Chinese Culture: Tradition, Transformation and Interaction

Hong Kong Polytechnic University via edX XSeries

Overview

Introduction
This vibrant XSeries program showcases 15 experts in Chinese culture led by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. It is composed of 3 compact courses and 15 fascinating topics. The topics touch on Chinese philosophy, Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, Sunzi, food and cuisine, politics, strategic thinking, literature, paintings, operas, education, and the history of China’s cultural exchanges with other countries and regions.

Why should I enrol in the XSeries on Chinese culture offered by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University?
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a world-class research university. In 2021, it is ranked among the top 25 and top 75 universities by the QS Asian and QS World University Rankings respectively. One of the missions of the University is to offer high-quality MOOCs. Our online courses have received a number of international awards, including the edX Prize for Exceptional Contributions in Online Teaching and Learning (Finalist) and Best Online Courses of All Time by Class Central in 2020-21.

How can I advance my knowledge and career by enrolling in this program?
A basic knowledge of Chinese culture is requisite for anyone who aims to advance their career in business or academic study in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. These regions have a population of 1.4 billion (18 percent of the world’s population). This XSeries program empowers businesspeople by providing them with Chinese cultural knowledge that can inform their communication and engagement with their Chinese partners. Furthermore, students of Chinese studies who aim to further their knowledge will find new perspectives from this program. It also helps broaden the horizons of any laypeople who may currently have little knowledge of Chinese culture.

Thanks to a unique pedagogy that cross-references across the units and courses, this XSeries fosters the learner’s holistic understanding of Chinese culture. This holistic knowledge equips the learner with skills to connect different contexts of Chinese culture meaningfully in application.

For instance, in the Tradition course, you learn about Confucianism in the Zhou dynasty. In the Transformation course, you further learn about Chinese education through the private Confucian academies from the Song dynasty onwards, as well as New Confucianism in the 20th century. In the Interaction course, you discover the answer to the interesting question whether Confucius drank tea or alcohol. Likewise, in learning about Chinese thinking styles, you will be enlightened by the study of Sunzi’s The Art of War in the Tradition course, the elements of human character represented by the face make-up in Chinese Operas in the Transformation course, and the history of Chinese politics in the early 20th century in the Interaction course. There are many more connections between the units of the X series. This program is the only XSeries on Chinese culture that capitalizes on the use of powerful cross-referencing across the topics and units, with the aim to consolidate and upgrade your practical knowledge of Chinese culture.

Syllabus

Courses under this program:
Course 1: Chinese Culture: Tradition

This compact course introduces 5 interesting aspects of traditional Chinese culture. They are (a) Confucianism, (b) Daoism, (c) Buddhism, (d) Sunzi's The Art of War and ancient Chinese warfare, and (e) the art of painting in the Song dynasty. This dynamic course forms part of the HKPolyUx series on Chinese culture.

Course 2: Chinese Culture: Transformation

This compact course introduces 5 interesting aspects of Chinese culture in transformation. They are (a) The Four Great Classical Chinese Novels, (b) the art of Chinese opera, (c) private Confucian academies since the Song dynasty, (d) New Confucianism in the 20th century, and (e) gender politics in early New China. This dynamic course forms part of the HKPolyUx series on Chinese culture.

Course 3: Chinese Culture: Interaction

This compact course introduces 5 interesting aspects of Chinese cultural exchange and interaction with other countries in history. They are (a) China and the West, (b) China and Central Asia (c) China and Vietnam, (d) Chinese Revolutionary Connections with Other Countries, and (e) Chinese Food and Cuisine. This dynamic course forms part of the HKPolyUx series on Chinese culture.

Courses

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4 weeks, 2-4 hours a week, 2-4 hours a week
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Introduction

Owing to its rapid development in recent years, China has been in the spotlight of the international arena. While understanding modern China's economy, technology and politics is important, knowing its cultural roots and evolution is no less crucial for seeing the full picture of Chinese culture. This course introduces 5 interesting aspects of Chinese culture in transformation.

Key questions of the course
- What are the Four Great Classical Chinese Novels? What are the stories about? Why are they so famous and influential in Chinese literature?
- What is special about the art of Chinese operas? What are the symbolic meanings behind the face make-up, gestures and costumes? How do the operas serve as a medium for transmitting knowledge in Chinese culture?
- Why did the private Confucian academies thrive in the Song dynasty? Why was the famous Donglin Academy suppressed by the state in the Ming dynasty? How were the private academies engaged in the state educational reforms in the late Qing dynasty?
- How did New Confucianism emerge as a movement in the 20th century? What were the aspirations of the New Confucians? How did they address modern challenges to the development of Chinese science, democracy and cosmology? Did they succeed in modernizing Confucianism?
- What were the traditional expectations of gender roles in China? How was gender politics heightened in the labour force in early New China? What light does the film Li Shuangshuang shed on the gender awareness of Chinese socialism?
Course Design
- A team of 5 experts in Chinese culture has designed the course. They are, in alphabetical order, Dr Chun, Dr. Li, Dr Lin, Dr Wu and Dr Zhang.
- The compact design of the mini-lectures suits the busy schedule of edX learners.
- Introduction by animation hosts highlights the key questions of each unit.
- Illustrations and maps are designed to liven up the mini-lectures.
- Self-learning is supported by review questions and forums.
- Cross-referencing enhances a fruitful learning experience across the units of the HKPolyUx series on Chinese culture.
0 reviews
4 weeks, 2-4 hours a week, 2-4 hours a week
View details
Introduction

Owing to its rapid development in recent years, China has been in the spotlight of the international arena. While understanding modern China's economy, technology and politics is important, knowing its cultural roots and evolution is no less crucial for seeing a full picture of Chinese culture. This course introduces 5 interesting aspects of Chinese cultural exchange and interaction with other countries in history.

Key questions of the course
- How did the Silk Road emerge in history? Who was Matteo Ricci? What happened in history regarding the Chinese cultural exchange of religions, arts and sports with the West?
- Where is Central Asia? What was Pax Mongolica? What role did silver play in the Saga of the Silk Road?
- What cultural exchanges occurred between Vietnam and China? How did Vietnam contribute to the introduction of Buddhism to China through the maritime Silk Road? Which of the Vietnamese princes served as a high-ranking official in the Chinese court of the Ming dynasty?
- How did China confront Western colonialism as a global trend in the early 20th century? Who was Sun Yat-sen? How did he connect China with the rest of the world? How did Pan-Asianism arise and go bankrupt?
- What is the relationship between rituals, ghosts and alcohol in China? What are the stories behind Chinese medicinal food, correlative cosmology and tea? How many major types of Chinese cuisine are there? What sorts of food were exchanged between China and other countries in history?
Course Design
- A team of 5 experts in Chinese culture has designed the course. They are, in alphabetical order, Prof Han, Dr Ng, Dr Pan, Dr Schoenberger and Dr Tsui.
- The compact design of the mini-lectures suits the busy schedule of edX learners.
- Introductions by animation hosts highlight the key questions of each unit.
- Illustrations and maps are designed to liven up the mini-lectures.
- Self-learning is supported by review questions and forums.
- Cross-referencing enhances a fruitful learning experience across the units of the HKPolyUx series on Chinese culture.
1 review
4 weeks, 2-4 hours a week, 2-4 hours a week
View details
Introduction

Owing to its rapid development in recent years, China has moved into the spotlight of the international arena. While understanding modern China's economy, technology and politics is important, knowing its cultural roots and evolution is no less crucial for seeing a full picture of Chinese culture. This course introduces 5 interesting aspects of traditional Chinese culture.

Key questions of the course
- What was the origin of ancient Confucianism? How does ancient Confucian wisdom help us address the modern human predicament?
- How does Daoism enlighten us with a butterfly and fish? What is the connection between Daoism and the equality of all living organisms?
- Why does Buddhism see our present lifetime to be nothing but suffering? How do the Four Noble Truths help liberate us from suffering?
- What is special about Chinese ancient warfare? Who is Sunzi? What is his book The Art of War about? What can we learn from this famous book?
- What are the main styles and themes of the paintings in the Song dynasty? Who were the famous painters in that period? How did they collectively usher in a new era of artistic achievement for Chinese traditional paintings?
Course Design
- A team of 5 experts in Chinese culture has designed the course. They are, in alphabetical order, Dr Chen, Dr Muelenbeld, Dr Fok, Dr Tse and Dr Wan.
- The compact design of the mini-lectures suits the busy schedule of edX learners.
- Introductions by animation hosts highlight the key questions of each unit.
- Illustrations and maps are designed to liven up the mini-lectures.
- Self-learning is supported by review questions and forums.
- Cross-referencing enhances a fruitful learning experience across the units of the HKPolyUx series on Chinese culture.

Taught by

Meng Li, Xiaorong Han, Mark Meulenbeld, Lu Pan, Kevin Conrad, Jr. Schoenberger, Wan Yi Wu, Yu ZHANG, David Wan, Silvia Fok, Wicky Tse, Lang Chen, Jack Chun, Pak-sheung Ng, Hsueh-yi Lin and Brian Tsui