(Feb. 6 – Feb. 12)
Check you have done all the assignments for the end of Week 3! Then get started on this week.
This week you get a special treat, which I believe no student outside ‘Berg gets: an excerpt from a journal kept by a British tea trader in Canton on the eve of the Opium War. I photographed it myself in the University Library in Cambridge (UK) in the summer of 2018. I transcribed some sections for you, but you have access to all of the photographs I have in the original beautiful nineteenth-century hand.
As we move into the nineteenth century, the tone of Chinese history shifts dramatically, and you can easily see why many Chinese speak of the “century of humiliation”, from 1839 with the first Opium War, until 1949, with the Liberation (i.e. the founding of the People’s Republic of China under the Communist Party). However, that overlooks a lot of complexity and nuance, and only moves forward a teleological narrative (that is, all events lead inevitably to a single goal) leading to the triumphant founding of the PRC.
Nevertheless, it is clear that in the nineteenth century, the Qing state was in trouble. The origins of the crisis lay in the eighteenth century, as you read last week, and we can debate if the pressure of the West was simply an opportunistic move when the imperialist powers spotted a weakened state to exploit, or if it tipped the Qing into a series of crises. There is a lot more we can debate, of course…
Table of Contents
- Slides
- Readings and class details
- Assignments
- Extra Credit Tasks
- Where to Get Assistance?
Slides and class
- Feb. 8 [Zotero starting guide]
- Feb. 3: Opium wars
Readings and class details
Wednesday: Library session 1 –– Meeting in Trexler library B01
9.30am. Prepare before class:
- Please install Zotero and the connector before we meet. We recommend not signing up with your Muhlenberg email so you’ll maintain access to the group library after graduation too.
- Use Kelly’s handy tutorial, and if need be: consult the help pages for Installation and Quick Start guide. If it really doesn’t work, we will try to get you sorted during the session, or you can visit Kelly or Jess (Denke) in the library, they are pretty good at getting people started.
- Don’t worry about the group library yet. I will invite you to our course’s group library nearer the time.
Friday (back in Ettinger!)
Remember: Use the login name and password found on the Canvas page for the PDFs hosted in the PDF vault (url starting with “docs.tdh.bergbuilds”)
Everybody works their way through the Basic Set, and picks 1 exploration pack
Basic Set
- Summary Chapter 7
- Summary Chapter 8
- Timeline Part 2 (check for events up to 1870)
- Map (layer 2 = Part 2)
- Slides (Gdrive link) with background info and to help you pick an Exploration Pack
- Primary source: Almack, William. Journal (July 1837- July 1841), MS Add.9529. Cambridge University Library, Department of Manuscripts and University Archives.
- PDF ; two pages of transcription, followed by photographs of the original. Can you decipher the handwriting?
- TIP: More of the journal in Exploration Pack 2
- William Almack was a tea trader in Canton, and had started a journal recording his adventures in China. After a lapse, he resumes his writing to document the events that led up to the Opium War, which he opens with these musings on the whole problem of the opium trade.
- Primary source: Lin Zexu. “Letter to the English Ruler”, in Sources of Chinese Tradition: From 1600 through the Twentieth Century, Vol. 2, 202-205. Edited by Wm. Th. de Bary and R. Lufrano. Columbia Univ. Press, 2001.
- the letter itself is further down, pp. 5-8 of the PDF, marked in red brackets; I included the background information;
- Spence, Jonathan. God’s Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan, pp. 203-204. New York: W.W. Norton, 1997.
- Primary source excerpts: from a report to the Foreign Ministry, France, and a letter from Captain de Plas of the French vessel Cassini
- OPTIONAL EXTRAS
- Textbook alternatives:
- Moïse Edwin E. Modern China: A History Third ed. Harlow, England: Pearson/Longman, 2008. (ebook Trexler):Chapter 2, pp. 29-38
- Dillon, Michael. China: A Modern History. London: I.B. Tauris, 2010. (ebook Trexler): Chapters 2-3
- The sacking of the Old Summer Palace (1860) was the beginning of a long trajectory of how Chinese art objects from the Imperial collection ended up in different parts of the world, some in the Forbidden City in Beijing, others in the Palace Museum collection in Taipei, others in Western Museums. Read about it in this article from the South China Morning Post with graphic-novel illustrations.
- Podcast: Melvin Bragg and guests “The Taiping Rebellion”. In Our Time, BBC Radio 4, Feb. 24 2011.
- videos from Prof. Mullaney: in the playlist Qing China, scroll down to “The American Revolution & the Opium Wars are connected”, and then work your way through the videos up to number 18, “defeating the Taipings”
- Textbook alternatives:
- This tweet shows how some museums are making clear the connections between the vast wealth created in the British empire, and the opium trade. (Click photo to see full image)
Also pick one Exploration Pack:
Exploration Pack 1: Plain Textbook
All the details in one handy package and two dips into primary sources:
- Spence, Jonathan D. The Search for Modern China. Third ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013.
- Chapters 7 and 8.
- Chen, Janet Y, Pei-kai Cheng, Michael Elliot Lestz, and Jonathan D Spence. The Search for Modern China: A Documentary Collection. Third ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2014.
Exploration Pack Two: Opium War
A deeper dive into two perspectives on the Opium War: a longer extract from the Almack journal (including some serious action!), and a Chinese account to give you the Chinese perspective of these events, as well as a background piece to help you find your bearings.
- Standage, Tom. A History of the World in 6 Glasses. New York: Walker & Co, 2005.
- pp. 206-212 only (in red brackets), but I provided the whole chapter in case you’re interested.
- Background
- Almack, William. Journal (July 1837- July 1841), MS Add.9529. Cambridge University Library, Department of Manuscripts and University Archives.
- Primary source: check out the photographs of the journal in this Google folder (I only transcribed a small part so far, there are over 150 pages)
- Wei, Yuan, and Edward Harper Parker. Chinese Account of the Opium War. Pagoda Library, No. 1. Shanghai: Kelly & Walsh, 1888.
- Acces through Adam Matthew Digital Firm e-collection
- pp. 1-17 only. Note that the pages load slowly
- Translated and edited from a larger Chinese text written by Wei Yuan.
- “The paper illustrates the extraordinary faithfulness with which the Chinese endeavour to perfect their histories,” as the editor states in his preface.
- Acces through Adam Matthew Digital Firm e-collection
- Note that the Adam Matthew collection has many pamphlets and books from the nineteenth century on the Opium war. Check out Kelly’s handy tutorial on this Database.
Exploration Pack Three: Taiping rebellion
Warning: Note that these materials contain descriptions of violence that some readers find upsetting.
- Meyer-Fong, Tobie S. “4. Bones and Flesh.” In What Remains: Coming to Terms with Civil War in 19th Century China. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 2013.
- Zhang, Daye. “Part 2.” In The World of a Tiny Insect: A Memoir of the Taiping Rebellion and Its Aftermath. Translated by Xiaofei Tian. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2013.
- ebook Trexler
- An eye witness account from a Chinese boy, who writes his memoirs at a later age.
- Check out this tweet to see the devastation wrought by the Taiping armies .
Assignments
1. Weekly Blog post (content week 3)
5 points, due Mon. Feb. 6, 11:59PM
Write a blog post exploring themes or ideas based on your reading. You do not need to have all the answers. In fact, learning to ask good analytical or research questions is a skill you can develop during the semester. Remember the description of the assignment from the syllabus.
- Length: approx. 400 words. excl. list of materials consulted.
- Add the list of materials consulted at the end of the post, in Chicago notes and bibliography style.
- TOP TIP: Just copy the bibliography information from the Reading list on this webpage, do not add the descriptive notes I provide for your information.
- Add the words “Week 3” in the title.
- Please use this exact phrase, so your post will show up in the blog stream.
- Indicate which Exploration Pack you chose.
- Include a relevant image, and add a caption with the source/credit, and an Alt text description
- Post on your website, and add to the category hst271.
When you’re done, read this declaration carefully and then fill out the Canvas quiz to collect your points.
| Declaration |
|---|
| – I wrote a post of approximately 400 words in response to the readings. |
| – I included the bibliographic references for the materials I used for my post. |
| – I indicated which Exploration Pack I chose. |
| – I included an image, and I provided a caption and credit (source), and an Alt text description for the image. |
| – I use the words Week 3 in the title, and added the post to category hst271 |
2. Show and Tell 1
Create and share your first Show and Tell project! Find all the details on the dedicated webpage.
Reminders from the syllabus, about points and all that:
- 20 points total – graded assignment (i.e. not a Declaration Quiz)
- How to get your points?
- Submit your Show and Tell project as a blog post which is the project, or contains a link to the project.
- In the Canvas assignment, write a brief self-assessment and a suggested grade.
- You have one free pass
- TIP: You do not have to take the free pass: doing more research can only be good for your understanding of Chinese history!
- to activate your free pass: In the Canvas assignment submit a comment “Free Pass” instead of the self-assessment, and I will award your full points for the project
- If you choose to create a fifth project because you love Chinese history that much, I will at the end of the semester award the project with the lowest score the “Free Pass” equivalent (i.e. 20 points), so you can try something new, or creative without being punished.
- The Show and Tell projects are open for “rewrite and resubmit”: after receiving feedback, you can rewrite and resubmit to improve your grade, within one month of receiving feedback.
3. Hypothes.is: comments on Week 3 posts
3 points, due Wed. Feb. 8 by 11.59pm.
Below you find links to three blog posts from your fellow students. If one of the websites is your own, or it is twice the same person’s, refresh the page, and you should get new sites. [posts coming on Tuesday]
- Post 1:
- Post 2:
- Post 3:
Leave feedback, questions, thoughts, insights about the contents of the posts of your fellow students using Hypothes.is group HST271. You can ask for clarifications, point out similarities and differences with the material you covered, or with your interpretation. This should encourage you to nose around in the other materials you did not read in the first round.
Use tags in Hypothes.is: question: If you have a question (obvious); answered: if you gave an answer to a question; info: if you provide more information, looking up additional facts, drawing on knowledge from other classes; and other tags you can think of. This will help us to navigate more quickly to the questions that still need answering.
Use the “Architect’s Model” of giving feedback, and engage with concrete issues. Go beyond “Yeah, I agree,” “I like” or “I think the same”, and instead explain why you have that reaction, or if you disagree, you can try to persuade the original poster of your idea or interpretation.
Remember that Hypothes.is allows for hyperlinks, e.g. to materials that support your argument, or you can include pictures (memes! [yes, there she is again]), videos etc. that help the original poster to learn more.
When you’ve commented on four posts, read this declaration carefully, and then fill out the Canvas quiz to collect your points.
| Declaration |
|---|
| – I commented on three fellow students’ posts on the readings from Week 3 using the group HST271. |
| – I made sure to leave substantial comments that move the discussion forward and help to create better insights, and go beyond a “nice” or “great”. |
| – I left comments that I would like to receive myself: thoughtful, helpful, kind, but also pointing out errors so they can be fixed. |
4. Weekly Blog post (content week 4)
5 points, due Mon. Feb. 13, 11:59PM
Write a blog post exploring themes or ideas based on your reading. You do not need to have all the answers. In fact, learning to ask good analytical or research questions is a skill you can develop during the semester. Remember the description of the assignment from the syllabus.
- Length: approx. 400 words. excl. list of materials consulted.
- Add the list of materials consulted at the end of the post, in Chicago notes and bibliography style.
- TOP TIP: Just copy the bibliography information from the Reading list on this webpage, do not add the descriptive notes I provide for your information.
- Add the words “Week 4” in the title.
- Please use this exact phrase, so your post will show up in the blog stream.
- Indicate which Exploration Pack you chose.
- Include a relevant image, and add a caption with the source/credit, and an Alt text description
- Post on your website, and add to the category hst271.
When you’re done, read this declaration carefully and then fill out the Canvas quiz to collect your points.
| Declaration |
|---|
| – I wrote a post of approximately 400 words in response to the readings. |
| – I included the bibliographic references for the materials I used for my post. |
| – I indicated which Exploration Pack I chose. |
| – I included an image, and I provided a caption and credit (source), and an Alt text description for the image. |
| – I use the words Week 4 in the title, and added the post to category hst271 |
Extra Credit tasks
EC 4-1: Rewrite a post
3 points, due by Sunday Feb 12, 11.59pm
Unhappy about a post you wrote? Feeling you can do better now than a few weeks ago? Had a bad week and rushed to get it in but now you’re ready to do something you can be proud of? Now you can rewrite a post and get extra credit for it!
- Pick a post from a previous week and use the comments you received to rewrite it.
- Add a brief paragraph at the end explaining how you rewrote the post: which comments did you address, how did you go about the process (new blank page vs. tinkering,…), and what you learned about the process of rewriting.
- tag the post with extra, and add the word rewrite to the title
Read the following Declaration carefully, and then head on over to Canvas to collect your points in the Canvas quiz:
| Declaration |
|---|
| I selected a post from a previous week and rewrote it, using feedback and insights I gained since writing it. |
| I added a brief paragraph at the end explaining what I did to rewrite the post, and what I learned about rewriting |
| I added the tag extra to the post, and added the word rewrite to the title. |
| I made sure the post is still in the category hst271. |
EC4-2: Record your name with NameCoach in Canvas
1 point, due by Sunday Feb. 12, 11.59pm
Some of you have no doubt wondered how you pronounce my name. (It’s ok, I don’t mind people mispronouncing it. I’d rather you try than say “Oh I won’t even try because I’ll just butcher it.”) To help you out, I recorded it using NameCoach, and put it on Canvas. You can record your name, too!
Check out this tutorial video from our friends at the OIT office to walk you through. It is very easy. When you’re done, check it is showing up on our Canvas course NameCoach tab.
If you already recorded your name at an earlier point, go ahead and claim your point!
Then read this Declaration, and go to the Canvas Declaration Quiz to collect your extra credit point.
| Declaration |
|---|
| I recorded my name in NameCoach for our Canvas site. |
| I checked my recording shows up correctly on the Canvas site. |
Where to get assistance?
- Tea Room on Discord:
- open anytime for you
- I will be hosting Tue 2PM-3PM; Wed. 1-2PM, or at other times by appointment via Google Calendar (usually a 15-20min appointment is enough). You can also find me in my office during Tea Room times.
- Private room for confidential chat available on request.
- Discord Text Channel #hst271
- DLAs: Digital Learning Assistants: check the schedule!
- Writing Center: Sunday – Wednesday 3:30 – 5:30 & 7 – 11 PM; Thursday 3:30 – 5:30 PM & 7 – 9 PM
- Trexler Library Course Subject Guide: our own dedicated subject guide for the course
- Safety on/around campus: report an incident
