Blog 6-Ming era Poetry through the Ages

In Chapter eleven it mentions how taxes were the main source of revenue along with trade. This taxing took place among the peasant class and the working class, leaving many families poor and in some cases destitute. This heavy taxation on the peasantry is not new, the practice was adopted by all of Chinas many dynasties, consequently the text explains this heavy taxation to be the reason for the systematic rise of peasant revolts. This vast economic divide between the affluent and the poor was most apparent in the Ming dynasty as many of the poems of the era denounced the materialistic and lavish lifestyle of the imperial court. Other poems featured Robin Hood characters and main characters that were from the lower classes in society and thus glorifying their characteristics and lifestyle. Throughout it's history China has used poems to express messages and cultural and societal values, today China uses slogans to help promote social and political continuity or change. This article shows examples of this, by including a number of the most influential and the most famous. Many of these slogans read like poetry and the similarities between the poetry of the Ming era and the slogans from Mao ZeDong's era are evident. For example the slogan "Let a 100 flowers bloom, lets 100 thoughts contend"(Boyel BBC News) is a popular slogan used during the Cultural Revolution was inspired and aspects of it were directly taken from Ming dynasty poetry,Which can be seen in the use of nature within the verse.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-24923993

China Opens up Youtube and Soft Power-Blog 5

In a couple of days one to be exact, the Lunar Year will start and thousands of Chinese whether in China or abroad will celebrate. The celebration means parades,food,and fireworks and time spent with family. The tradition dates back to ancient times and consists of mystical origins. According to legend the celebration derives from Buddhist teachings where the Buddha asked all the animals to meet with him and twelve agreed. This year the celebrations will be different than previous years as the Spring Dances a traditional aspect of the Lunar festivities will be broad casted globally. Many International Political Scientists have suggested that it is an attempt to use soft power by the Chinese government. This approach is new and it will be interesting to see the effect the broadcast will have. The article states that the government has reserved a screen in Times Square for the broadcast and that Chinese abroad will be able to watch it from Youtube for the first time. This is a major change on part of Chinese foreign policy and many wonder as to why such a change has occurred. Some speculate that it is to regain favor with the public in regards to censorship. The article mentions that 90% of the Chinese population will watch the Spring Dances as part of a Lunar Year tradition. The first article is a collection of Images from the Previous Lunar Year, so if you are unable to watch the Spring Dances on Youtube you can get a feel for the celebration. The second link is the mentioned article.http://edition.cnn.com/2015/02/08/asia/gallery/lunar-new-year-2015/index.html
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/02/17/asia/china-new-year-gala/index.html

Traditional Values and Politics in South East Asia-Blog 4

The Reading this week focuses on South East Asia, so it is only fitting that the topic of this week's blog post be about a country from that area. Malaysia has been in a longterm legal and political battle that has captured the attention of Human Rights activists worldwide. The leader of the political  opposition party(Anwar Ibrihim) has been accused of Sodomy by the highest court and as such must step away from his political position and serve a five year prison sentence. The sentence produced fury from Human Rights activists and the local population. Many are calling for the law to repealed based on the obvious argument that it is archaic and unfairly singled out a specific group. Others have claimed that the legal attacks are purely politically motivated,such a theory is based in the fact that Anwar's party has gained 82 of the 222 political seats, a first for the Party. However the case against Anwar is not new he was first accused in 1998  and then again in 2002 when he was found not guilty by lower courts. Recently and amongst the political changes the case has resurfaced and this time he has been found guilty. The theory that the charges are purely political seems very possible as the evidence against him was shaky and the timing to apt. However the article alludes to a political system that has a history of corruption in the form of bribes and blackmail, as well as traditional values in regard to homosexuality. Is this traditional view of homosexuality unique to simply Malaysia or is it common throughout South East Asia.

Blog Post 3- The Aftermath of Terrorist Attacks on Japan

Recently the fate of two Japanese hostages in Syria, taken by Islamic militants has monopolizing our new feeds. The stories sadly came to an end with the death of both young men. The repercussions of such actions will have a profound effect on future Japanese international policy. Currently Japan does not have a standing military (since it's dissolution after World War II.) The country is also known for it's pacifism in dealing with other countries, the article acknowledges that in the wake of this violent tragedy such policies may be changed. Currently the country at large has mixed feelings about how the Prime Minister ought to respond. So far his response had been one of revenge that calls for the creation military self sufficiency and direct military retaliation. A few government members and citizens are in favor of such policies, but some are not and would rather not start another war that could lead to more violence. The country was just as divide about what actions to take when the young men were being held some within the government lobbied to rescue the two men and pay the ransom while some of the populace said that the government had no obligation to rescue them as it was a irresponsible decision to travel to Syria in the first place. This shift from pacifism policies is not new to Japan as the current Prime Minister has made this a cornerstone of his rhetoric since 2012. The Prime Minister has stated that he will not let terrorism flourish and that Japan will continue to align it's self with America, the U.K and other anti-terrorism countries. The question that the article fails to answer is how this violent tragedy will impact not only the international policies of the country, but the way Japanese will socially look at war and foreigners, do you think it is possible that this could spark a tirade of xenophobia as is occurring in Europe right now?
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31084749