ASSIGNMENT 1:

After finishing this week’s readings(The reader(Reader 6-8 & reader 9-10) I uploaded in the below attachment), please focus this week’s post on the questions below. 

Remember: the idea here is to think carefully about the questions, but you don’t need to worry as much about producing a perfectly polished text. Your post should be a few sentences for each question and please write this post on your own before you look at your classmates’ posts. I want you to first think independently.

1.    What’s one idea about this week’s lectures and readings that you found most intriguing or surprising? Why is it intriguing or surprising to you?

2.    What was the Canton System and what did McCartney hope to achieve in his mission? Using primary sources from this week, how would you describe the interaction between McCartney and Qianlong?

3.    How did Chinese elite and commoners respond to the coming of the West? Please use the examples of Lin Zexu, Wei Yuan and commoners in Guangzhou to illustrate your points.

ASSIGNMENT 2:

After finishing this week’s readings((The reader(Reader 11-13 & reader 14-16 I uploaded in the below attachment)), please focus this week’s post on the questions below.

Remember: the idea here is to think carefully about the questions, but you don’t need to worry as much about producing a perfectly polished text. Your post should be a few sentences for each question and please write this post on your own before you look at your classmates’ posts. I want you to first think independently.

1.    What’s one idea about this week’s lectures and readings that you found most intriguing or surprising? Why is it intriguing or surprising to you?

2.    What were the social origins of the Taiping Rebellion/War? What do you think about the Taiping version of Christianity?

3.    What were the main principles of the Tongzhi Restoration? What were the main agendas of the Self-Strengthening movement?

Each question minimum 150 words>