“Follow Me” 跟我来: Chinese History, Language and Culture

Abstract

Chinese history, language, and culture often play small roles in middle and high school curricula. Incorporating these topics into the classroom is a challenge—particularly due to the lack of resources and material in English. China’s emergence as a dominant player in international relations, the global economy, and international business, and the spread of its culture, ideas, and politics cannot be ignored. Chinese studies is an incredibly complex discipline, especially when viewed from the West. As a result, it is imperative that our educational curriculum not neglect such a major player in global relations. Our project, “???, Follow Me,” produces seven, five-minute documentary films on Chinese history, language, and culture. This multi-disciplinary project brought together four students and two faculty from Bryant University who embarked on a three-week research trip, during the summer of 2011, to four Chinese cities: Beijing, Chengdu, Shenyang, and Wuhan. Three of the films focus on critical components of the Chinese War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression from 1931-1950. The first video examines the 9.18 (Mukden) Incident when Japan invaded Manchuria and established the puppet state of Manchukuo in northeast China. The second video describes the Japanese invasion of Beijing in 1937, known as the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, that resulted in the Japanese occupation of the eastern third of China. The third film provides an overview of Museum of the War of the Chinese People’s Resistance against Japanese Aggression. We will provide a brief, formal presentation about the project and then show two of the three historical films.