Maggie in Taiwan: Part Four (Video)

Hello Asia on E Street Readers,

For my first video blog, I decided to make a quick video of my walk to and from school. I hope it gives you all a sense of where I lived and the building/neighborhood my program was located in. Sorry if my crude video-making skills offend! I hope you enjoy watching!

Best,

Maggie Wedeman

Stephen in Shanghai (Video Blog Part 2)

Hello Asia on E Street, I'm back at it with part 2 of my video blog posts. Starting to wrap things up. I'm going to miss this city...

Looking for Chinese Tea-Time Leader!

The Sigur Center for Asian Studies is looking for a student to lead its weekly Chinese language tea-times. These are informal events designed to allow a time and place for students to practice their Chinese skills, share study tips, learn about the Language Exit Exams, and get to know other students interested in Chinese language. Tea and cookies are provided! All tea times are from 4:00 - 5:00 PM in the Sigur Center's Chung-wen Shih conference room, Suite 503.

Tea-time leaders will be paid $15 per tea time. Native fluency is preferred. At a minimum, tea-time leaders are expected to have advanced speaking and listening proficiency.

If you are interested in becoming a Chinese tea-time leader, please contact gsigur@gwu.edu.

Language Study at Seoul National University

               In choosing a language program in Seoul this summer, I was faced with an overwhelming number of renowned university programs to consider. After having talked with students who had studied in South Korea, I was directed to Seoul National University’s Korean Language Education Center (KLEC) based on the evaluation that the curriculum offered would provide a well-rounded approach to reading, writing, and speaking. Without a doubt the program advanced my knowledge of the Korean language, but this achievement required an immense amount of time and energy.
                On the first day of the summer session, I was completely surprised by the pace of the class. From the textbooks, lectures, and even amongst the teachers, there was no English explanation to be found. At George Washington University the language classes are to a large extent taught in Korean, but there also exists a reliable English crutch for clarification. Yet even in KLEC’s Introductory Level 1, where students presumably have had no prior exposure to the language, classes are taught entirely in Korean! There are definite benefits to this strict “Korean Only” policy as it forces students train their ear and speech, but in the first few weeks I felt completely overwhelmed. 

I have been studying Korean for a few years now, but the vocabulary and grammar I understood did not coincide with the foundational material of KLEC. This became clear when I submitted the initial placement exam and, from a quick glance and a matter of seconds, it was declared that I was “halfway between levels”. From such a helpful deduction I chose to round-up and to proceed to the next level. This was perhaps the greatest challenge for me during my time in Korea- aside from reviewing the material learned in class, I also strove to play catch-up. In a mere ten weeks I learned more than could ever be imagined in the year equivalent, let alone a semester, at George Washington University.

 

 

 

On the left are the textbooks used during ten weeks at KLEC.
The book to the right spans almost a year's worth of study in the United States.

          
               As I began to acclimate to my new life in Seoul, the students in my class were the kindest people who came to truly define my experience in this city. Despite our diverse backgrounds and ages, the fact that we were all studying in South Korea reflected a shared passion amongst us for the country and its culture. Applying one’s knowledge of Korean outside of the classroom extends only so far, especially given the lack of both time and patience for strangers to aid you. Yet in the comfort of a class group, we could support each other whilst stumbling through the language. Although most of the students had studied together since Level 1, my entire class was extremely welcoming and became my greatest aid through the informal review sessions we created for those new to the program.

The class celebrating having successfully ordered, over the phone, pizza to be delivered!

 

This has been my first experience participating in an intensive language study, but it will hopefully not be my last. Ten weeks, four hours each day in the classroom, and all the studying which proceeded it, was no simple task. In retrospect, I would recommend Seoul National University’s Korean language study only to those whom have had a much longer exposure to Korean, perhaps at Level 4 or 5. It required quite a bit of work, but such an opportunity allowed me to study alongside equally motivated individuals, exposure to multiple cultures, as well as the ability to actively apply the grammar points after each lesson. I will now be leaving Korea with greater insight into its culture and language, quite a fair share of strange stories, long-lasting friendships, and a burning desire to return!

 

 

Seoul National University's Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies

 

Adena Peckler

B.A. Asian Studies, International Affairs 2015

Sigur Center 2014 Korean Language Fellow

Seoul National University, South Korea

 

For more posts from Korea:

Seoul Wanderings

Update from Seoul

A glimpse into Chinese Academia of History

Based on research in Chinese archives funded by the Sigur Center Summer Fellowship, I presented a paper regarding China’s Southwest border area at the conference of “New Sources and New Perspectives on China’s Frontiers during the Cold War” at the Wilson Center. Leading Cold War historians and PhD students focusing on the topic present their research on China’s bordering area as well as relations with neighboring countries. Since most participants of the conference are Chinese scholars and students, the conference provides me with a window to observe the recent development of Chinese Academia, especially scholarship on its modern history.

Cold War history in China is a field where Chinese scholars and international scholars maintain active exchange. For instance, East China Normal University's (ECNU) Cold War Center maintains close cooperation with Wilson Center's flagship Cold War International History Project (CWIHP). Many scholars in the field are open-minded enough that they do not see defending or justifying Chinese policies as the eventual goal of their research.

Several trends are obvious in their recent research. While Sino-US and Sino-Soviet relations have been the long-term foci of Cold War Studies in China, China’s relations with its neighboring countries attract increasing attention from Chinese scholars. While previous Chinese scholarship on China’s relations with its smaller neighboring countries examines the issue within the framework of China’s interactions with the two Cold War superpowers, recent works tend to attach importance to regional dynamics and the legacy of Chinese empire. Emerging conflicts between China and Southeast Asian countries regarding disputed territory further encourage scholarship on the issue. Some of the younger generation of Chinese scholars is building up language skills to study China’s neighbors. 

Another important trend is the use of local archives to study Chinese foreign relations and examination of local agency as a result of the changes in document sources. Unfortunately, this change is largely an outcome of the reclassification of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Archives, which was opened in 2004 and curtailed access to declassified documents earlier this year. 

A promising change is the diversification of funding for research. For instance, faculty discussants at the conference made an announcement that the first private foundation focusing on supporting social sciences research has been established recently. It is a common impression that the Chinese academia is marked by fraud and poor academic ethics. State monopoly of funding sources and lack of quality control are important causes of the situation. Involvement of private funding contributes to the professionalization of funding allocation and increases funding opportunities for research projects that are irrelevant or in conflict with state agenda.   

Transformation of Sino-Vietnamese Relations: a local perspective

The Friendship Pass (“Youyi Guan” in Chinese, “Huu Nghi Quan” in Vietnamese) located at Pingxiang County of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region is the historical gateway between Southwestern China and northern Vietnam. Over the last five hundred years, transformation of the gate’s names symbolized changes in Chinese perception of its southern neighbor, who was the junior actor in the asymmetric relations. Preparing for military campaign against Vietnam, the Ming government under the reign of Yongle Emperor named the gate Barbarian Suppressing Pass (Zhen Yi Guan) in 1407. Forced to recognize Vietnamese autonomy after the failed attempt of direct rule, Beijing changed the name into South Suppressing Pass (Zhen Nan Guan) in 1428. In 1953, at the height of the First Indochina War, the Chinese Communist government renamed the crossing with a less aggressive yet still Sino-centric term South Pacifying Gate (Mu Nan Guan). This gateway and Pingxiang County also became important locations for China’s organization and transportation of aid to Vietnam. Twelve years later Beijing gave the historical site its present name Friendship Pass at the onset of the American ground war in Vietnam. Ironically, during the Third Indochina War, the Friendship Pass and Pingxiang were transformed into heavily guarded and mined outposts of confrontation between the two countries. The renaming of the pass, the expansion of state control into this southwestern far corner of territory, and the transformation of Pingxiang society provided a window to understand the local dynamics of Sino-Vietnamese relations.

(Gate of the Friendship Pass. Photo taken by the author on June 15 2014)

(Zhen Guan Battery built on the mountain top beside the Friendship Pass. Photo taken by the author on June 15 2014)

(Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai and President of Democratic Republic of China Ho Chi Minh met in this chamber in the Friendship Pass on April 9 1961. Photo taken by the author on June 15 2014)

On the way to the Friendship Pass, I shared a taxi with a Cantonese businessman who was going to Vietnam through the Friendship Border Custom. Originally from Shenzhen, he had been doing business in Vietnam for seven years. The emerging tension between China and Vietnam did not dampen his confidence in the profitability of importing sandalwood from Vietnam. Sandalwood is one of the most important commodities in the bilateral trade and processing sandalwood furniture is the pillar industry of Pingxiang. Sandalwood is considered the best material to produce traditional style furniture, whose demand increases significantly with the growing number of new rich. Vietnamese government’s restriction on sandalwood export also enhances the price of sandalwood related products on Chinese market.

Tourism also contributes significantly to local economy. Typically, people traveling by car or train visit the Friendship Pass en route to Vietnam. In comparison with trade, tourism to the Friendship Pass declines as a result of dropping tourists from China to Vietnam this year. Tourists to the Friendship Pass declined by one third in this peak season according to the taxi driver who took us to the Friendship Pass. Another important source of visitors is veteran and family members of the deceased soldiers of the Third Indochina War. Because several heavy battles of the war took place near Pingxiang, cemeteries started to be built in 1979 near the battlefields. In 1880s, disperse cemeteries were combined into three larger ones. Since then, cemeteries became conspicuous landscape in Pingxiang. I visited Jiangzhi Cemetery, which is the nearest to the town, with a war veteran. Burned incense and marks of liquor on the ground indicated that the cemetery is regularly visited. According to the veteran, in the recent decade, increasing number of veterans can afford a trip to Guangxi. Some of the wealthier veterans such as those from Canton are enthusiastic in sponsoring group visit to Pingxiang. During the anniversaries of the war or battles and Ancestors’ Day Holiday (“Qingming Festival”) each year, Pingxiang become crowded with veterans and family members of the deceased soldiers.

After 1991, the restoration and boom of border trade between the two sides attracted considerable number of migrant workers and businessmen to this border town. According to statistics of 2013, around 70,000 among 180,000 residents of Pingxiang are originally from the outside. Along with this demographical change was shift of language. While local dialects dominate daily conversation in most other underdeveloped area in Guangxi, mandarin Chinese is the most widely used language in Pingxiang due to the influx of businessmen over the past two decades.

During the trip, I can feel strongly the implication of Sino-Vietnamese relations to the border area. During the peace time, Pingxiang benefited from the cross-border trade and mobility. Because war left more marks on border area than elsewhere, local government is more dedicated than higher authority in commemorating the war. 

Job Opportunity: Sigur Center Staff Assistant (Part-Time, Federal Work Study Award Required)

Position Description:

The Staff Assistant position is located in the Sigur Center for Asian Studies at the Elliott School of International Affairs. This position is primarily responsible for staffing the center's front desk which encompasses answering the main phone line, greeting visitors, and processing mail. Other administrative duties and special projects as assigned, such as creating spreadsheets and reports, data entry, editing, etc. as well as supporting Sigur Center events. The Staff Assistant also plays a central role in managing the Sigur Center's social enterprise -- our blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr accounts. This is a great opportunity for someone interested in Asian Studies and International Affairs to work closely with Asian Studies faculty, staff, and students as well as visiting scholars from Asia.
 
Approximate Hours Per Week: 10-12

Hourly Wage: $10/hour

Qualifications:

* Interest in/knowledge of International Affairs and Asia

* Some knowledge of an Asian foreign language

* Experience living, working, or studying in Asia
* Strong customer service and interpersonal skills

* Administrative experience

* Must possess a Federal Work Study Award for the 2014-2015 academic year

Application Procedures:

* Apply via GWork to position number 802193 ASAP

* Include the amount of your FWS award in your cover letter

* Specify the dates/times you are available to work in your cover letter

* Due to a high volume of applications only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. No calls, please.