As part of my plan to learn Chinese, I am writing about this conversation with Yuan Tengfei
Who is Yuan Tengfei?
Yuan graduated from Capital Normal University with a major in Chinese history, and had since been teaching Chinese history in various Beijing high schools. He came to popular attention when videos of his history courses were posted online in 2008. The videos were classroom recordings made by a Beijing cram school, for which Yuan was moonlighting, and made available online behind the school’s paywall. The videos were copied, presumably without any authorization, and posted to other free video-sharing websites.
However recently he seems to be a more controversial figure, so I am just learning about him as a way to practice Chinese, and may omit some parts.
An example of a comment
一个历史老师，能把这么枯燥无味的历史讲的这么风趣喜听。今生无憾了。因为这是开创了全新的一个授课方式的先河。不敢说是鼻祖，但绝对是最成功的一个老师。
A history teacher who can tell such a boring history in such a funny way. No regrets in this life. Because this is the beginning of a new teaching method. I dare not say that he is the originator, but he is definitely the most successful teacher.
Who is Emperor Yong Zheng of the Qing Dynasty
The Yongzheng Emperor was the fourth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the third Qing emperor to rule over China proper. He reigned from 1722 to 1735. A hard-working ruler, the Yongzheng Emperor’s main goal was to create an effective government at minimal expense.
More info here.
There are lots of records of him because he used to write everyday. 2-3000 characters by brush. Many people have misconceptions of him because they watch the TV shows about him (such as Empresses in the Palace)
Science And Technology
What role does Technology play in history?
He says that Science and Technology are treated as the same thing in Chinese. They have one word: 科技 which means they are considered the same thing which is different to the west, and he thinks that in China people now pay more attention to technology than science, which brings more profit in the short term but less impact than scientific breakthroughs in the long term.
Chinese Dynasties
There were two that lastest the longest time – Han Dynasty – 420 years, and Song Dynasty 320 years.
Song lasted a long time although didn’t like fighting because they had other ways to show their strength.
How Farming Affected the Society
China has always been a top down society because people are farmers, and they learn their farming from their father, and their father learnt from their father etc.,
Farming also meant that people in China were reluctant to relocate, because they can’t take the land with them.
Chinese society is also about connections and who you know. People are not likely to want to move and be an outsider where they have no connections or advantages.
That’s why it’s a relationship based society and not a law based society.
Western civilisation on the contrary originated in an island in crete which could not be self-sufficient and therefore needed to trade. Trading needed to establish laws so that it could be fair. (Examples of benefits of free trade.) and shows how China and the west think very differently.
This is why it’s important to look at history when trying to understand societies and how they think and make decisions.
读万卷书不如行万里路
Exploring the world with your feet is thousands time better than reading books at home
The Importance of Travelling
Vocabulary Learnt:
鼻祖 Bízǔ Originator
雍正皇帝 Emperor Yongzheng
油条 Yóutiáo Dough Sticks
泡妞 Pàoniū Pickup Girls
不这么回事 it’s totally wrong
不与设立场 Bù yǔ shèlì chǎng not set up
甭管是 No matter if it’s
但凡刺激到了你 Whenever it excites you
情结 complex / desires (to have a complex)
世外 – utopian / outside the world
避世 Bìshì escape the world
可敬 Kě jìng respectable
百家争鸣 , 百花齐放 – a hundred schools of thought content, a hundred flowers bloom
一支笔权作了十万铁甲 – a paintbrush can be used as 100 thousand armed soldiers
How do you tell stories?
He think its really important in teaching to tell stories to keep peoples attention.
