This week I read a chapter in a book about the relationship between China and their neighbors. It made me think about how often we make generalizations about groups when there’s so much nuance to the situation. China as we know it now is actually a huge mix of many different cultures that can’t be covered by a single name.
The second reading also tied into this as it was about differences between the north and south of China. Seeing the differences was interesting as it got into some of that nuance that I was talking about. I liked seeing the cultural differences with accents, how people mourn, and how you address other people.
I also read the original Ballad of Mulan. I recognized the general story from the Disney version, but it was cool to see where it came from. It’s interesting to see both influence from the Xianbei and the Chinese through using both terms “Khan” and “Emperor.” It’s another example of how cultures are made up of many more nuanced influences coming together.
I also learned more about Zotero, a place to store citations and sources. It’ll definitely be helpful in the future and I did add to it. I added Everyday life in early Imperial China during the Han period 202 B.C.-A.D. 220 which was helpful for my show and tell.
Speaking of, I also did my show and tell on the government during the Han dynasty. It wasn’t as elaborate as I wanted, but I think it’s more substantial than my last show and tell so I’m happy about that.
Next week I’ll try to find something else to add to Zotero.
