ASIA 2028 - Ten Things You Should Know About China

Do the Chinese eat everything? Who are the Chinese? Is China communist? What is China? Do you want to learn Chinese? But which Chinese language? Who is Confucius and what did he say? What is Yin and Yang? Is there such a thing as Chinese literature? Who is arguably the most important writer in modern China and why? What do you know about the Great Leap Forward? Is the Cultural Revolution cultural and revolutionary? Do you know the colour of Deng Xiaoping's cat? What has that anything to do with the Chinese economy? This course will question almost everything you know or you think you know about China. Ten Things You Should Know aims to challenge the accepted Australian wisdom and understanding of China, past or present, as presented in the media and some popular writings. By focusing on ten topics of personality or events and their surrounding issues in China's history and societal developments, this course will provoke debates and offers alternative perspectives to the answers of the above mentioned and other questions. The course aims to achieve three major goals for the students: 1) a critical understanding of some most important issues on China, 2) placing Australia and yourself in international context and 3) critical thinking towards anyone including the lecturer in this course who talks about China. Once you finish the course you will be the leading light in topics on China when you are with your family, among your friends and in social gathering (seriously).