WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.486 align:middle line:90% [SQUEAKING] 00:00:01.486 --> 00:00:02.965 align:middle line:90% [RUSTLING] 00:00:02.965 --> 00:00:04.937 align:middle line:90% [CLICKING] 00:00:04.937 --> 00:00:12.840 align:middle line:90% 00:00:12.840 --> 00:00:15.900 align:middle line:84% TRISTAN BROWN: This isn't really the official start of class, 00:00:15.900 --> 00:00:18.920 align:middle line:84% but I just thought I wanted to start with this new big game 00:00:18.920 --> 00:00:19.980 align:middle line:90% that just dropped. 00:00:19.980 --> 00:00:23.200 align:middle line:84% And it's making waves, I guess, in video game communities 00:00:23.200 --> 00:00:24.480 align:middle line:90% across the world. 00:00:24.480 --> 00:00:27.220 align:middle line:84% And this game-- if you haven't heard of it, 00:00:27.220 --> 00:00:28.540 align:middle line:90% that's totally fine. 00:00:28.540 --> 00:00:30.520 align:middle line:84% The main character is Sun Wukong. 00:00:30.520 --> 00:00:34.600 align:middle line:84% And the game is based loosely on this great Chinese novel 00:00:34.600 --> 00:00:37.920 align:middle line:84% of the 16th century, Journey to the West, COG. 00:00:37.920 --> 00:00:40.280 align:middle line:90% And the thing is-- 00:00:40.280 --> 00:00:42.970 align:middle line:84% so have you heard of the Monkey King or Sun Wukong? 00:00:42.970 --> 00:00:44.220 align:middle line:90% Some of you have heard of him. 00:00:44.220 --> 00:00:46.012 align:middle line:84% Some of you may have not have heard of him. 00:00:46.012 --> 00:00:46.560 align:middle line:90% That's OK. 00:00:46.560 --> 00:00:50.480 align:middle line:84% He's a real iconic figure in Chinese culture, 00:00:50.480 --> 00:00:53.160 align:middle line:90% you could say literature. 00:00:53.160 --> 00:00:57.160 align:middle line:84% He's not a historical character, although the Journey to the West 00:00:57.160 --> 00:01:01.050 align:middle line:84% is a historical journey taken during the Tang dynasty, 00:01:01.050 --> 00:01:04.370 align:middle line:84% to India, to retrieve Buddhist sutras and all of that. 00:01:04.370 --> 00:01:08.150 align:middle line:84% But starting in like the Southern Song dynasty-- 00:01:08.150 --> 00:01:08.790 align:middle line:90% don't worry. 00:01:08.790 --> 00:01:11.230 align:middle line:84% You'll know all of these dynasties pretty soon. 00:01:11.230 --> 00:01:13.290 align:middle line:84% We cover all of them this semester. 00:01:13.290 --> 00:01:15.510 align:middle line:84% Starting in about, I'd say, the 11th century, 00:01:15.510 --> 00:01:24.090 align:middle line:84% this figure of a monkey, as kind of the company of this main monk 00:01:24.090 --> 00:01:26.170 align:middle line:84% character came to the foreground. 00:01:26.170 --> 00:01:28.830 align:middle line:84% And his character evolved over the centuries. 00:01:28.830 --> 00:01:31.770 align:middle line:84% And I think one of the reasons why he's so beloved in China 00:01:31.770 --> 00:01:34.370 align:middle line:90% is he's this fearless person. 00:01:34.370 --> 00:01:37.710 align:middle line:84% He laughs in the face of danger because he's a monkey. 00:01:37.710 --> 00:01:42.970 align:middle line:84% So it makes him very beloved and makes him very interesting. 00:01:42.970 --> 00:01:46.490 align:middle line:84% He's also kind of a force of chaos in a sense, 00:01:46.490 --> 00:01:49.970 align:middle line:84% is that he literally makes a mess of heaven, even. 00:01:49.970 --> 00:01:51.890 align:middle line:84% He gets in trouble with the Jade Emperor, all 00:01:51.890 --> 00:01:53.590 align:middle line:90% of these really great stories. 00:01:53.590 --> 00:01:57.150 align:middle line:84% But in his causing chaos where he goes, 00:01:57.150 --> 00:01:59.770 align:middle line:84% he forces truth to come to the surface. 00:01:59.770 --> 00:02:04.390 align:middle line:84% He's got the power to see evil where evil is latently present. 00:02:04.390 --> 00:02:05.650 align:middle line:90% So you can see here-- 00:02:05.650 --> 00:02:07.970 align:middle line:84% I just thought I'd say a few words about him. 00:02:07.970 --> 00:02:12.190 align:middle line:84% There's a big debate in Chinese history about where 00:02:12.190 --> 00:02:14.990 align:middle line:84% Monkey comes from, so where the character of Sun Wukong 00:02:14.990 --> 00:02:16.030 align:middle line:90% comes from. 00:02:16.030 --> 00:02:19.330 align:middle line:84% Hu Shih, the great early 20th century intellectual-- 00:02:19.330 --> 00:02:20.970 align:middle line:84% you don't have to know him exactly. 00:02:20.970 --> 00:02:22.310 align:middle line:90% But he's a big name. 00:02:22.310 --> 00:02:24.390 align:middle line:84% He actually envisioned that monkey 00:02:24.390 --> 00:02:29.190 align:middle line:84% may have come from the Ramayana, from the character of Hanuman, 00:02:29.190 --> 00:02:32.190 align:middle line:90% the protector of King Rama. 00:02:32.190 --> 00:02:35.950 align:middle line:84% And there is a serious theory that that is actually 00:02:35.950 --> 00:02:37.810 align:middle line:90% the origin of his character. 00:02:37.810 --> 00:02:40.010 align:middle line:84% Lu Xun disagreed with that theory, actually. 00:02:40.010 --> 00:02:43.310 align:middle line:84% The other big 20th century great writer of Chinese history had 00:02:43.310 --> 00:02:44.270 align:middle line:90% another theory. 00:02:44.270 --> 00:02:45.610 align:middle line:90% You can see over the centuries. 00:02:45.610 --> 00:02:48.150 align:middle line:84% This is from a very early edition of the novel. 00:02:48.150 --> 00:02:51.610 align:middle line:84% This is from the Summer Palace in Beijing, 00:02:51.610 --> 00:02:56.280 align:middle line:84% so literally depictions from the novel, suffused, 00:02:56.280 --> 00:03:01.640 align:middle line:84% big artistic scenes in late imperial China. 00:03:01.640 --> 00:03:03.700 align:middle line:84% This is from a temple in Vietnam. 00:03:03.700 --> 00:03:06.260 align:middle line:84% And you can see here, this is Monkey in shrines. 00:03:06.260 --> 00:03:08.740 align:middle line:84% So he enters religion, popular religion, 00:03:08.740 --> 00:03:11.440 align:middle line:84% and of course, big opera, opera performances 00:03:11.440 --> 00:03:13.560 align:middle line:84% of Journey to the West, the character of Monkey 00:03:13.560 --> 00:03:14.600 align:middle line:90% and all of that. 00:03:14.600 --> 00:03:16.102 align:middle line:84% So I thought that I would just say, 00:03:16.102 --> 00:03:18.560 align:middle line:84% just really, if you've been thinking about this video game, 00:03:18.560 --> 00:03:21.280 align:middle line:84% or you want to go check out this video game at the beginning 00:03:21.280 --> 00:03:24.200 align:middle line:84% here, he's been beloved across generations. 00:03:24.200 --> 00:03:27.200 align:middle line:90% Every era re-envisions him. 00:03:27.200 --> 00:03:28.660 align:middle line:90% This is Princess Iron Fan. 00:03:28.660 --> 00:03:31.680 align:middle line:84% This is a story from Journey to the West, incredible. 00:03:31.680 --> 00:03:35.680 align:middle line:84% This is China's first animated film, 1941, made in Shanghai 00:03:35.680 --> 00:03:37.160 align:middle line:90% during World War II. 00:03:37.160 --> 00:03:39.378 align:middle line:84% And it's kind of like Monkey at that time. 00:03:39.378 --> 00:03:40.920 align:middle line:84% You think about the war of resistance 00:03:40.920 --> 00:03:43.780 align:middle line:84% against Japan, all of the symbolism with that. 00:03:43.780 --> 00:03:47.500 align:middle line:84% Somebody mentioned that they saw the 1986-- oh, where's my 1986? 00:03:47.500 --> 00:03:49.500 align:middle line:84% There's my 1986 Journey to the West. 00:03:49.500 --> 00:03:50.660 align:middle line:90% This is a big TV series. 00:03:50.660 --> 00:03:53.720 align:middle line:84% You can get it all on YouTube for free, really fun. 00:03:53.720 --> 00:03:56.320 align:middle line:84% This actor who plays monkey is really incredible. 00:03:56.320 --> 00:03:58.680 align:middle line:84% He comes from an operatic tradition. 00:03:58.680 --> 00:04:00.180 align:middle line:90% He really carries that forth. 00:04:00.180 --> 00:04:03.260 align:middle line:84% Late editions of monkey, recent editions of monkey, 00:04:03.260 --> 00:04:06.438 align:middle line:84% have shown him to be hyper masculine and muscular 00:04:06.438 --> 00:04:07.480 align:middle line:90% and everything like that. 00:04:07.480 --> 00:04:09.900 align:middle line:84% It's actually not necessarily how he's 00:04:09.900 --> 00:04:11.560 align:middle line:90% been portrayed historically. 00:04:11.560 --> 00:04:14.340 align:middle line:84% But again, it tells us something about how his character evolves 00:04:14.340 --> 00:04:16.140 align:middle line:90% over time. 00:04:16.140 --> 00:04:17.927 align:middle line:90% That is the prelude. 00:04:17.927 --> 00:04:19.760 align:middle line:84% Now, let's actually get into dynastic China. 00:04:19.760 --> 00:04:21.177 align:middle line:84% This is probably how you thought I 00:04:21.177 --> 00:04:24.700 align:middle line:84% would begin the class, which makes total sense, Forbidden 00:04:24.700 --> 00:04:25.200 align:middle line:90% City. 00:04:25.200 --> 00:04:26.867 align:middle line:84% Some of you went to Beijing this summer. 00:04:26.867 --> 00:04:29.900 align:middle line:84% Some of you have been to Beijing, I'm sure. 00:04:29.900 --> 00:04:32.220 align:middle line:84% The tragedy with the Forbidden City 00:04:32.220 --> 00:04:35.660 align:middle line:84% is once you see this palace, you can't go visit any other palace. 00:04:35.660 --> 00:04:38.700 align:middle line:84% They all just look so silly in comparison to this. 00:04:38.700 --> 00:04:40.360 align:middle line:90% Versailles-- forget about it. 00:04:40.360 --> 00:04:41.380 align:middle line:90% It looks like a house. 00:04:41.380 --> 00:04:43.140 align:middle line:90% I mean, seriously. 00:04:43.140 --> 00:04:46.660 align:middle line:84% It's the largest palace structure in the world. 00:04:46.660 --> 00:04:50.700 align:middle line:84% I've visited probably five times over my lifetime. 00:04:50.700 --> 00:04:53.470 align:middle line:90% And every time, it's different. 00:04:53.470 --> 00:04:57.350 align:middle line:84% When you go in the summer, there's not a lot of shade. 00:04:57.350 --> 00:05:00.390 align:middle line:84% You get killed by the sun and the crowds. 00:05:00.390 --> 00:05:03.770 align:middle line:84% I went with an academic delegation this summer, 00:05:03.770 --> 00:05:05.850 align:middle line:84% so we went to all these secret places. 00:05:05.850 --> 00:05:07.335 align:middle line:90% And that was really, really fun. 00:05:07.335 --> 00:05:09.210 align:middle line:84% This is a place you absolutely have to visit. 00:05:09.210 --> 00:05:12.110 align:middle line:84% There's so much of Chinese history in this palace 00:05:12.110 --> 00:05:13.448 align:middle line:90% in the center of Beijing. 00:05:13.448 --> 00:05:15.990 align:middle line:84% And I'll just say, actually, one funny thing about it is this 00:05:15.990 --> 00:05:19.270 align:middle line:84% palace was so nice that when the Manchus invaded China 00:05:19.270 --> 00:05:22.510 align:middle line:84% in the 17th century, they said, we'll keep the palace. 00:05:22.510 --> 00:05:23.750 align:middle line:90% They moved right in. 00:05:23.750 --> 00:05:26.042 align:middle line:84% How often does that happen, when somebody invades, say, 00:05:26.042 --> 00:05:27.167 align:middle line:90% we'll keep the White House. 00:05:27.167 --> 00:05:29.130 align:middle line:84% No, no, we can do better than the White House. 00:05:29.130 --> 00:05:31.110 align:middle line:90% They kept this one. 00:05:31.110 --> 00:05:34.710 align:middle line:84% So this is actually a Ming dynasty palace that was used 00:05:34.710 --> 00:05:39.790 align:middle line:84% right up until the early 20th century, today, a museum. 00:05:39.790 --> 00:05:44.290 align:middle line:84% I was thinking about how do you even introduce this subject? 00:05:44.290 --> 00:05:45.410 align:middle line:90% I love this subject. 00:05:45.410 --> 00:05:48.750 align:middle line:84% I'm sure you got that from my email. 00:05:48.750 --> 00:05:52.410 align:middle line:84% I'm so excited to share about this subject with you. 00:05:52.410 --> 00:05:54.810 align:middle line:84% And I realize there's never a good way 00:05:54.810 --> 00:05:57.150 align:middle line:84% to get into this subject because it's so big. 00:05:57.150 --> 00:05:58.510 align:middle line:90% It's so much to cover. 00:05:58.510 --> 00:06:01.390 align:middle line:84% But I'll just say, let's look at a map right here. 00:06:01.390 --> 00:06:03.970 align:middle line:84% This is, as you could imagine, Beijing. 00:06:03.970 --> 00:06:05.310 align:middle line:90% This is the Forbidden City. 00:06:05.310 --> 00:06:06.102 align:middle line:90% This is the palace. 00:06:06.102 --> 00:06:08.530 align:middle line:84% I think this map is from about the 1950s or something like 00:06:08.530 --> 00:06:09.190 align:middle line:90% that. 00:06:09.190 --> 00:06:15.010 align:middle line:84% And there's these three, quote, unquote, "hai" to the left, 00:06:15.010 --> 00:06:17.610 align:middle line:84% to the western side of the Forbidden City. 00:06:17.610 --> 00:06:24.010 align:middle line:84% Anybody know what those three "hai" are, those three lakes? 00:06:24.010 --> 00:06:24.950 align:middle line:90% Anybody visited? 00:06:24.950 --> 00:06:27.490 align:middle line:90% Have you been to Beihai Park? 00:06:27.490 --> 00:06:28.150 align:middle line:90% It's OK. 00:06:28.150 --> 00:06:28.790 align:middle line:90% It's OK. 00:06:28.790 --> 00:06:31.370 align:middle line:84% Let me just tell you, there are three lakes there. 00:06:31.370 --> 00:06:35.330 align:middle line:84% The top lake is the northern lake. 00:06:35.330 --> 00:06:37.750 align:middle line:90% That was an imperial garden. 00:06:37.750 --> 00:06:39.190 align:middle line:90% And that is today a public park. 00:06:39.190 --> 00:06:40.850 align:middle line:90% You can access that one. 00:06:40.850 --> 00:06:44.850 align:middle line:84% The second one and the last one are the middle lake 00:06:44.850 --> 00:06:45.970 align:middle line:90% and the southern lake. 00:06:45.970 --> 00:06:48.500 align:middle line:90% That's Zhongnanhai. 00:06:48.500 --> 00:06:49.040 align:middle line:90% Have you. 00:06:49.040 --> 00:06:50.498 align:middle line:84% Have you ever heard of Zhongnanhai? 00:06:50.498 --> 00:06:53.560 align:middle line:84% That's where the head of the Communist Party is. 00:06:53.560 --> 00:06:55.948 align:middle line:84% That's basically where the nominally, the Xi Jinping 00:06:55.948 --> 00:06:57.240 align:middle line:90% lives and everything like that. 00:06:57.240 --> 00:06:59.282 align:middle line:84% It's kind of like the White House and the Kremlin 00:06:59.282 --> 00:07:01.680 align:middle line:90% together, very, very big place. 00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:03.920 align:middle line:84% Those two lakes are not open to the public. 00:07:03.920 --> 00:07:06.700 align:middle line:84% That area is like the compound of, I think, 00:07:06.700 --> 00:07:10.260 align:middle line:84% the center of the party's power structure, basically. 00:07:10.260 --> 00:07:13.340 align:middle line:84% So there's so much, just in this little-- how many kilometers 00:07:13.340 --> 00:07:15.300 align:middle line:90% of space? 00:07:15.300 --> 00:07:19.420 align:middle line:84% History from hundreds of years ago, all the way up to history 00:07:19.420 --> 00:07:20.360 align:middle line:90% going on today. 00:07:20.360 --> 00:07:24.420 align:middle line:84% So the thing I love about this term 00:07:24.420 --> 00:07:30.900 align:middle line:84% is that the word means sea, ocean, or lake. 00:07:30.900 --> 00:07:33.660 align:middle line:84% In Mongol, actually, this distinction-- 00:07:33.660 --> 00:07:34.940 align:middle line:90% you can imagine why-- 00:07:34.940 --> 00:07:38.460 align:middle line:84% is not really made between ocean and a big body of water. 00:07:38.460 --> 00:07:40.820 align:middle line:84% And some Chinese dialects over the centuries 00:07:40.820 --> 00:07:43.300 align:middle line:90% adopted that or also had that. 00:07:43.300 --> 00:07:47.000 align:middle line:84% So you can see here, I think-- and I 00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:49.112 align:middle line:84% know this might be a little corny to say, 00:07:49.112 --> 00:07:51.320 align:middle line:84% but I want to just say it here at the very beginning, 00:07:51.320 --> 00:07:53.760 align:middle line:90% and I'll just say it once. 00:07:53.760 --> 00:07:57.240 align:middle line:84% Chinese history is like a sea or an ocean. 00:07:57.240 --> 00:07:58.280 align:middle line:90% It's big. 00:07:58.280 --> 00:07:59.940 align:middle line:90% It's-- how do I say it? 00:07:59.940 --> 00:08:00.820 align:middle line:90% It's vast. 00:08:00.820 --> 00:08:01.540 align:middle line:90% It's beautiful. 00:08:01.540 --> 00:08:04.100 align:middle line:84% And it's difficult. It can be dangerous, of course. 00:08:04.100 --> 00:08:06.900 align:middle line:84% I'll talk about how history can be dangerous in just a second. 00:08:06.900 --> 00:08:10.360 align:middle line:84% But it's not like, perhaps, other kinds of history 00:08:10.360 --> 00:08:12.320 align:middle line:90% you've studied thus far. 00:08:12.320 --> 00:08:15.260 align:middle line:84% I'll just say that I started studying however many, 00:08:15.260 --> 00:08:16.720 align:middle line:90% like almost 20 years ago. 00:08:16.720 --> 00:08:19.180 align:middle line:84% I will be a student of it for the rest of my life. 00:08:19.180 --> 00:08:21.300 align:middle line:84% I'll never be able to master this. 00:08:21.300 --> 00:08:23.220 align:middle line:90% It's not something you master. 00:08:23.220 --> 00:08:25.640 align:middle line:90% It's just too much stuff. 00:08:25.640 --> 00:08:26.980 align:middle line:90% But that's the thing. 00:08:26.980 --> 00:08:31.280 align:middle line:84% This class, what I can do is I'll take you to the ocean. 00:08:31.280 --> 00:08:33.520 align:middle line:84% And I'll say, and that first time you see the ocean, 00:08:33.520 --> 00:08:34.140 align:middle line:90% think about that. 00:08:34.140 --> 00:08:36.000 align:middle line:84% Think about where you were, especially if you didn't grow up 00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:36.840 align:middle line:90% near the sea. 00:08:36.840 --> 00:08:38.260 align:middle line:84% The first time you saw the ocean, 00:08:38.260 --> 00:08:39.780 align:middle line:84% you said, wow, that's a beautiful sight 00:08:39.780 --> 00:08:41.030 align:middle line:90% or wow, that's so interesting. 00:08:41.030 --> 00:08:43.039 align:middle line:84% Look at the waves, whatever, whatever, whatever. 00:08:43.039 --> 00:08:44.550 align:middle line:90% That's what this class can do. 00:08:44.550 --> 00:08:48.930 align:middle line:84% It's like I'm going to show you across time, from the Zhou 00:08:48.930 --> 00:08:51.890 align:middle line:84% dynasty, from the origins of writing in China, which is Shang 00:08:51.890 --> 00:08:55.550 align:middle line:84% dynasty, but whatever, Han dynasty, the medieval period, 00:08:55.550 --> 00:08:57.990 align:middle line:84% all the way up to the early modern era. 00:08:57.990 --> 00:08:59.770 align:middle line:84% I'll show you something about every era 00:08:59.770 --> 00:09:03.190 align:middle line:84% that I think is interesting that I think you'll appreciate. 00:09:03.190 --> 00:09:06.450 align:middle line:84% And then it's up to you to go from there. 00:09:06.450 --> 00:09:07.890 align:middle line:90% So I'll take you to the sea. 00:09:07.890 --> 00:09:10.955 align:middle line:84% You can swim however you want to-- however 00:09:10.955 --> 00:09:11.830 align:middle line:90% far you want to swim. 00:09:11.830 --> 00:09:13.010 align:middle line:90% I'm still swimming. 00:09:13.010 --> 00:09:14.950 align:middle line:84% So that's what we're going to do. 00:09:14.950 --> 00:09:18.010 align:middle line:90% This is Dynastic China, 2024. 00:09:18.010 --> 00:09:21.963 align:middle line:84% So let me say something at the outset here. 00:09:21.963 --> 00:09:24.130 align:middle line:84% What I'll do today is I'll introduce Chinese history 00:09:24.130 --> 00:09:25.670 align:middle line:90% in the broadest possible terms. 00:09:25.670 --> 00:09:26.870 align:middle line:90% How do we think about it? 00:09:26.870 --> 00:09:27.870 align:middle line:90% Some key terms. 00:09:27.870 --> 00:09:30.330 align:middle line:84% We'll go over the syllabus, the requirements for the class. 00:09:30.330 --> 00:09:33.990 align:middle line:84% And then I'll give you a geographical tour of China, 00:09:33.990 --> 00:09:35.310 align:middle line:90% which is really fun, actually. 00:09:35.310 --> 00:09:37.110 align:middle line:84% It's really fun just to go talk about food. 00:09:37.110 --> 00:09:39.310 align:middle line:84% And here's this province, and here's this province. 00:09:39.310 --> 00:09:40.550 align:middle line:84% The rest of the class won't be like that. 00:09:40.550 --> 00:09:42.730 align:middle line:84% But you do need to know the geography of China. 00:09:42.730 --> 00:09:44.630 align:middle line:84% There will be a quiz in a couple of weeks. 00:09:44.630 --> 00:09:47.290 align:middle line:84% This is the Forbidden City that we were just talking about. 00:09:47.290 --> 00:09:49.290 align:middle line:84% And you can see here, this is, I think, 00:09:49.290 --> 00:09:53.050 align:middle line:84% the largest single hall within the palace complex, 00:09:53.050 --> 00:09:56.430 align:middle line:84% this Tai He Dian, the Hall of Supreme Harmony. 00:09:56.430 --> 00:09:58.750 align:middle line:84% This is a Ming dynasty structure. 00:09:58.750 --> 00:10:00.750 align:middle line:90% Don't get overwhelmed. 00:10:00.750 --> 00:10:02.970 align:middle line:84% That's, let's say, a 15th century structure. 00:10:02.970 --> 00:10:06.970 align:middle line:84% And this is basically where the emperor had major audiences. 00:10:06.970 --> 00:10:08.090 align:middle line:90% Weddings were held here. 00:10:08.090 --> 00:10:10.130 align:middle line:90% Enthronements were held here. 00:10:10.130 --> 00:10:12.170 align:middle line:84% And you can see, it's right here. 00:10:12.170 --> 00:10:14.730 align:middle line:84% It's kind of like in the almost looks like the center. 00:10:14.730 --> 00:10:16.850 align:middle line:84% It's like right in that central axis. 00:10:16.850 --> 00:10:18.370 align:middle line:90% That's where it is. 00:10:18.370 --> 00:10:19.490 align:middle line:90% There's another place. 00:10:19.490 --> 00:10:22.970 align:middle line:84% And it's not a famous place, the place of everlasting spring, 00:10:22.970 --> 00:10:24.690 align:middle line:90% this Changchungong. 00:10:24.690 --> 00:10:25.973 align:middle line:90% It's in the back. 00:10:25.973 --> 00:10:26.890 align:middle line:90% It's right over there. 00:10:26.890 --> 00:10:28.430 align:middle line:90% I highlighted it right there. 00:10:28.430 --> 00:10:32.390 align:middle line:84% I bring out these two parts of the palace to you, 00:10:32.390 --> 00:10:35.590 align:middle line:84% because in a way, they kind of represent 00:10:35.590 --> 00:10:39.110 align:middle line:84% two tides of Chinese history or two ways of thinking 00:10:39.110 --> 00:10:40.780 align:middle line:90% about Chinese history. 00:10:40.780 --> 00:10:44.760 align:middle line:84% There's Zhengshi, official history. 00:10:44.760 --> 00:10:46.428 align:middle line:90% What is official history? 00:10:46.428 --> 00:10:48.220 align:middle line:84% Now, when you think about history in China, 00:10:48.220 --> 00:10:49.660 align:middle line:84% don't just think, oh, I'm sitting down. 00:10:49.660 --> 00:10:50.785 align:middle line:90% I'm thinking about history. 00:10:50.785 --> 00:10:51.620 align:middle line:90% Oh, that's so fun. 00:10:51.620 --> 00:10:52.480 align:middle line:90% No. 00:10:52.480 --> 00:10:56.400 align:middle line:84% "Shi" refers to a kind of writing. 00:10:56.400 --> 00:10:58.440 align:middle line:90% It's a genre of writing. 00:10:58.440 --> 00:11:01.880 align:middle line:84% There are officially 24 official histories 00:11:01.880 --> 00:11:04.500 align:middle line:84% that were written across China, Chinese history. 00:11:04.500 --> 00:11:07.680 align:middle line:84% The dynasty that follows the previous dynasty 00:11:07.680 --> 00:11:10.680 align:middle line:84% writes the official history of its predecessor. 00:11:10.680 --> 00:11:14.720 align:middle line:84% Ironically, we do not yet have an official history of the Qing 00:11:14.720 --> 00:11:16.560 align:middle line:90% dynasty, the last dynasty. 00:11:16.560 --> 00:11:19.520 align:middle line:84% That's an ongoing big football project, 00:11:19.520 --> 00:11:23.423 align:middle line:84% a game of tension within China today, 00:11:23.423 --> 00:11:25.340 align:middle line:84% how to write that history of the last dynasty. 00:11:25.340 --> 00:11:28.280 align:middle line:84% But, quote, unquote, "We have 24." 00:11:28.280 --> 00:11:32.020 align:middle line:84% That's this official history, emperors, dynasties, battles, 00:11:32.020 --> 00:11:35.180 align:middle line:84% natural disasters, recorded by state authorities. 00:11:35.180 --> 00:11:37.960 align:middle line:90% But then there's something else. 00:11:37.960 --> 00:11:40.180 align:middle line:90% That's not all we look at. 00:11:40.180 --> 00:11:41.920 align:middle line:90% That's not all we talk about. 00:11:41.920 --> 00:11:45.740 align:middle line:84% There's also this kind of idea in Chinese of Yeshi, 00:11:45.740 --> 00:11:49.260 align:middle line:84% wild history, history that's outside, 00:11:49.260 --> 00:11:51.140 align:middle line:84% things that happened in the past that are not 00:11:51.140 --> 00:11:53.180 align:middle line:84% in those official histories but are still 00:11:53.180 --> 00:11:56.520 align:middle line:84% worthy of talking about, that are still worthy of remembering. 00:11:56.520 --> 00:11:58.800 align:middle line:84% And that's like folklore, families, women, 00:11:58.800 --> 00:12:02.620 align:middle line:84% popular tales not recorded by state authorities. 00:12:02.620 --> 00:12:07.460 align:middle line:84% And so one way you can think about Chinese history 00:12:07.460 --> 00:12:10.180 align:middle line:84% is that it's the tension between these two things. 00:12:10.180 --> 00:12:13.420 align:middle line:84% It's like also going back to the sea metaphor, high tide 00:12:13.420 --> 00:12:15.620 align:middle line:84% and low tide, whatever you want to say. 00:12:15.620 --> 00:12:17.620 align:middle line:84% There's the stuff that's officially recorded. 00:12:17.620 --> 00:12:19.390 align:middle line:84% On this day, the emperor said this. 00:12:19.390 --> 00:12:21.140 align:middle line:84% But then there's all this unofficial stuff 00:12:21.140 --> 00:12:25.140 align:middle line:84% that we pieced together and say what was really going on. 00:12:25.140 --> 00:12:27.568 align:middle line:84% What is so great about Chinese history 00:12:27.568 --> 00:12:29.360 align:middle line:84% is that you actually don't need a textbook. 00:12:29.360 --> 00:12:30.780 align:middle line:90% There are so many sources. 00:12:30.780 --> 00:12:31.820 align:middle line:90% There's art. 00:12:31.820 --> 00:12:33.380 align:middle line:90% There's so much writing. 00:12:33.380 --> 00:12:34.780 align:middle line:90% There's private writing. 00:12:34.780 --> 00:12:36.250 align:middle line:90% There's writing by scholars. 00:12:36.250 --> 00:12:37.170 align:middle line:90% There's debates. 00:12:37.170 --> 00:12:39.070 align:middle line:84% There's so much you can look into. 00:12:39.070 --> 00:12:42.990 align:middle line:84% But take a look at, again, that palace. 00:12:42.990 --> 00:12:45.890 align:middle line:84% What I said is that looking at itself, at the palace, 00:12:45.890 --> 00:12:48.230 align:middle line:84% it tells you a story about Chinese history. 00:12:48.230 --> 00:12:51.338 align:middle line:84% This is that Zhengshi type of place. 00:12:51.338 --> 00:12:53.630 align:middle line:84% The things that happened in the Hall of Supreme Harmony 00:12:53.630 --> 00:12:56.470 align:middle line:84% are recorded in official type histories. 00:12:56.470 --> 00:12:59.410 align:middle line:84% But the stuff that happens in the rear of the palace, 00:12:59.410 --> 00:13:00.610 align:middle line:90% this is the hougong. 00:13:00.610 --> 00:13:03.350 align:middle line:84% That's where the imperial family lived. 00:13:03.350 --> 00:13:04.917 align:middle line:84% That's actually where they lived. 00:13:04.917 --> 00:13:06.750 align:middle line:84% They didn't live in the front of the palace. 00:13:06.750 --> 00:13:09.530 align:middle line:84% That's an expression in Chinese, hougong, the back of the palace. 00:13:09.530 --> 00:13:10.835 align:middle line:90% That's the imperial family. 00:13:10.835 --> 00:13:12.210 align:middle line:84% That's where they actually lived. 00:13:12.210 --> 00:13:13.918 align:middle line:84% And that's where all-- by the way, if you 00:13:13.918 --> 00:13:16.810 align:middle line:84% watch Chinese dramas, family dramas, they're all about that. 00:13:16.810 --> 00:13:18.130 align:middle line:90% Nobody really cares about this. 00:13:18.130 --> 00:13:19.255 align:middle line:90% But they're all about that. 00:13:19.255 --> 00:13:22.030 align:middle line:84% What's going on with the romance? 00:13:22.030 --> 00:13:23.710 align:middle line:90% All this stuff. 00:13:23.710 --> 00:13:26.870 align:middle line:84% Yeshi, wild history, has a lot more to it than just that. 00:13:26.870 --> 00:13:29.630 align:middle line:84% I'm not endorsing any drama, by the way. 00:13:29.630 --> 00:13:32.210 align:middle line:84% But it's a way to think about it. 00:13:32.210 --> 00:13:34.190 align:middle line:90% This is an incredible hall. 00:13:34.190 --> 00:13:37.250 align:middle line:84% We will return to it in the last class of this semester, 00:13:37.250 --> 00:13:40.370 align:middle line:84% because in this palace of everlasting spring 00:13:40.370 --> 00:13:42.570 align:middle line:84% and the rear of the palace, on its walls 00:13:42.570 --> 00:13:45.810 align:middle line:84% are depicted murals of probably the greatest 00:13:45.810 --> 00:13:47.950 align:middle line:84% novel of Chinese history, Honglou Meng, 00:13:47.950 --> 00:13:49.890 align:middle line:90% A Dream of the Red Chamber. 00:13:49.890 --> 00:13:54.730 align:middle line:84% Images from that novel were painted on the walls of this 00:13:54.730 --> 00:13:58.250 align:middle line:84% kind of residential complex for the imperial family, 00:13:58.250 --> 00:14:04.210 align:middle line:84% one of the consorts, in the 19th century. 00:14:04.210 --> 00:14:07.628 align:middle line:84% Those scenes or that novel is all about a family in decline. 00:14:07.628 --> 00:14:09.170 align:middle line:84% So it's actually, I've always thought 00:14:09.170 --> 00:14:11.330 align:middle line:84% it's extremely moving and thought-provoking 00:14:11.330 --> 00:14:14.930 align:middle line:84% to think that the emperor, that the imperial family, 00:14:14.930 --> 00:14:18.670 align:middle line:90% has these images on that wall. 00:14:18.670 --> 00:14:23.090 align:middle line:84% So let's talk about, why would you even take this class? 00:14:23.090 --> 00:14:24.830 align:middle line:90% Why talk about dynastic history? 00:14:24.830 --> 00:14:25.990 align:middle line:90% Why get into it? 00:14:25.990 --> 00:14:29.410 align:middle line:84% Well, the answer could be because China's 00:14:29.410 --> 00:14:30.790 align:middle line:90% a really important place today. 00:14:30.790 --> 00:14:33.360 align:middle line:84% I think it's going to have the largest economy in the world, 00:14:33.360 --> 00:14:33.860 align:middle line:90% whatever. 00:14:33.860 --> 00:14:35.520 align:middle line:84% It has the second largest population. 00:14:35.520 --> 00:14:36.680 align:middle line:90% It's an important place. 00:14:36.680 --> 00:14:39.222 align:middle line:84% There's a lot of interesting technological developments going 00:14:39.222 --> 00:14:43.140 align:middle line:84% on with that, all of that stuff, my favorite of which 00:14:43.140 --> 00:14:45.940 align:middle line:84% are these robots, that I'm sure if you've 00:14:45.940 --> 00:14:48.920 align:middle line:84% been to China recently, I'm sure you've encountered these. 00:14:48.920 --> 00:14:52.820 align:middle line:84% If you stay in a hotel, and you get takeout, 00:14:52.820 --> 00:14:55.160 align:middle line:84% somebody brings it to the hotel front desk. 00:14:55.160 --> 00:14:58.540 align:middle line:84% And then this jiqiren, this robot, sends it to your room 00:14:58.540 --> 00:15:01.420 align:middle line:84% so you don't have to actually talk to any human beings. 00:15:01.420 --> 00:15:05.980 align:middle line:84% This was a thing that came in during COVID, I think. 00:15:05.980 --> 00:15:08.540 align:middle line:84% And now, it's just standard across the country. 00:15:08.540 --> 00:15:11.760 align:middle line:84% So you could get medicine, you get all this stuff like that. 00:15:11.760 --> 00:15:14.240 align:middle line:84% But it was like my first night in China, this summer, 00:15:14.240 --> 00:15:17.160 align:middle line:84% I arrived at 1:00 AM for a conference. 00:15:17.160 --> 00:15:19.700 align:middle line:90% And then I got a phone call. 00:15:19.700 --> 00:15:21.620 align:middle line:90% And it was a robotic voice. 00:15:21.620 --> 00:15:22.800 align:middle line:90% And it said, I'm here. 00:15:22.800 --> 00:15:24.055 align:middle line:90% And I'm like, what's going on? 00:15:24.055 --> 00:15:25.680 align:middle line:84% And then it said, please open the door. 00:15:25.680 --> 00:15:26.360 align:middle line:90% And I opened the door. 00:15:26.360 --> 00:15:27.160 align:middle line:90% It's one of these. 00:15:27.160 --> 00:15:29.038 align:middle line:84% And they go, please press this button. 00:15:29.038 --> 00:15:30.080 align:middle line:90% And I pressed the button. 00:15:30.080 --> 00:15:31.705 align:middle line:84% And then it's like-- and then there was 00:15:31.705 --> 00:15:33.340 align:middle line:90% this rice and all this food. 00:15:33.340 --> 00:15:36.400 align:middle line:84% And it's like they're walking all over these hotels. 00:15:36.400 --> 00:15:38.500 align:middle line:84% And they even say, please excuse me. 00:15:38.500 --> 00:15:39.820 align:middle line:90% I need to get to the elevator. 00:15:39.820 --> 00:15:42.460 align:middle line:84% So I don't know why we don't have them yet. 00:15:42.460 --> 00:15:46.100 align:middle line:84% And if any budding anthropologist's in the room, 00:15:46.100 --> 00:15:49.180 align:middle line:84% there's so much to study about these robots, 00:15:49.180 --> 00:15:51.980 align:middle line:84% about how humans interact with them and such like that, 00:15:51.980 --> 00:15:53.060 align:middle line:90% but yes. 00:15:53.060 --> 00:15:55.640 align:middle line:84% So I understand the current scene of China 00:15:55.640 --> 00:15:57.160 align:middle line:90% is worth paying attention to. 00:15:57.160 --> 00:15:59.460 align:middle line:90% It's relevance is important. 00:15:59.460 --> 00:16:01.280 align:middle line:84% But then we get back to this question, 00:16:01.280 --> 00:16:03.140 align:middle line:90% why study dynastic China? 00:16:03.140 --> 00:16:08.200 align:middle line:84% One reason is that if you spend time in China, 00:16:08.200 --> 00:16:10.680 align:middle line:84% and you talk to people in China, people in China 00:16:10.680 --> 00:16:13.920 align:middle line:84% talk about their history all the time, 00:16:13.920 --> 00:16:16.900 align:middle line:84% from the top leadership all the way down to everyday people, 00:16:16.900 --> 00:16:20.960 align:middle line:84% people driving cabs that you'll meet just in day-to-day life. 00:16:20.960 --> 00:16:23.180 align:middle line:84% History really matters in this place. 00:16:23.180 --> 00:16:28.010 align:middle line:84% It's the way that people talk about issues in the present. 00:16:28.010 --> 00:16:31.150 align:middle line:90% It also is really contentious. 00:16:31.150 --> 00:16:32.530 align:middle line:84% I just mentioned to you this kind 00:16:32.530 --> 00:16:35.390 align:middle line:84% of question of the official Qing history. 00:16:35.390 --> 00:16:38.130 align:middle line:84% There's been an ongoing project to write the official Qing 00:16:38.130 --> 00:16:42.238 align:middle line:84% history, in theory, since the days of like Mao and Zhou Enlai. 00:16:42.238 --> 00:16:44.530 align:middle line:84% It started, and then it stopped because of the Cultural 00:16:44.530 --> 00:16:44.990 align:middle line:90% Revolution. 00:16:44.990 --> 00:16:46.907 align:middle line:84% And then it got started again in recent years. 00:16:46.907 --> 00:16:48.870 align:middle line:84% And now, it's kind of, again, controversial. 00:16:48.870 --> 00:16:50.810 align:middle line:84% How do you officially record that history? 00:16:50.810 --> 00:16:52.650 align:middle line:90% That should tell you something. 00:16:52.650 --> 00:16:53.953 align:middle line:90% There's all of these debates. 00:16:53.953 --> 00:16:55.370 align:middle line:84% There's all these tensions that go 00:16:55.370 --> 00:16:58.050 align:middle line:84% on within China about how to understand what 00:16:58.050 --> 00:17:00.770 align:middle line:90% happened in dynastic China. 00:17:00.770 --> 00:17:02.790 align:middle line:90% We don't pay attention to what. 00:17:02.790 --> 00:17:04.990 align:middle line:84% Well, The Wall Street Journal did a cover of it. 00:17:04.990 --> 00:17:08.970 align:middle line:84% But that kind of signals its importance. 00:17:08.970 --> 00:17:14.390 align:middle line:84% So I do not think in any way that this class, Dynastic China, 00:17:14.390 --> 00:17:17.810 align:middle line:84% is less relevant or less practical than modern China. 00:17:17.810 --> 00:17:20.450 align:middle line:84% I'd say if you had to pick, take this one. 00:17:20.450 --> 00:17:22.930 align:middle line:90% Forget about modern China. 00:17:22.930 --> 00:17:26.790 align:middle line:84% The 20th century, it's a tough century. 00:17:26.790 --> 00:17:29.112 align:middle line:84% We cover a lot more centuries here. 00:17:29.112 --> 00:17:30.570 align:middle line:84% So you get more bang for your buck. 00:17:30.570 --> 00:17:32.350 align:middle line:90% But they're both good. 00:17:32.350 --> 00:17:32.850 align:middle line:90% Take it. 00:17:32.850 --> 00:17:36.470 align:middle line:90% Take it in 2026. 00:17:36.470 --> 00:17:40.150 align:middle line:84% So now, let me tell you, another reason, kind of building on what 00:17:40.150 --> 00:17:44.310 align:middle line:84% I was just talking about, is that people in China 00:17:44.310 --> 00:17:46.750 align:middle line:84% like to talk about their history. 00:17:46.750 --> 00:17:48.740 align:middle line:84% There's a long recorded history in China. 00:17:48.740 --> 00:17:50.490 align:middle line:84% So that means there's a lot to talk about. 00:17:50.490 --> 00:17:51.490 align:middle line:90% There's a lot to debate. 00:17:51.490 --> 00:17:52.830 align:middle line:90% And there's a lot to analyze. 00:17:52.830 --> 00:17:56.750 align:middle line:84% I'm sure many of you may be familiar with this opening 00:17:56.750 --> 00:17:57.990 align:middle line:90% sentence. 00:17:57.990 --> 00:18:01.950 align:middle line:84% Has anybody read Sanguo Yanyi, Romance of the Three Kingdoms? 00:18:01.950 --> 00:18:05.470 align:middle line:84% I think Professor Teng has a class on Romance of the Three 00:18:05.470 --> 00:18:06.050 align:middle line:90% Kingdoms. 00:18:06.050 --> 00:18:08.138 align:middle line:84% Some of you might be taking it or want to take it. 00:18:08.138 --> 00:18:08.930 align:middle line:90% You should take it. 00:18:08.930 --> 00:18:10.870 align:middle line:84% It's an interesting-- this is another one 00:18:10.870 --> 00:18:13.570 align:middle line:90% of those great novels. 00:18:13.570 --> 00:18:16.470 align:middle line:84% We talked about Journey to the West a little bit earlier. 00:18:16.470 --> 00:18:18.490 align:middle line:84% This is Romance of the Three Kingdoms. 00:18:18.490 --> 00:18:21.990 align:middle line:84% And the opening lines of it, this "[Chinese] hua shuo tian 00:18:21.990 --> 00:18:24.960 align:middle line:84% xia da shi, fen jiu bi he, he jiu bi fen." 00:18:24.960 --> 00:18:28.680 align:middle line:84% --writes, "There's a saying in our country, 00:18:28.680 --> 00:18:33.880 align:middle line:84% long divided must unite, long united, it must divide." 00:18:33.880 --> 00:18:35.380 align:middle line:84% Think about that for just a second. 00:18:35.380 --> 00:18:40.000 align:middle line:84% And then let me show you this quote by Mark Elvin in 1973. 00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:43.680 align:middle line:84% "The Chinese Empire is the major exception in the pre-modern 00:18:43.680 --> 00:18:46.280 align:middle line:84% world to what would appear to be the rule that units 00:18:46.280 --> 00:18:49.880 align:middle line:84% of territorial and demographic extent comparable to China are 00:18:49.880 --> 00:18:53.400 align:middle line:84% not stable entities over long periods of time." 00:18:53.400 --> 00:18:57.020 align:middle line:84% So one of the things where you say, why look at it? 00:18:57.020 --> 00:18:57.780 align:middle line:90% Why study it? 00:18:57.780 --> 00:18:59.080 align:middle line:90% Why think about it? 00:18:59.080 --> 00:19:03.640 align:middle line:84% Is because, actually, this kind of does seem to happen, 00:19:03.640 --> 00:19:05.200 align:middle line:84% that there are periods of division 00:19:05.200 --> 00:19:07.000 align:middle line:90% where everything falls apart. 00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:09.733 align:middle line:84% And it looks like this is going to be Italy, 00:19:09.733 --> 00:19:11.400 align:middle line:84% and this is going to be France, and this 00:19:11.400 --> 00:19:12.793 align:middle line:90% is going to be Switzerland. 00:19:12.793 --> 00:19:14.460 align:middle line:84% And then all of a sudden, it comes back. 00:19:14.460 --> 00:19:16.580 align:middle line:90% Rome comes back. 00:19:16.580 --> 00:19:17.880 align:middle line:90% Rome comes back. 00:19:17.880 --> 00:19:19.600 align:middle line:90% And it keeps coming back. 00:19:19.600 --> 00:19:21.080 align:middle line:90% And you're like, why? 00:19:21.080 --> 00:19:21.580 align:middle line:90% Why? 00:19:21.580 --> 00:19:22.480 align:middle line:90% What's going on? 00:19:22.480 --> 00:19:26.540 align:middle line:84% And people across the centuries notice this. 00:19:26.540 --> 00:19:29.180 align:middle line:84% It was like a thing they noticed and talked about it 00:19:29.180 --> 00:19:30.740 align:middle line:90% or even anticipated. 00:19:30.740 --> 00:19:35.040 align:middle line:84% That's not to overstate continuity in Chinese history. 00:19:35.040 --> 00:19:37.360 align:middle line:84% I don't want you to think, oh yeah, 2,000 years ago, 00:19:37.360 --> 00:19:39.340 align:middle line:90% that was China and China today. 00:19:39.340 --> 00:19:40.560 align:middle line:90% It's not the same. 00:19:40.560 --> 00:19:42.020 align:middle line:90% It's very different. 00:19:42.020 --> 00:19:43.440 align:middle line:90% Tons of things happen. 00:19:43.440 --> 00:19:44.980 align:middle line:90% Tons of things change. 00:19:44.980 --> 00:19:47.620 align:middle line:84% But this conversation that we're talking about right here 00:19:47.620 --> 00:19:49.420 align:middle line:90% is very old. 00:19:49.420 --> 00:19:51.860 align:middle line:84% So I think Chinese history is good for training 00:19:51.860 --> 00:19:55.080 align:middle line:84% your mind about how to think about big, difficult questions. 00:19:55.080 --> 00:19:56.200 align:middle line:90% You have a ton of data. 00:19:56.200 --> 00:19:57.880 align:middle line:90% You have a ton of information. 00:19:57.880 --> 00:19:59.720 align:middle line:84% You can think on different scales. 00:19:59.720 --> 00:20:01.500 align:middle line:84% When people do climate history, what's 00:20:01.500 --> 00:20:02.583 align:middle line:90% the first place they look? 00:20:02.583 --> 00:20:03.660 align:middle line:90% Do they look to China? 00:20:03.660 --> 00:20:06.500 align:middle line:84% Because China wrote about its climate-- 00:20:06.500 --> 00:20:10.580 align:middle line:84% people in China wrote about climate for at least 2,000 plus 00:20:10.580 --> 00:20:12.240 align:middle line:90% years. 00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:15.628 align:middle line:84% All meteorological phenomenon, comets, et center, 00:20:15.628 --> 00:20:17.420 align:middle line:84% all of these records are in those histories 00:20:17.420 --> 00:20:18.940 align:middle line:90% that I was talking about. 00:20:18.940 --> 00:20:23.430 align:middle line:84% So it's really, really great to think about history. 00:20:23.430 --> 00:20:25.990 align:middle line:84% If you haven't taken another history course here before, 00:20:25.990 --> 00:20:27.450 align:middle line:90% this is a great introduction. 00:20:27.450 --> 00:20:29.513 align:middle line:84% Even if you don't want to continue with China, 00:20:29.513 --> 00:20:31.430 align:middle line:84% you want to go and do England, take this class 00:20:31.430 --> 00:20:32.850 align:middle line:90% and then go think about England. 00:20:32.850 --> 00:20:35.170 align:middle line:84% Take this class and then go think about India. 00:20:35.170 --> 00:20:38.070 align:middle line:90% You can do all of that stuff. 00:20:38.070 --> 00:20:40.830 align:middle line:84% History is ancient, but it's an ongoing conversation 00:20:40.830 --> 00:20:43.408 align:middle line:84% and really filled with nearly endless perspectives. 00:20:43.408 --> 00:20:44.450 align:middle line:90% And here's the key point. 00:20:44.450 --> 00:20:45.510 align:middle line:84% This class is about eavesdropping 00:20:45.510 --> 00:20:46.410 align:middle line:90% into that conversation. 00:20:46.410 --> 00:20:48.690 align:middle line:84% This goes back to that image that I was giving to you. 00:20:48.690 --> 00:20:50.830 align:middle line:84% I take you to the ocean, you swim. 00:20:50.830 --> 00:20:53.010 align:middle line:84% You eavesdrop into the conversation. 00:20:53.010 --> 00:20:54.670 align:middle line:90% This is a huge conversation. 00:20:54.670 --> 00:20:56.642 align:middle line:84% Lots of people are going to say stuff. 00:20:56.642 --> 00:20:57.850 align:middle line:90% You're going to have Taoists. 00:20:57.850 --> 00:20:58.930 align:middle line:90% You're going to Buddhists. 00:20:58.930 --> 00:21:00.263 align:middle line:90% You're going to have Confucians. 00:21:00.263 --> 00:21:02.910 align:middle line:84% You're going to have Confucians who hate other Confucians. 00:21:02.910 --> 00:21:05.530 align:middle line:84% You're going to have terrible emperors. 00:21:05.530 --> 00:21:08.510 align:middle line:84% You're going to have some decent emperors, but really bad 00:21:08.510 --> 00:21:10.270 align:middle line:90% emperors too. 00:21:10.270 --> 00:21:12.530 align:middle line:90% You have everything. 00:21:12.530 --> 00:21:16.430 align:middle line:84% And it all comes together as people over the centuries 00:21:16.430 --> 00:21:17.930 align:middle line:90% try to make sense of it. 00:21:17.930 --> 00:21:19.630 align:middle line:84% And that's that ongoing conversation. 00:21:19.630 --> 00:21:22.253 align:middle line:84% That conversation continues in China to today. 00:21:22.253 --> 00:21:23.670 align:middle line:84% So you get a little in this class. 00:21:23.670 --> 00:21:24.790 align:middle line:90% You get to eavesdrop on it. 00:21:24.790 --> 00:21:25.957 align:middle line:90% Think about it a little bit. 00:21:25.957 --> 00:21:29.370 align:middle line:84% So here are the class goals and aspirations. 00:21:29.370 --> 00:21:32.230 align:middle line:84% First of all, let me tell you what the game plan is. 00:21:32.230 --> 00:21:35.850 align:middle line:84% And it's a really intimidating slide, so just buckle up. 00:21:35.850 --> 00:21:36.770 align:middle line:90% There you go. 00:21:36.770 --> 00:21:40.430 align:middle line:84% So basically, that's the game plan, not this part, 00:21:40.430 --> 00:21:43.617 align:middle line:90% so this part is modern China. 00:21:43.617 --> 00:21:44.450 align:middle line:90% So that's the thing. 00:21:44.450 --> 00:21:45.590 align:middle line:90% I take two classes. 00:21:45.590 --> 00:21:48.570 align:middle line:84% One does this, and then one does this. 00:21:48.570 --> 00:21:52.290 align:middle line:84% So look, what I can tell you is I'm 00:21:52.290 --> 00:21:57.090 align:middle line:84% a historian primarily of this era, the Ming and Qing 00:21:57.090 --> 00:21:59.750 align:middle line:84% dynasties, the last two imperial dynasties. 00:21:59.750 --> 00:22:00.630 align:middle line:90% That's my specialty. 00:22:00.630 --> 00:22:02.010 align:middle line:90% That's what I love. 00:22:02.010 --> 00:22:05.050 align:middle line:84% But the thing is, is that because this is the class you're 00:22:05.050 --> 00:22:08.250 align:middle line:84% taking at MIT that is dynastic Chinese history, 00:22:08.250 --> 00:22:11.530 align:middle line:84% I feel I have to give every era its due. 00:22:11.530 --> 00:22:13.030 align:middle line:90% So I really try. 00:22:13.030 --> 00:22:17.380 align:middle line:84% I really go out of my way, even though I'm not the biggest 00:22:17.380 --> 00:22:19.780 align:middle line:90% fan of the Han dynasty. 00:22:19.780 --> 00:22:25.420 align:middle line:84% I love the Tang dynasty as a historian 00:22:25.420 --> 00:22:26.760 align:middle line:90% who works on another period. 00:22:26.760 --> 00:22:29.180 align:middle line:84% But I will give you what I think is the essentials 00:22:29.180 --> 00:22:30.460 align:middle line:90% to know about that era. 00:22:30.460 --> 00:22:34.580 align:middle line:84% Every period that we cover, I try to get you those 00:22:34.580 --> 00:22:37.440 align:middle line:84% kernels that say, oh, wow, that's really interesting. 00:22:37.440 --> 00:22:39.185 align:middle line:84% I didn't know that before, so that when 00:22:39.185 --> 00:22:41.560 align:middle line:84% you look at this, by the end of the semester, you'll say, 00:22:41.560 --> 00:22:46.320 align:middle line:84% I know what happened pretty much across this whole time span. 00:22:46.320 --> 00:22:47.080 align:middle line:90% I know something. 00:22:47.080 --> 00:22:48.680 align:middle line:90% I can say something about it. 00:22:48.680 --> 00:22:54.340 align:middle line:84% And then that way, you go off on your winter holiday, 00:22:54.340 --> 00:22:57.580 align:middle line:84% and you can have great conversations with your parents 00:22:57.580 --> 00:22:58.720 align:middle line:90% or friends. 00:22:58.720 --> 00:23:01.280 align:middle line:84% Or you can travel, and you can visit places and say, 00:23:01.280 --> 00:23:02.115 align:middle line:90% I know what that is. 00:23:02.115 --> 00:23:03.740 align:middle line:84% I know when that was built. I know what 00:23:03.740 --> 00:23:06.000 align:middle line:90% I know what's going on here. 00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:08.740 align:middle line:90% So class goals and aspirations-- 00:23:08.740 --> 00:23:11.360 align:middle line:84% learn something about China, 20% of humanity. 00:23:11.360 --> 00:23:12.880 align:middle line:90% This is a good aspiration. 00:23:12.880 --> 00:23:15.280 align:middle line:84% We should learn something about China, especially 00:23:15.280 --> 00:23:17.060 align:middle line:90% in the United States. 00:23:17.060 --> 00:23:17.900 align:middle line:90% It's incredible. 00:23:17.900 --> 00:23:19.120 align:middle line:90% I have to say it. 00:23:19.120 --> 00:23:23.000 align:middle line:84% Learn something about history-- so there's two things here. 00:23:23.000 --> 00:23:24.460 align:middle line:90% This is a class about China. 00:23:24.460 --> 00:23:26.160 align:middle line:90% It's also a class about history. 00:23:26.160 --> 00:23:29.400 align:middle line:84% Of course, these things can overlap. 00:23:29.400 --> 00:23:31.300 align:middle line:90% But history is a discipline. 00:23:31.300 --> 00:23:32.760 align:middle line:90% It's a way of thinking. 00:23:32.760 --> 00:23:36.720 align:middle line:84% We have certain ideas in history, primary sources, 00:23:36.720 --> 00:23:38.920 align:middle line:90% secondary sources. 00:23:38.920 --> 00:23:40.760 align:middle line:90% This is a secondary source. 00:23:40.760 --> 00:23:42.380 align:middle line:90% This is a secondary source. 00:23:42.380 --> 00:23:43.880 align:middle line:90% These are not primary sources. 00:23:43.880 --> 00:23:47.800 align:middle line:84% Primary source is referring to the original sources 00:23:47.800 --> 00:23:50.080 align:middle line:84% that were written in the original language 00:23:50.080 --> 00:23:52.020 align:middle line:90% by people at the time. 00:23:52.020 --> 00:23:54.980 align:middle line:84% Those are the premiums in history. 00:23:54.980 --> 00:23:58.580 align:middle line:84% But of course, we, as historians, we write textbooks. 00:23:58.580 --> 00:23:59.580 align:middle line:90% We write books. 00:23:59.580 --> 00:24:03.600 align:middle line:84% So just realize history is not in a textbook. 00:24:03.600 --> 00:24:06.120 align:middle line:90% Textbooks are the least-- 00:24:06.120 --> 00:24:09.040 align:middle line:84% historians look down on textbooks. 00:24:09.040 --> 00:24:12.610 align:middle line:84% We don't like textbooks because with textbooks, you 00:24:12.610 --> 00:24:13.190 align:middle line:90% have to edit. 00:24:13.190 --> 00:24:14.065 align:middle line:90% You have to take out. 00:24:14.065 --> 00:24:16.730 align:middle line:84% You have to-- go back to the originals. 00:24:16.730 --> 00:24:18.410 align:middle line:90% Make your own textbook. 00:24:18.410 --> 00:24:20.310 align:middle line:84% That's what we're going to do in this class. 00:24:20.310 --> 00:24:23.890 align:middle line:84% So that's what I want you to think about history. 00:24:23.890 --> 00:24:26.690 align:middle line:84% I don't want it to turn you into a walking encyclopedia-- 00:24:26.690 --> 00:24:27.988 align:middle line:90% sort of I do, actually. 00:24:27.988 --> 00:24:29.530 align:middle line:84% That would be nice-- but to equip you 00:24:29.530 --> 00:24:31.070 align:middle line:90% to approach-related issues. 00:24:31.070 --> 00:24:33.130 align:middle line:84% One of the things I say, and I'll just tell you 00:24:33.130 --> 00:24:38.322 align:middle line:84% right up here, yeah, it's a content-heavy class because I 00:24:38.322 --> 00:24:40.030 align:middle line:84% don't know if it's old-fashioned or what, 00:24:40.030 --> 00:24:42.410 align:middle line:84% but I think you just need to know it. 00:24:42.410 --> 00:24:43.870 align:middle line:90% I think you need to know it. 00:24:43.870 --> 00:24:48.770 align:middle line:84% You need to leave this class in command of knowledge. 00:24:48.770 --> 00:24:50.918 align:middle line:84% And one of the things that you will realize, you 00:24:50.918 --> 00:24:52.210 align:middle line:90% might think, oh, this is a lot. 00:24:52.210 --> 00:24:54.230 align:middle line:84% Why do we have to know all this stuff? 00:24:54.230 --> 00:24:57.930 align:middle line:84% When you go to China, you will realize 00:24:57.930 --> 00:25:01.210 align:middle line:84% that people that you encounter in everyday life 00:25:01.210 --> 00:25:05.670 align:middle line:90% know so much about history. 00:25:05.670 --> 00:25:09.170 align:middle line:84% They will blow away the average American about what they can say 00:25:09.170 --> 00:25:11.410 align:middle line:84% about history that happened 2,000 years ago, 00:25:11.410 --> 00:25:14.790 align:middle line:84% even if it's wrong, even if it's wrong, 00:25:14.790 --> 00:25:17.612 align:middle line:84% even if it's just kind of romanticized or whatever. 00:25:17.612 --> 00:25:18.570 align:middle line:90% But they talk about it. 00:25:18.570 --> 00:25:19.530 align:middle line:90% They know it. 00:25:19.530 --> 00:25:20.770 align:middle line:90% So you got to know it. 00:25:20.770 --> 00:25:24.210 align:middle line:90% That's the thing. 00:25:24.210 --> 00:25:27.070 align:middle line:84% And let me just emphasize here why you should take it, 00:25:27.070 --> 00:25:29.510 align:middle line:84% why I think you should take this class, why I think 00:25:29.510 --> 00:25:31.968 align:middle line:84% maybe this weekend you should convince your friends to take 00:25:31.968 --> 00:25:35.970 align:middle line:84% this class, is that it's not something you can just pick up, 00:25:35.970 --> 00:25:40.790 align:middle line:84% like with a book, like so many people think with history. 00:25:40.790 --> 00:25:45.110 align:middle line:84% Oh, yeah, over the summer, I'll read a book and catch up. 00:25:45.110 --> 00:25:45.750 align:middle line:90% No. 00:25:45.750 --> 00:25:47.590 align:middle line:90% No, no, no, no, no, no, no. 00:25:47.590 --> 00:25:49.238 align:middle line:84% With computer science, with physics, 00:25:49.238 --> 00:25:51.030 align:middle line:84% you don't just read a book over the weekend 00:25:51.030 --> 00:25:52.270 align:middle line:90% and become an expert. 00:25:52.270 --> 00:25:54.990 align:middle line:84% Chinese history is one of those fields where 00:25:54.990 --> 00:25:56.370 align:middle line:90% you got to take a class in it. 00:25:56.370 --> 00:25:57.770 align:middle line:90% You got to drill it. 00:25:57.770 --> 00:25:58.850 align:middle line:90% You got to know it. 00:25:58.850 --> 00:26:01.530 align:middle line:84% You got to think about it from all these different angles. 00:26:01.530 --> 00:26:03.830 align:middle line:84% And then you can say you know something about it. 00:26:03.830 --> 00:26:07.770 align:middle line:84% It's not actually something that you just pick up with osmosis 00:26:07.770 --> 00:26:09.640 align:middle line:84% or what you can pick up by osmosis 00:26:09.640 --> 00:26:11.880 align:middle line:84% by reading Wikipedia and bad history. 00:26:11.880 --> 00:26:13.380 align:middle line:84% But that's what we're going to try-- 00:26:13.380 --> 00:26:15.088 align:middle line:84% we're going to try to do something better 00:26:15.088 --> 00:26:17.000 align:middle line:90% than that in this class. 00:26:17.000 --> 00:26:18.620 align:middle line:84% And this knowledge will stay with you. 00:26:18.620 --> 00:26:19.710 align:middle line:90% I always say that. 00:26:19.710 --> 00:26:20.460 align:middle line:90% I always say that. 00:26:20.460 --> 00:26:24.280 align:middle line:84% 50 years from now, let's say, 30, 00:26:24.280 --> 00:26:26.383 align:middle line:84% you graduate from MIT, you're talking 00:26:26.383 --> 00:26:27.800 align:middle line:84% to your relatives or your children 00:26:27.800 --> 00:26:30.780 align:middle line:84% or whatever it is, what are you going to talk to them about? 00:26:30.780 --> 00:26:33.300 align:middle line:84% You're going to talk to them about this class. 00:26:33.300 --> 00:26:35.220 align:middle line:84% You're going to say, hey, the Three Kingdoms, 00:26:35.220 --> 00:26:37.080 align:middle line:84% I know something about that because this 00:26:37.080 --> 00:26:39.413 align:middle line:84% is the type of thing that people want to talk about, not 00:26:39.413 --> 00:26:42.220 align:middle line:90% whatever, Python or whatever. 00:26:42.220 --> 00:26:44.020 align:middle line:90% It's not a table conversation. 00:26:44.020 --> 00:26:45.360 align:middle line:90% This is. 00:26:45.360 --> 00:26:46.660 align:middle line:90% This is. 00:26:46.660 --> 00:26:49.520 align:middle line:84% I guarantee you a holiday break of great conversations 00:26:49.520 --> 00:26:52.320 align:middle line:90% after this class, at minimum. 00:26:52.320 --> 00:26:54.840 align:middle line:84% So why do I like Chinese history? 00:26:54.840 --> 00:26:56.700 align:middle line:90% Oh, wow, where to begin? 00:26:56.700 --> 00:26:59.800 align:middle line:84% Well, I went to China for the first time in right 00:26:59.800 --> 00:27:01.420 align:middle line:90% before the Beijing Olympics. 00:27:01.420 --> 00:27:03.320 align:middle line:90% And that was me many years ago. 00:27:03.320 --> 00:27:05.180 align:middle line:84% I changed a little bit, maybe a little bit. 00:27:05.180 --> 00:27:06.445 align:middle line:90% That's me, maybe in Taiwan. 00:27:06.445 --> 00:27:08.320 align:middle line:84% I think I'm in a "[CHINESE] yong he da wang," 00:27:08.320 --> 00:27:09.740 align:middle line:90% which is like a breakfast place. 00:27:09.740 --> 00:27:11.740 align:middle line:90% And I love it. 00:27:11.740 --> 00:27:14.700 align:middle line:90% You get the doujiang. 00:27:14.700 --> 00:27:17.180 align:middle line:84% It's soybean, sort of a milk substance, 00:27:17.180 --> 00:27:18.695 align:middle line:90% with youtiao, this fried donut. 00:27:18.695 --> 00:27:20.320 align:middle line:84% It's like heaven, you know what I mean? 00:27:20.320 --> 00:27:21.860 align:middle line:90% It costs like $2. 00:27:21.860 --> 00:27:24.640 align:middle line:90% And it's incredible, huge lines. 00:27:24.640 --> 00:27:28.320 align:middle line:90% So that was me and food. 00:27:28.320 --> 00:27:29.980 align:middle line:90% So it's not just about the food. 00:27:29.980 --> 00:27:32.120 align:middle line:90% But we can talk about food. 00:27:32.120 --> 00:27:34.680 align:middle line:84% I don't think I have to convince most of you, 00:27:34.680 --> 00:27:36.180 align:middle line:90% China's got really good food. 00:27:36.180 --> 00:27:39.180 align:middle line:84% It's got a ton of different types of food. 00:27:39.180 --> 00:27:41.840 align:middle line:84% US Chinese food has gotten better in my lifetime. 00:27:41.840 --> 00:27:46.160 align:middle line:90% But it's starting at zero. 00:27:46.160 --> 00:27:48.920 align:middle line:84% So the thing is, is that it is better, 00:27:48.920 --> 00:27:51.660 align:middle line:84% but good Chinese food in the US tends to be expensive. 00:27:51.660 --> 00:27:53.680 align:middle line:90% In China, you just get so much. 00:27:53.680 --> 00:27:55.840 align:middle line:84% You have so many options, everything like that. 00:27:55.840 --> 00:27:57.058 align:middle line:90% We can talk about food. 00:27:57.058 --> 00:27:59.600 align:middle line:84% I have another class, called Nature and Environment in China. 00:27:59.600 --> 00:28:01.172 align:middle line:90% We do a whole week on food. 00:28:01.172 --> 00:28:02.880 align:middle line:84% So if you really want to talk about food, 00:28:02.880 --> 00:28:03.963 align:middle line:90% maybe consider that class. 00:28:03.963 --> 00:28:05.930 align:middle line:84% But we'll do a little bit of food here. 00:28:05.930 --> 00:28:08.510 align:middle line:84% And then this is me playing mahjong. 00:28:08.510 --> 00:28:11.790 align:middle line:84% So what I'm trying to say, what I'm trying to say, 00:28:11.790 --> 00:28:13.190 align:middle line:90% is that you get in. 00:28:13.190 --> 00:28:15.890 align:middle line:84% When you go to a place-- and maybe it won't be China for you. 00:28:15.890 --> 00:28:16.690 align:middle line:90% It could be Japan. 00:28:16.690 --> 00:28:17.690 align:middle line:90% Or it could be Mongolia. 00:28:17.690 --> 00:28:18.810 align:middle line:90% It could be Russia. 00:28:18.810 --> 00:28:21.590 align:middle line:90% It could be Italy. 00:28:21.590 --> 00:28:23.830 align:middle line:90% Something's going to grab you. 00:28:23.830 --> 00:28:25.810 align:middle line:90% It might not be the Colosseum. 00:28:25.810 --> 00:28:28.990 align:middle line:84% It might be just everyday life, drinking espresso 00:28:28.990 --> 00:28:31.490 align:middle line:90% on a Florentine afternoon. 00:28:31.490 --> 00:28:33.270 align:middle line:90% And you go, I just love this. 00:28:33.270 --> 00:28:34.650 align:middle line:90% I really love this. 00:28:34.650 --> 00:28:36.730 align:middle line:84% And then you go, I want to learn the language. 00:28:36.730 --> 00:28:39.192 align:middle line:84% And I want to understand what happened here. 00:28:39.192 --> 00:28:41.650 align:middle line:84% And I want to understand what happened in the 19th century. 00:28:41.650 --> 00:28:44.290 align:middle line:84% I to understand what happened here 2,000 years ago. 00:28:44.290 --> 00:28:45.643 align:middle line:90% I want this to happen to you. 00:28:45.643 --> 00:28:46.810 align:middle line:90% It doesn't have to be China. 00:28:46.810 --> 00:28:47.778 align:middle line:90% It can be. 00:28:47.778 --> 00:28:48.570 align:middle line:90% It could be Mexico. 00:28:48.570 --> 00:28:51.290 align:middle line:84% It could be any place, but some place that you weren't born in, 00:28:51.290 --> 00:28:52.650 align:middle line:84% and then you go there, and you go, wow. 00:28:52.650 --> 00:28:54.050 align:middle line:84% I really want to understand this place. 00:28:54.050 --> 00:28:56.050 align:middle line:84% That's a wonderful part of the human experience. 00:28:56.050 --> 00:28:57.130 align:middle line:90% I hope you all have it. 00:28:57.130 --> 00:29:00.110 align:middle line:84% But that kind of happened to me in China. 00:29:00.110 --> 00:29:01.530 align:middle line:90% And it wasn't one moment. 00:29:01.530 --> 00:29:02.750 align:middle line:90% It was many meals. 00:29:02.750 --> 00:29:07.390 align:middle line:90% It was many gambling sessions. 00:29:07.390 --> 00:29:11.110 align:middle line:84% This is me the many years ago, probably going to Tibet. 00:29:11.110 --> 00:29:11.830 align:middle line:90% I can't remember. 00:29:11.830 --> 00:29:15.450 align:middle line:84% But it was on one of those sleeper trains, back in the day. 00:29:15.450 --> 00:29:19.290 align:middle line:84% I have to say, I have become a middle-aged Chinese person, 00:29:19.290 --> 00:29:22.330 align:middle line:84% in the sense of-- because I've been in China now 00:29:22.330 --> 00:29:23.590 align:middle line:90% for the past 20 years. 00:29:23.590 --> 00:29:25.490 align:middle line:90% And I've seen all this change. 00:29:25.490 --> 00:29:28.570 align:middle line:84% So I remember the green trains that went super slow, 00:29:28.570 --> 00:29:31.870 align:middle line:84% and you had to stay on them for overnight. 00:29:31.870 --> 00:29:33.750 align:middle line:84% I took the train from Beijing to Shanghai. 00:29:33.750 --> 00:29:36.250 align:middle line:84% The first time I took it, I was standing. 00:29:36.250 --> 00:29:38.610 align:middle line:84% It was I was eating instant noodles, 00:29:38.610 --> 00:29:42.650 align:middle line:84% praying that they wouldn't tip over in a very crowded car 00:29:42.650 --> 00:29:44.650 align:middle line:84% because we didn't even have-- there weren't even 00:29:44.650 --> 00:29:46.950 align:middle line:90% tickets left for a bed. 00:29:46.950 --> 00:29:50.050 align:middle line:84% And now, it's like, oh, it's business class, 00:29:50.050 --> 00:29:52.190 align:middle line:90% high-speed rail all the way. 00:29:52.190 --> 00:29:53.710 align:middle line:90% It takes, what, five hours? 00:29:53.710 --> 00:29:55.270 align:middle line:90% Five hours, five hours now. 00:29:55.270 --> 00:29:56.830 align:middle line:90% It's totally changed. 00:29:56.830 --> 00:30:00.123 align:middle line:84% But there were a lot of fun experiences on Chinese trains 00:30:00.123 --> 00:30:00.790 align:middle line:90% back in the day. 00:30:00.790 --> 00:30:02.615 align:middle line:84% You talk to Chinese parents, or you 00:30:02.615 --> 00:30:04.240 align:middle line:84% talk to people of a certain generation, 00:30:04.240 --> 00:30:06.740 align:middle line:84% they will have stories for you about taking long, long train 00:30:06.740 --> 00:30:08.100 align:middle line:90% rides in China. 00:30:08.100 --> 00:30:09.700 align:middle line:84% And the whole generation who grew up 00:30:09.700 --> 00:30:12.660 align:middle line:84% in the Cultural Revolution have these especially. 00:30:12.660 --> 00:30:13.680 align:middle line:90% And then I've gone back. 00:30:13.680 --> 00:30:14.960 align:middle line:90% Oh, yeah, I wrote a book. 00:30:14.960 --> 00:30:17.240 align:middle line:84% I was there this summer, talking about my book. 00:30:17.240 --> 00:30:19.820 align:middle line:84% And then, oh, yeah, the last thing I want to say-- 00:30:19.820 --> 00:30:21.720 align:middle line:90% so I got into it. 00:30:21.720 --> 00:30:22.840 align:middle line:90% I continued to go back. 00:30:22.840 --> 00:30:25.048 align:middle line:84% I can't tell you the number of times I've been there. 00:30:25.048 --> 00:30:28.640 align:middle line:84% I probably lived there for a few years overall. 00:30:28.640 --> 00:30:29.960 align:middle line:90% But it's like more every year. 00:30:29.960 --> 00:30:31.560 align:middle line:90% I go for a few months. 00:30:31.560 --> 00:30:34.500 align:middle line:84% This summer I went for a month and a half or something 00:30:34.500 --> 00:30:35.340 align:middle line:90% like that. 00:30:35.340 --> 00:30:39.020 align:middle line:84% The one thing that I say that really, really has struck me 00:30:39.020 --> 00:30:41.840 align:middle line:84% in terms of changes, when I first went to China-- hey, 00:30:41.840 --> 00:30:42.740 align:middle line:90% how are you doing? 00:30:42.740 --> 00:30:46.780 align:middle line:84% When I first went to China, the coffee was terrible. 00:30:46.780 --> 00:30:52.380 align:middle line:84% And for somebody addicted to caffeine, it was brutal. 00:30:52.380 --> 00:30:55.440 align:middle line:84% And I had to drink a ton of tea to make up for it. 00:30:55.440 --> 00:30:58.800 align:middle line:84% And it's just too much tea, you know what I'm saying? 00:30:58.800 --> 00:31:00.460 align:middle line:84% But I love tea, don't get me wrong. 00:31:00.460 --> 00:31:02.580 align:middle line:90% Coffee is now way better. 00:31:02.580 --> 00:31:06.200 align:middle line:84% Coffee-- and I actually tweeted about this when I got back. 00:31:06.200 --> 00:31:08.360 align:middle line:84% Coffee in China is now better than coffee 00:31:08.360 --> 00:31:09.340 align:middle line:90% than the United States. 00:31:09.340 --> 00:31:12.520 align:middle line:84% I come back here, and I'm like, I'm just so disappointed. 00:31:12.520 --> 00:31:15.560 align:middle line:84% The thing is that what China has actually 00:31:15.560 --> 00:31:19.060 align:middle line:84% accidentally perfected-- and you can also find this in Thailand. 00:31:19.060 --> 00:31:21.600 align:middle line:84% You also find this now in Korean cafes-- 00:31:21.600 --> 00:31:24.240 align:middle line:90% is non-dairy espresso drinks. 00:31:24.240 --> 00:31:28.220 align:middle line:84% And it's a world that Starbucks is just out to lunch. 00:31:28.220 --> 00:31:29.480 align:middle line:90% They're not getting this. 00:31:29.480 --> 00:31:33.820 align:middle line:84% You take espresso, you create an Americano with sparkling water, 00:31:33.820 --> 00:31:39.620 align:middle line:84% and you add lemon, incredible, grapefruit, incredible, lychee, 00:31:39.620 --> 00:31:40.600 align:middle line:90% whatever. 00:31:40.600 --> 00:31:44.260 align:middle line:84% All of these, like, tangli kafei, tangli meishi kafei, 00:31:44.260 --> 00:31:46.940 align:middle line:90% like creative Americanos-- 00:31:46.940 --> 00:31:49.540 align:middle line:84% and I say, why don't you take this global? 00:31:49.540 --> 00:31:51.660 align:middle line:90% This is the next thing. 00:31:51.660 --> 00:31:54.740 align:middle line:84% This is the next bubble tea, for sure. 00:31:54.740 --> 00:31:56.970 align:middle line:84% I think that there's an interesting thing of they 00:31:56.970 --> 00:31:59.750 align:middle line:84% feel like, oh, but maybe we're not doing it right, 00:31:59.750 --> 00:32:00.950 align:middle line:90% like the Italians. 00:32:00.950 --> 00:32:02.590 align:middle line:90% Enough with the Italians. 00:32:02.590 --> 00:32:04.270 align:middle line:90% Enough with the cappuccinos. 00:32:04.270 --> 00:32:06.130 align:middle line:90% We got to go to the next phase. 00:32:06.130 --> 00:32:07.630 align:middle line:90% It's all these milky drinks. 00:32:07.630 --> 00:32:09.730 align:middle line:90% It tires you out. 00:32:09.730 --> 00:32:14.070 align:middle line:84% This is the absolute pickup, low-calorie too, love it. 00:32:14.070 --> 00:32:17.413 align:middle line:84% So check out coffee in China next time you're there. 00:32:17.413 --> 00:32:18.830 align:middle line:84% That's been an interesting change. 00:32:18.830 --> 00:32:20.430 align:middle line:90% Let's talk about syllabus. 00:32:20.430 --> 00:32:22.010 align:middle line:90% So I just have a bunch of-- 00:32:22.010 --> 00:32:23.850 align:middle line:84% I used to do a printout syllabus. 00:32:23.850 --> 00:32:28.050 align:middle line:84% But then MIT students told me that nobody does that anymore. 00:32:28.050 --> 00:32:31.410 align:middle line:84% So then I felt like a historian, but in a bad way. 00:32:31.410 --> 00:32:34.610 align:middle line:84% So I said, let's just put it all online. 00:32:34.610 --> 00:32:36.350 align:middle line:90% So no prerequisites. 00:32:36.350 --> 00:32:38.190 align:middle line:90% You're all welcome to enroll. 00:32:38.190 --> 00:32:39.610 align:middle line:90% You can bring guests. 00:32:39.610 --> 00:32:40.430 align:middle line:90% Just let me know. 00:32:40.430 --> 00:32:41.310 align:middle line:90% You can bring your parents. 00:32:41.310 --> 00:32:43.570 align:middle line:84% Some people bring their parents, if they're visiting. 00:32:43.570 --> 00:32:45.630 align:middle line:84% They want to-- again, what are you going to bring them to, 00:32:45.630 --> 00:32:46.970 align:middle line:90% your computer science classes? 00:32:46.970 --> 00:32:47.470 align:middle line:90% Come on. 00:32:47.470 --> 00:32:48.890 align:middle line:90% You want to bring them here. 00:32:48.890 --> 00:32:49.470 align:middle line:90% That's fine. 00:32:49.470 --> 00:32:52.850 align:middle line:84% Just let me know that they're coming. 00:32:52.850 --> 00:32:54.470 align:middle line:90% Chinese is not a prerequisite. 00:32:54.470 --> 00:32:57.550 align:middle line:84% Some of you are doing a Chinese minor. 00:32:57.550 --> 00:32:58.590 align:middle line:90% That's fine. 00:32:58.590 --> 00:33:01.110 align:middle line:84% And for all of the primary sources that I give you 00:33:01.110 --> 00:33:04.070 align:middle line:84% this semester, I'll try to give you the Chinese original, if you 00:33:04.070 --> 00:33:05.130 align:middle line:90% want to look at it. 00:33:05.130 --> 00:33:07.890 align:middle line:84% If you're learning Chinese, challenge yourself. 00:33:07.890 --> 00:33:08.850 align:middle line:90% Take a look at it. 00:33:08.850 --> 00:33:11.370 align:middle line:84% You don't have to look at it, but you can. 00:33:11.370 --> 00:33:12.218 align:middle line:90% So that's an option. 00:33:12.218 --> 00:33:14.010 align:middle line:84% If you want to do the minor for this class, 00:33:14.010 --> 00:33:15.410 align:middle line:90% you should be looking at those. 00:33:15.410 --> 00:33:19.570 align:middle line:90% So that looks good. 00:33:19.570 --> 00:33:22.530 align:middle line:84% Study guides-- so the thing is, is 00:33:22.530 --> 00:33:25.410 align:middle line:84% that when I first taught this class, it was essays. 00:33:25.410 --> 00:33:28.110 align:middle line:84% And then I was like, I'm done with essays. 00:33:28.110 --> 00:33:30.210 align:middle line:84% I had a historical evolution at MIT. 00:33:30.210 --> 00:33:32.650 align:middle line:84% And I realized if you teach a class on Chinese history, 00:33:32.650 --> 00:33:34.010 align:middle line:90% you got to offer an exam. 00:33:34.010 --> 00:33:35.590 align:middle line:84% And for those of you who know about Chinese history, 00:33:35.590 --> 00:33:37.930 align:middle line:84% you know how important exams are in Chinese history, 00:33:37.930 --> 00:33:40.490 align:middle line:84% you realize, yeah, you need an exam. 00:33:40.490 --> 00:33:41.763 align:middle line:90% So I just do midterm. 00:33:41.763 --> 00:33:42.930 align:middle line:90% We're going to have a final. 00:33:42.930 --> 00:33:43.830 align:middle line:90% Don't worry. 00:33:43.830 --> 00:33:47.190 align:middle line:84% The average of the midterm last year, about every year, 00:33:47.190 --> 00:33:49.030 align:middle line:90% tends to be about a 90. 00:33:49.030 --> 00:33:51.430 align:middle line:84% Most of the students who take the class-- 00:33:51.430 --> 00:33:52.490 align:middle line:90% let's just be Frank here. 00:33:52.490 --> 00:33:55.480 align:middle line:84% Modern China, we get 40 or 50, maybe. 00:33:55.480 --> 00:33:59.080 align:middle line:84% Many, many people get A's, A minuses, A pluses, whatever. 00:33:59.080 --> 00:34:02.920 align:middle line:84% Some people will get B's, the occasional C. 00:34:02.920 --> 00:34:06.920 align:middle line:84% If you get below a B, you're trying. 00:34:06.920 --> 00:34:09.960 align:middle line:90% If you get in the B range-- 00:34:09.960 --> 00:34:13.340 align:middle line:84% what I mean to say here is if you put the work in, 00:34:13.340 --> 00:34:15.120 align:middle line:84% you put the effort in, there shouldn't 00:34:15.120 --> 00:34:20.120 align:middle line:84% be a huge issue with getting the grade that you want. 00:34:20.120 --> 00:34:21.060 align:middle line:90% It is a challenge. 00:34:21.060 --> 00:34:22.320 align:middle line:90% You do have to study. 00:34:22.320 --> 00:34:23.219 align:middle line:90% You do have to study. 00:34:23.219 --> 00:34:25.280 align:middle line:84% And some people will bomb the midterms, some people 00:34:25.280 --> 00:34:26.340 align:middle line:90% and everything like that. 00:34:26.340 --> 00:34:27.210 align:middle line:90% And that's OK. 00:34:27.210 --> 00:34:28.460 align:middle line:90% It's not the end of the world. 00:34:28.460 --> 00:34:29.293 align:middle line:90% We'll figure it out. 00:34:29.293 --> 00:34:31.540 align:middle line:84% I'll show you-- here's the grading rubric. 00:34:31.540 --> 00:34:32.880 align:middle line:90% We'll talk about this. 00:34:32.880 --> 00:34:35.284 align:middle line:84% So first things, attendance-- let 00:34:35.284 --> 00:34:36.659 align:middle line:84% me say something about attendance 00:34:36.659 --> 00:34:37.880 align:middle line:90% right up at the front. 00:34:37.880 --> 00:34:41.260 align:middle line:84% There are two excused absences over the course of the semester. 00:34:41.260 --> 00:34:43.199 align:middle line:84% You come in, you scan the QR code. 00:34:43.199 --> 00:34:45.139 align:middle line:84% That's how we know that you're in class. 00:34:45.139 --> 00:34:47.500 align:middle line:90% You have two excused absences. 00:34:47.500 --> 00:34:49.159 align:middle line:90% Just let us know. 00:34:49.159 --> 00:34:51.780 align:middle line:84% I realize some of you want to take this class, 00:34:51.780 --> 00:34:55.100 align:middle line:84% and you have a conflict with another class. 00:34:55.100 --> 00:34:57.400 align:middle line:84% That's a partial conflict, not a complete conflict, 00:34:57.400 --> 00:34:58.700 align:middle line:90% but a partial conflict. 00:34:58.700 --> 00:35:00.460 align:middle line:84% If you have a partial conflict, and you 00:35:00.460 --> 00:35:04.020 align:middle line:84% can come to 50% of these classes, 00:35:04.020 --> 00:35:06.860 align:middle line:84% then the Linda, the TA, and I will 00:35:06.860 --> 00:35:08.800 align:middle line:90% make an arrangement for you. 00:35:08.800 --> 00:35:09.600 align:middle line:90% You can come. 00:35:09.600 --> 00:35:12.020 align:middle line:84% We will not take you down if you have a class conflict 00:35:12.020 --> 00:35:14.120 align:middle line:84% that you show us your schedule, and you show us 00:35:14.120 --> 00:35:15.880 align:middle line:84% I have this conflict at this time, 00:35:15.880 --> 00:35:16.980 align:middle line:84% and we'll give you two extra writing 00:35:16.980 --> 00:35:18.813 align:middle line:84% assignments over the course of the semester. 00:35:18.813 --> 00:35:21.480 align:middle line:84% And that way, we just take the question off the table. 00:35:21.480 --> 00:35:22.280 align:middle line:90% So you can. 00:35:22.280 --> 00:35:24.200 align:middle line:84% But if you want that arrangement, 00:35:24.200 --> 00:35:26.580 align:middle line:84% you got to let us in the next week or so 00:35:26.580 --> 00:35:28.680 align:middle line:90% because we need to know that. 00:35:28.680 --> 00:35:30.900 align:middle line:90% So we're happy to accommodate. 00:35:30.900 --> 00:35:33.500 align:middle line:84% But otherwise, we're really hoping everybody will be here 00:35:33.500 --> 00:35:37.180 align:middle line:90% most of the time. 00:35:37.180 --> 00:35:39.620 align:middle line:84% So in terms of writing, the major writing 00:35:39.620 --> 00:35:41.620 align:middle line:84% that you will do over the course of the semester 00:35:41.620 --> 00:35:43.128 align:middle line:90% is your discussion responses. 00:35:43.128 --> 00:35:45.420 align:middle line:84% I'll tell you about what I expect from those discussion 00:35:45.420 --> 00:35:47.160 align:middle line:90% responses in just a second. 00:35:47.160 --> 00:35:48.480 align:middle line:90% There are 10 of them. 00:35:48.480 --> 00:35:51.070 align:middle line:90% Each of them is worth 2 points. 00:35:51.070 --> 00:35:54.350 align:middle line:84% If you do a decent job on them, you get the 2 points. 00:35:54.350 --> 00:35:55.450 align:middle line:90% That's as simple as that. 00:35:55.450 --> 00:35:56.410 align:middle line:90% You can do it late. 00:35:56.410 --> 00:35:59.050 align:middle line:90% It's worth 1 point if it's late. 00:35:59.050 --> 00:36:01.870 align:middle line:84% It's just every time, every semester, somebody 00:36:01.870 --> 00:36:04.750 align:middle line:84% comes and says, I didn't do any of them. 00:36:04.750 --> 00:36:08.590 align:middle line:84% I didn't know that they were required or something like that. 00:36:08.590 --> 00:36:10.850 align:middle line:84% Just letting you know, we will accept it late. 00:36:10.850 --> 00:36:12.750 align:middle line:84% That's what it's worth if it's late. 00:36:12.750 --> 00:36:14.350 align:middle line:90% There's a geography quiz. 00:36:14.350 --> 00:36:16.830 align:middle line:84% All of the quizzes and the tests, 00:36:16.830 --> 00:36:21.430 align:middle line:84% with the exception of the final, there will be a retake. 00:36:21.430 --> 00:36:23.990 align:middle line:90% And it's open to everybody. 00:36:23.990 --> 00:36:26.730 align:middle line:84% So what that means is you come in, you do the geography quiz. 00:36:26.730 --> 00:36:29.070 align:middle line:84% If it didn't go well, you can take it again. 00:36:29.070 --> 00:36:30.870 align:middle line:84% And I'll just take the highest score. 00:36:30.870 --> 00:36:33.112 align:middle line:84% If you can't make it the day of the geography quiz 00:36:33.112 --> 00:36:34.570 align:middle line:84% because you have to take an absence 00:36:34.570 --> 00:36:36.490 align:middle line:84% or you have one of those conflicts that I just mentioned, 00:36:36.490 --> 00:36:37.130 align:middle line:90% that's fine. 00:36:37.130 --> 00:36:39.390 align:middle line:90% There will be one retake. 00:36:39.390 --> 00:36:42.070 align:middle line:84% Same with the classical text quiz, 00:36:42.070 --> 00:36:44.150 align:middle line:84% where I quiz you on what Confucius 00:36:44.150 --> 00:36:48.270 align:middle line:84% and the Taoists and all that, one retake offered, a midterm. 00:36:48.270 --> 00:36:51.490 align:middle line:84% We do a one retake offer for the midterm too. 00:36:51.490 --> 00:36:52.730 align:middle line:90% It's a new exam. 00:36:52.730 --> 00:36:55.930 align:middle line:84% Some people like, literally, take everything twice 00:36:55.930 --> 00:36:57.770 align:middle line:84% because they just like the challenge. 00:36:57.770 --> 00:36:58.970 align:middle line:90% I've had that. 00:36:58.970 --> 00:37:00.690 align:middle line:90% MIT students are incredible. 00:37:00.690 --> 00:37:04.030 align:middle line:84% It's like you took this midterm, you got a 95. 00:37:04.030 --> 00:37:06.050 align:middle line:90% I want to take it again. 00:37:06.050 --> 00:37:07.170 align:middle line:90% All right. 00:37:07.170 --> 00:37:09.190 align:middle line:90% We're going for that 5 points. 00:37:09.190 --> 00:37:11.330 align:middle line:90% I got it. 00:37:11.330 --> 00:37:13.990 align:middle line:90% So there is a timeline project. 00:37:13.990 --> 00:37:15.390 align:middle line:90% It's not bad. 00:37:15.390 --> 00:37:17.490 align:middle line:90% You just propose a topic. 00:37:17.490 --> 00:37:20.113 align:middle line:84% This is where you can follow your own interests. 00:37:20.113 --> 00:37:22.530 align:middle line:84% If you want to do the history of a certain type of fashion 00:37:22.530 --> 00:37:25.350 align:middle line:84% in China, a certain type of Chinese food, 00:37:25.350 --> 00:37:26.910 align:middle line:90% you can follow that over time. 00:37:26.910 --> 00:37:28.070 align:middle line:90% You just create a timeline. 00:37:28.070 --> 00:37:31.230 align:middle line:84% I give you all the-- how do you create the timeline? 00:37:31.230 --> 00:37:32.095 align:middle line:90% It's not bad. 00:37:32.095 --> 00:37:34.470 align:middle line:84% And then the final exam, and then that's the final grade. 00:37:34.470 --> 00:37:36.595 align:middle line:84% One thing that we do-- and I just want to say we're 00:37:36.595 --> 00:37:38.250 align:middle line:90% really excited this semester. 00:37:38.250 --> 00:37:40.150 align:middle line:84% We have a TA from the HASTS program, 00:37:40.150 --> 00:37:43.530 align:middle line:84% Linda Ridzuan, who's wonderful, to join us. 00:37:43.530 --> 00:37:48.500 align:middle line:84% Anthro-- historian, history, a historian of nuclear energy, 00:37:48.500 --> 00:37:50.480 align:middle line:84% so really, really excited to have Linda. 00:37:50.480 --> 00:37:54.300 align:middle line:84% And Linda does know Chinese history fairly well, so 00:37:54.300 --> 00:37:56.000 align:middle line:90% definitely correspond with me. 00:37:56.000 --> 00:37:57.140 align:middle line:90% Correspond with Linda. 00:37:57.140 --> 00:38:01.020 align:middle line:84% During the semester, as I try to do in all my classes, 00:38:01.020 --> 00:38:02.900 align:middle line:90% we'll do one-- 00:38:02.900 --> 00:38:06.020 align:middle line:84% it's like a required office hour mid-semester. 00:38:06.020 --> 00:38:07.900 align:middle line:90% So you come to my office. 00:38:07.900 --> 00:38:09.680 align:middle line:90% Linda and I will greet you. 00:38:09.680 --> 00:38:12.580 align:middle line:84% And we talk for 10 minutes about whatever you want to talk about, 00:38:12.580 --> 00:38:15.260 align:middle line:84% typically about what confuses you 00:38:15.260 --> 00:38:17.500 align:middle line:84% in Chinese history or questions about the midterm 00:38:17.500 --> 00:38:18.920 align:middle line:90% or questions about whatever. 00:38:18.920 --> 00:38:20.863 align:middle line:90% So everybody does that. 00:38:20.863 --> 00:38:22.280 align:middle line:84% And that's also part of the grade. 00:38:22.280 --> 00:38:25.220 align:middle line:90% So you do have to do that once. 00:38:25.220 --> 00:38:26.840 align:middle line:84% Happy to answer questions at any time. 00:38:26.840 --> 00:38:30.920 align:middle line:90% But that's what we do expect. 00:38:30.920 --> 00:38:33.340 align:middle line:84% So let me just say something, final point 00:38:33.340 --> 00:38:35.380 align:middle line:90% about the discussion posts. 00:38:35.380 --> 00:38:39.660 align:middle line:90% So discussion posts-- yes. 00:38:39.660 --> 00:38:41.500 align:middle line:90% I changed this. 00:38:41.500 --> 00:38:42.580 align:middle line:90% I'll do Wednesday. 00:38:42.580 --> 00:38:46.260 align:middle line:84% I'll give it to you Wednesday before 3:30. 00:38:46.260 --> 00:38:49.020 align:middle line:84% I'll give you a little bit extra time than Tuesday. 00:38:49.020 --> 00:38:51.980 align:middle line:84% So get them in before that time, the Wednesday class. 00:38:51.980 --> 00:38:54.960 align:middle line:84% Basically what you have to do is you 00:38:54.960 --> 00:38:57.920 align:middle line:84% have to look at the readings, and you 00:38:57.920 --> 00:38:59.300 align:middle line:90% have to answer a question. 00:38:59.300 --> 00:39:01.640 align:middle line:84% I'll give you an example for next week's discussion 00:39:01.640 --> 00:39:03.320 align:middle line:90% post in just a second. 00:39:03.320 --> 00:39:05.120 align:middle line:90% You write two paragraphs. 00:39:05.120 --> 00:39:09.920 align:middle line:84% And the two paragraphs, I'll tell you 00:39:09.920 --> 00:39:12.400 align:middle line:84% exactly how we want the structure of these paragraphs 00:39:12.400 --> 00:39:13.140 align:middle line:90% to look like. 00:39:13.140 --> 00:39:16.000 align:middle line:84% You have some agency and creativity in it. 00:39:16.000 --> 00:39:16.820 align:middle line:90% Don't worry. 00:39:16.820 --> 00:39:19.600 align:middle line:84% But I'll tell you about what we're looking for. 00:39:19.600 --> 00:39:21.440 align:middle line:84% So the thing I want to just remind 00:39:21.440 --> 00:39:26.660 align:middle line:84% you all, facts, inferences, judgments, and opinions, 00:39:26.660 --> 00:39:30.000 align:middle line:84% how you separate out those things. 00:39:30.000 --> 00:39:32.900 align:middle line:84% Facts, things that we know to be true based on evidence. 00:39:32.900 --> 00:39:34.040 align:middle line:90% Bees make honey. 00:39:34.040 --> 00:39:36.620 align:middle line:84% Inferences, statements of the unknown based on the known, 00:39:36.620 --> 00:39:39.520 align:middle line:84% derived from reason, judgments, and then all the way 00:39:39.520 --> 00:39:41.870 align:middle line:84% to opinions, like I like whatever ice cream. 00:39:41.870 --> 00:39:47.110 align:middle line:84% When you write a post, I don't want just opinion. 00:39:47.110 --> 00:39:48.350 align:middle line:90% I hate Confucius. 00:39:48.350 --> 00:39:49.630 align:middle line:90% So congratulations. 00:39:49.630 --> 00:39:52.010 align:middle line:90% But that's not a post. 00:39:52.010 --> 00:39:53.670 align:middle line:90% We want a combo. 00:39:53.670 --> 00:39:56.410 align:middle line:84% You can give me the opinion at the end, 00:39:56.410 --> 00:39:58.090 align:middle line:90% in the second paragraph. 00:39:58.090 --> 00:40:00.450 align:middle line:84% The first paragraph, we want you to focus 00:40:00.450 --> 00:40:04.370 align:middle line:84% on facts and inferences, based on the primary sources 00:40:04.370 --> 00:40:05.690 align:middle line:90% of that week's reading. 00:40:05.690 --> 00:40:07.250 align:middle line:90% So you look at the question. 00:40:07.250 --> 00:40:10.230 align:middle line:84% You try to answer based on the primary sources. 00:40:10.230 --> 00:40:11.970 align:middle line:84% And then in the second paragraph, 00:40:11.970 --> 00:40:14.790 align:middle line:84% you can expand into judgments and opinion. 00:40:14.790 --> 00:40:17.070 align:middle line:84% So that way, you know what we expect. 00:40:17.070 --> 00:40:18.950 align:middle line:90% You know how to do it. 00:40:18.950 --> 00:40:22.210 align:middle line:84% So I laid it out, I think, really just clearly 00:40:22.210 --> 00:40:23.510 align:middle line:90% and nicely for you there. 00:40:23.510 --> 00:40:25.670 align:middle line:84% Let's take a look at what we're doing next week. 00:40:25.670 --> 00:40:27.370 align:middle line:84% I have to tell you-- this is just 00:40:27.370 --> 00:40:29.170 align:middle line:84% to give you an example for next week. 00:40:29.170 --> 00:40:31.130 align:middle line:84% So next week on Monday, you come in. 00:40:31.130 --> 00:40:34.770 align:middle line:84% I'm going to rush you through the rise of agriculture, 00:40:34.770 --> 00:40:37.650 align:middle line:84% the origins of state formation in China. 00:40:37.650 --> 00:40:40.130 align:middle line:84% And we end up on next Monday with, I think, 00:40:40.130 --> 00:40:42.790 align:middle line:84% one of my favorite lectures of the whole semester, 00:40:42.790 --> 00:40:44.430 align:middle line:90% the rise of writing in China. 00:40:44.430 --> 00:40:46.530 align:middle line:84% And writing is super fascinating. 00:40:46.530 --> 00:40:47.710 align:middle line:90% This is a technology. 00:40:47.710 --> 00:40:50.330 align:middle line:84% And China was a very early place to have it. 00:40:50.330 --> 00:40:51.990 align:middle line:90% So what is writing? 00:40:51.990 --> 00:40:54.030 align:middle line:90% What counts as writing? 00:40:54.030 --> 00:40:57.170 align:middle line:84% One of the questions I think we have are, are emojis writing? 00:40:57.170 --> 00:40:58.070 align:middle line:90% What counts as it? 00:40:58.070 --> 00:41:00.350 align:middle line:84% You can answer that question if you'd like next week. 00:41:00.350 --> 00:41:02.770 align:middle line:84% So this is what we're kind of doing. 00:41:02.770 --> 00:41:06.350 align:middle line:84% So you look at it, you'll notice up here, 00:41:06.350 --> 00:41:07.950 align:middle line:84% every week, you'll see, wow, it looks 00:41:07.950 --> 00:41:09.200 align:middle line:90% like there's a lot of reading. 00:41:09.200 --> 00:41:11.010 align:middle line:90% There's not that much reading. 00:41:11.010 --> 00:41:12.910 align:middle line:90% You just have to break it down. 00:41:12.910 --> 00:41:16.830 align:middle line:84% The primary sources are what you really need to focus on. 00:41:16.830 --> 00:41:20.710 align:middle line:84% That is the original right translation of oracle bone 00:41:20.710 --> 00:41:22.750 align:middle line:84% inscriptions, something like that, 00:41:22.750 --> 00:41:24.788 align:middle line:90% translations of Zhou bronzes. 00:41:24.788 --> 00:41:26.330 align:middle line:84% You'll see those are primary sources. 00:41:26.330 --> 00:41:28.070 align:middle line:90% That's what you focus on. 00:41:28.070 --> 00:41:30.510 align:middle line:84% But if you're like, I don't really 00:41:30.510 --> 00:41:33.070 align:middle line:84% understand what this is, then you 00:41:33.070 --> 00:41:36.350 align:middle line:84% go to secondary source, which for the beginning 00:41:36.350 --> 00:41:39.000 align:middle line:84% part of this class will be Li Feng's Early 00:41:39.000 --> 00:41:40.140 align:middle line:90% China, very nice book. 00:41:40.140 --> 00:41:41.780 align:middle line:84% I've given you selections from it. 00:41:41.780 --> 00:41:42.620 align:middle line:90% I've uploaded them. 00:41:42.620 --> 00:41:48.180 align:middle line:84% This is a pretty sophisticated book of early Chinese history. 00:41:48.180 --> 00:41:50.260 align:middle line:90% It's really good. 00:41:50.260 --> 00:41:52.560 align:middle line:90% It's fairly comprehensive. 00:41:52.560 --> 00:41:55.560 align:middle line:84% And then if you're like, I took a look at this, 00:41:55.560 --> 00:41:57.880 align:middle line:84% and I still don't know what's going on, 00:41:57.880 --> 00:42:01.480 align:middle line:84% we have the textbook big picture. 00:42:01.480 --> 00:42:04.580 align:middle line:84% So this is the optional textbook. 00:42:04.580 --> 00:42:08.520 align:middle line:84% I provide you with three different ways 00:42:08.520 --> 00:42:11.800 align:middle line:84% to break down eras writing or eras 00:42:11.800 --> 00:42:15.960 align:middle line:84% sources, the primary sources, secondary sources, 00:42:15.960 --> 00:42:17.520 align:middle line:90% and a textbook. 00:42:17.520 --> 00:42:21.360 align:middle line:84% The secondary sources and the textbook are optional for you. 00:42:21.360 --> 00:42:23.840 align:middle line:84% If you want to read it, you can read it. 00:42:23.840 --> 00:42:26.240 align:middle line:84% If you feel you need it-- some ears you might feel, 00:42:26.240 --> 00:42:27.300 align:middle line:90% I know three kingdoms. 00:42:27.300 --> 00:42:28.580 align:middle line:90% I don't need it. 00:42:28.580 --> 00:42:29.413 align:middle line:90% I know Tang dynasty. 00:42:29.413 --> 00:42:30.497 align:middle line:90% I don't need it this week. 00:42:30.497 --> 00:42:31.540 align:middle line:90% I'll just do primary. 00:42:31.540 --> 00:42:35.020 align:middle line:84% But some eras, you might be like oh, North-South division, 00:42:35.020 --> 00:42:36.520 align:middle line:90% I want to read the textbook. 00:42:36.520 --> 00:42:38.520 align:middle line:90% So it's there if you need it. 00:42:38.520 --> 00:42:40.200 align:middle line:90% So it's not as much as it looks. 00:42:40.200 --> 00:42:44.940 align:middle line:84% And then I got the dynastic China geography quiz study 00:42:44.940 --> 00:42:45.440 align:middle line:90% guide. 00:42:45.440 --> 00:42:46.690 align:middle line:90% I put up all the study guides. 00:42:46.690 --> 00:42:47.460 align:middle line:90% Don't worry. 00:42:47.460 --> 00:42:49.820 align:middle line:90% questions? 00:42:49.820 --> 00:42:52.980 align:middle line:90% How's it sound? 00:42:52.980 --> 00:42:56.650 align:middle line:84% Interesting, compared to your other classes? 00:42:56.650 --> 00:42:57.400 align:middle line:90% Yeah, pretty good. 00:42:57.400 --> 00:42:58.420 align:middle line:90% Yeah. 00:42:58.420 --> 00:42:58.920 align:middle line:90% Let me know. 00:42:58.920 --> 00:42:59.600 align:middle line:90% Let me know. 00:42:59.600 --> 00:43:01.760 align:middle line:90% You know what I mean? 00:43:01.760 --> 00:43:08.420 align:middle line:84% So let's talk about how we talk about Chinese history, 00:43:08.420 --> 00:43:10.620 align:middle line:90% periodization. 00:43:10.620 --> 00:43:14.180 align:middle line:84% There are ways-- this is just getting you into foot 00:43:14.180 --> 00:43:16.260 align:middle line:90% in the door, foot in the door. 00:43:16.260 --> 00:43:20.180 align:middle line:84% Remember that long list, that chronology I 00:43:20.180 --> 00:43:23.060 align:middle line:84% gave you of all those reigns, dynasties, whatever? 00:43:23.060 --> 00:43:25.740 align:middle line:90% Here's how we break it down. 00:43:25.740 --> 00:43:30.740 align:middle line:84% First, pre-modern China-- pre-modern China, 00:43:30.740 --> 00:43:32.080 align:middle line:90% it's a loaded word. 00:43:32.080 --> 00:43:34.950 align:middle line:90% When does modernity begin? 00:43:34.950 --> 00:43:39.730 align:middle line:84% It's kind of a useless phrase because 50 years from now, 00:43:39.730 --> 00:43:42.630 align:middle line:84% it's like they'll be like, was the 20th century modern? 00:43:42.630 --> 00:43:44.550 align:middle line:90% It looks pretty old to us. 00:43:44.550 --> 00:43:47.770 align:middle line:84% But for the sake of conversation, 00:43:47.770 --> 00:43:51.930 align:middle line:84% for the sake of dialogue, you should know that in China, 00:43:51.930 --> 00:43:55.310 align:middle line:84% officially, in Chinese textbooks, in China today, 00:43:55.310 --> 00:43:58.790 align:middle line:84% modernity begins with the very actually Western-centric notion 00:43:58.790 --> 00:44:04.250 align:middle line:84% of the opium wars, middle of the 19th century, basically. 00:44:04.250 --> 00:44:09.190 align:middle line:84% So you have modern history, pre-modern history-- 00:44:09.190 --> 00:44:10.130 align:middle line:90% coming back. 00:44:10.130 --> 00:44:12.830 align:middle line:90% 00:44:12.830 --> 00:44:13.870 align:middle line:90% Good. 00:44:13.870 --> 00:44:15.510 align:middle line:90% Thank you. 00:44:15.510 --> 00:44:17.630 align:middle line:84% I said to the computer, thank you. 00:44:17.630 --> 00:44:22.990 align:middle line:84% So pre-modern, sometimes we could also say traditional. 00:44:22.990 --> 00:44:27.330 align:middle line:84% So this is just like I'm not endorsing these terms. 00:44:27.330 --> 00:44:30.530 align:middle line:84% I'm just letting you know these the terms you may encounter. 00:44:30.530 --> 00:44:36.330 align:middle line:84% So when we say Imperial China, Imperial China, 00:44:36.330 --> 00:44:39.450 align:middle line:84% that has a very, very fixed beginning and end date. 00:44:39.450 --> 00:44:41.990 align:middle line:84% That is not open to interpretation. 00:44:41.990 --> 00:44:47.450 align:middle line:84% Imperial China begins in 221 BCE, or BC, whatever have you. 00:44:47.450 --> 00:44:50.690 align:middle line:84% It begins when Qin Shi Huang proclaims himself 00:44:50.690 --> 00:44:52.030 align:middle line:90% to be the first emperor. 00:44:52.030 --> 00:44:54.050 align:middle line:84% He was the first person to do it. 00:44:54.050 --> 00:45:00.490 align:middle line:84% Realize, writing was invented in China approximately in 1200 BC. 00:45:00.490 --> 00:45:04.170 align:middle line:84% China has got 1,000 years of recorded history before there 00:45:04.170 --> 00:45:07.410 align:middle line:84% were any emperors, before there were any. 00:45:07.410 --> 00:45:10.130 align:middle line:84% So this is the amazing thing about thinking about scale 00:45:10.130 --> 00:45:11.590 align:middle line:90% in terms of Chinese history. 00:45:11.590 --> 00:45:15.130 align:middle line:84% When Confucius was alive, he was already 00:45:15.130 --> 00:45:18.650 align:middle line:84% thinking about the deep past in antiquity. 00:45:18.650 --> 00:45:20.270 align:middle line:84% We think of Confucius, and we go, wow, 00:45:20.270 --> 00:45:21.590 align:middle line:90% that guy lived a long time ago. 00:45:21.590 --> 00:45:23.690 align:middle line:84% He was thinking of other people thinking of living 00:45:23.690 --> 00:45:26.230 align:middle line:90% a long time ago, 600 years ago. 00:45:26.230 --> 00:45:29.170 align:middle line:84% So this is just Imperial China begins 00:45:29.170 --> 00:45:31.260 align:middle line:84% with the proclamation of the first emperor, which 00:45:31.260 --> 00:45:39.220 align:middle line:84% was a new form of royal kingship that superseded everything 00:45:39.220 --> 00:45:40.360 align:middle line:90% that came before it. 00:45:40.360 --> 00:45:45.060 align:middle line:84% That imperial system remains, basically, 00:45:45.060 --> 00:45:51.080 align:middle line:84% the primary form of governance in China until 1912. 00:45:51.080 --> 00:45:53.440 align:middle line:84% Well, this is another thing of, when does it end? 00:45:53.440 --> 00:45:54.380 align:middle line:90% 1911. 00:45:54.380 --> 00:45:57.400 align:middle line:84% The Xinhai revolution-- many of you have been familiar with it, 00:45:57.400 --> 00:45:58.940 align:middle line:90% might have heard of it-- 00:45:58.940 --> 00:46:00.520 align:middle line:90% broke out in 1911. 00:46:00.520 --> 00:46:03.880 align:middle line:84% The emperor abdicated in early 1912. 00:46:03.880 --> 00:46:05.920 align:middle line:84% So as a historian of late Imperial China, 00:46:05.920 --> 00:46:08.160 align:middle line:90% I insist on 1912. 00:46:08.160 --> 00:46:10.320 align:middle line:90% But you will sometimes see 1911. 00:46:10.320 --> 00:46:11.640 align:middle line:90% It's not-- what are we talking? 00:46:11.640 --> 00:46:13.780 align:middle line:84% We're talking about a couple of months here. 00:46:13.780 --> 00:46:17.200 align:middle line:84% I won't mark you down if you say 1911. 00:46:17.200 --> 00:46:20.280 align:middle line:90% It's when China had an emperor. 00:46:20.280 --> 00:46:22.180 align:middle line:90% That's what we're talking about. 00:46:22.180 --> 00:46:26.140 align:middle line:84% We also have a few periods, periodizations, 00:46:26.140 --> 00:46:29.800 align:middle line:84% that we can say, now, think about history 00:46:29.800 --> 00:46:32.640 align:middle line:84% that you might have encountered in AP World. 00:46:32.640 --> 00:46:35.460 align:middle line:84% I haven't taken AP World in like a million years. 00:46:35.460 --> 00:46:36.520 align:middle line:90% So I don't know-- 00:46:36.520 --> 00:46:38.840 align:middle line:84% I heard now, it's starting in like 1500. 00:46:38.840 --> 00:46:39.760 align:middle line:90% Is that right? 00:46:39.760 --> 00:46:40.460 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: 1300. 00:46:40.460 --> 00:46:42.940 align:middle line:84% TRISTAN BROWN: 1300 is still way, way too late. 00:46:42.940 --> 00:46:43.780 align:middle line:90% What a tragedy. 00:46:43.780 --> 00:46:47.720 align:middle line:84% But whatever it is, so you basically 00:46:47.720 --> 00:46:50.480 align:middle line:84% start in the late medieval period or medieval. 00:46:50.480 --> 00:46:53.680 align:middle line:90% We have early China. 00:46:53.680 --> 00:46:57.180 align:middle line:84% This is, again, really good book on early China. 00:46:57.180 --> 00:46:58.380 align:middle line:90% What is early China? 00:46:58.380 --> 00:47:00.560 align:middle line:84% Early China basically means the origin 00:47:00.560 --> 00:47:06.520 align:middle line:84% of whatever we can talk about when it happened to basically 00:47:06.520 --> 00:47:12.800 align:middle line:84% the end of the Han dynasty, about 200 Common Era, 00:47:12.800 --> 00:47:18.120 align:middle line:84% 200 AD, approximately like that, roughly. 00:47:18.120 --> 00:47:21.760 align:middle line:84% Then we enter-- we can talk about another era called 00:47:21.760 --> 00:47:24.080 align:middle line:84% the Middle Period or Medieval China. 00:47:24.080 --> 00:47:25.640 align:middle line:84% And that's from that end of the Han-- 00:47:25.640 --> 00:47:26.950 align:middle line:90% that's a great way-- 00:47:26.950 --> 00:47:28.530 align:middle line:84% I know everybody here will-- this 00:47:28.530 --> 00:47:31.890 align:middle line:84% is a better way to think about it, the Three Kingdoms period. 00:47:31.890 --> 00:47:35.470 align:middle line:84% The Three Kingdoms period is like the end of early China, 00:47:35.470 --> 00:47:36.330 align:middle line:90% you can think about. 00:47:36.330 --> 00:47:38.550 align:middle line:84% We're entering a new era at that point. 00:47:38.550 --> 00:47:42.003 align:middle line:84% So you can say, that's approximately medieval China, 00:47:42.003 --> 00:47:44.170 align:middle line:84% which, you go, when does, quote, unquote, "medieval" 00:47:44.170 --> 00:47:47.667 align:middle line:90% or middle period China end? 00:47:47.667 --> 00:47:49.750 align:middle line:84% Some people say, do you put it before the Mongols? 00:47:49.750 --> 00:47:51.250 align:middle line:90% Do you put it after the Mongols? 00:47:51.250 --> 00:47:53.370 align:middle line:90% Is it about a 1000? 00:47:53.370 --> 00:47:57.330 align:middle line:84% I'm just doing really, really traditional rain reign 00:47:57.330 --> 00:47:59.790 align:middle line:84% dates here, founding of the Ming dynasty. 00:47:59.790 --> 00:48:02.150 align:middle line:84% You don't have to-- it's approximate. 00:48:02.150 --> 00:48:06.570 align:middle line:84% And then the last two dynasties are something like Late Imperial 00:48:06.570 --> 00:48:07.270 align:middle line:90% China. 00:48:07.270 --> 00:48:10.370 align:middle line:84% Sometimes you'll also hear this Early Modern China. 00:48:10.370 --> 00:48:13.310 align:middle line:84% It all depends on what type of historian you're talking to. 00:48:13.310 --> 00:48:15.770 align:middle line:84% If you're talking to a European historian, 00:48:15.770 --> 00:48:19.530 align:middle line:84% you might say early modern because that's how they talk. 00:48:19.530 --> 00:48:23.510 align:middle line:84% Late Imperial China is how if the Chinese historians are 00:48:23.510 --> 00:48:28.270 align:middle line:84% together in a bus, that's how we go, oh, Late Imperial because we 00:48:28.270 --> 00:48:29.830 align:middle line:90% all know what that means. 00:48:29.830 --> 00:48:31.430 align:middle line:90% So either one is fine. 00:48:31.430 --> 00:48:32.950 align:middle line:84% But just realize, this is how you 00:48:32.950 --> 00:48:36.730 align:middle line:84% break it down, this very long periods of history. 00:48:36.730 --> 00:48:39.790 align:middle line:84% Usually-- should we look at this? 00:48:39.790 --> 00:48:40.830 align:middle line:90% I don't know. 00:48:40.830 --> 00:48:41.870 align:middle line:90% Nah. 00:48:41.870 --> 00:48:42.550 align:middle line:90% Yeah? 00:48:42.550 --> 00:48:43.072 align:middle line:90% No. 00:48:43.072 --> 00:48:44.530 align:middle line:84% The computer answered the question. 00:48:44.530 --> 00:48:49.450 align:middle line:90% Well, we'll take a peek. 00:48:49.450 --> 00:48:52.870 align:middle line:84% This is like, there's really like-- huh? 00:48:52.870 --> 00:48:53.750 align:middle line:90% Let's see. 00:48:53.750 --> 00:48:54.990 align:middle line:90% Is it going to go? 00:48:54.990 --> 00:48:56.830 align:middle line:90% [MUSIC PLAYING] 00:48:56.830 --> 00:48:59.870 align:middle line:84% This very foreboding music-- oh, no. 00:48:59.870 --> 00:49:02.570 align:middle line:84% Then it just-- let me try it one more time. 00:49:02.570 --> 00:49:05.010 align:middle line:84% Let me try it one more time, if it goes. 00:49:05.010 --> 00:49:06.390 align:middle line:90% This is a kind of fun-- 00:49:06.390 --> 00:49:09.030 align:middle line:90% 00:49:09.030 --> 00:49:09.890 align:middle line:90% is it going to go? 00:49:09.890 --> 00:49:12.670 align:middle line:90% 00:49:12.670 --> 00:49:14.490 align:middle line:90% I'm losing patience with it. 00:49:14.490 --> 00:49:17.190 align:middle line:84% So basically, that was the-- it's 00:49:17.190 --> 00:49:21.985 align:middle line:84% like looking at the borders of Chinese reigns over time. 00:49:21.985 --> 00:49:22.860 align:middle line:90% I can show it to you. 00:49:22.860 --> 00:49:23.818 align:middle line:90% I'll put a link online. 00:49:23.818 --> 00:49:29.600 align:middle line:84% So we're going to get now, maybe for the last half hour of class, 00:49:29.600 --> 00:49:33.420 align:middle line:84% I'm going to talk about a few more big questions, 00:49:33.420 --> 00:49:35.220 align:middle line:84% big ways to think about Chinese history. 00:49:35.220 --> 00:49:38.140 align:middle line:84% And then we'll do a tour of China, which is always, again, 00:49:38.140 --> 00:49:39.400 align:middle line:90% really fun. 00:49:39.400 --> 00:49:42.440 align:middle line:84% So let's talk about Chinese history hack. 00:49:42.440 --> 00:49:45.320 align:middle line:84% North and south, east and west, These 00:49:45.320 --> 00:49:47.240 align:middle line:90% are just cardinal directions. 00:49:47.240 --> 00:49:51.840 align:middle line:84% So we have a Western Zhou, and we have an Eastern Zhou. 00:49:51.840 --> 00:49:57.400 align:middle line:84% We have a Western Han, and we have an Eastern Han. 00:49:57.400 --> 00:50:00.020 align:middle line:84% That basically means in the early period of China, 00:50:00.020 --> 00:50:04.560 align:middle line:84% in early China, basically we have Western capitals 00:50:04.560 --> 00:50:07.960 align:middle line:90% and Eastern capitals. 00:50:07.960 --> 00:50:10.340 align:middle line:90% As time goes on, this changes. 00:50:10.340 --> 00:50:11.380 align:middle line:90% This shifts. 00:50:11.380 --> 00:50:16.100 align:middle line:84% The Tang dynasty in medieval China, seventh century, 00:50:16.100 --> 00:50:19.240 align:middle line:84% eighth century, ninth century, approximately around here, 00:50:19.240 --> 00:50:23.300 align:middle line:84% there's still a western capital and still an eastern capital 00:50:23.300 --> 00:50:25.820 align:middle line:90% at Xi'an and Luoyang. 00:50:25.820 --> 00:50:28.553 align:middle line:84% But once you get to about the year 1000, this shifts. 00:50:28.553 --> 00:50:30.720 align:middle line:84% And now, we don't have western and eastern capitals. 00:50:30.720 --> 00:50:32.360 align:middle line:84% We have northern and southern capitals. 00:50:32.360 --> 00:50:36.200 align:middle line:84% And that's Beijing and Nanjing, Beijing, northern capital, 00:50:36.200 --> 00:50:37.560 align:middle line:90% Nanjing, southern capital. 00:50:37.560 --> 00:50:38.740 align:middle line:90% So what's going on? 00:50:38.740 --> 00:50:40.580 align:middle line:84% Well, what you have to realize is 00:50:40.580 --> 00:50:43.280 align:middle line:84% that over a very, very long period of time, 00:50:43.280 --> 00:50:45.660 align:middle line:84% the Chinese people migrated south. 00:50:45.660 --> 00:50:50.140 align:middle line:84% There was a major migration of people from the North China 00:50:50.140 --> 00:50:53.780 align:middle line:84% Plain to the south, as the south is basically filled 00:50:53.780 --> 00:50:55.660 align:middle line:90% in with rice agriculture. 00:50:55.660 --> 00:50:58.243 align:middle line:84% The south, that area South of the Yangtze River-- don't worry. 00:50:58.243 --> 00:51:00.827 align:middle line:84% I'll show you where the Yangtze River is in just a second-- it 00:51:00.827 --> 00:51:02.540 align:middle line:90% was really swamp and marshland. 00:51:02.540 --> 00:51:07.280 align:middle line:84% The population-- as early as the Han dynasty, 00:51:07.280 --> 00:51:11.020 align:middle line:84% as early as around the year 0, there were people moving down 00:51:11.020 --> 00:51:16.700 align:middle line:84% there that picked up over the first 1,000 years of this era. 00:51:16.700 --> 00:51:19.305 align:middle line:84% So from the year 0 to about the year 1,000, 00:51:19.305 --> 00:51:20.430 align:middle line:90% the population moves south. 00:51:20.430 --> 00:51:24.830 align:middle line:84% And then by the time you get to that medieval era, sometime 00:51:24.830 --> 00:51:27.330 align:middle line:84% in the medieval era, most of the people, 00:51:27.330 --> 00:51:29.830 align:middle line:84% most of the population of China lives in the south. 00:51:29.830 --> 00:51:34.470 align:middle line:84% And the south actually ends up becoming rather wealthy 00:51:34.470 --> 00:51:36.690 align:middle line:90% because they grow rice. 00:51:36.690 --> 00:51:37.770 align:middle line:90% They have surpluses. 00:51:37.770 --> 00:51:39.750 align:middle line:90% They pay taxes. 00:51:39.750 --> 00:51:40.990 align:middle line:90% Where do they pay taxes to? 00:51:40.990 --> 00:51:41.870 align:middle line:90% The North. 00:51:41.870 --> 00:51:44.650 align:middle line:84% So this is a very interesting dynamic. 00:51:44.650 --> 00:51:47.488 align:middle line:84% So basically, let me just read it to you this way. 00:51:47.488 --> 00:51:48.530 align:middle line:90% You look at it over here. 00:51:48.530 --> 00:51:50.930 align:middle line:84% That's Dayan Ta, Big Goose Pagoda. 00:51:50.930 --> 00:51:53.010 align:middle line:84% You'll recognize that in a few weeks from now. 00:51:53.010 --> 00:51:56.170 align:middle line:84% That's Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province. 00:51:56.170 --> 00:51:58.030 align:middle line:90% It's a very, very historic city. 00:51:58.030 --> 00:52:02.190 align:middle line:84% It's basically a great number of the early imperial capitals 00:52:02.190 --> 00:52:04.070 align:middle line:90% are located there. 00:52:04.070 --> 00:52:06.750 align:middle line:84% This is kind of what you might think 00:52:06.750 --> 00:52:12.550 align:middle line:84% of South China looking like, mountainous, green, water, 00:52:12.550 --> 00:52:14.310 align:middle line:90% humid, and rice. 00:52:14.310 --> 00:52:19.490 align:middle line:84% So that's South China in a nutshell. 00:52:19.490 --> 00:52:23.330 align:middle line:84% So then we go back to-- that's our map. 00:52:23.330 --> 00:52:26.510 align:middle line:84% This is the Mongol Empire, Mongol Empire. 00:52:26.510 --> 00:52:32.730 align:middle line:84% The Mongols create, once their reign in China is established, 00:52:32.730 --> 00:52:36.070 align:middle line:84% they start they move their capital to Dadu, 00:52:36.070 --> 00:52:38.490 align:middle line:84% the great capital, which is Beijing. 00:52:38.490 --> 00:52:42.410 align:middle line:84% They are kind of the ones who actually move it to Beijing. 00:52:42.410 --> 00:52:45.450 align:middle line:84% So Beijing actually gets its start, not as 00:52:45.450 --> 00:52:47.130 align:middle line:90% a Han Chinese capital. 00:52:47.130 --> 00:52:50.230 align:middle line:84% It was actually the northern peoples, 00:52:50.230 --> 00:52:52.050 align:middle line:90% non-Han peoples who started it. 00:52:52.050 --> 00:52:54.410 align:middle line:84% So after the Mongol period, you get 00:52:54.410 --> 00:52:56.710 align:middle line:90% that Nanjing and Beijing mix. 00:52:56.710 --> 00:52:59.930 align:middle line:84% That's in the last two dynasties, southern capital 00:52:59.930 --> 00:53:00.990 align:middle line:90% and northern capital. 00:53:00.990 --> 00:53:04.610 align:middle line:84% And what you can say, even to this day, 00:53:04.610 --> 00:53:07.510 align:middle line:84% is that the economic heart of the country, 00:53:07.510 --> 00:53:10.790 align:middle line:84% the most, basically, profitable part of the country, 00:53:10.790 --> 00:53:13.710 align:middle line:84% highest incomes, are in that greater Shanghai area, 00:53:13.710 --> 00:53:19.260 align:middle line:84% also in Guangdong, Pearl River Delta area, those southern hubs. 00:53:19.260 --> 00:53:22.140 align:middle line:84% Those are the economic engines of the country. 00:53:22.140 --> 00:53:25.260 align:middle line:84% The political center of the country is in the North. 00:53:25.260 --> 00:53:27.580 align:middle line:84% And that's basically been that way 00:53:27.580 --> 00:53:30.040 align:middle line:84% for a few centuries, actually, quite a number of centuries. 00:53:30.040 --> 00:53:32.340 align:middle line:90% And that's the southern-- 00:53:32.340 --> 00:53:34.640 align:middle line:84% The southerners end up paying for defense. 00:53:34.640 --> 00:53:37.200 align:middle line:84% The northerners handle frontier defense. 00:53:37.200 --> 00:53:40.380 align:middle line:84% When you see where Beijing is on a map, 00:53:40.380 --> 00:53:44.340 align:middle line:84% and you see where historical Mongolia was, 00:53:44.340 --> 00:53:47.140 align:middle line:90% Beijing is almost not in China. 00:53:47.140 --> 00:53:48.865 align:middle line:84% That's why it has all those sandstorms. 00:53:48.865 --> 00:53:50.740 align:middle line:84% It's almost in-- what is it, the Gobi Desert? 00:53:50.740 --> 00:53:51.640 align:middle line:90% Or whatever it is. 00:53:51.640 --> 00:53:54.940 align:middle line:84% It's really far up north, actually. 00:53:54.940 --> 00:53:57.440 align:middle line:84% So that's a Chinese history hack. 00:53:57.440 --> 00:54:00.140 align:middle line:84% Think of north, south, east, west. 00:54:00.140 --> 00:54:03.260 align:middle line:84% That tells you a lot about what era you're in. 00:54:03.260 --> 00:54:05.380 align:middle line:84% It tells you a lot about the geography 00:54:05.380 --> 00:54:08.860 align:middle line:84% and the geography of power of the era. 00:54:08.860 --> 00:54:10.680 align:middle line:90% Talk about North and South. 00:54:10.680 --> 00:54:13.880 align:middle line:84% Some of you will-- if you've taken a class with me 00:54:13.880 --> 00:54:15.880 align:middle line:84% before, you might have seen this slide before. 00:54:15.880 --> 00:54:17.700 align:middle line:84% Let's talk about north and south. 00:54:17.700 --> 00:54:20.080 align:middle line:90% What is north China? 00:54:20.080 --> 00:54:21.920 align:middle line:90% What is south China? 00:54:21.920 --> 00:54:23.960 align:middle line:84% Well, let me just pause here for a minute. 00:54:23.960 --> 00:54:27.720 align:middle line:84% What is the northern United States? 00:54:27.720 --> 00:54:30.960 align:middle line:90% Is Maryland north? 00:54:30.960 --> 00:54:33.000 align:middle line:90% Is it south? 00:54:33.000 --> 00:54:34.080 align:middle line:90% It's north. 00:54:34.080 --> 00:54:36.750 align:middle line:90% Why do you say it's north? 00:54:36.750 --> 00:54:38.000 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Political geography. 00:54:38.000 --> 00:54:38.875 align:middle line:90% TRISTAN BROWN: Right. 00:54:38.875 --> 00:54:41.040 align:middle line:84% So you've answered this question by referring 00:54:41.040 --> 00:54:44.720 align:middle line:84% to a historical political geography. 00:54:44.720 --> 00:54:48.120 align:middle line:84% And that's great because there is no real objective 00:54:48.120 --> 00:54:51.417 align:middle line:84% answer to this question, aside from doing that. 00:54:51.417 --> 00:54:52.500 align:middle line:90% The same is true in China. 00:54:52.500 --> 00:54:55.480 align:middle line:84% Basically, in the 20th century, there was a line drawn, 00:54:55.480 --> 00:54:59.440 align:middle line:84% and it was like, this is the Qinling Mountains over here 00:54:59.440 --> 00:55:01.640 align:middle line:90% in the Huaihe, the Huai River. 00:55:01.640 --> 00:55:02.540 align:middle line:90% Draw a line. 00:55:02.540 --> 00:55:03.820 align:middle line:84% If you're to the north, that's the North. 00:55:03.820 --> 00:55:05.528 align:middle line:84% If you're to the south, that's the South. 00:55:05.528 --> 00:55:09.460 align:middle line:84% And the joke I've always made is that in the, I think, 1950s-- 00:55:09.460 --> 00:55:12.050 align:middle line:84% I think we went over this 1950s, Zhou Enlai, 00:55:12.050 --> 00:55:14.470 align:middle line:84% basically made it so that if you're above that line, 00:55:14.470 --> 00:55:17.570 align:middle line:84% you got free, subsidized or free, 00:55:17.570 --> 00:55:19.170 align:middle line:90% central heating from the state. 00:55:19.170 --> 00:55:20.730 align:middle line:84% And if you're below that line, you 00:55:20.730 --> 00:55:25.050 align:middle line:84% froze because the South was generally warmer. 00:55:25.050 --> 00:55:26.670 align:middle line:90% But this is the whole thing. 00:55:26.670 --> 00:55:29.490 align:middle line:84% It's one of those things where it's like, how do I describe it? 00:55:29.490 --> 00:55:35.570 align:middle line:84% I once did a Chinese New Year Spring Festival 00:55:35.570 --> 00:55:38.490 align:middle line:84% in Guangyuan, which is in the northern part of Sichuan 00:55:38.490 --> 00:55:39.250 align:middle line:90% Province. 00:55:39.250 --> 00:55:41.850 align:middle line:84% You could imagine how frozen I was. 00:55:41.850 --> 00:55:45.030 align:middle line:84% That's pretty far north, but staying South. 00:55:45.030 --> 00:55:47.130 align:middle line:84% That's one of those border places. 00:55:47.130 --> 00:55:50.710 align:middle line:84% I went to bed at night with eight blankets over me. 00:55:50.710 --> 00:55:57.030 align:middle line:84% I shared a bed with a 60-year-old man for days. 00:55:57.030 --> 00:56:01.330 align:middle line:84% And there were so many blankets over me, I couldn't move. 00:56:01.330 --> 00:56:04.470 align:middle line:84% So when I woke up, I was just like, I'm up. 00:56:04.470 --> 00:56:06.910 align:middle line:84% And then somebody came and took off the blankets. 00:56:06.910 --> 00:56:09.150 align:middle line:90% It was just incredible. 00:56:09.150 --> 00:56:10.790 align:middle line:84% I don't want to say that-- there are 00:56:10.790 --> 00:56:13.008 align:middle line:84% many warm parts of the South, don't get me wrong. 00:56:13.008 --> 00:56:15.050 align:middle line:84% If you're in Guangdong or Hong Kong, that's warm. 00:56:15.050 --> 00:56:16.770 align:middle line:84% That's a nice place to be in the winter. 00:56:16.770 --> 00:56:19.990 align:middle line:84% But just to know, this is a very large area 00:56:19.990 --> 00:56:21.650 align:middle line:90% with a very diverse climate. 00:56:21.650 --> 00:56:23.930 align:middle line:90% So that can be really cold. 00:56:23.930 --> 00:56:26.290 align:middle line:90% So this is a Mason-Dixon line. 00:56:26.290 --> 00:56:29.070 align:middle line:84% This is kind of like this kind of idea. 00:56:29.070 --> 00:56:32.590 align:middle line:84% But there are cultural traits that we 00:56:32.590 --> 00:56:34.990 align:middle line:90% associate with Northerners. 00:56:34.990 --> 00:56:38.150 align:middle line:84% There are cultural traits we associate with Southerners. 00:56:38.150 --> 00:56:40.330 align:middle line:90% Again, nothing is ever absolute. 00:56:40.330 --> 00:56:42.070 align:middle line:84% But we can talk about that when we get 00:56:42.070 --> 00:56:45.270 align:middle line:90% into more specific geographies. 00:56:45.270 --> 00:56:48.390 align:middle line:84% Political jurisdictions of the PRC today-- 00:56:48.390 --> 00:56:51.870 align:middle line:84% I realize this is a dynastic Chinese history class. 00:56:51.870 --> 00:56:55.725 align:middle line:84% So you might be kind of like, why do we need to know this? 00:56:55.725 --> 00:56:57.350 align:middle line:84% And I think the reason you have to know 00:56:57.350 --> 00:57:00.430 align:middle line:84% this is because, well, you do need 00:57:00.430 --> 00:57:03.310 align:middle line:84% to know the geography of China today to appreciate where things 00:57:03.310 --> 00:57:07.300 align:middle line:84% are happening, to be able to have a conversation about it. 00:57:07.300 --> 00:57:10.960 align:middle line:84% Just realize there are 34 total units, 23 provinces. 00:57:10.960 --> 00:57:12.740 align:middle line:84% There are also these autonomous regions. 00:57:12.740 --> 00:57:16.000 align:middle line:84% Tibet is today recognized as an autonomous region, Xinjiang, 00:57:16.000 --> 00:57:19.080 align:middle line:84% Inner Mongolia, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and Guangxi 00:57:19.080 --> 00:57:20.620 align:middle line:90% Zhuang Autonomous Region. 00:57:20.620 --> 00:57:24.360 align:middle line:84% So there's also special zones, Shanghai, Chongqing, 00:57:24.360 --> 00:57:25.800 align:middle line:90% and so forth. 00:57:25.800 --> 00:57:28.760 align:middle line:90% So we can talk more about-- 00:57:28.760 --> 00:57:31.920 align:middle line:84% I have the whole geography quiz for you. 00:57:31.920 --> 00:57:33.680 align:middle line:84% And I have the study guide to tell you 00:57:33.680 --> 00:57:35.880 align:middle line:90% what exactly you need to know. 00:57:35.880 --> 00:57:42.400 align:middle line:84% One other way to think about Chinese geography is this line. 00:57:42.400 --> 00:57:44.737 align:middle line:84% This is called the Heihe-Tengchong Line. 00:57:44.737 --> 00:57:45.820 align:middle line:90% And it was so interesting. 00:57:45.820 --> 00:57:49.040 align:middle line:84% This summer, I finally got a chance to visit Tengchong. 00:57:49.040 --> 00:57:51.500 align:middle line:84% And you see, you might not find that impressive. 00:57:51.500 --> 00:57:53.958 align:middle line:84% But actually, Tengchong is not a particularly famous place. 00:57:53.958 --> 00:57:56.167 align:middle line:84% The only reason why Chinese people across the country 00:57:56.167 --> 00:57:57.820 align:middle line:84% know about it is because of this line. 00:57:57.820 --> 00:57:59.880 align:middle line:90% But it's actually a great place. 00:57:59.880 --> 00:58:01.260 align:middle line:90% And it's a really fun part. 00:58:01.260 --> 00:58:02.420 align:middle line:90% It's in Yunnan province. 00:58:02.420 --> 00:58:05.760 align:middle line:84% I have some photos when we go through the tour here. 00:58:05.760 --> 00:58:08.980 align:middle line:84% But the key is that, basically, this is 00:58:08.980 --> 00:58:12.580 align:middle line:90% 64% of the area of the country. 00:58:12.580 --> 00:58:15.540 align:middle line:84% And in 1934, it had 4% of the population. 00:58:15.540 --> 00:58:21.180 align:middle line:84% And this is, in 2015, it had 6% of the population. 00:58:21.180 --> 00:58:23.260 align:middle line:84% So this is actually something that 00:58:23.260 --> 00:58:25.340 align:middle line:90% hasn't changed all that much. 00:58:25.340 --> 00:58:28.400 align:middle line:84% Most Chinese people live in the red zone. 00:58:28.400 --> 00:58:31.820 align:middle line:84% They live in this area, this very high density 00:58:31.820 --> 00:58:33.400 align:middle line:90% area, the big cities. 00:58:33.400 --> 00:58:34.900 align:middle line:84% A city with 2 million people doesn't 00:58:34.900 --> 00:58:36.380 align:middle line:90% count as anything in China. 00:58:36.380 --> 00:58:37.380 align:middle line:90% This is all that. 00:58:37.380 --> 00:58:40.800 align:middle line:84% Over here, Tibet, Xinjiang, lots of land, not so many people. 00:58:40.800 --> 00:58:44.280 align:middle line:90% So that's a big way to do it. 00:58:44.280 --> 00:58:47.600 align:middle line:84% So I was going to do-- let me just say pronunciation. 00:58:47.600 --> 00:58:48.760 align:middle line:90% Should I say this? 00:58:48.760 --> 00:58:51.620 align:middle line:84% Let me do it really, really quickly so that you know-- 00:58:51.620 --> 00:58:53.980 align:middle line:84% I know many of you probably know Chinese. 00:58:53.980 --> 00:58:55.600 align:middle line:90% Many of you speak Chinese. 00:58:55.600 --> 00:58:57.700 align:middle line:90% You know Chinese is tonal. 00:58:57.700 --> 00:58:59.300 align:middle line:84% That means that it's very hard to be 00:58:59.300 --> 00:59:02.270 align:middle line:84% a beginner in this language because you're constantly 00:59:02.270 --> 00:59:04.030 align:middle line:90% asking for-- 00:59:04.030 --> 00:59:06.610 align:middle line:84% you're constantly saying, horse, I miss you, 00:59:06.610 --> 00:59:08.030 align:middle line:90% but it's really your mom. 00:59:08.030 --> 00:59:10.750 align:middle line:84% There's all these-- it's tricky when 00:59:10.750 --> 00:59:14.130 align:middle line:84% you're getting into it because the tone makes the difference. 00:59:14.130 --> 00:59:18.550 align:middle line:84% Just realize that, maybe just going through a few things here, 00:59:18.550 --> 00:59:23.090 align:middle line:84% the Z and the Z-H, Z-H is like a hard-- 00:59:23.090 --> 00:59:28.510 align:middle line:84% but these are words that I encounter in research. 00:59:28.510 --> 00:59:37.230 align:middle line:84% Xia-- X, you see X. It's like an S-H, xia, bixia, something 00:59:37.230 --> 00:59:38.010 align:middle line:90% like this. 00:59:38.010 --> 00:59:42.130 align:middle line:84% So just know, this is how the pronunciation works. 00:59:42.130 --> 00:59:44.510 align:middle line:90% What do I got? 00:59:44.510 --> 00:59:47.170 align:middle line:84% Let's start talking about China's geography. 00:59:47.170 --> 00:59:48.830 align:middle line:90% We got 20 minutes left. 00:59:48.830 --> 00:59:50.290 align:middle line:90% Cover the country. 00:59:50.290 --> 00:59:54.670 align:middle line:84% I'm going to start purely, for no apparent reason, 00:59:54.670 --> 00:59:56.370 align:middle line:90% in Sichuan province. 00:59:56.370 --> 01:00:00.890 align:middle line:84% It's just because this is what my PowerPoint told me to do. 01:00:00.890 --> 01:00:03.670 align:middle line:84% I opened it up, and I was like, we got to start somewhere. 01:00:03.670 --> 01:00:05.250 align:middle line:90% Let's start over there. 01:00:05.250 --> 01:00:08.810 align:middle line:84% You have probably encountered Sichuan province before. 01:00:08.810 --> 01:00:11.650 align:middle line:84% It's actually a pretty famous province. 01:00:11.650 --> 01:00:13.390 align:middle line:84% Compared to other Chinese provinces, 01:00:13.390 --> 01:00:16.290 align:middle line:84% it's got a lot of international cachet, in part 01:00:16.290 --> 01:00:19.010 align:middle line:84% because look at all the Sichuan restaurants all 01:00:19.010 --> 01:00:20.950 align:middle line:90% over the Cambridge Boston area. 01:00:20.950 --> 01:00:24.810 align:middle line:84% When Chinese food traveled, Sichuan, Shanghai 01:00:24.810 --> 01:00:29.070 align:middle line:84% was a kind of cuisine that just traveled. 01:00:29.070 --> 01:00:32.090 align:middle line:84% A lot of times, the restaurants are not owned or operated 01:00:32.090 --> 01:00:33.870 align:middle line:90% by people from Sichuan. 01:00:33.870 --> 01:00:35.990 align:middle line:84% But they just created Sichuan restaurant. 01:00:35.990 --> 01:00:37.010 align:middle line:90% I don't know why. 01:00:37.010 --> 01:00:38.430 align:middle line:90% But it was like, there it is. 01:00:38.430 --> 01:00:41.070 align:middle line:90% You also sometimes see Szechuan. 01:00:41.070 --> 01:00:43.870 align:middle line:84% That's, again, that older transliteration system. 01:00:43.870 --> 01:00:46.410 align:middle line:84% Same thing, it refers to that province. 01:00:46.410 --> 01:00:48.610 align:middle line:90% There it is in Western China. 01:00:48.610 --> 01:00:51.630 align:middle line:84% Sichuan is famous for spicy food. 01:00:51.630 --> 01:00:55.050 align:middle line:84% A lot of parts of China today have spicy food, to be frank. 01:00:55.050 --> 01:00:57.250 align:middle line:90% It's also famous for hot pot. 01:00:57.250 --> 01:01:00.500 align:middle line:84% Sichuan is where hot pot, Chongqing. 01:01:00.500 --> 01:01:04.260 align:middle line:84% Now, again, I'm sort of biased here. 01:01:04.260 --> 01:01:06.820 align:middle line:84% Because I'm a historian of the Imperial period, 01:01:06.820 --> 01:01:09.980 align:middle line:84% I take Chongqing and Sichuan together. 01:01:09.980 --> 01:01:12.060 align:middle line:90% Culturally, they are together. 01:01:12.060 --> 01:01:16.280 align:middle line:84% They all speak a very similar kind of Mandarin dialect. 01:01:16.280 --> 01:01:21.920 align:middle line:84% But Chongqing was siphoned off from Sichuan in the 1990s. 01:01:21.920 --> 01:01:24.340 align:middle line:90% And now, it's its own-- 01:01:24.340 --> 01:01:27.600 align:middle line:84% it's a separate political entity today. 01:01:27.600 --> 01:01:30.860 align:middle line:84% But you can see Chongqing and Sichuan, culturally, they're-- 01:01:30.860 --> 01:01:33.600 align:middle line:84% this is Chongqing right here, right there. 01:01:33.600 --> 01:01:36.360 align:middle line:90% It's also home to-- 01:01:36.360 --> 01:01:38.180 align:middle line:84% let me just say one thing about hot pot. 01:01:38.180 --> 01:01:42.540 align:middle line:84% The problem, I feel, about talking about Chinese food today 01:01:42.540 --> 01:01:47.140 align:middle line:84% is that now, China has become so flattened. 01:01:47.140 --> 01:01:48.680 align:middle line:84% And in a sense, it's a good thing. 01:01:48.680 --> 01:01:50.520 align:middle line:84% It's part of the progress of the country. 01:01:50.520 --> 01:01:52.400 align:middle line:84% It's part of the wealth of the country. 01:01:52.400 --> 01:01:54.900 align:middle line:84% But now, every place has hot pot. 01:01:54.900 --> 01:01:56.600 align:middle line:84% It's not like you're going to go, 01:01:56.600 --> 01:01:58.300 align:middle line:90% and oh, I got to go to Sichuan. 01:01:58.300 --> 01:01:59.500 align:middle line:90% I got to go try the hotpot. 01:01:59.500 --> 01:02:02.640 align:middle line:84% It's like you're going to get hot pot in Kunming and Yunnan. 01:02:02.640 --> 01:02:04.920 align:middle line:84% You're going to get hot pot in Beijing, whatever. 01:02:04.920 --> 01:02:06.700 align:middle line:84% I realize they have a Beijing hot pot. 01:02:06.700 --> 01:02:07.900 align:middle line:90% It's different, I get it. 01:02:07.900 --> 01:02:11.260 align:middle line:84% But the point is, nowadays, if you're in a provincial capital, 01:02:11.260 --> 01:02:14.740 align:middle line:84% you can pretty much get the food of all the other parts of China. 01:02:14.740 --> 01:02:16.320 align:middle line:90% It might not be good. 01:02:16.320 --> 01:02:17.620 align:middle line:90% But they will have it. 01:02:17.620 --> 01:02:21.920 align:middle line:84% So it's kind of like Mexican in the US. 01:02:21.920 --> 01:02:24.400 align:middle line:90% Massachusetts has it. 01:02:24.400 --> 01:02:27.320 align:middle line:84% If you want to eat it, they have it. 01:02:27.320 --> 01:02:28.580 align:middle line:90% Is it as good as Arizona? 01:02:28.580 --> 01:02:29.160 align:middle line:90% I don't know. 01:02:29.160 --> 01:02:31.080 align:middle line:90% But you get what I'm saying. 01:02:31.080 --> 01:02:36.200 align:middle line:84% So it's also home the panda, Sichuan's most famous export, 01:02:36.200 --> 01:02:39.860 align:middle line:90% besides the peppercorns. 01:02:39.860 --> 01:02:43.120 align:middle line:84% And the panda, we talk a lot about the panda. 01:02:43.120 --> 01:02:45.360 align:middle line:84% Just realize something about the panda. 01:02:45.360 --> 01:02:49.300 align:middle line:84% Just realize it is not important in Chinese history. 01:02:49.300 --> 01:02:53.000 align:middle line:84% I'm not breaking any hearts here. 01:02:53.000 --> 01:02:56.770 align:middle line:84% It's a very, very lovable vegetarian bear. 01:02:56.770 --> 01:02:59.850 align:middle line:84% It fits so well with so many of the aesthetics 01:02:59.850 --> 01:03:02.030 align:middle line:90% of modernity in so many ways. 01:03:02.030 --> 01:03:07.370 align:middle line:84% It is sort of friendly, vegetarian, and a bear. 01:03:07.370 --> 01:03:10.130 align:middle line:90% How do you get that combination? 01:03:10.130 --> 01:03:13.150 align:middle line:90% It's like evolution. 01:03:13.150 --> 01:03:15.130 align:middle line:90% It is actually a bear. 01:03:15.130 --> 01:03:18.330 align:middle line:84% So it is related to the Russian brown bear 01:03:18.330 --> 01:03:19.850 align:middle line:90% and all of that stuff. 01:03:19.850 --> 01:03:21.370 align:middle line:90% How did this happen? 01:03:21.370 --> 01:03:25.170 align:middle line:84% Well, I don't know how many years ago, a bear 01:03:25.170 --> 01:03:28.270 align:middle line:84% moved to Sichuan, and said, I like it, and then just said, 01:03:28.270 --> 01:03:30.970 align:middle line:84% I'm just going to eat bamboo all the time. 01:03:30.970 --> 01:03:35.650 align:middle line:84% And so basically, you ended up with that. 01:03:35.650 --> 01:03:40.450 align:middle line:84% The panda became a symbol in, actually, really, 01:03:40.450 --> 01:03:44.570 align:middle line:84% the Communist era because the panda was not associated 01:03:44.570 --> 01:03:46.610 align:middle line:90% with imperial symbols. 01:03:46.610 --> 01:03:49.530 align:middle line:84% The dragon is an Imperial symbol. 01:03:49.530 --> 01:03:52.010 align:middle line:84% The tiger is a very ancient symbol. 01:03:52.010 --> 01:03:54.330 align:middle line:84% The elephant even is an ancient symbol. 01:03:54.330 --> 01:03:55.747 align:middle line:84% All of these things are fair game. 01:03:55.747 --> 01:03:57.288 align:middle line:84% You can see them in Imperial history. 01:03:57.288 --> 01:03:58.870 align:middle line:84% You can see them in ancient history. 01:03:58.870 --> 01:04:00.650 align:middle line:84% But nobody talked about the panda. 01:04:00.650 --> 01:04:02.590 align:middle line:84% Nobody was impressed by the panda. 01:04:02.590 --> 01:04:05.080 align:middle line:84% But then that's why, perfect, we're 01:04:05.080 --> 01:04:06.330 align:middle line:90% having a Communist revolution. 01:04:06.330 --> 01:04:07.810 align:middle line:90% We're throwing out all the old. 01:04:07.810 --> 01:04:09.550 align:middle line:90% We got a new animal right here. 01:04:09.550 --> 01:04:10.450 align:middle line:90% It's the panda. 01:04:10.450 --> 01:04:11.170 align:middle line:90% And it worked. 01:04:11.170 --> 01:04:12.420 align:middle line:90% You just got to say it worked. 01:04:12.420 --> 01:04:13.770 align:middle line:90% It was incredible marketing. 01:04:13.770 --> 01:04:15.950 align:middle line:84% And now, it's on the World Wildlife 01:04:15.950 --> 01:04:18.670 align:middle line:84% Foundation's-- it's their emblem. 01:04:18.670 --> 01:04:21.190 align:middle line:84% It's the most famous bear in the world, let's face it. 01:04:21.190 --> 01:04:23.410 align:middle line:84% And then the other thing is with Sichuan, 01:04:23.410 --> 01:04:26.270 align:middle line:84% you get this great culture of tea houses that go back 01:04:26.270 --> 01:04:27.370 align:middle line:90% to the 20th century. 01:04:27.370 --> 01:04:30.830 align:middle line:84% Sichuan also had a great number of mafias. 01:04:30.830 --> 01:04:33.250 align:middle line:84% We could talk about mafias in China. 01:04:33.250 --> 01:04:35.470 align:middle line:90% The South was loaded with them. 01:04:35.470 --> 01:04:37.290 align:middle line:84% And they would hang out in the tea houses. 01:04:37.290 --> 01:04:38.510 align:middle line:84% And there were so many interesting things 01:04:38.510 --> 01:04:39.450 align:middle line:90% that happened there. 01:04:39.450 --> 01:04:40.732 align:middle line:90% It's got a great lifestyle. 01:04:40.732 --> 01:04:42.690 align:middle line:84% The way that people talk about life in Sichuan, 01:04:42.690 --> 01:04:44.610 align:middle line:84% they say it's "[CHINESE] hen an yi." 01:04:44.610 --> 01:04:46.690 align:middle line:90% It's easygoing, an easy life. 01:04:46.690 --> 01:04:48.190 align:middle line:90% There's even this expression. 01:04:48.190 --> 01:04:49.910 align:middle line:84% "When you're young, don't go to Sichuan. 01:04:49.910 --> 01:04:52.200 align:middle line:84% When you're old, don't leave it." 01:04:52.200 --> 01:04:57.320 align:middle line:84% There's expressions in China for everything that give you advice. 01:04:57.320 --> 01:04:58.860 align:middle line:84% And this is one of those advices. 01:04:58.860 --> 01:05:01.900 align:middle line:84% So I didn't listen to this expression. 01:05:01.900 --> 01:05:02.600 align:middle line:90% I went. 01:05:02.600 --> 01:05:04.620 align:middle line:84% And you can see, what am I doing now? 01:05:04.620 --> 01:05:07.760 align:middle line:90% So it continued. 01:05:07.760 --> 01:05:11.760 align:middle line:84% One interesting thing about Sichuan is that it is a basin. 01:05:11.760 --> 01:05:13.820 align:middle line:90% It is a geological basin. 01:05:13.820 --> 01:05:16.800 align:middle line:84% What that means is that it is surrounded on, 01:05:16.800 --> 01:05:20.160 align:middle line:90% basically, all sides. 01:05:20.160 --> 01:05:24.500 align:middle line:84% To get into Sichuan is difficult. To get out, 01:05:24.500 --> 01:05:26.920 align:middle line:84% there is one really easy way to get out, which 01:05:26.920 --> 01:05:28.540 align:middle line:90% is through the Yangtze River. 01:05:28.540 --> 01:05:30.700 align:middle line:84% But it only flows in one direction. 01:05:30.700 --> 01:05:33.180 align:middle line:84% So you can send rice out of Sichuan. 01:05:33.180 --> 01:05:34.940 align:middle line:84% You can send people out of Sichuan. 01:05:34.940 --> 01:05:37.640 align:middle line:84% But getting into Sichuan is rather difficult. 01:05:37.640 --> 01:05:40.720 align:middle line:84% That is actually why, across Chinese history, 01:05:40.720 --> 01:05:43.280 align:middle line:90% it's been a place to flee to. 01:05:43.280 --> 01:05:44.880 align:middle line:84% So during the Tang dynasty, we're 01:05:44.880 --> 01:05:48.000 align:middle line:84% going to have a really, really big rebellion, called the An 01:05:48.000 --> 01:05:49.200 align:middle line:90% Lushan Rebellion. 01:05:49.200 --> 01:05:52.240 align:middle line:84% It's one of the most famous, devastating civil wars, 01:05:52.240 --> 01:05:53.780 align:middle line:90% rebellions, of Chinese history. 01:05:53.780 --> 01:05:56.518 align:middle line:90% The emperor will go from Xi'an. 01:05:56.518 --> 01:05:57.560 align:middle line:90% He will go from Chang'an. 01:05:57.560 --> 01:05:58.160 align:middle line:90% Don't worry. 01:05:58.160 --> 01:05:59.640 align:middle line:84% You will memorize all these places. 01:05:59.640 --> 01:06:01.182 align:middle line:84% You will know what I'm talking about. 01:06:01.182 --> 01:06:03.840 align:middle line:90% And he will flee into Sichuan. 01:06:03.840 --> 01:06:06.820 align:middle line:84% And actually, this actually happened in the 20th century 01:06:06.820 --> 01:06:07.680 align:middle line:90% as well. 01:06:07.680 --> 01:06:09.460 align:middle line:90% Some of you will know this. 01:06:09.460 --> 01:06:12.380 align:middle line:84% Chiang Kai-Shek's government, Jiang Jieshi's government, when 01:06:12.380 --> 01:06:16.360 align:middle line:84% Japan invaded from the east, and Nanjing fell, 01:06:16.360 --> 01:06:18.580 align:middle line:84% the government basically had to move to the West, 01:06:18.580 --> 01:06:20.980 align:middle line:84% and it moved to Chongqing, which is, again, 01:06:20.980 --> 01:06:23.240 align:middle line:90% basically the Sichuan region. 01:06:23.240 --> 01:06:26.660 align:middle line:84% So that's where they held out for the war, more or less. 01:06:26.660 --> 01:06:32.098 align:middle line:84% So just realize this is a big part of the geography of Sichuan 01:06:32.098 --> 01:06:33.640 align:middle line:84% that gives it its interesting flavor. 01:06:33.640 --> 01:06:35.473 align:middle line:84% This is another expression that I love here. 01:06:35.473 --> 01:06:37.600 align:middle line:84% "When China has yet to fall into chaos, 01:06:37.600 --> 01:06:39.360 align:middle line:90% Sichuan is the first to fall. 01:06:39.360 --> 01:06:41.160 align:middle line:84% When China has yet to been pacified, 01:06:41.160 --> 01:06:42.940 align:middle line:84% Sichuan has yet to been pacified," again, 01:06:42.940 --> 01:06:45.200 align:middle line:90% because it's hard to get to. 01:06:45.200 --> 01:06:47.670 align:middle line:84% So that gives it a unique culture in a way, 01:06:47.670 --> 01:06:49.070 align:middle line:90% really interesting. 01:06:49.070 --> 01:06:51.270 align:middle line:84% Now, we continue on with our tour, 01:06:51.270 --> 01:06:53.570 align:middle line:84% and let's go-- we're going to go from Sichuan. 01:06:53.570 --> 01:06:55.710 align:middle line:84% You can see where Sichuan is right here. 01:06:55.710 --> 01:06:56.950 align:middle line:90% That's Chongqing. 01:06:56.950 --> 01:06:58.770 align:middle line:84% Now, we're going to go to the Northeast. 01:06:58.770 --> 01:07:00.570 align:middle line:84% We're going to go to Shaanxi province. 01:07:00.570 --> 01:07:03.242 align:middle line:84% Now Shaanxi province is, if you love history, 01:07:03.242 --> 01:07:04.950 align:middle line:84% you take this class, this is the province 01:07:04.950 --> 01:07:06.190 align:middle line:90% you really got to go to. 01:07:06.190 --> 01:07:08.010 align:middle line:90% It's loaded with history. 01:07:08.010 --> 01:07:10.110 align:middle line:84% You basically cross the Qinling Mountains 01:07:10.110 --> 01:07:12.290 align:middle line:84% down here in the Southern part of the province. 01:07:12.290 --> 01:07:13.715 align:middle line:90% You get right up here. 01:07:13.715 --> 01:07:15.090 align:middle line:84% It's called the Guanzhong Region. 01:07:15.090 --> 01:07:19.670 align:middle line:84% Don't worry about it, but Xi'an, Western Peace, literally-- 01:07:19.670 --> 01:07:22.670 align:middle line:84% or Chang'an was it's older medieval name-- 01:07:22.670 --> 01:07:24.350 align:middle line:84% that's the capital of the province. 01:07:24.350 --> 01:07:26.310 align:middle line:84% That tower that you see right there, 01:07:26.310 --> 01:07:28.890 align:middle line:84% that was built a very long time ago. 01:07:28.890 --> 01:07:30.690 align:middle line:84% That was built in the medieval period. 01:07:30.690 --> 01:07:32.870 align:middle line:84% It is not very common across China 01:07:32.870 --> 01:07:35.150 align:middle line:90% to see towers that are that old. 01:07:35.150 --> 01:07:38.010 align:middle line:84% It's an incredibly impressive piece of architecture. 01:07:38.010 --> 01:07:40.330 align:middle line:84% You probably know this place because, of course, 01:07:40.330 --> 01:07:43.870 align:middle line:84% the Terracotta Warriors are here, more or less. 01:07:43.870 --> 01:07:46.470 align:middle line:84% This is where you would go if you're going to go see them. 01:07:46.470 --> 01:07:48.310 align:middle line:84% And that's certainly something to go see. 01:07:48.310 --> 01:07:51.590 align:middle line:84% We, of course, will cover them in probably a few weeks. 01:07:51.590 --> 01:07:53.490 align:middle line:90% So we will cover all of this. 01:07:53.490 --> 01:07:58.050 align:middle line:84% Let's talk a little bit about local food, again, the caveat 01:07:58.050 --> 01:08:01.830 align:middle line:84% being, nowadays in Xi'an, you can get whatever fish you want. 01:08:01.830 --> 01:08:03.750 align:middle line:90% You can get hot pot, whatever. 01:08:03.750 --> 01:08:06.030 align:middle line:90% So again, it's all flattened. 01:08:06.030 --> 01:08:08.410 align:middle line:84% But there are still local tastes. 01:08:08.410 --> 01:08:10.390 align:middle line:84% And there are still local specialties. 01:08:10.390 --> 01:08:12.510 align:middle line:84% Northerners, in general, eat wheat. 01:08:12.510 --> 01:08:16.430 align:middle line:90% They eat not as rice heavy. 01:08:16.430 --> 01:08:18.630 align:middle line:84% So that's a noodle-eating culture. 01:08:18.630 --> 01:08:21.290 align:middle line:84% Most of North China eats noodles. 01:08:21.290 --> 01:08:25.170 align:middle line:84% And Xi'an is famous for its all different types of noodles 01:08:25.170 --> 01:08:26.729 align:middle line:90% and noodle type dishes. 01:08:26.729 --> 01:08:29.930 align:middle line:84% This is a saozi mian, a Qishan saozi mian. 01:08:29.930 --> 01:08:33.250 align:middle line:90% So saozi mian is from a county. 01:08:33.250 --> 01:08:34.350 align:middle line:90% It's very nice. 01:08:34.350 --> 01:08:35.637 align:middle line:90% It's got a vinegar taste. 01:08:35.637 --> 01:08:36.470 align:middle line:90% It's a little spicy. 01:08:36.470 --> 01:08:37.490 align:middle line:90% It's a noodle dish. 01:08:37.490 --> 01:08:41.050 align:middle line:84% This is-- does anybody know what this? 01:08:41.050 --> 01:08:42.550 align:middle line:90% Yeah, paomo, yangrou paomo. 01:08:42.550 --> 01:08:45.300 align:middle line:90% This is a lamb. 01:08:45.300 --> 01:08:47.180 align:middle line:90% It looks like a naan bread. 01:08:47.180 --> 01:08:52.380 align:middle line:84% And you destroy your hands by cutting it up 01:08:52.380 --> 01:08:54.279 align:middle line:90% into a million little pieces. 01:08:54.279 --> 01:08:56.560 align:middle line:84% And then they pour a soup in it with lamb. 01:08:56.560 --> 01:08:57.479 align:middle line:90% It's delicious. 01:08:57.479 --> 01:08:59.140 align:middle line:90% It's super heavy. 01:08:59.140 --> 01:09:01.220 align:middle line:84% So when you eat this, you don't eat anything else 01:09:01.220 --> 01:09:02.399 align:middle line:90% for the rest of the day. 01:09:02.399 --> 01:09:04.920 align:middle line:90% So it's fun. 01:09:04.920 --> 01:09:06.520 align:middle line:90% It's really good. 01:09:06.520 --> 01:09:09.151 align:middle line:84% Now, let me just tell you, when you're learning Chinese history 01:09:09.151 --> 01:09:11.359 align:middle line:84% for the first time, you're learning Chinese geography 01:09:11.359 --> 01:09:14.859 align:middle line:84% for the first time, you will say, how is this true? 01:09:14.859 --> 01:09:16.660 align:middle line:90% This is totally not fair. 01:09:16.660 --> 01:09:19.740 align:middle line:84% The province right next to Shaanxi province 01:09:19.740 --> 01:09:23.140 align:middle line:90% is called Shanxi province. 01:09:23.140 --> 01:09:24.740 align:middle line:90% Are you kidding me? 01:09:24.740 --> 01:09:27.520 align:middle line:84% You say, couldn't they put it in another place? 01:09:27.520 --> 01:09:29.937 align:middle line:84% Yeah, listen, you just got to learn it. 01:09:29.937 --> 01:09:30.979 align:middle line:90% You just got to learn it. 01:09:30.979 --> 01:09:34.020 align:middle line:84% In English, this will be transliterated. 01:09:34.020 --> 01:09:36.040 align:middle line:84% The one that I was talking about, 01:09:36.040 --> 01:09:38.899 align:middle line:84% the ancient capital with the Terracotta Warriors and all that 01:09:38.899 --> 01:09:41.180 align:middle line:90% stuff, two A's. 01:09:41.180 --> 01:09:43.960 align:middle line:84% There will always be two A's, Shaanxi. 01:09:43.960 --> 01:09:45.700 align:middle line:90% It's in the third tone. 01:09:45.700 --> 01:09:46.840 align:middle line:90% It's another tone. 01:09:46.840 --> 01:09:49.460 align:middle line:84% If you come over to this one, you go east, 01:09:49.460 --> 01:09:53.439 align:middle line:84% it's the first tone, one A, Shanxi. 01:09:53.439 --> 01:09:57.240 align:middle line:84% So for a Chinese person, these don't sound alike. 01:09:57.240 --> 01:10:00.100 align:middle line:84% But when you're in the US, and you're like, what's going on? 01:10:00.100 --> 01:10:01.300 align:middle line:90% You're like, seriously? 01:10:01.300 --> 01:10:02.460 align:middle line:90% I have to learn this. 01:10:02.460 --> 01:10:03.620 align:middle line:90% Yes, you have to learn it. 01:10:03.620 --> 01:10:05.220 align:middle line:90% So not the same. 01:10:05.220 --> 01:10:08.920 align:middle line:84% It actually will make it easy for the geography quiz 01:10:08.920 --> 01:10:12.000 align:middle line:84% because you'll know that approximately in this area, 01:10:12.000 --> 01:10:14.760 align:middle line:84% there's a place and it's approximately spelled 01:10:14.760 --> 01:10:16.000 align:middle line:90% the same way. 01:10:16.000 --> 01:10:17.780 align:middle line:84% Shanxi Province, really great place, 01:10:17.780 --> 01:10:20.860 align:middle line:84% lots of interesting stuff, lots of great Taoist temples, 01:10:20.860 --> 01:10:23.940 align:middle line:84% old temples to visit, also noodles. 01:10:23.940 --> 01:10:26.060 align:middle line:84% Dao xiao mian I believe is from here. 01:10:26.060 --> 01:10:27.660 align:middle line:90% This is a knife-cut noodle. 01:10:27.660 --> 01:10:30.287 align:middle line:90% It's famous from this region. 01:10:30.287 --> 01:10:31.620 align:middle line:90% The hanging temple's over there. 01:10:31.620 --> 01:10:32.840 align:middle line:90% That's really fun. 01:10:32.840 --> 01:10:35.540 align:middle line:90% Continue on-- let's go. 01:10:35.540 --> 01:10:37.000 align:middle line:90% I think our next one-- 01:10:37.000 --> 01:10:37.720 align:middle line:90% let's go. 01:10:37.720 --> 01:10:38.520 align:middle line:90% That's coming. 01:10:38.520 --> 01:10:41.530 align:middle line:84% Beijing, the Imperial capital, Beijing-- so 01:10:41.530 --> 01:10:44.650 align:middle line:84% if you look over here, we went from Sichuan, 01:10:44.650 --> 01:10:46.690 align:middle line:84% and we're going to the Northeast, 01:10:46.690 --> 01:10:48.590 align:middle line:90% we went through Shaanxi. 01:10:48.590 --> 01:10:49.750 align:middle line:90% We went through Shanxi. 01:10:49.750 --> 01:10:51.610 align:middle line:90% I cut through Heibei. 01:10:51.610 --> 01:10:54.390 align:middle line:84% And then now, we're here in Beijing. 01:10:54.390 --> 01:10:56.040 align:middle line:84% How many of you have been to Beijing? 01:10:56.040 --> 01:10:56.790 align:middle line:90% You've been there. 01:10:56.790 --> 01:10:57.310 align:middle line:90% You've been there. 01:10:57.310 --> 01:10:57.990 align:middle line:90% You've been there. 01:10:57.990 --> 01:10:58.550 align:middle line:90% How was it? 01:10:58.550 --> 01:10:59.630 align:middle line:90% What do you remember? 01:10:59.630 --> 01:11:01.610 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: It was kind of smoggy. 01:11:01.610 --> 01:11:04.090 align:middle line:84% TRISTAN BROWN: It was kind of smoggy. 01:11:04.090 --> 01:11:06.101 align:middle line:90% What do you remember? 01:11:06.101 --> 01:11:08.593 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: The palace. 01:11:08.593 --> 01:11:10.510 align:middle line:84% TRISTAN BROWN: Yeah, the palace is incredible. 01:11:10.510 --> 01:11:11.430 align:middle line:90% Yeah. 01:11:11.430 --> 01:11:12.870 align:middle line:90% What else do I remember? 01:11:12.870 --> 01:11:14.230 align:middle line:90% The weather is terrible. 01:11:14.230 --> 01:11:18.330 align:middle line:84% Look, you just gotta say, the weather, it's hot. 01:11:18.330 --> 01:11:20.370 align:middle line:84% And then all of a sudden, it rains. 01:11:20.370 --> 01:11:22.150 align:middle line:90% And it's not a nice rain. 01:11:22.150 --> 01:11:23.527 align:middle line:90% It's a killer rain. 01:11:23.527 --> 01:11:25.610 align:middle line:84% And it's like, I don't have an umbrella big enough 01:11:25.610 --> 01:11:26.690 align:middle line:90% to handle this. 01:11:26.690 --> 01:11:29.002 align:middle line:84% And then there's tons of traffic. 01:11:29.002 --> 01:11:30.710 align:middle line:84% I realized, just being there this summer, 01:11:30.710 --> 01:11:33.690 align:middle line:84% even though all the cars, many cars are now electric, 01:11:33.690 --> 01:11:35.710 align:middle line:84% and there's great public transit everywhere, 01:11:35.710 --> 01:11:38.123 align:middle line:84% the traffic in Beijing is still really bad. 01:11:38.123 --> 01:11:39.790 align:middle line:84% So it's like whenever we were like, I'll 01:11:39.790 --> 01:11:43.650 align:middle line:84% be there in a half hour, it's like, no, just say an hour. 01:11:43.650 --> 01:11:46.150 align:middle line:84% But it's loaded with historical sites. 01:11:46.150 --> 01:11:47.410 align:middle line:90% It's an incredible place. 01:11:47.410 --> 01:11:49.790 align:middle line:84% I've been there probably a dozen times in my life, 01:11:49.790 --> 01:11:50.830 align:middle line:90% over the years. 01:11:50.830 --> 01:11:53.270 align:middle line:90% And you don't see everything. 01:11:53.270 --> 01:11:55.830 align:middle line:84% You can always go back and see something new there. 01:11:55.830 --> 01:11:57.770 align:middle line:90% So it's really, really fun. 01:11:57.770 --> 01:12:01.110 align:middle line:84% Of course, many people who go to see the Great Wall 01:12:01.110 --> 01:12:03.210 align:middle line:90% will go to Beijing to see it. 01:12:03.210 --> 01:12:05.490 align:middle line:84% You actually don't need to be in Beijing to see it. 01:12:05.490 --> 01:12:07.970 align:middle line:84% There's Great Wall in Gansu Province out West. 01:12:07.970 --> 01:12:09.850 align:middle line:84% There's Great Wall in other provinces. 01:12:09.850 --> 01:12:12.070 align:middle line:84% But Beijing has the most famous ones. 01:12:12.070 --> 01:12:15.150 align:middle line:84% Like the panda, I just realized that this quote, unquote, 01:12:15.150 --> 01:12:18.470 align:middle line:84% "Great Wall" was oftentimes not very important. 01:12:18.470 --> 01:12:22.350 align:middle line:84% It was a little bit more important than the panda. 01:12:22.350 --> 01:12:25.510 align:middle line:84% It was important in certain periods of time in history. 01:12:25.510 --> 01:12:28.190 align:middle line:84% And other periods of time, just nobody cared. 01:12:28.190 --> 01:12:30.950 align:middle line:84% It just depended who was controlling Beijing at the time. 01:12:30.950 --> 01:12:32.170 align:middle line:90% We'll get into all of this. 01:12:32.170 --> 01:12:33.350 align:middle line:90% But just realize. 01:12:33.350 --> 01:12:35.840 align:middle line:90% I will say one thing here. 01:12:35.840 --> 01:12:37.860 align:middle line:84% I was going to say, I have a little video here 01:12:37.860 --> 01:12:39.720 align:middle line:90% I'll show you about Dongbei. 01:12:39.720 --> 01:12:41.822 align:middle line:84% Has anybody ever been to Dongbei? 01:12:41.822 --> 01:12:42.780 align:middle line:90% You've been to Dongbei? 01:12:42.780 --> 01:12:44.480 align:middle line:90% Why did you go to Dongbei? 01:12:44.480 --> 01:12:46.800 align:middle line:84% This is Northeast China, Manchuria. 01:12:46.800 --> 01:12:48.440 align:middle line:90% Where did you go? 01:12:48.440 --> 01:12:50.337 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: I was born there. 01:12:50.337 --> 01:12:51.420 align:middle line:90% TRISTAN BROWN: Oh, no way. 01:12:51.420 --> 01:12:52.753 align:middle line:90% You were born in Jilin province. 01:12:52.753 --> 01:12:53.340 align:middle line:90% Fantastic. 01:12:53.340 --> 01:12:53.840 align:middle line:90% Fantastic. 01:12:53.840 --> 01:12:54.340 align:middle line:90% Where else? 01:12:54.340 --> 01:12:54.980 align:middle line:90% You went there? 01:12:54.980 --> 01:12:56.168 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: I went skiing. 01:12:56.168 --> 01:12:57.460 align:middle line:90% TRISTAN BROWN: You went skiing? 01:12:57.460 --> 01:12:58.320 align:middle line:90% Oh, nice. 01:12:58.320 --> 01:12:58.900 align:middle line:90% Yeah. 01:12:58.900 --> 01:13:00.380 align:middle line:90% You went to Heilongjiang? 01:13:00.380 --> 01:13:01.487 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Yeah. 01:13:01.487 --> 01:13:02.320 align:middle line:90% TRISTAN BROWN: Nice. 01:13:02.320 --> 01:13:04.500 align:middle line:90% I was in Liaoning this summer. 01:13:04.500 --> 01:13:07.400 align:middle line:84% I had a very nice time, great historical place. 01:13:07.400 --> 01:13:11.440 align:middle line:84% I was going to say, so Dongbei is definitely unique. 01:13:11.440 --> 01:13:12.820 align:middle line:90% It's unique in a number of ways. 01:13:12.820 --> 01:13:15.780 align:middle line:84% So you will see, if you go up to Heilongjiang, 01:13:15.780 --> 01:13:19.280 align:middle line:84% one of the provinces, you go to Harbin, it's almost in Russia. 01:13:19.280 --> 01:13:22.360 align:middle line:84% And it does have some old Russian architecture 01:13:22.360 --> 01:13:23.260 align:middle line:90% that's around. 01:13:23.260 --> 01:13:25.720 align:middle line:90% It's very interesting to see. 01:13:25.720 --> 01:13:28.700 align:middle line:84% Manchuria is very important in the 20th century. 01:13:28.700 --> 01:13:30.300 align:middle line:84% You realize that during World War II, 01:13:30.300 --> 01:13:31.660 align:middle line:90% it's a big site of contention. 01:13:31.660 --> 01:13:34.900 align:middle line:84% Japan sets up a puppet government in Manchuria. 01:13:34.900 --> 01:13:37.800 align:middle line:84% I guess I would say-- what would I say about it? 01:13:37.800 --> 01:13:40.500 align:middle line:84% Just realize that, first of all-- 01:13:40.500 --> 01:13:43.060 align:middle line:84% and this is, again, one of those things-- 01:13:43.060 --> 01:13:45.980 align:middle line:84% I notice over the years that people in China 01:13:45.980 --> 01:13:50.540 align:middle line:84% today associate people from Dongbei with being very funny, 01:13:50.540 --> 01:13:51.680 align:middle line:90% with being humorous. 01:13:51.680 --> 01:13:53.800 align:middle line:90% And there's all of these folks. 01:13:53.800 --> 01:13:56.500 align:middle line:90% I'll just see if my video plays. 01:13:56.500 --> 01:14:00.620 align:middle line:84% You can watch these shows on Chinese TV. 01:14:00.620 --> 01:14:02.720 align:middle line:90% It's a humorous talk show. 01:14:02.720 --> 01:14:04.036 align:middle line:90% [VIDEO PLAYBACK] 01:14:04.036 --> 01:14:05.260 align:middle line:90% - [SPEAKING CHINESE] 01:14:05.260 --> 01:14:08.300 align:middle line:84% TRISTAN BROWN: So she's from Dongbei. 01:14:08.300 --> 01:14:10.000 align:middle line:90% She's got Dongbei accent. 01:14:10.000 --> 01:14:11.348 align:middle line:90% - [SPEAKING CHINESE] 01:14:11.348 --> 01:14:12.620 align:middle line:90% [END PLAYBACK] 01:14:12.620 --> 01:14:16.080 align:middle line:84% TRISTAN BROWN: And there's this kind of humor. 01:14:16.080 --> 01:14:17.920 align:middle line:84% And I don't know exactly how to describe it, 01:14:17.920 --> 01:14:20.420 align:middle line:84% but it's like people just think Dongbei people are funny. 01:14:20.420 --> 01:14:24.520 align:middle line:84% I don't know what-- is there a scientific basis of this? 01:14:24.520 --> 01:14:25.420 align:middle line:90% I don't know. 01:14:25.420 --> 01:14:28.620 align:middle line:84% But just realize that that's what people will say. 01:14:28.620 --> 01:14:30.035 align:middle line:90% Do you think it's true? 01:14:30.035 --> 01:14:30.660 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Yeah. 01:14:30.660 --> 01:14:31.490 align:middle line:84% TRISTAN BROWN: You think it's true? 01:14:31.490 --> 01:14:32.170 align:middle line:90% You think it's true? 01:14:32.170 --> 01:14:33.378 align:middle line:90% They're a little bit funnier. 01:14:33.378 --> 01:14:33.950 align:middle line:90% I don't know. 01:14:33.950 --> 01:14:36.730 align:middle line:84% Are there parts of America where you'd say, 01:14:36.730 --> 01:14:38.410 align:middle line:84% people from that state are just funny? 01:14:38.410 --> 01:14:39.812 align:middle line:90% Do we have that? 01:14:39.812 --> 01:14:40.770 align:middle line:90% Where are people funny? 01:14:40.770 --> 01:14:42.690 align:middle line:84% I don't think Massachusetts people are that funny. 01:14:42.690 --> 01:14:43.610 align:middle line:90% I'm going to be honest with you. 01:14:43.610 --> 01:14:44.550 align:middle line:90% I'm from here. 01:14:44.550 --> 01:14:46.645 align:middle line:90% Where people are funny? 01:14:46.645 --> 01:14:48.270 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: I feel like it's more that we 01:14:48.270 --> 01:14:51.875 align:middle line:90% know where people are jerks. 01:14:51.875 --> 01:14:52.750 align:middle line:90% TRISTAN BROWN: I see. 01:14:52.750 --> 01:14:54.030 align:middle line:90% Yeah, yeah, OK. 01:14:54.030 --> 01:14:55.190 align:middle line:90% Yeah, yeah. 01:14:55.190 --> 01:14:58.030 align:middle line:84% We know where people have attitude, yeah, yeah, 01:14:58.030 --> 01:14:59.430 align:middle line:90% attitude for sure, yeah. 01:14:59.430 --> 01:15:04.350 align:middle line:84% Yeah, humor, it's kind of an interesting question. 01:15:04.350 --> 01:15:05.190 align:middle line:90% Who's funny? 01:15:05.190 --> 01:15:06.210 align:middle line:90% Who's not? 01:15:06.210 --> 01:15:10.070 align:middle line:84% But this is one they just to throw in there. 01:15:10.070 --> 01:15:13.430 align:middle line:84% So continuing on, we don't have a ton of time left. 01:15:13.430 --> 01:15:17.750 align:middle line:84% If you go south from Dongbei from Northeastern China, 01:15:17.750 --> 01:15:21.510 align:middle line:84% in that area all around Beijing, basically the south of Beijing, 01:15:21.510 --> 01:15:23.830 align:middle line:84% mainly, you get to this North China Plain. 01:15:23.830 --> 01:15:25.310 align:middle line:90% And it's flat. 01:15:25.310 --> 01:15:28.110 align:middle line:90% This is a very, very old area. 01:15:28.110 --> 01:15:30.610 align:middle line:84% What I mean by that is, people have been farming here 01:15:30.610 --> 01:15:31.990 align:middle line:90% for thousands of years. 01:15:31.990 --> 01:15:36.330 align:middle line:84% Very, very early Chinese history is around here 01:15:36.330 --> 01:15:38.170 align:middle line:90% in a big, big way. 01:15:38.170 --> 01:15:42.410 align:middle line:84% And this is a fascinating place, because on the one hand, 01:15:42.410 --> 01:15:43.670 align:middle line:90% it's so important. 01:15:43.670 --> 01:15:47.130 align:middle line:84% It's near, at least, the capital in the later eras. 01:15:47.130 --> 01:15:51.130 align:middle line:84% It's also where the Yellow River, it 01:15:51.130 --> 01:15:53.070 align:middle line:90% gets to the North China Plain. 01:15:53.070 --> 01:15:55.650 align:middle line:84% And this is where the Yellow River gets really violent 01:15:55.650 --> 01:15:58.010 align:middle line:84% because the North China Plain is flat. 01:15:58.010 --> 01:16:00.970 align:middle line:84% So the Yellow River, every few hundred years, 01:16:00.970 --> 01:16:03.790 align:middle line:84% changes course across the North China Plain. 01:16:03.790 --> 01:16:07.090 align:middle line:84% And it's devastating floods, crop failures, 01:16:07.090 --> 01:16:08.330 align:middle line:90% and there's chaos. 01:16:08.330 --> 01:16:10.730 align:middle line:84% That's, in a way, one of the things you could say. 01:16:10.730 --> 01:16:12.650 align:middle line:84% This is, again, a generalization. 01:16:12.650 --> 01:16:16.290 align:middle line:84% Northerners have-- let's say, the state 01:16:16.290 --> 01:16:18.510 align:middle line:84% has been more interventionist in the North. 01:16:18.510 --> 01:16:21.410 align:middle line:84% The state kind of originates in the North, 01:16:21.410 --> 01:16:23.910 align:middle line:84% around, in some ways, the control of the Yellow River 01:16:23.910 --> 01:16:25.450 align:middle line:90% because you have to control it. 01:16:25.450 --> 01:16:30.160 align:middle line:84% In the South, very far, far away, it's less control, 01:16:30.160 --> 01:16:33.220 align:middle line:84% more laissez faire, more like "[CHINESE] tian gao huang di 01:16:33.220 --> 01:16:33.720 align:middle line:90% yuan." 01:16:33.720 --> 01:16:34.720 align:middle line:90% Heaven's high. 01:16:34.720 --> 01:16:35.820 align:middle line:90% The emperor is far away. 01:16:35.820 --> 01:16:39.008 align:middle line:90% It's a different relationship. 01:16:39.008 --> 01:16:41.300 align:middle line:84% This is one of the ways that you can think a little bit 01:16:41.300 --> 01:16:43.220 align:middle line:90% about South-North. 01:16:43.220 --> 01:16:45.720 align:middle line:84% Confucius is from the North China Plain. 01:16:45.720 --> 01:16:47.040 align:middle line:90% He's from Shandong province. 01:16:47.040 --> 01:16:48.640 align:middle line:90% We'll encounter him in a bit. 01:16:48.640 --> 01:16:51.620 align:middle line:84% A number of the big early Confucian philosophers 01:16:51.620 --> 01:16:53.380 align:middle line:90% are from this area. 01:16:53.380 --> 01:16:56.940 align:middle line:84% So it's got an association, you could 01:16:56.940 --> 01:17:02.580 align:middle line:84% say, with Confucianism and with ancient learning and with, 01:17:02.580 --> 01:17:05.520 align:middle line:84% again, the area around the late Imperial capitals, 01:17:05.520 --> 01:17:06.320 align:middle line:90% as I mentioned. 01:17:06.320 --> 01:17:08.740 align:middle line:84% But it's also a place you could say of, 01:17:08.740 --> 01:17:12.640 align:middle line:84% in sometimes, like lawlessness, in rebellions, 01:17:12.640 --> 01:17:14.500 align:middle line:90% that threaten the state. 01:17:14.500 --> 01:17:17.240 align:middle line:84% It's one of those big Chinese novels, 01:17:17.240 --> 01:17:19.080 align:middle line:90% Shui Hu Zhuan, Water Margin. 01:17:19.080 --> 01:17:21.080 align:middle line:84% We've already went over, my god, just one class, 01:17:21.080 --> 01:17:23.700 align:middle line:84% we went over three of the big novels today. 01:17:23.700 --> 01:17:26.040 align:middle line:84% This takes place, you could say, in this area. 01:17:26.040 --> 01:17:27.480 align:middle line:90% It's like outlaws. 01:17:27.480 --> 01:17:29.900 align:middle line:84% So it's a very interesting location. 01:17:29.900 --> 01:17:31.580 align:middle line:90% It's a very interesting place. 01:17:31.580 --> 01:17:32.700 align:middle line:90% Two minutes left-- 01:17:32.700 --> 01:17:35.680 align:middle line:84% By the way, I always use all of class time. 01:17:35.680 --> 01:17:37.500 align:middle line:84% I just keep talking, you know what I mean? 01:17:37.500 --> 01:17:39.620 align:middle line:84% I just can't shut up about this stuff. 01:17:39.620 --> 01:17:42.440 align:middle line:90% I apologize, but I just love it. 01:17:42.440 --> 01:17:45.880 align:middle line:84% One really, really, really, really, really fascinating thing 01:17:45.880 --> 01:17:48.520 align:middle line:84% that's important in dynastic Chinese history 01:17:48.520 --> 01:17:51.260 align:middle line:84% is this thing, North to South, the Grand Canal. 01:17:51.260 --> 01:17:54.400 align:middle line:84% This was like the superhighway of dynastic China. 01:17:54.400 --> 01:17:57.180 align:middle line:84% It is constructed, believe it or not-- you won't believe this. 01:17:57.180 --> 01:17:59.500 align:middle line:84% But it's like when I tell you this, it's like-- 01:17:59.500 --> 01:18:00.100 align:middle line:90% where is it? 01:18:00.100 --> 01:18:01.180 align:middle line:90% Oh, go back. 01:18:01.180 --> 01:18:02.360 align:middle line:90% Go back, please. 01:18:02.360 --> 01:18:03.140 align:middle line:90% Here we go. 01:18:03.140 --> 01:18:03.900 align:middle line:90% Where's my date? 01:18:03.900 --> 01:18:04.940 align:middle line:90% No, It doesn't there. 01:18:04.940 --> 01:18:05.488 align:middle line:90% Whatever. 01:18:05.488 --> 01:18:06.280 align:middle line:90% I'll just tell you. 01:18:06.280 --> 01:18:11.838 align:middle line:84% The origins of the Grand Canal go back to the seventh century. 01:18:11.838 --> 01:18:14.380 align:middle line:84% This is one of those things in China where you're like, what? 01:18:14.380 --> 01:18:14.880 align:middle line:90% Really? 01:18:14.880 --> 01:18:16.680 align:middle line:90% What do you mean? 01:18:16.680 --> 01:18:19.280 align:middle line:84% A canal was constructed in the seventh century 01:18:19.280 --> 01:18:22.940 align:middle line:84% and then remained being used until 100 years ago? 01:18:22.940 --> 01:18:23.990 align:middle line:90% Yes, basically. 01:18:23.990 --> 01:18:25.870 align:middle line:90% Yes. 01:18:25.870 --> 01:18:28.150 align:middle line:84% It didn't flow in exactly the same area. 01:18:28.150 --> 01:18:31.490 align:middle line:84% The origins of the Grand Canal were actually this one 01:18:31.490 --> 01:18:32.610 align:middle line:90% that you see here. 01:18:32.610 --> 01:18:35.970 align:middle line:84% It connected the Tang dynasty capital of Luoyang 01:18:35.970 --> 01:18:37.170 align:middle line:90% with the South. 01:18:37.170 --> 01:18:40.070 align:middle line:84% Then in later years, it got expanded. 01:18:40.070 --> 01:18:42.390 align:middle line:84% And eventually, in the later period, 01:18:42.390 --> 01:18:44.468 align:middle line:84% it basically connects Beijing in the South. 01:18:44.468 --> 01:18:46.010 align:middle line:84% That goes all the way down, you could 01:18:46.010 --> 01:18:50.190 align:middle line:84% say, to Nanjing, Hangzhou, that area, all the way from north. 01:18:50.190 --> 01:18:54.010 align:middle line:84% It's like you get on there, and you can go north-south. 01:18:54.010 --> 01:18:55.490 align:middle line:90% You can transport grain. 01:18:55.490 --> 01:18:58.070 align:middle line:84% The emperor can travel it, if he's going to the South. 01:18:58.070 --> 01:19:02.710 align:middle line:84% It's a super important way that the empire was connected. 01:19:02.710 --> 01:19:04.330 align:middle line:90% Today, there's high-speed rail. 01:19:04.330 --> 01:19:07.450 align:middle line:84% At that time, there was the Grand Canal. 01:19:07.450 --> 01:19:12.210 align:middle line:84% I realize we're out of time, so go home. 01:19:12.210 --> 01:19:13.930 align:middle line:90% Tell your friends. 01:19:13.930 --> 01:19:14.750 align:middle line:90% Tell your friends. 01:19:14.750 --> 01:19:15.552 align:middle line:90% Enjoy the weekend. 01:19:15.552 --> 01:19:16.510 align:middle line:90% I'll see you on Monday. 01:19:16.510 --> 01:19:20.360 align:middle line:84% We'll finish up our tour of China and continue onward. 01:19:20.360 --> 01:20:21.000 align:middle line:90%