30.239 --> 00:43:35.199 This is like it's a loaded word. When 00:43:32.239 --> 00:43:38.159 does modernity begin? It's like it's 00:43:35.199 --> 00:43:40.078 kind of a useless phrase, okay? Because 00:43:38.159 --> 00:43:41.838 like 50 years from now, it's like 00:43:40.079 --> 00:43:44.079 they'll be like, "Was the 20th century 00:43:41.838 --> 00:43:46.960 modern? It looks pretty old to us, 00:43:44.079 --> 00:43:49.519 right?" But for the sake of 00:43:46.960 --> 00:43:52.480 conversation, for the sake of dialogue, 00:43:49.519 --> 00:43:55.440 you should know that in China officially 00:43:52.480 --> 00:43:57.519 in Chinese textbooks in China today, 00:43:55.440 --> 00:43:59.679 modernity begins with a very actually 00:43:57.519 --> 00:44:03.039 western centric notion of the opium 00:43:59.679 --> 00:44:05.759 wars. Okay? Middle of the 19th century. 00:44:03.039 --> 00:44:09.199 Okay. Basically, so you have like modern 00:44:05.760 --> 00:44:11.680 history, preodern history 00:44:09.199 --> 00:44:16.480 coming back. 00:44:11.679 --> 00:44:19.679 Ah, good. Thank you. Okay. I said to the 00:44:16.480 --> 00:44:21.920 computer, thank you. Okay. So, so, so 00:44:19.679 --> 00:44:25.039 preodern. Sometimes we could also say 00:44:21.920 --> 00:44:27.519 traditional. Okay. Uh, so this is just 00:44:25.039 --> 00:44:29.199 like I'm not endorsing these terms. I'm 00:44:27.519 --> 00:44:32.239 just letting you know these are the 00:44:29.199 --> 00:44:35.519 terms you may encounter. Okay. Uh, so 00:44:32.239 --> 00:44:38.000 when we say imperial China, imperial 00:44:35.519 --> 00:44:40.400 China, that has a very very fixed 00:44:38.000 --> 00:44:42.880 beginning and end date. That is not like 00:44:40.400 --> 00:44:46.559 open to interpretation. Imperial China 00:44:42.880 --> 00:44:48.800 begins in 221 B.CEE or or or BC, 00:44:46.559 --> 00:44:51.119 whatever have you. Okay, it begins when 00:44:48.800 --> 00:44:52.960 Chin Shaong proclaims himself to be the 00:44:51.119 --> 00:44:56.880 first emperor. He was the first person 00:44:52.960 --> 00:45:00.639 to do it. Realize writing was invented 00:44:56.880 --> 00:45:03.519 in China approximately in 1200 BC. 00:45:00.639 --> 00:45:05.838 China's got a thousand years of recorded 00:45:03.519 --> 00:45:08.159 history before there were any emperors. 00:45:05.838 --> 00:45:10.078 Before there were any. So this is the 00:45:08.159 --> 00:45:12.159 amazing thing about thinking about scale 00:45:10.079 --> 00:45:15.200 in terms of Chinese history. When when 00:45:12.159 --> 00:45:17.519 Confucious was alive, he was already 00:45:15.199 --> 00:45:19.838 thinking about the deep past in 00:45:17.519 --> 00:45:21.119 antiquity. We think of Confucious and we 00:45:19.838 --> 00:45:22.719 go, "Wow, that guy lived a long time 00:45:21.119 --> 00:45:25.599 ago." He was thinking of other people 00:45:22.719 --> 00:45:28.078 thinking living a long time ago, 600 00:45:25.599 --> 00:45:29.519 years ago, right? So this is just 00:45:28.079 --> 00:45:31.280 imperial China begins with the 00:45:29.519 --> 00:45:34.480 proclamation of the first emperor, which 00:45:31.280 --> 00:45:37.519 was a new form of sort of royal 00:45:34.480 --> 00:45:39.838 kingship. you know that sort of like 00:45:37.519 --> 00:45:43.599 superseded everything that came before 00:45:39.838 --> 00:45:47.039 it. That imperial system remains 00:45:43.599 --> 00:45:51.680 basically the primary form of governance 00:45:47.039 --> 00:45:53.519 in China until 1912. Well, this is 00:45:51.679 --> 00:45:56.318 another thing of like when does it end? 00:45:53.519 --> 00:45:57.679 1911. The Shinhai Revolution, many of 00:45:56.318 --> 00:46:00.639 you been familiar with it, might have 00:45:57.679 --> 00:46:04.159 heard of it, broke out in 1911. The 00:46:00.639 --> 00:46:06.078 emperor abdicated in early 1912. So, as 00:46:04.159 --> 00:46:08.799 a historian of late imperial China, I 00:46:06.079 --> 00:46:11.119 insist on 1912. Okay? But you will 00:46:08.800 --> 00:46:12.160 sometimes see 1911. It's not okay. What 00:46:11.119 --> 00:46:14.240 are we talking? We're talking about a 00:46:12.159 --> 00:46:18.078 couple months here. Okay? It's I won't 00:46:14.239 --> 00:46:20.239 mock you down if you say 1911. Okay? Uh 00:46:18.079 --> 00:46:21.519 it's it's when China had an emperor. 00:46:20.239 --> 00:46:24.239 Okay? That's what we're talking about. 00:46:21.519 --> 00:46:27.199 All right? We also sort of have a few 00:46:24.239 --> 00:46:29.679 periods periodizations that we can say. 00:46:27.199 --> 00:46:31.838 Now, think about sort of like history 00:46:29.679 --> 00:46:34.318 that you might have encountered in AP 00:46:31.838 --> 00:46:36.318 world. I haven't taken AP World in like 00:46:34.318 --> 00:46:38.800 a million years. So I don't know like 00:46:36.318 --> 00:46:39.838 and I heard now it's starting like 1500. 00:46:38.800 --> 00:46:40.640 Is that right? 00:46:39.838 --> 00:46:43.199 >> 1300. 00:46:40.639 --> 00:46:45.920 >> 1300. Still way way too late. What a 00:46:43.199 --> 00:46:47.759 tragedy. Okay. But it's a it's it's it's 00:46:45.920 --> 00:46:49.280 it whatever it is. So you basically 00:46:47.760 --> 00:46:53.440 start in like the late medieval period 00:46:49.280 --> 00:46:56.240 or medieval. Okay. We have early China. 00:46:53.440 --> 00:46:58.639 Okay. This is again really good book on 00:46:56.239 --> 00:47:00.719 early China. What is early China? Early 00:46:58.639 --> 00:47:02.400 China basically means the origin of 00:47:00.719 --> 00:47:06.559 whatever we can talk about when it 00:47:02.400 --> 00:47:12.079 happened to basically 00:47:06.559 --> 00:47:15.440 the end of the Han dynasty about 200 00:47:12.079 --> 00:47:18.640 common era 200 AD okay approximately 00:47:15.440 --> 00:47:21.519 like that okay appro roughly then we 00:47:18.639 --> 00:47:23.440 enter we can talk about another era 00:47:21.519 --> 00:47:25.199 called the middle period or medieval 00:47:23.440 --> 00:47:27.280 China and that's from that end of the 00:47:25.199 --> 00:47:28.639 Han that's a a great way I know 00:47:27.280 --> 00:47:30.079 everybody will here. Well, this is a 00:47:28.639 --> 00:47:32.639 better way to think about it. The three 00:47:30.079 --> 00:47:34.960 kingdoms period, right? Okay. The three 00:47:32.639 --> 00:47:36.639 kingdoms period is like the end of early 00:47:34.960 --> 00:47:39.039 China. You can think about we're 00:47:36.639 --> 00:47:40.960 entering a new era at that point. Okay. 00:47:39.039 --> 00:47:43.279 So, you can say that's approximately 00:47:40.960 --> 00:47:45.039 medieval China, which you go when does 00:47:43.280 --> 00:47:46.960 quote unquote medieval or middle period 00:47:45.039 --> 00:47:48.880 China end? 00:47:46.960 --> 00:47:50.159 I mean, you some people say, do you put 00:47:48.880 --> 00:47:52.000 it before the Mongols? Do you put it 00:47:50.159 --> 00:47:54.879 after the Mongols? Is it about a 00:47:52.000 --> 00:47:58.639 thousand? Okay. I'm just doing really 00:47:54.880 --> 00:48:00.160 really traditional rain dates here. I 00:47:58.639 --> 00:48:02.960 founding of the Ming dynasty. You don't 00:48:00.159 --> 00:48:05.279 have to it's approximate. Okay. And then 00:48:02.960 --> 00:48:07.599 the last two dynasties are something 00:48:05.280 --> 00:48:09.599 like late imperial China. Sometimes 00:48:07.599 --> 00:48:11.838 you'll also hear this like early modern 00:48:09.599 --> 00:48:13.760 China. It all depends on what type of 00:48:11.838 --> 00:48:16.000 historian you're talking to. If you're 00:48:13.760 --> 00:48:17.839 talking to a European historian, you 00:48:16.000 --> 00:48:20.559 might say early modern because that's 00:48:17.838 --> 00:48:22.558 how they talk. Okay. Late imperial China 00:48:20.559 --> 00:48:25.358 is how like if we if the Chinese 00:48:22.559 --> 00:48:27.680 historians are together in in a in a in 00:48:25.358 --> 00:48:28.880 a bus that's how we go oh late imperial 00:48:27.679 --> 00:48:31.598 right because we all know what that 00:48:28.880 --> 00:48:33.200 means okay so either one is fine okay 00:48:31.599 --> 00:48:35.680 but just realize this is how you break 00:48:33.199 --> 00:48:38.639 it down this very long periods yeah of 00:48:35.679 --> 00:48:43.199 history all right usually 00:48:38.639 --> 00:48:45.838 should we look at this I don't know 00:48:43.199 --> 00:48:48.799 the computer answered the question well 00:48:45.838 --> 00:48:51.199 uh I always I mean let's let's just well 00:48:48.800 --> 00:48:54.160 take a peek Okay. This is like this 00:48:51.199 --> 00:48:58.159 really like Let's see. Is it going to 00:48:54.159 --> 00:49:00.399 go? Okay. H this like very forboding 00:48:58.159 --> 00:49:02.078 music. Oh, no. It then it then it just 00:49:00.400 --> 00:49:04.160 like it just All right. Let me try one 00:49:02.079 --> 00:49:06.000 more time. Let me try one more time. 00:49:04.159 --> 00:49:08.960 Okay. If it goes This is like a kind of 00:49:06.000 --> 00:49:12.480 fun sort of like 00:49:08.960 --> 00:49:14.800 It's going to go. 00:49:12.480 --> 00:49:16.719 Okay. I'm losing patience with it. Okay. 00:49:14.800 --> 00:49:18.960 Let's So basically that was a sort of 00:49:16.719 --> 00:49:22.159 like it's like a looking at the borders 00:49:18.960 --> 00:49:23.280 of Chinese uh reigns over time, right? I 00:49:22.159 --> 00:49:26.558 can show it to you. I'll put a link 00:49:23.280 --> 00:49:29.599 online. Okay. So we're going to get now 00:49:26.559 --> 00:49:31.359 maybe for the last half hour of class. 00:49:29.599 --> 00:49:33.920 I'm going to talk about sort of like a 00:49:31.358 --> 00:49:35.440 few more like big questions, big ways to 00:49:33.920 --> 00:49:37.358 think about Chinese history. And then 00:49:35.440 --> 00:49:40.318 we'll do a tour of China, which is like 00:49:37.358 --> 00:49:42.880 always again really fun. Uh so let's 00:49:40.318 --> 00:49:45.119 talk about a Chinese history hack. North 00:49:42.880 --> 00:49:46.640 and south, east and west, right? Okay, 00:49:45.119 --> 00:49:50.559 these are just cardinal directions, 00:49:46.639 --> 00:49:53.519 right? So, we have a western Joe and we 00:49:50.559 --> 00:49:57.440 have an eastern Joe, right? We have a 00:49:53.519 --> 00:49:59.280 western Han and we have an eastern Han. 00:49:57.440 --> 00:50:02.639 That basically means in the early period 00:49:59.280 --> 00:50:05.440 of China, in early China, basically we 00:50:02.639 --> 00:50:09.199 have Western capitals and eastern 00:50:05.440 --> 00:50:12.400 capitals. Okay. Yeah. As time goes on, 00:50:09.199 --> 00:50:15.358 this changes. This shifts. Okay. the 00:50:12.400 --> 00:50:17.680 Tong dynasty in middle in medieval China 00:50:15.358 --> 00:50:20.000 7th century 8th century 9th century 00:50:17.679 --> 00:50:22.318 approximately around here there's a 00:50:20.000 --> 00:50:24.559 still a western capital and still an 00:50:22.318 --> 00:50:27.920 eastern capital of Chongan Xian and 00:50:24.559 --> 00:50:29.680 Lyang but once you get to about the year 00:50:27.920 --> 00:50:30.880 1000 this shifts and now we don't have 00:50:29.679 --> 00:50:32.399 western eastern capitals we have 00:50:30.880 --> 00:50:34.800 northern and southern capitals and 00:50:32.400 --> 00:50:36.160 that's that Beijing and Nanjing right 00:50:34.800 --> 00:50:38.160 you know Beijing northern capital 00:50:36.159 --> 00:50:40.799 Nanjing southern capital so what's going 00:50:38.159 --> 00:50:43.440 on well what you have to realize is that 00:50:40.800 --> 00:50:46.160 over a very very long period of time the 00:50:43.440 --> 00:50:48.559 Chinese people migrated south okay there 00:50:46.159 --> 00:50:51.598 was a major migration of people okay 00:50:48.559 --> 00:50:53.519 from from the north China plane okay to 00:50:51.599 --> 00:50:56.318 the south as the south is basically 00:50:53.519 --> 00:50:58.239 filled in with rice agriculture okay the 00:50:56.318 --> 00:50:59.119 south that area south of the Yangzi 00:50:58.239 --> 00:51:00.799 river don't worry I'll show you where 00:50:59.119 --> 00:51:04.000 the river is in just a second it was 00:51:00.800 --> 00:51:07.280 really swamp and marshland okay it 00:51:04.000 --> 00:51:09.838 population as early as the Han dynasty 00:51:07.280 --> 00:51:12.800 as early as around the year zero there 00:51:09.838 --> 00:51:15.279 were people moving down there. Okay, 00:51:12.800 --> 00:51:17.200 that picked up over the first thousand 00:51:15.280 --> 00:51:19.359 years of this era, right? So from the 00:51:17.199 --> 00:51:21.679 year zero to about the year 1000, the 00:51:19.358 --> 00:51:24.480 population moves south. And then by the 00:51:21.679 --> 00:51:26.558 time you get to that medieval era, 00:51:24.480 --> 00:51:28.480 sometime in the medieval era, most of 00:51:26.559 --> 00:51:30.640 the people, most of the population of 00:51:28.480 --> 00:51:33.599 China lives in the south. Okay? And the 00:51:30.639 --> 00:51:35.920 south actually ends up becoming 00:51:33.599 --> 00:51:38.160 rather wealthy, right? Because they they 00:51:35.920 --> 00:51:40.960 grow rice, they have surpluses, they pay 00:51:38.159 --> 00:51:43.279 taxes. Okay? Where do they pay taxes to 00:51:40.960 --> 00:51:45.199 the north? Okay, so this is a very 00:51:43.280 --> 00:51:47.359 interesting dynamic, right? So 00:51:45.199 --> 00:51:48.799 basically, let me just phrase it to you 00:51:47.358 --> 00:51:51.199 this way. You look at over here that's 00:51:48.800 --> 00:51:53.039 that's Diana, big goose pagod. You'll 00:51:51.199 --> 00:51:55.679 recognize that in a few weeks from now. 00:51:53.039 --> 00:51:57.440 That's Shi, the capital of Shanchi 00:51:55.679 --> 00:52:00.318 province. This a very very historic 00:51:57.440 --> 00:52:02.240 city. It's basically like a a great 00:52:00.318 --> 00:52:05.679 number of the early imperial capitals 00:52:02.239 --> 00:52:07.199 are located there. Okay, this is uh this 00:52:05.679 --> 00:52:09.679 is kind of what you might think of South 00:52:07.199 --> 00:52:14.399 China looking like, right? mountainous, 00:52:09.679 --> 00:52:16.480 green, uh, uh, water, humid, and rice. 00:52:14.400 --> 00:52:18.800 Okay. So, that's that's what that's 00:52:16.480 --> 00:52:21.599 South China in a nutshell. Okay. All 00:52:18.800 --> 00:52:24.240 right. So, then we go back to that's our 00:52:21.599 --> 00:52:27.119 map. Okay. Here's this is the Mongol 00:52:24.239 --> 00:52:29.838 Empire. Okay. Mongol Empire. The Mongols 00:52:27.119 --> 00:52:31.760 create once the sort of their capital 00:52:29.838 --> 00:52:34.480 their their reign in China is 00:52:31.760 --> 00:52:37.119 established they start they move their 00:52:34.480 --> 00:52:40.000 capital to Dad the great capital which 00:52:37.119 --> 00:52:42.480 is Beijing they they are kind of the 00:52:40.000 --> 00:52:44.719 ones who actually move it to Beijing 00:52:42.480 --> 00:52:47.440 right so the Beijing actually gets its 00:52:44.719 --> 00:52:49.199 start not as a Han Chinese capital okay 00:52:47.440 --> 00:52:50.960 it was actually the northern the 00:52:49.199 --> 00:52:53.759 northern peoples right non-han peoples 00:52:50.960 --> 00:52:56.159 who started it so after the Mongol 00:52:53.760 --> 00:52:58.400 period you get that Nanjing in Beijing 00:52:56.159 --> 00:53:00.399 mix. That's in the late the last two 00:52:58.400 --> 00:53:02.720 dynasties, southern capital and northern 00:53:00.400 --> 00:53:06.318 capital. And what you can kind of say 00:53:02.719 --> 00:53:09.279 even to this day is that the economic 00:53:06.318 --> 00:53:11.199 heart of the country, the most basically 00:53:09.280 --> 00:53:13.200 profitable part of the country, highest 00:53:11.199 --> 00:53:16.159 incomes are in that greater Shanghai 00:53:13.199 --> 00:53:19.279 area also in Guangdong, Pearl River 00:53:16.159 --> 00:53:21.279 Delta area. Okay, those southern hubs, 00:53:19.280 --> 00:53:23.599 okay? Those are the economic engines of 00:53:21.280 --> 00:53:25.920 the country. The political center of the 00:53:23.599 --> 00:53:27.760 country is in the north. Okay. And 00:53:25.920 --> 00:53:29.599 that's basically a bit been that way for 00:53:27.760 --> 00:53:31.200 a few centuries actually go a number of 00:53:29.599 --> 00:53:33.599 centuries, right? And that's what the 00:53:31.199 --> 00:53:35.679 the southern southerners end up paying 00:53:33.599 --> 00:53:38.000 for defense, right? The northerners 00:53:35.679 --> 00:53:40.879 handle frontier defense, right? When you 00:53:38.000 --> 00:53:44.318 see where Beijing is on a map and you 00:53:40.880 --> 00:53:47.200 see where historical Mongolia was, 00:53:44.318 --> 00:53:49.119 Beijing is almost not in China, right? 00:53:47.199 --> 00:53:50.558 That's why it has all those sandstorms. 00:53:49.119 --> 00:53:52.400 It's almost in what is it, the Gobi 00:53:50.559 --> 00:53:55.119 Desert or whatever it is. It's re it's 00:53:52.400 --> 00:53:57.440 really far up north actually. Um, so 00:53:55.119 --> 00:54:00.160 that's a sort of Chinese history hack. 00:53:57.440 --> 00:54:02.159 Think of north, south, east, west, 00:54:00.159 --> 00:54:04.399 right? That tells you a lot about what 00:54:02.159 --> 00:54:06.480 era you're in. Tells you a lot about the 00:54:04.400 --> 00:54:08.880 sort of geography and the in the sort of 00:54:06.480 --> 00:54:11.920 geography of power of the era. Okay, 00:54:08.880 --> 00:54:13.680 talk about north and south. Okay, some 00:54:11.920 --> 00:54:14.880 of you will, if you taken a class with 00:54:13.679 --> 00:54:17.279 me before, you might have seen this 00:54:14.880 --> 00:54:20.318 slide before. Let's talk about north and 00:54:17.280 --> 00:54:22.559 south. Okay, what is north China? What 00:54:20.318 --> 00:54:24.800 is South China? Okay, well, let me just 00:54:22.559 --> 00:54:28.079 pause here for a minute. What what is 00:54:24.800 --> 00:54:30.960 the northern United States like? Is is 00:54:28.079 --> 00:54:33.039 Maryland north? 00:54:30.960 --> 00:54:37.760 Is it south? 00:54:33.039 --> 00:54:39.519 It's north. Why do you say it's north? 00:54:37.760 --> 00:54:42.000 >> Okay. Right. So, you've answered this 00:54:39.519 --> 00:54:45.119 question by referring to like a 00:54:42.000 --> 00:54:48.159 historical political geography. That's 00:54:45.119 --> 00:54:50.480 great because there is no real objective 00:54:48.159 --> 00:54:52.159 answer to this question, right? Aside 00:54:50.480 --> 00:54:54.079 from doing that, the same is true in 00:54:52.159 --> 00:54:56.078 China. Basically, in the 20th century, 00:54:54.079 --> 00:54:58.318 there was a line drawn and it was like, 00:54:56.079 --> 00:55:00.400 "Okay, this is this is the Chinland 00:54:58.318 --> 00:55:02.960 Mountains over here in the Hawaii, the 00:55:00.400 --> 00:55:04.000 Hawaii River. Draw a line. If you're to 00:55:02.960 --> 00:55:05.440 the north, that's the north. If you're 00:55:04.000 --> 00:55:07.440 to the south, that's the south." And 00:55:05.440 --> 00:55:09.760 that the joke I've always made, right, 00:55:07.440 --> 00:55:12.079 is that in the I think 1950s, I think we 00:55:09.760 --> 00:55:13.599 went over this 1950s, Joan lie, uh, 00:55:12.079 --> 00:55:17.039 basically made it so that if you're 00:55:13.599 --> 00:55:19.119 above that line, you got free subsidized 00:55:17.039 --> 00:55:20.719 or free central heating from the state. 00:55:19.119 --> 00:55:23.519 And if you're below that line, you 00:55:20.719 --> 00:55:26.078 froze. uh because the south was 00:55:23.519 --> 00:55:27.280 generally warmer. But you know, this is 00:55:26.079 --> 00:55:28.480 the whole thing. It's one of those 00:55:27.280 --> 00:55:33.200 things where it's like, how do I 00:55:28.480 --> 00:55:36.079 describe it? I once did a new year f uh 00:55:33.199 --> 00:55:37.838 Chinese New Year spring festival in 00:55:36.079 --> 00:55:40.000 Guangyen, which is in the northern part 00:55:37.838 --> 00:55:42.880 of Sichuan province. You could imagine 00:55:40.000 --> 00:55:45.199 how frozen I was. That's pretty far 00:55:42.880 --> 00:55:47.519 north, but staying south, right? That's 00:55:45.199 --> 00:55:49.519 one of those border places, you know. I 00:55:47.519 --> 00:55:51.759 went to bed at night with like eight 00:55:49.519 --> 00:55:55.358 blankets over me. I shared a bed with 00:55:51.760 --> 00:55:57.839 like a 60- year old man and and and for 00:55:55.358 --> 00:56:01.598 days and I and there were so many 00:55:57.838 --> 00:56:04.318 blankets over me I couldn't move. So 00:56:01.599 --> 00:56:06.318 when I woke up I was just like I'm up 00:56:04.318 --> 00:56:08.000 and then somebody came and took off the 00:56:06.318 --> 00:56:10.318 blank. I mean, it was just incredible 00:56:08.000 --> 00:56:12.400 that it was I don't want to say that's 00:56:10.318 --> 00:56:13.279 there are many warm parts of the south. 00:56:12.400 --> 00:56:15.039 Don't get me wrong. If you're in 00:56:13.280 --> 00:56:16.319 Guangdong or Hong Kong, that's warm. You 00:56:15.039 --> 00:56:19.039 know, that's a nice place to be in the 00:56:16.318 --> 00:56:21.039 winter, but just to know this is this is 00:56:19.039 --> 00:56:23.519 a very large area with a very diverse 00:56:21.039 --> 00:56:26.000 climate. Okay. So, that can be really 00:56:23.519 --> 00:56:27.599 cold. So, this is a Mason Dixon line. 00:56:26.000 --> 00:56:31.440 Okay. This is kind of like this kind of 00:56:27.599 --> 00:56:33.760 idea. Yeah. Uh but there are cultural, 00:56:31.440 --> 00:56:36.079 you know, traits that we associate with 00:56:33.760 --> 00:56:38.640 northerners. There are cultural traits 00:56:36.079 --> 00:56:41.119 we associate with southerners. Again, 00:56:38.639 --> 00:56:42.639 nothing is ever absolute, but we can 00:56:41.119 --> 00:56:45.440 talk about that when we get into more 00:56:42.639 --> 00:56:47.358 specific geographies. Okay, let's say 00:56:45.440 --> 00:56:49.358 political jurisdictions of the PRC 00:56:47.358 --> 00:56:52.078 today. I, you know, I realize this is a 00:56:49.358 --> 00:56:54.639 dynastic Chinese history class. Um, so 00:56:52.079 --> 00:56:56.720 you might be kind of like, why do we 00:56:54.639 --> 00:56:58.719 need to know this? And I think the 00:56:56.719 --> 00:57:00.879 reason you have to know this is because 00:56:58.719 --> 00:57:02.719 well you you do need to know the 00:57:00.880 --> 00:57:05.280 geography of China today to appreciate 00:57:02.719 --> 00:57:07.039 where things are happening right to be 00:57:05.280 --> 00:57:09.440 able to have a conversation about it 00:57:07.039 --> 00:57:12.159 just realize there are 20 34 total units 00:57:09.440 --> 00:57:14.000 23 provinces there also these autonomous 00:57:12.159 --> 00:57:17.039 regions Tibet is today recognized 00:57:14.000 --> 00:57:18.559 autonomous region Jang in Mongolia Ning 00:57:17.039 --> 00:57:20.798 Sha the Hoy autonomous region and 00:57:18.559 --> 00:57:23.280 Guangshi Dwang autonomous region so 00:57:20.798 --> 00:57:26.239 there's all the also special zones right 00:57:23.280 --> 00:57:27.920 Shanghai Chongqing and so forth Um, so 00:57:26.239 --> 00:57:29.919 you know, just you know, we can talk 00:57:27.920 --> 00:57:32.720 more about I have the whole geography 00:57:29.920 --> 00:57:34.559 quiz for you. Uh, and I have the study 00:57:32.719 --> 00:57:38.239 guide to tell you what exactly you need 00:57:34.559 --> 00:57:41.200 to know. Okay. One other sort of like 00:57:38.239 --> 00:57:44.000 way to think about Chinese geography is 00:57:41.199 --> 00:57:45.679 this line. This is called the Hu Tong 00:57:44.000 --> 00:57:47.358 Chong line. And it was so interesting 00:57:45.679 --> 00:57:50.239 this summer. I finally got a chance to 00:57:47.358 --> 00:57:51.838 visit Tong Chong. And you see, you might 00:57:50.239 --> 00:57:52.959 not find that impressive, but like 00:57:51.838 --> 00:57:54.480 actually Tong Chong is not a 00:57:52.960 --> 00:57:55.838 particularly famous place. The only 00:57:54.480 --> 00:57:57.199 reason why Chinese people across the 00:57:55.838 --> 00:57:59.519 country know about it is because of this 00:57:57.199 --> 00:58:01.199 line. But it's actually a great place. 00:57:59.519 --> 00:58:02.798 Uh, and it's it's a really fun part. 00:58:01.199 --> 00:58:04.639 It's in Yunan Province. I have some 00:58:02.798 --> 00:58:06.239 photos when we go through the when we go 00:58:04.639 --> 00:58:10.719 through the tour here. Right. But the 00:58:06.239 --> 00:58:13.598 key is is that basically this is 64% 00:58:10.719 --> 00:58:17.039 of the area of the country and in 1934 00:58:13.599 --> 00:58:20.160 it had 4% of the population. Okay? And 00:58:17.039 --> 00:58:22.798 this is in 2015 it had 6% of the 00:58:20.159 --> 00:58:24.558 population. Okay? So this is actually 00:58:22.798 --> 00:58:27.119 something that hasn't changed all that 00:58:24.559 --> 00:58:29.440 much, right? Most Chinese people live in 00:58:27.119 --> 00:58:31.838 the red zone, right? They live in this 00:58:29.440 --> 00:58:33.599 this area, right? This very high dense 00:58:31.838 --> 00:58:34.639 area like you know the big cities, you 00:58:33.599 --> 00:58:36.000 know, city with two million people 00:58:34.639 --> 00:58:37.920 doesn't count as anything in China, 00:58:36.000 --> 00:58:40.239 right? This is all that over here, 00:58:37.920 --> 00:58:42.079 Tibet, Sing Jang, lots of land, not so 00:58:40.239 --> 00:58:45.039 many people. Okay, so that's like a sort 00:58:42.079 --> 00:58:46.720 of big way to do it. All right, so I was 00:58:45.039 --> 00:58:49.039 going to do let me just say 00:58:46.719 --> 00:58:51.279 pronunciation. Should I say this? Let me 00:58:49.039 --> 00:58:52.960 do it really really quickly so that you 00:58:51.280 --> 00:58:55.760 know I know many of you probably know 00:58:52.960 --> 00:58:58.159 Chinese. Uh many of you speak Chinese. 00:58:55.760 --> 00:59:00.160 Uh you know Chinese is tonal. That means 00:58:58.159 --> 00:59:01.598 that it's very hard to be a beginner in 00:59:00.159 --> 00:59:04.239 this language right because you're 00:59:01.599 --> 00:59:06.079 constantly asking for like you're 00:59:04.239 --> 00:59:08.159 constantly saying you know horse I miss 00:59:06.079 --> 00:59:09.519 you but it's really your mom right? You 00:59:08.159 --> 00:59:11.039 know, there's a there's all the it's 00:59:09.519 --> 00:59:12.798 it's tricky when you're when you're 00:59:11.039 --> 00:59:14.079 getting into it, right? Because uh 00:59:12.798 --> 00:59:16.559 because the tone makes the difference, 00:59:14.079 --> 00:59:18.480 right? Just realize that uh ju maybe 00:59:16.559 --> 00:59:21.760 just going through a few things here. 00:59:18.480 --> 00:59:23.679 The Z in the Z, right? It's like Z is 00:59:21.760 --> 00:59:25.920 like a a hard. Okay. But these are words 00:59:23.679 --> 00:59:29.118 that like I sort of encounter in the in 00:59:25.920 --> 00:59:32.798 in in research, right? So, you know, oh, 00:59:29.119 --> 00:59:36.000 okay. X, right? You see X, okay? It's 00:59:32.798 --> 00:59:38.159 like uh it's like an sh, right? So, 00:59:36.000 --> 00:59:40.000 right something like this. Okay. So, 00:59:38.159 --> 00:59:41.759 just know like this is how this is how 00:59:40.000 --> 00:59:43.280 the pronunciation works. Okay. All 00:59:41.760 --> 00:59:46.240 right. What do I got? All right. Let's 00:59:43.280 --> 00:59:47.920 start uh let's start talking about 00:59:46.239 --> 00:59:50.239 China's geography. We got like 20 00:59:47.920 --> 00:59:53.200 minutes left. Cover the country. Okay. 00:59:50.239 --> 00:59:56.399 I'm going to start purely for no 00:59:53.199 --> 00:59:59.199 apparent reason in Sichuan province. 00:59:56.400 --> 01:00:01.680 Okay. It's just because this is what my 00:59:59.199 --> 01:00:02.960 PowerPoint told me to do. I I opened it 01:00:01.679 --> 01:00:04.239 up. I was like, "All right, let's we got 01:00:02.960 --> 01:00:06.159 to start somewhere. Let's start over 01:00:04.239 --> 01:00:08.479 there." Okay. You have probably 01:00:06.159 --> 01:00:10.239 encountered Sichuan province before 01:00:08.480 --> 01:00:12.240 because it's actually a pretty famous 01:00:10.239 --> 01:00:14.000 province. It's got like compared to 01:00:12.239 --> 01:00:16.719 other Chinese provinces, it's got a lot 01:00:14.000 --> 01:00:18.960 of international cache in part because 01:00:16.719 --> 01:00:21.358 look at all the Sichuan restaurants all 01:00:18.960 --> 01:00:23.199 over the Cambridge Boston area, right? 01:00:21.358 --> 01:00:26.400 When Chinese food traveled, right? 01:00:23.199 --> 01:00:29.598 Sichuan high was a sort of kind of 01:00:26.400 --> 01:00:31.599 cuisine that just traveled. A lot of 01:00:29.599 --> 01:00:34.000 times the restaurants are not owned or 01:00:31.599 --> 01:00:36.240 operated by people from Sichuan, but 01:00:34.000 --> 01:00:38.079 they just created Sichuan restaurant. I 01:00:36.239 --> 01:00:40.639 don't know why, but it was like there it 01:00:38.079 --> 01:00:42.480 is. You will also sometimes see Sichuan. 01:00:40.639 --> 01:00:44.558 All right, that's again that older 01:00:42.480 --> 01:00:46.719 transliteration system. Same thing. It 01:00:44.559 --> 01:00:49.920 refers to that province. Okay, there it 01:00:46.719 --> 01:00:52.719 is. In western China, Sichuan is famous 01:00:49.920 --> 01:00:55.039 for spicy food. Okay, a lot of parts of 01:00:52.719 --> 01:00:57.279 China today have spicy food to be frank. 01:00:55.039 --> 01:01:00.480 It's also famous for hot pot, right? 01:00:57.280 --> 01:01:04.319 Sichuan is like where hot or chongqing. 01:01:00.480 --> 01:01:06.159 Now I again I'm sort of like biased here 01:01:04.318 --> 01:01:08.558 because I'm a historian of the imperial 01:01:06.159 --> 01:01:11.199 period. I sort of take Chongqing and 01:01:08.559 --> 01:01:14.000 Sichuan together. Culturally they are 01:01:11.199 --> 01:01:16.399 together. They all speak a very similar 01:01:14.000 --> 01:01:19.760 kind of Mandarin dialect. Okay. But 01:01:16.400 --> 01:01:22.240 Chongqing was se was siphoned off from 01:01:19.760 --> 01:01:25.119 Sichuan in the late in the 1990s. Okay. 01:01:22.239 --> 01:01:27.039 And it's now it's sort of its own sort 01:01:25.119 --> 01:01:28.880 of it's a separate political entity 01:01:27.039 --> 01:01:30.798 today. But you can see Chongqing and 01:01:28.880 --> 01:01:32.480 Sichuan culturally they're kind of in 01:01:30.798 --> 01:01:35.358 this. This is Chongqing right here. 01:01:32.480 --> 01:01:37.119 Okay. Right there. Okay. Uh it's also 01:01:35.358 --> 01:01:40.480 home to Oh, let me just say one thing 01:01:37.119 --> 01:01:42.480 about hot pot. The the problem I feel 01:01:40.480 --> 01:01:46.000 about talking about Chinese food today 01:01:42.480 --> 01:01:48.400 is that now China has beencome so 01:01:46.000 --> 01:01:50.159 flattened and in a sense it's a good 01:01:48.400 --> 01:01:51.440 thing. It's it's part of the progress of 01:01:50.159 --> 01:01:54.000 the country. It's part of the wealth of 01:01:51.440 --> 01:01:55.920 the country. But now every place has hot 01:01:54.000 --> 01:01:57.358 pot, right? It's not like, you know, 01:01:55.920 --> 01:01:59.200 you're going to go and you, oh, I got to 01:01:57.358 --> 01:02:00.400 go to Sichuan. I got to go try the hot 01:01:59.199 --> 01:02:02.399 pot. It's like, you're going to get hot 01:02:00.400 --> 01:02:03.680 pot in Kuning and Yunan. You're going to 01:02:02.400 --> 01:02:05.519 get, you're going to get hot pot in 01:02:03.679 --> 01:02:06.879 Beijing, whatever. They have I realize 01:02:05.519 --> 01:02:08.880 they have a Beijing hot pot. It's 01:02:06.880 --> 01:02:10.559 different. I get it. But the point is 01:02:08.880 --> 01:02:12.559 nowadays, if you're in a provincial 01:02:10.559 --> 01:02:14.960 capital, you can pretty much get the 01:02:12.559 --> 01:02:17.200 food of all the other parts of China. It 01:02:14.960 --> 01:02:19.599 might not be good, but they will have 01:02:17.199 --> 01:02:22.078 it. Okay? So, it's like it's like it's 01:02:19.599 --> 01:02:24.720 kind of like Mexican in the US, right? 01:02:22.079 --> 01:02:26.720 Massachusetts has it, right? Like, if 01:02:24.719 --> 01:02:28.798 you want to eat it, they they have it, 01:02:26.719 --> 01:02:30.399 right? Is it as good as Arizona? I don't 01:02:28.798 --> 01:02:33.119 know. But like, you get what I'm saying. 01:02:30.400 --> 01:02:35.440 All right. So, uh it's also home. The 01:02:33.119 --> 01:02:39.440 panda, right? Sichuan's most famous 01:02:35.440 --> 01:02:41.440 export besides the peppercorns. Okay. Uh 01:02:39.440 --> 01:02:43.358 right. And and and the panda, right? We 01:02:41.440 --> 01:02:45.679 talk a lot about the panda. The Just 01:02:43.358 --> 01:02:48.558 realize something about the panda. Just 01:02:45.679 --> 01:02:51.519 realize it is not important in Chinese 01:02:48.559 --> 01:02:53.839 history. Okay? I don't I'm not I'm not 01:02:51.519 --> 01:02:57.920 breaking any hearts here. It's a very 01:02:53.838 --> 01:03:00.078 very lovable vegetarian bear. It fits so 01:02:57.920 --> 01:03:02.318 well with so many of the aesthetics of 01:03:00.079 --> 01:03:06.720 modernity in so many ways, right? Like 01:03:02.318 --> 01:03:08.480 it is sort of friendly vegetarian and a 01:03:06.719 --> 01:03:11.199 bear. How how do you get that 01:03:08.480 --> 01:03:13.679 combination, right? I mean, it's like 01:03:11.199 --> 01:03:16.480 evolution, right? I mean, okay, it is 01:03:13.679 --> 01:03:18.318 actually a bear. Okay, so it is like 01:03:16.480 --> 01:03:20.559 related to like the Russian brown bear 01:03:18.318 --> 01:03:22.960 and all of that stuff. How did this 01:03:20.559 --> 01:03:25.280 happen? Well, 01:03:22.960 --> 01:03:27.519 I don't know how many years ago a bear 01:03:25.280 --> 01:03:29.359 moved to Sichuan and said, "I like it." 01:03:27.519 --> 01:03:31.599 And then just said, "I'm just going to 01:03:29.358 --> 01:03:33.279 eat bamboo all the time." Right? And so, 01:03:31.599 --> 01:03:37.039 like, so basically, you ended up with 01:03:33.280 --> 01:03:41.359 that. Okay. uh the the panda became a 01:03:37.039 --> 01:03:44.640 symbol in actually really the communist 01:03:41.358 --> 01:03:48.000 era because the panda was not associated 01:03:44.639 --> 01:03:50.798 with imperial symbols, right? The dragon 01:03:48.000 --> 01:03:53.119 is an imperial symbol. The tiger is a 01:03:50.798 --> 01:03:54.719 very ancient symbol. The elephant even 01:03:53.119 --> 01:03:56.079 is an ancient symbol. All of these 01:03:54.719 --> 01:03:57.279 things like are fair game. You can see 01:03:56.079 --> 01:03:59.599 them in imperial history. You can see 01:03:57.280 --> 01:04:01.200 them in ancient history. The nobody 01:03:59.599 --> 01:04:03.680 talked about the panda. Nobody was 01:04:01.199 --> 01:04:05.439 impressed by the panda. Okay. But then 01:04:03.679 --> 01:04:06.960 that's why perfect. We're having a 01:04:05.440 --> 01:04:08.960 communist revolution. We're throwing out 01:04:06.960 --> 01:04:11.280 all the old. We got a new animal right 01:04:08.960 --> 01:04:12.559 here. It's the panda. And it worked. You 01:04:11.280 --> 01:04:14.559 just got to say it worked. It was 01:04:12.559 --> 01:04:16.720 incredible marketing. And now it it's 01:04:14.559 --> 01:04:18.160 it's on the World Wildlife Foundations. 01:04:16.719 --> 01:04:19.358 Like it's their emblem, you know? I 01:04:18.159 --> 01:04:21.118 mean, this is like it's the most famous 01:04:19.358 --> 01:04:22.880 bear in the world. Let's face it. Um, 01:04:21.119 --> 01:04:24.720 and then the other thing is with 01:04:22.880 --> 01:04:26.960 Sichuan, you get this great culture of 01:04:24.719 --> 01:04:28.719 tea houses that go back to the 20th 01:04:26.960 --> 01:04:31.599 century. Sichuan also had a great number 01:04:28.719 --> 01:04:34.798 of mafias. It's like we could talk about 01:04:31.599 --> 01:04:36.480 mafias in China. The south was loaded 01:04:34.798 --> 01:04:38.000 with them and they would hang out in the 01:04:36.480 --> 01:04:39.440 tea houses and there was so many 01:04:38.000 --> 01:04:41.280 interesting things that happened there. 01:04:39.440 --> 01:04:42.720 It's got a great lifestyle. The way that 01:04:41.280 --> 01:04:45.920 people talk about life in Sichuan, they 01:04:42.719 --> 01:04:48.239 say it's right. It's like easygoing, 01:04:45.920 --> 01:04:50.000 easy life. There's even this expression 01:04:48.239 --> 01:04:52.159 when you're young, don't go to Sichuan. 01:04:50.000 --> 01:04:54.400 When you're old, don't leave it. Okay? 01:04:52.159 --> 01:04:56.318 There's there's expressions in China for 01:04:54.400 --> 01:04:58.079 like everything that kind of give you 01:04:56.318 --> 01:05:00.880 advice. And this is one of those 01:04:58.079 --> 01:05:03.440 advices, right? So I I didn't listen to 01:05:00.880 --> 01:05:05.838 this expression. I went and you know you 01:05:03.440 --> 01:05:08.720 can see what am I doing now right? So uh 01:05:05.838 --> 01:05:10.960 so it continued. Um one interesting 01:05:08.719 --> 01:05:14.000 thing about Sichuan is that it is a 01:05:10.960 --> 01:05:16.880 basin. It is a geological basin. What 01:05:14.000 --> 01:05:21.679 that means is that it is surrounded on 01:05:16.880 --> 01:05:24.640 basically all mo all sides. To get into 01:05:21.679 --> 01:05:26.960 Sichuan is difficult. To get out, there 01:05:24.639 --> 01:05:28.960 is one really easy way to get out, which 01:05:26.960 --> 01:05:31.440 is through the Yangzi River, but it only 01:05:28.960 --> 01:05:33.679 flows in one direction. So is you can 01:05:31.440 --> 01:05:35.760 send rice out of Sichuan. You can send 01:05:33.679 --> 01:05:38.239 people out of Sichuan, but getting into 01:05:35.760 --> 01:05:40.720 Sichuan is rather difficult. That is 01:05:38.239 --> 01:05:43.679 actually why across Chinese history, 01:05:40.719 --> 01:05:45.439 it's been a place to flee to. So during 01:05:43.679 --> 01:05:47.679 the Tong Dynasty, we're going to have a 01:05:45.440 --> 01:05:49.760 really, really big rebellion called the 01:05:47.679 --> 01:05:52.159 Anlan Rebellion. It's one of the most 01:05:49.760 --> 01:05:53.920 famous devastating civil wars, 01:05:52.159 --> 01:05:56.960 rebellions of Chinese history. The 01:05:53.920 --> 01:05:58.639 emperor will go from Xian, he will go 01:05:56.960 --> 01:05:59.920 from Chan. Don't worry, you you will 01:05:58.639 --> 01:06:02.639 memorize all these places. You will know 01:05:59.920 --> 01:06:04.798 what I'm talking about. And he will flee 01:06:02.639 --> 01:06:07.199 into Sichuan. And actually, this 01:06:04.798 --> 01:06:09.440 actually happened in the 20th century as 01:06:07.199 --> 01:06:11.679 well. Some of you will know this, right? 01:06:09.440 --> 01:06:14.000 Jang Kaishek's government, Jangu's 01:06:11.679 --> 01:06:16.639 government when Japan invaded from the 01:06:14.000 --> 01:06:18.400 east, right? in Nanjing fell the 01:06:16.639 --> 01:06:20.719 government basically had to move to the 01:06:18.400 --> 01:06:23.119 west and it moved to Chongqing which is 01:06:20.719 --> 01:06:25.358 again basically the Sichuan region okay 01:06:23.119 --> 01:06:28.720 so that's where they held out for the 01:06:25.358 --> 01:06:31.598 war more or less so just realize this is 01:06:28.719 --> 01:06:33.279 a big part of the sort of geography uh 01:06:31.599 --> 01:06:34.798 of Sichuan that gives it its interesting 01:06:33.280 --> 01:06:36.640 flavor there's another expression that I 01:06:34.798 --> 01:06:39.199 love here when China has yet to fall 01:06:36.639 --> 01:06:41.038 into chaos Sichuan is the first to fall 01:06:39.199 --> 01:06:42.960 when China has yet to been pacified 01:06:41.039 --> 01:06:45.200 Sichuan has yet to been pacified again 01:06:42.960 --> 01:06:47.199 because it's hard to get too, right? So, 01:06:45.199 --> 01:06:49.279 that gives it a unique culture in a way, 01:06:47.199 --> 01:06:51.679 you know, really interesting. Okay, now 01:06:49.280 --> 01:06:53.599 we continue on with our tour and let's 01:06:51.679 --> 01:06:55.440 go. We're going to go from Sichuan. You 01:06:53.599 --> 01:06:57.440 can see where Sichuan is right here. 01:06:55.440 --> 01:06:59.119 Okay, that's Chongqing. Now, we're going 01:06:57.440 --> 01:07:01.920 to go to the northeast. We're going to 01:06:59.119 --> 01:07:03.680 go to Shyenshi province. Okay, now Shy 01:07:01.920 --> 01:07:04.960 Province is if you love history and you 01:07:03.679 --> 01:07:07.038 take this class, this is the province 01:07:04.960 --> 01:07:09.119 you really got to go to. It's loaded 01:07:07.039 --> 01:07:11.119 with history. You basically cross the 01:07:09.119 --> 01:07:12.798 Chin Mountains down here in the southern 01:07:11.119 --> 01:07:14.798 part of the province and you get right 01:07:12.798 --> 01:07:16.960 up here. the it's called the Guanjong 01:07:14.798 --> 01:07:20.480 region. Don't worry about it. But Xian, 01:07:16.960 --> 01:07:22.960 right, Western Peace, literally or Chong 01:07:20.480 --> 01:07:24.960 An was its older medieval name. That's 01:07:22.960 --> 01:07:27.679 the capital of the province. That tower 01:07:24.960 --> 01:07:29.519 that you see right there, that was built 01:07:27.679 --> 01:07:31.679 a very long time ago. That was built in 01:07:29.519 --> 01:07:34.000 the medieval period. It is not very 01:07:31.679 --> 01:07:36.239 common across China to see towers that 01:07:34.000 --> 01:07:38.159 are that old. It's an incredibly 01:07:36.239 --> 01:07:39.838 impressive piece of architecture. You 01:07:38.159 --> 01:07:41.838 probably know this place because, of 01:07:39.838 --> 01:07:44.159 course, the Terracotta Warriors are 01:07:41.838 --> 01:07:45.279 here. All right. more or less there. 01:07:44.159 --> 01:07:46.798 This is where you would go if you're 01:07:45.280 --> 01:07:48.720 going to go see them and that's 01:07:46.798 --> 01:07:51.038 certainly something to go see. We of 01:07:48.719 --> 01:07:52.879 course will cover them in probably a few 01:07:51.039 --> 01:07:54.640 weeks. Okay, so we will cover all of 01:07:52.880 --> 01:07:58.079 this. Let's talk a little bit about 01:07:54.639 --> 01:08:00.318 local food, right? Again, the caveat 01:07:58.079 --> 01:08:02.640 being nowadays in Xian you can get 01:08:00.318 --> 01:08:05.279 whatever fish you want. You can get hot 01:08:02.639 --> 01:08:07.920 pot, whatever. So again, you know, it's 01:08:05.280 --> 01:08:09.519 all flattened, but there are still local 01:08:07.920 --> 01:08:11.680 tastes and there are still local 01:08:09.519 --> 01:08:15.358 specialties. Northerners in general eat 01:08:11.679 --> 01:08:17.920 wheat. They eat uh you know not not as 01:08:15.358 --> 01:08:20.559 riceheavy. So that it's a noodle eating 01:08:17.920 --> 01:08:24.319 culture. Okay. Most of North China eats 01:08:20.560 --> 01:08:25.679 noodles. And she is famous for it all 01:08:24.319 --> 01:08:28.480 different types of noodles and noodle 01:08:25.679 --> 01:08:31.119 type dishes. This is a salamian a 01:08:28.479 --> 01:08:33.198 chishan salamyan. Right. So salamian is 01:08:31.119 --> 01:08:35.278 it's from a county. It's like a sort of 01:08:33.198 --> 01:08:36.639 it's a very nice it's got like a vinegar 01:08:35.279 --> 01:08:38.480 taste. It's a little spicy. It's a 01:08:36.640 --> 01:08:40.960 noodle dish. This is Does anybody know 01:08:38.479 --> 01:08:43.278 what this is? 01:08:40.960 --> 01:08:45.600 Yeah. Palo Yro palmo, right? This is a 01:08:43.279 --> 01:08:48.239 lamb sort of. You take a like it looks 01:08:45.600 --> 01:08:52.400 like a naan bread and you you you you 01:08:48.238 --> 01:08:54.479 you destroy your hands by cutting it up 01:08:52.399 --> 01:08:56.559 into a million little pieces and then 01:08:54.479 --> 01:08:59.358 they pour like a soup in it with lamb. 01:08:56.560 --> 01:09:00.640 It's delicious. It's super heavy. So 01:08:59.359 --> 01:09:01.920 like when you eat this like you don't 01:09:00.640 --> 01:09:04.880 eat anything else for the rest of the 01:09:01.920 --> 01:09:06.880 day. Okay. Uh so it's it's it's fun. 01:09:04.880 --> 01:09:08.400 It's it's it's it's really good. Now, 01:09:06.880 --> 01:09:09.759 let me just tell you, when you're 01:09:08.399 --> 01:09:11.278 learning Chinese history for the first 01:09:09.759 --> 01:09:13.679 time, you're learning Chinese geography 01:09:11.279 --> 01:09:16.719 for this first time, you will say, "How 01:09:13.679 --> 01:09:19.119 is this true? This is totally not fair." 01:09:16.719 --> 01:09:23.198 The province right next to Shanshi 01:09:19.119 --> 01:09:25.119 Province is called Shansi Province. 01:09:23.198 --> 01:09:26.559 Are you kidding me? Right? Like you say, 01:09:25.119 --> 01:09:28.880 couldn't they couldn't they put it in 01:09:26.560 --> 01:09:30.719 another place? Yeah. Listen, you just 01:09:28.880 --> 01:09:32.719 got to learn it. You just got to learn 01:09:30.719 --> 01:09:35.600 it. In English, this will be 01:09:32.719 --> 01:09:36.960 transliterated. Okay? the one that I was 01:09:35.600 --> 01:09:38.960 talking about, the ancient capital with 01:09:36.960 --> 01:09:41.679 the terracotta warriors and all that 01:09:38.960 --> 01:09:45.279 stuff. Two A's. Okay, there will always 01:09:41.679 --> 01:09:47.440 be two A's. Shi, it's in the third tone. 01:09:45.279 --> 01:09:50.000 Okay, it's another tone. If you come 01:09:47.439 --> 01:09:54.158 over to this one, you go east, it's the 01:09:50.000 --> 01:09:56.158 first tone, one A, right? Shi. Okay, so 01:09:54.158 --> 01:09:58.479 for a Chinese person, these don't sound 01:09:56.158 --> 01:09:59.759 alike. But when you're when you're in 01:09:58.479 --> 01:10:01.678 the US and you're like, okay, what's 01:09:59.760 --> 01:10:03.199 going on? You're like, seriously, I have 01:10:01.679 --> 01:10:06.399 to learn this. Yes, you have to learn 01:10:03.198 --> 01:10:08.960 it. So not the same. Okay, it actually 01:10:06.399 --> 01:10:10.559 will make it easy for the geography quiz 01:10:08.960 --> 01:10:13.600 because you'll know that approximately 01:10:10.560 --> 01:10:15.440 in this area there's a place and you 01:10:13.600 --> 01:10:17.760 it's approximately spelled the same way. 01:10:15.439 --> 01:10:19.759 Okay, Shaji province really great place. 01:10:17.760 --> 01:10:22.400 Lots of interesting stuff, lots of great 01:10:19.760 --> 01:10:25.679 dowist temples, old temples to visit. 01:10:22.399 --> 01:10:27.119 Also noodles, right? Dawian I believe is 01:10:25.679 --> 01:10:28.960 from here. This is like a knife cut 01:10:27.119 --> 01:10:31.359 noodle is famous from this region, you 01:10:28.960 --> 01:10:33.520 know, hanging the hanging temples over 01:10:31.359 --> 01:10:35.039 there. This really fun. Okay, continue 01:10:33.520 --> 01:10:37.280 on. 01:10:35.039 --> 01:10:39.198 Let's go. I think our next one. Let's 01:10:37.279 --> 01:10:41.840 go. It's coming. Okay, Beijing. Okay, 01:10:39.198 --> 01:10:44.799 the imperial capital Beijing. So, if you 01:10:41.840 --> 01:10:47.440 look over here, we went from Sichuan and 01:10:44.800 --> 01:10:49.119 we're going to the northeast. Okay, we 01:10:47.439 --> 01:10:51.919 went through Shanshi. We went through 01:10:49.119 --> 01:10:54.479 Shanchi. I sort of cut through HB. Okay, 01:10:51.920 --> 01:10:56.399 and then now we're here in Beijing. How 01:10:54.479 --> 01:10:57.439 many of you have been to Beijing? You've 01:10:56.399 --> 01:10:58.879 been there. You've been there. You've 01:10:57.439 --> 01:11:01.599 been there. How was it? What do you 01:10:58.880 --> 01:11:03.359 remember? It was kind of smoggy. 01:11:01.600 --> 01:11:07.560 >> It was kind of smoggy. 01:11:03.359 --> 01:11:07.559 >> Okay. What do you remember? 01:11:08.960 --> 01:11:13.520 >> Yeah, the palace is incredible. Yeah. 01:11:11.439 --> 01:11:15.439 What else do I remember? The weather is 01:11:13.520 --> 01:11:17.360 terrible. Look, you just got to you just 01:11:15.439 --> 01:11:19.519 got to say the [snorts] weather. It's 01:11:17.359 --> 01:11:21.679 like hot and then all of a sudden it 01:11:19.520 --> 01:11:24.080 rains and it's like it's not a nice 01:11:21.679 --> 01:11:25.600 rain. It's like a killer rain and it's 01:11:24.079 --> 01:11:28.079 like I don't have an umbrella big enough 01:11:25.600 --> 01:11:30.159 to handle this. And then there's tons of 01:11:28.079 --> 01:11:31.519 traffic. I realized just being there 01:11:30.158 --> 01:11:33.839 this summer, even though like all the 01:11:31.520 --> 01:11:35.600 cars, many cars are now electric and 01:11:33.840 --> 01:11:37.679 there's great public transit everywhere, 01:11:35.600 --> 01:11:39.360 the traffic in Beijing is still really 01:11:37.679 --> 01:11:40.319 bad. So, it's like whenever we were 01:11:39.359 --> 01:11:41.599 like, "Oh, I'll be there in a half 01:11:40.319 --> 01:11:43.920 hour." It's like, "No, just say an 01:11:41.600 --> 01:11:46.400 hour." Okay. It was It's It's really But 01:11:43.920 --> 01:11:47.840 it's loaded with historical sites. It's 01:11:46.399 --> 01:11:49.359 an incredible place. I've been there, 01:11:47.840 --> 01:11:51.600 you know, probably a dozen times in my 01:11:49.359 --> 01:11:53.519 life, you know, over the years. And I've 01:11:51.600 --> 01:11:55.039 You don't see everything, right? You 01:11:53.520 --> 01:11:57.440 could always go back and see something 01:11:55.039 --> 01:11:59.679 new there. So, it's it's really really 01:11:57.439 --> 01:12:02.399 fun. Of course, many people who go to 01:11:59.679 --> 01:12:04.640 see the Great Wall will go to Beijing to 01:12:02.399 --> 01:12:06.319 see it. You actually don't need to be in 01:12:04.640 --> 01:12:08.480 Beijing to see it. There's Great Wall in 01:12:06.319 --> 01:12:10.719 Gansu Province out west. There's Great 01:12:08.479 --> 01:12:13.759 Wall in other provinces, but Beijing has 01:12:10.719 --> 01:12:15.198 the most famous ones. Like the panda, 01:12:13.760 --> 01:12:17.600 just realized that this quote unquote 01:12:15.198 --> 01:12:19.439 Great Wall was oftentimes not very 01:12:17.600 --> 01:12:21.840 important. It was a little bit more 01:12:19.439 --> 01:12:23.839 important than the panda. Okay, it was 01:12:21.840 --> 01:12:26.000 mainly it was important in certain 01:12:23.840 --> 01:12:28.159 periods of time in history and other 01:12:26.000 --> 01:12:29.359 periods of time just nobody cared. Okay, 01:12:28.158 --> 01:12:30.960 it just depended who was like 01:12:29.359 --> 01:12:32.799 controlling Beijing at the time. Okay, 01:12:30.960 --> 01:12:35.760 we'll get into all of this. Okay, but 01:12:32.800 --> 01:12:37.360 just realize I I'll say one thing here. 01:12:35.760 --> 01:12:39.920 I was going to say I have a little video 01:12:37.359 --> 01:12:42.158 here I'll show you about Dongbe. Has 01:12:39.920 --> 01:12:44.560 anybody ever been to Dongbe? You've been 01:12:42.158 --> 01:12:46.960 to Dongay? Why did you go to Dongbe? 01:12:44.560 --> 01:12:50.880 This is northeast China, Manuria. Where 01:12:46.960 --> 01:12:52.158 did you go? Because I I was born there. 01:12:50.880 --> 01:12:54.079 >> Oh, no way. You were born in Gil 01:12:52.158 --> 01:12:55.039 Province. Fantastic. Fantastic. Where 01:12:54.079 --> 01:12:56.559 else you went there? 01:12:55.039 --> 01:12:58.880 >> Uh skiing. 01:12:56.560 --> 01:13:00.400 >> You went skiing? Oh, nice. Okay. Yeah, 01:12:58.880 --> 01:13:01.840 you went to like Halongja. 01:13:00.399 --> 01:13:04.639 >> Yeah. Yeah. 01:13:01.840 --> 01:13:06.400 >> Nice. I I was in Leoning this summer. I 01:13:04.640 --> 01:13:09.679 had a very nice time. Great historical 01:13:06.399 --> 01:13:12.319 place. Uh I was going to say so Dong is 01:13:09.679 --> 01:13:13.760 definitely unique. Uh it's unique in a 01:13:12.319 --> 01:13:16.000 number of ways. So you will see if you 01:13:13.760 --> 01:13:18.000 go up to uh Haleyongjang, one of the 01:13:16.000 --> 01:13:20.238 provinces, you go to Harbin, it's like 01:13:18.000 --> 01:13:22.719 almost in Russia and it does have some 01:13:20.238 --> 01:13:24.559 old sort of Russian architecture that's 01:13:22.719 --> 01:13:27.600 around. It's very interesting to kind of 01:13:24.560 --> 01:13:29.520 see. Uh Manuria is very important in the 01:13:27.600 --> 01:13:31.039 20th century. You realize that like 01:13:29.520 --> 01:13:33.040 during World War II, it's a big sight of 01:13:31.039 --> 01:13:35.439 contention. Japan sort of sets up a 01:13:33.039 --> 01:13:37.840 puppet government in Manuria. I guess I 01:13:35.439 --> 01:13:41.359 would say what would I say about it? 01:13:37.840 --> 01:13:43.440 Just realize that first of all and I 01:13:41.359 --> 01:13:45.679 this is again one of those things I 01:13:43.439 --> 01:13:48.000 notice over the years that people in 01:13:45.679 --> 01:13:50.960 China today associate people with from 01:13:48.000 --> 01:13:53.279 Dongbe with being very funny with being 01:13:50.960 --> 01:13:55.198 humorous. Okay. And there's all of these 01:13:53.279 --> 01:13:57.759 folks I'll just see if see if my video 01:13:55.198 --> 01:14:01.279 plays. You could you can watch these 01:13:57.760 --> 01:14:05.159 shows on Chinese TV. It's like a 01:14:01.279 --> 01:14:05.158 humorous talk show. 01:14:05.279 --> 01:14:12.198 So, so she's like from Dongbe. She's got 01:14:08.640 --> 01:14:12.199 a Dombbe accent 01:14:12.640 --> 01:14:16.640 >> and and and there's this like there's 01:14:14.880 --> 01:14:18.159 like this kind of humor and I don't know 01:14:16.640 --> 01:14:19.840 exactly how to describe it, but it's 01:14:18.158 --> 01:14:22.719 like people just think Dome people are 01:14:19.840 --> 01:14:24.800 funny. I don't I I I I don't know what 01:14:22.719 --> 01:14:26.719 is there a scientific basis of this. I 01:14:24.800 --> 01:14:28.640 don't know, but just realize that like 01:14:26.719 --> 01:14:30.319 that's what people will say. Okay. So, 01:14:28.640 --> 01:14:30.719 do you think it's true? 01:14:30.319 --> 01:14:31.759 >> Yeah. 01:14:30.719 --> 01:14:32.960 >> You think it's true? You think it's 01:14:31.760 --> 01:14:34.640 true? They're a little bit funnier. 01:14:32.960 --> 01:14:36.158 Like, you know, I don't know. Like, are 01:14:34.640 --> 01:14:37.679 there parts of America where you'd say 01:14:36.158 --> 01:14:39.839 like, "Okay, people from that state are 01:14:37.679 --> 01:14:41.199 just funny." Do we have that? 01:14:39.840 --> 01:14:42.800 >> Where are people funny? I don't think 01:14:41.198 --> 01:14:43.919 Massachusetts people are that funny. I'm 01:14:42.800 --> 01:14:46.640 going to be honest with you. I'm from 01:14:43.920 --> 01:14:48.719 here. Where where are people funny? 01:14:46.640 --> 01:14:51.360 >> I feel like it's more that we know where 01:14:48.719 --> 01:14:53.279 people are. Excuse like jerks. 01:14:51.359 --> 01:14:56.000 >> Okay. See, I see. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. 01:14:53.279 --> 01:14:58.800 Okay. Yeah. Yeah. We know where people 01:14:56.000 --> 01:15:01.520 have attitude. Yeah. Yeah. Attitude for 01:14:58.800 --> 01:15:03.039 sure. Yeah. Uh Yeah. you know, you know, 01:15:01.520 --> 01:15:05.280 humor. It's kind of an interesting 01:15:03.039 --> 01:15:07.119 question, right? Like like who's funny, 01:15:05.279 --> 01:15:08.960 who's not, right? But like this is one 01:15:07.119 --> 01:15:11.599 thing just to kind of throw in there, 01:15:08.960 --> 01:15:13.198 right? All right. So, continuing on, we 01:15:11.600 --> 01:15:16.320 don't have a ton of time left. I want to 01:15:13.198 --> 01:15:19.039 take if you go south from Dong Bay, from 01:15:16.319 --> 01:15:20.719 northeastern China in that area all 01:15:19.039 --> 01:15:23.198 around Beijing, basically the south of 01:15:20.719 --> 01:15:25.840 Beijing ma mainly, you get to this north 01:15:23.198 --> 01:15:28.879 China plane and it's flat. This is a 01:15:25.840 --> 01:15:30.560 very very old area. Okay, what I mean by 01:15:28.880 --> 01:15:32.960 that is people have been farming here 01:15:30.560 --> 01:15:35.440 for thousands of years. Very very early 01:15:32.960 --> 01:15:38.880 Chinese history starts, you know, is 01:15:35.439 --> 01:15:41.439 around here in a big big way. And this 01:15:38.880 --> 01:15:44.480 is a fascinating place because on the 01:15:41.439 --> 01:15:47.198 one hand, it's so important. It's near 01:15:44.479 --> 01:15:50.799 at least the capital in the later eras. 01:15:47.198 --> 01:15:53.119 It's also where the Yellow River sort of 01:15:50.800 --> 01:15:54.400 it gets to the North China plane. And 01:15:53.119 --> 01:15:56.640 this is where the Yellow River gets 01:15:54.399 --> 01:16:00.000 really violent because the North China 01:15:56.640 --> 01:16:02.400 plane is flat. So the Yellow River every 01:16:00.000 --> 01:16:04.960 few hundred years changes course across 01:16:02.399 --> 01:16:07.279 the North China plane and you can it's 01:16:04.960 --> 01:16:09.520 devastating floods, crop failures and 01:16:07.279 --> 01:16:11.519 there's chaos. That's in a way one of 01:16:09.520 --> 01:16:14.480 the things you could say this is again a 01:16:11.520 --> 01:16:16.719 generalization. Northerners have a sort 01:16:14.479 --> 01:16:18.479 of like let's say the state has been 01:16:16.719 --> 01:16:20.399 more interventionist in the north, 01:16:18.479 --> 01:16:22.559 right? The state kind of originates in 01:16:20.399 --> 01:16:24.079 the north, right? around in some ways 01:16:22.560 --> 01:16:27.120 the control of the yellow river because 01:16:24.079 --> 01:16:30.000 you have to control it is the south very 01:16:27.119 --> 01:16:32.479 far far away right it's less control 01:16:30.000 --> 01:16:35.198 more lass fair more like oh you know 01:16:32.479 --> 01:16:36.399 tanga right heaven's high the emperor is 01:16:35.198 --> 01:16:38.399 far away right it's a different 01:16:36.399 --> 01:16:39.920 relationship you know that's what's this 01:16:38.399 --> 01:16:41.599 it's sort of this is one of the ways 01:16:39.920 --> 01:16:44.399 that you could think a little bit about 01:16:41.600 --> 01:16:46.079 south north yeah uh confucious is from 01:16:44.399 --> 01:16:48.238 the north China plane right he's from 01:16:46.079 --> 01:16:50.158 Shandong province we'll encounter him in 01:16:48.238 --> 01:16:52.399 a bit a number of the big early 01:16:50.158 --> 01:16:55.759 confusion philosophers ers are from this 01:16:52.399 --> 01:16:59.359 area. Okay. So, it's got like an 01:16:55.760 --> 01:17:01.679 association, you could say, with um with 01:16:59.359 --> 01:17:03.839 with Confucianism and with ancient 01:17:01.679 --> 01:17:05.440 learning and with, you know, again, the 01:17:03.840 --> 01:17:07.600 area around the late imperial capitals 01:17:05.439 --> 01:17:09.919 as I mentioned, but it's also a place 01:17:07.600 --> 01:17:12.800 you could say of in sometimes like 01:17:09.920 --> 01:17:15.199 lawlessness, okay, in rebellions, right, 01:17:12.800 --> 01:17:18.320 that threaten the state. One of those 01:17:15.198 --> 01:17:20.238 big Chinese novels, right? Water margin. 01:17:18.319 --> 01:17:21.759 This is the we've already went over. My 01:17:20.238 --> 01:17:24.000 god, just one class. We went over three 01:17:21.760 --> 01:17:25.600 of the big novels today. Yeah. Uh, this 01:17:24.000 --> 01:17:27.600 takes place, you could say, in this 01:17:25.600 --> 01:17:29.199 area. It's like outlaws, right? So, 01:17:27.600 --> 01:17:30.960 there's it's a very interesting 01:17:29.198 --> 01:17:32.639 location. It's a very interesting place. 01:17:30.960 --> 01:17:34.079 All right, two minutes left. I use it. 01:17:32.640 --> 01:17:36.079 By the way, I always use like all of 01:17:34.079 --> 01:17:37.439 class time. Okay. I just like I just 01:17:36.079 --> 01:17:39.279 keep talking. You know what I mean? 01:17:37.439 --> 01:17:41.198 Like, I just can't shut up about this 01:17:39.279 --> 01:17:44.000 stuff. I apologize, but like I just love 01:17:41.198 --> 01:17:46.319 it. Okay. One really, really, really, 01:17:44.000 --> 01:17:48.719 really, really fascinating thing that's 01:17:46.319 --> 01:17:50.799 important in dynastic Chinese history is 01:17:48.719 --> 01:17:53.039 this thing. North to south the Grand 01:17:50.800 --> 01:17:55.600 Canal. This was like the superighway of 01:17:53.039 --> 01:17:56.960 dynastic China. It is constructed, 01:17:55.600 --> 01:17:58.320 believe it or not, you won't believe 01:17:56.960 --> 01:18:00.640 this, but it's like when I tell you 01:17:58.319 --> 01:18:03.119 this, it's like, well, where is it? Go 01:18:00.640 --> 01:18:04.719 back. Go back, please. Here we go. 01:18:03.119 --> 01:18:06.559 Where's my date? No, it doesn't. There. 01:18:04.719 --> 01:18:08.560 Okay, whatever. I'll just tell you. The 01:18:06.560 --> 01:18:11.920 origins of the Grand Canal go back to 01:18:08.560 --> 01:18:13.440 the seventh century. Okay, so you got 01:18:11.920 --> 01:18:14.800 me. This is one of those things in China 01:18:13.439 --> 01:18:17.919 where you're like, "What? Really? What 01:18:14.800 --> 01:18:19.440 do you mean? You mean like a canal was 01:18:17.920 --> 01:18:22.239 constructed in the seventh century and 01:18:19.439 --> 01:18:25.039 then remained being used until like a 01:18:22.238 --> 01:18:27.279 100 years ago? Yes. Basically, yes. Uh 01:18:25.039 --> 01:18:29.119 it doesn't it didn't flow in exactly the 01:18:27.279 --> 01:18:31.039 same area. The origins of the Grand 01:18:29.119 --> 01:18:33.439 Canal were actually this southern this 01:18:31.039 --> 01:18:36.158 this one that you see here. It connected 01:18:33.439 --> 01:18:39.359 the Tong Dynasty capital of Lyang with 01:18:36.158 --> 01:18:41.279 the south. Okay. Then in later years it 01:18:39.359 --> 01:18:42.960 got expanded and eventually in the late 01:18:41.279 --> 01:18:45.198 in the later period it basically 01:18:42.960 --> 01:18:46.239 connects Beijing and the South. that 01:18:45.198 --> 01:18:48.879 goes all the way down. You could say 01:18:46.238 --> 01:18:51.198 like to Nanjing, Hjo, that area all the 01:18:48.880 --> 01:18:53.440 way from north. It's like you get on 01:18:51.198 --> 01:18:54.799 there and you and you can go north 01:18:53.439 --> 01:18:57.039 south. It's like you can transport 01:18:54.800 --> 01:18:59.440 grain. The emperor can travel it if he's 01:18:57.039 --> 01:19:02.000 going to the south, right? It's a super 01:18:59.439 --> 01:19:04.399 important way that the empire was 01:19:02.000 --> 01:19:06.880 connected. Today there's highspeed rail. 01:19:04.399 --> 01:19:11.279 At that time there was the Grand Canal. 01:19:06.880 --> 01:19:14.319 Okay, I realize we're out of time. So go 01:19:11.279 --> 01:19:15.920 home, tell your friends. Tell your 01:19:14.319 --> 01:19:17.679 friends, enjoy the weekend. I'll see you 01:19:15.920 --> 01:19:21.800 on Monday. We'll finish up our tour of 01:19:17.679 --> 01:19:21.800 China and continue onward.