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CCCH9047 China: Culture, State and Society
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Course Description
This course asks what do we really know about China, its politics, society, culture, economy and ways of life, and what can we know? By discussing a range of China stories – ways of representing China and Chineseness, each of which has something to teach us about the similarities and differences between our own and other cultures as they approach the civilization of China, the course encourages students to develop a more critical approach towards various representations about China and to identify the ways in which writing about China may obscure as much as it reveals about a possible ‘real’ China.
Course Learning Outcomes
On completing the course, students will be able to:
- Explain major problems and controversies relating to different interpretations and descriptions of China.
- Analyse the differences between various interpretations and descriptions of China.
- Discuss critically issues arising from different interpretations and descriptions of China.
Offer Semester and Day of Teaching
First Semester (Wed)
Study Load
| Activities | Number of hours |
| Lectures | 24 |
| Tutorials | 8 |
| Reading / Self-study | 38 |
| Assessment: Case study | 30 |
| Assessment: Logbook preparation | 20 |
| Total: | 120 |
Assessment: 100% coursework
| Assessment Tasks | Weighting |
| Tutorial participation | 30 |
| Log book | 30 |
| Project | 40 |
Required Reading
- Fomiatti, L. (2013). The East is Red 東方紅 1965 Chinese ‘song and dance epic’ with English subtitles. From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQaK3tL6qIE
- Goldkorn, J., Tao, A., Niewenhuis, L., & Feng, J. (2018, December 14). Sinica Podcast: Benjamin Shobert on dragon slayers, panda huggers, and ‘Blaming China’. SupChina. From https://supchina.com/2018/12/14/sinica-podcast-benjamin-shobert-blaming-china/
- Harvard Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies. Metaphor, myth, and ‘dividing up the Chinese melon’ with Rudolf Wagner. From https://soundcloud.com/harvard/metaphor-myth-and-dividing-up-the-chinese-melon-with-rudolf-wagner
- Jacques, M. (2010). Understanding the rise of China. From https://www.ted.com/talks/martin_jacques_understanding_the_rise_of_china [TED talk]
- Johansson, P. (2016). Fantasy Memories and The Lost Honor of Madame Chiang Kai-shek. Journal of American-East Asian Relations, 23(2), 109-120.
- Little Red Podcast. (2018). Lies, damned lies, and police statistics: Crime and the Chinese dream. From https://soundcloud.com/user-340830825/lies-damned-lies-and-police-statistics-crime-and-the-chinese-dream [Interview with Borge Bakken]
- Marchetti, G. (1994). White knights in Hong Kong: Love is a many splendored thing and the world of Suzie Wong. Romance and the “Yellow Peril”: Race, Sex, and Discursive Strategies in Hollywood Fiction. Berkeley: University of California Press. From https://books.google.com.hk/books?id=CF0pQHLD- 6gC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
- Nathan, A. J. (2015, November 5). The problem with the China model. China File. From https://www.chinafile.com/reporting-opinion/viewpoint/problem-china-model
- Palmer, J. (2018, March 21). Nobody knows anything about China: Including the Chinese government. Foreign Policy. From https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/03/21/nobody-knows-anything-about-china/
- Said, E. (1978). Orientalism. From https://sites.evergreen.edu/politicalshakespeares/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2014/12/Said_full.pdf [Introduction, Chap. 1]
- Spence, J. (1998). The Chan’s great continent: China in western minds. New York: W. W. Norton. [Chaps. 2, 5, 11]
- Vukovich, D. (2019, April 18). Illiberal China: A Conversation with Daniel Vukovich. Made in China Journal. From https://madeinchinajournal.com/2019/04/18/illiberal-china-daniel-vukovich/
- Wang, P. (1965). The East Is Red (東方紅). August First Film Studio. From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQaK3tL6qIE
Course Co-ordinator and Teacher(s)
| Course Co-ordinator | Contact |
| Dr P. Johansson School of Humanities (History), Faculty of Arts |
Tel: 3917 7935 Email: pejoh@hku.hk |
| Teacher(s) | Contact |
| Dr P. Johansson School of Humanities (History), Faculty of Arts |
Tel: 3917 7935 Email: pejoh@hku.hk |