The article for discussion: (文化挪用)
https://www.theweek.co.uk/cultural-appropriation
an American teenager wore a traditional Chinese dress to her prom(畢業舞會). The young lady, is not ethnically Chinese or Asian. And this infuriated a lot of people on Twitter. Someone responded to her pictures by tweeting, “My culture is NOT your goddamn prom dress.”
The 'fox eye' beauty trend continues to spread online. But critics insist it's racist
Questions:
1. As a Chinese, are you offended by the 旗袍 photo above? How about the "fox eye" photo? "Fox eye" is typically known as a physical feature of Chinese. Hollywood actress 劉玉玲 and 胡志強's daughter 胡婷婷 have typical fox eyes. Do you agree that the "fox eye" beauty trend in western countries is racist or stereotyping?
If you were a Native American, a black, or a Japanese, would you feel the above photos are disrespectful to your culture?
2. What is the difference between "cultural appropriation" and "cultural appreciation"?
"Appropriation is simply taking one aspect of a culture that is not your own and using it for your own personal interest" (such as for fashion or for fun) Do you agree?
3. "Without cultural appropriation, American blacks would never have picked up European musical instruments to create the blues and jazz. Without cultural appropriation, white and black artists alike would never have spun these wonderful creations into rock and roll."
So, is the criticism of cultural appropriation a nonsense?
Session 2
Cultural Appropriation is related to "White Supremacy". What is white supremacy?
White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine of scientific racism and often relies on pseudoscientific arguments, and was a key justification for colonialism. It underlies a spectrum of contemporary movements including neo-Confederates and neo-Nazism.
There is an open letter on Facebook by a Malaysian man to Chinese people that has gone viral. It goes like this:
I’m from Malaysia. China has traded with Malaysia for 2000 years. In those years, they had been the world’s biggest powers many times. Never once they sent troops to take our land. Admiral Zhenghe(鄭和) came to Malacca(馬六甲) five times, in gigantic fleets, and a flagship eight times the size of Christopher Columbus’ flagship, Santa Maria. He could have seized Malacca easily, but he did not.
In 1511, the Portuguese came. In 1642, the Dutch came. In the 18th century the British came. We were colonised by each, one after another.
When China wanted spices from India, they traded with the Indians. When they wanted gems, they traded with the Persian. They didn’t take lands. The only time China expanded beyond their current borders was in Yuan Dynasty, when Genghis and his descendants Ogedei Khan, Guyuk Khan & Kublai Khan conquered China, Mid Asia and Eastern Europe. But Yuan Dynasty, although being based in China, was a part of the Mongolian Empire.
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(The rest is omitted)
The complete letter with Chinese translation is here:
https://baiyunju.cc/6009
The tributary system of China (朝貢制度) was a network of loose international relations focused on China which facilitated trade and foreign relations by acknowledging China's predominant role in East Asia. It involved multiple relationships of trade, military force, diplomacy and ritual. The other nations had to send a tributary envoy to China on schedule, who would kowtow(磕頭) to the Chinese emperor as a form of tribute, and acknowledge his superiority and precedence.
Questions:
1. Is the tributary system of China similar to the mindset of white supremacy? Is there any difference? Can we call it "China Supremacy"?
2. As the above letter points out, Zhenghe's ship was much bigger and more powerful than the one of Christopher Columbus. Why didn't Zhenghe take the land of foreign nations? Is it because Chinese is a peace-loving race? Can you think of other possible reasons?
3. Generally speaking, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean are better in mathematics than white people. Should we Asians feel intellectually superior to white people? If you only feel superior to them inside and do not do any harm to them, is it still morally wrong?
