Transcript Course Intrudoction - Moving-Forward-from-Crises-2

Moving Forward from Crises:
Historical Review & Future Vision
of the US and China
Wanli Hu
OLLI Center
October 10 – December 5,2012
Objectives Today
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Instructor Introduction
Rational of this course
How to make best use of course resources: review
course calendar, website & readings
Two challenges of this course
Self-introduction of the participants
Learn useful Chinese basics
Self Introduction
Professor Sturm
Rational of the Course
Reason 1.
Comparison between the US in the 21st century and
China in the 19th century
China in 1790s
The largest economy (1/3 GDP of the
world)
 The most powerful, most prosperous &
most influential country in Asia
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China in the 19th Century
Sinocentrism
Emperor Qianlong met Lord Macartney
Emperor Qianlong met Lord
Macartney in 1793
Great Britain requested open trade with China.
Emperor’s reply to Macartney:
“We possess all things. I set no value on objects strange
or ingenious, and have no use for your country’s
manufactures.”
“It behooves you, O King, to respect my sentiments
and to display even greater devotion and loyalty in
future, so that, by perpetual submission to our
Throne, you may secure peace and prosperity for
your country thereafter.”
Consequence of Qing’s sinocentrism
after 1840
Great Britain, France invaded China from 1840-1860
Japan destroyed China’s navy in 1895
Eight powers invaded China in 1900
China lost:
 Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan……
 war reparations of 450,000,000 taels of fine silver,
equivalent in 2010 to US$61 billion on a purchasing
power parity basis
A century of humiliation
“Son of Heaven” became “East Asian Sickman”
The World and US in 1980s & 1990s
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The Tiananman incident in 1989
Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989
Fall of socialist countries in Eastern
Europe
Collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991
US-the only superpower in the world
“The End of History?”
“The End of History”
Francis Fukuyama published his provocative
essay:
The collapse of Communism in the Soviet
Union and Eastern Europe signaled the end
of historical progress and the de facto
victory of liberal democracy over all other
forms of political ideology
Neo-conservatismThe Washington Consensus
 Domestically:
◦ Market fundamentalism
 Internationally:
◦ Unilateralism
Crises/Challenges from 1990s to
2010s
Burst of high tech bubble in 1990s
 9.11 attacks in 2001
 America was dragged into a war of
Afghanistan in 2001
 The Iraq War in 2003
 Financial Crisis in 2008
 Debt crisis
 Globalization’s challenges
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……
Reason 2.Crisis and Opportunity
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“Crisis” in Chinese Expression
危机
◦ 危 (wei) crisis
◦ 机 (Ji) opportunity
How to change current crises into future
opportunities?
 The Artist
 A new perspective (US, China, past and future)
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A Letter to America by David Boren
 The
history of our country
demonstrates that we Americans are
natural problem solvers. Again and
gain, when we have come to
understand the problems we face, we
have come together to find a way to
solve them.
 A Letter to America by David Boren
Two Challenges
New course with so many historical
events for several hundred years
 To teach fish how to swim
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Recommended Books
Self-introduction of the
participants
Useful Chinese Basics

你好 （knee how) Hello
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谢谢 (sheh sheh), Thank you
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再见 (sai jian) Bye/See you again
Questions?
(Boston, Hingham, Plymouth)
Thank you!
谢谢！
再见！