When you break what people used to, or are surrounded by, you may encounter a strong resistance. However, once you break through the difficulties and your hard work is appreciated, you find yourself grown more mature. When the 21 century artist, Maya Lin won the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, she was protested by a lot of people. Her cutting edge designs first provoked controversy, yet later won her respect in the United States.One of the rare few who has managed to forge a path in both art and architecture, Maya Lin is a sculptor, architect, designer, and craftswoman. Born in 1959 in Athens, Ohio, she was trained as an artist and architect; her sculptures, parks, monuments, and architectural projects are linked by her passion in making a place for individuals within landscape. Lin, a Chinese-American, came from a cultivated and artistic home. Her mother taught literature and her father taught art at Ohio University, Lin; grew up surrounded by art and literature, constantly delving into nea success with most Vietnam veterans, families of the fallen, and the public at large would be a gross understatement. Attendance of the Memorial averages more than 10,000 per day. The names of the dead or missing, which seem to flat on a translucent black plane, have a numinous power that makes the monument capable of evoking strong emotion. The fact that the polished black granite of the wall dimly reflects the face of the spectators draws the latter into a direct relationship with the monument. Catherine who visited memorial wrote a poem, showing how sad she felt when she saw her childhood friend and how impressed she was when she touched every single one of vets names.THE WALLi walked along that long black wall, with names as far as i could see. /Frienck i knew in childhood now etached in memories. / i've touched their names so many times.remembered them with love. / i walk along the rain pours down, tears from heavens above i watch a vet, deep in thought, pain across his face. /hevisitor has interacted with it. It is not finished as a finite object; it requires an act of participation.”However, as soon as the winning design was publicized, it was bitterly opposed by a small but vociferous group of Vietnam veterans who objected to its color, planned placement below ground level, and lack of a “heroic” quality. Some of them referred to it as a “black ditch” or “black gash of shame.” (gale.com) Though she entered the national spotlight with her design from the moment, yet 21-year-old young architect was hurt from the beginning of her career."When it was over, I wanted to pretend it never happened," she says. "I went back to school and tried to forget it. I refused to talk about the memorial or do another one" (nwsource.com).In 1988, she made an exception to her rule and agreed to design the "Civil Rights Memorial" at the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Ala. "There was no civil rights memorial," she says. "That's what interested me, the chance to providecking up a pen, except to write, for as long as she can in order to fully understand what she wants to do as an idea. In her book she said,“ I try to think of a work as an idea without a shape. If I find the shape too soon, then I might be predetermining a form and the stuffing the function into the form. Instead, what I try to do is read, research, understand anything about the site. And I don’t just mean the physical site. I mean the cultural site, the historical site, who is coming, what the needs are, what I think needs to be done.” (Boundaries 147)When she works on the memorials, she immunes herself not only to physical site but historical, cultural site.“ I work with the landscape, and I hope that the object and the land are equal partners” –Maya LinIn her use of natural materials-rock, wood, water-her respect for the land, her use of flexible space, and her integration of East and West, Lin promotes restraint, environment, organic materials, and a new kind of architectural human"A Shift in the Stream," 1995-1997) (gale.com).She thinks art is for everyone no matter who you are, whatever you appreciate. But, on the same time, it is only for you because of the personal experience between you and the piece. That’s why it’s beautiful for viewers. Even for artists, she suppose art is wonderful because “it’s everything you’ve ever know and everything you’ve ever done, somehow percolating up, working with ideas that you might want to explore. And then you can just wake up one morning and know what you want to do (pbs.org). Her work has profoundly changed, creating works that have touched us in a manner unprecedented in contemporary art. I expect she continue her career of innovation in sculpture and architecture, allowing us to have “individual experiences” with her art.Seeing the World DifferentlyArtist and Architect,Maya LinEnglish 1302Work Cite HYPERLINK "http://blog.naver.com/moonsist?Redirect=Log&logNo=30005087227" http://blog.naver.com/moonsist?Redirect=Log&logtml
CUST Mid-Term3/24/06Qin Shi Huangdi; Accomplishments of the First Emperor of ChinaRegarded both a Chinese national hero and a historically infamous dictator; Qin Shi Huangdi, like his Terracotta Army, is a larger than life story of power, strength and determination. His rein as the First Emperor of China ended more than two millennia ago- yet the land he unified and the legacy he left behind manage to reach across the centuries and bare testimony to a culture who’s greatness will not soon be forgotten.At the time of Qin Shi Huangdi’s birth, the country we know as China was merely a series of states divided in bitter and relentless conflict. This time period preceding the Qin Dynasty is known as the Warring States Period. Shi Huangdi was born in 259 BC in the capitol of the enemy state Zhao. His father Zichu, a prince to the Royal House of Qin, was serving as a hostage consequent to an arrangement between the two states at the time. Prince Zirchu eventually returned back to his homelands domain. With the taste of victory fresh on his lips, the ambitious Shi Huangdi now turned his attention beyond his boarders- one by one, the enemy states fell and came under Shi Huangdi’s control.Qin Shi Huangdi assumed complete authority over the whole of China in 221 BC after defeating the last independent state of Qi, proclaiming himself the First Emperor of China.Retaining power and ushering the newly unified nation from the anarchy of the Warring States Period was in itself an unprecedented accomplishment of Shi Huangdi. To ensure his rein, he extended the administrative system practiced in the State of Qin previous to the unification. Feudalism was abolished throughout the country, the land divided into 36 commanderies (states). Power in each of the commanderies was in the hands two of appointed governors- one civilian, the other military. The civilian Governor was superior to the military, however both were accountable to the central government. Governors were replaced or re-sitten language. The script (called the Small-Seal Script) was made mandatory with the help of his Prime Minister Li Si, who eliminated all other script variations and confusions from the old states. Communication was dramatically improved as a consequence, enabling efficient control over the vast country.Though China was now unified, Shi Huangdi’s military campaign continued. Nomadic tribes to the north were a relentless annoyance and a threat to the northern order. In attempt to wart off barbarian attacks, Shi Huangdi ordered the construction of a defensive wall. The project was a massive undertaking, forcibly mobilizing hundreds of thousands of men for the backbreaking labor that would take more than ten years to complete. (While the construction of this wall was Great, to say the least, it is not to be mistaken for “The Grate Wall” which is a product of the Ming Dynasty more then 200 years later, and took more than a century to create. Though the construction of Shi Huangdi’s wall wgdi was obsessed with the secret to eternal life. Ironically, it is believed that Shi Huangdi’s pursuit for immortality is ultimately what took life from him.The First Emperor of China died in 210 BC while on tour in East China. He was searching for the secret to eternal life, allegedly guarded on a group of islands off the eastern coast. It is reported that he died from mercury poisoning- on account his doctors prescribing him pills of mercury, thought to slow the process of aging… oops.Prime Minister Li Si was worried that an uprising may occur if news of the emperor’s sudden death was revealed. Being a good two months distance from the capitol city Xianyang, Li Si kept the death a secret from most of the entourage while ordering the precession to return to the capitol. Every day Li Si entered the Emperors wagon, pretending to conduct business as usual in order to avoid suspicion. Furthermore, he placed two carts full of salted fish to the front and rear of royal wagon in order to maeen disappointed the moment that his shovel went “ding!” striking what might have been bedrock or stone… When his muffled Mandarin curses and profanity subsided, the farmer took a second look and realized it was neither bed rock nor stone which quelled his plot for a new well… his shovel had unearthed the greatest archeological find of the 20th century.As archeologists methodically excavated the sight, most could not believe the magnitude of their findings. More than 7,000 larger than life figures, standing strong in the same battle formation as they had been for the past two millennia, not one of them the same as another. It was as if they were modeled after real people, inheriting the individual characteristics and diverse ethnic traits from all corners of the vast empire. Further excavation of the mausoleum revealed an “underground kingdom”, the center of which is where Qin Shi Huangdi is claimed to be buried. By order of the Chinese government, the tomb on Qin Shi Huangdi remains uing.
"The only road-signs are the skeletons of the dead. Wherever they lie, there lies the road to India."Silk was not primary good when the Silk Road was established for the first time. Until the Romance craved for the silk that allowed Han dynasty to make large profits Han dynasty barely made profit from it. The Romans love silk so much that they were even willing to exchange silk for its weight in gold. Thirty two percent of the trade was consisted of silk on the Silk Road. Silk, the most valuable Chinese export goods have been found in Central Asia, Siberia and the Middle East and Roman silk imports led to such a drain of gold and silver eastwards that they harmed the Roman economy.
Samurai and Bushido DRAFTWhat is a Samurai and what is the Origin:Warriors have always been in Japan but were not professional Samurai until sometimes around the ninth and eleventh centuries. A Samurai was full time warrior and his only job was to fight. Since their job was to fight and not work they spent much of the spare time in constant training. Young men chosen to be samurai were expected to do their duty, serve and die as commanded by their masters.In their spare time outside of fighting and training, the Samurai studied literature, poetry and the Buddist and Shintosm. These principles were somewhat in contradictory to their barbaric lifestyle.Land was given to successful samurai who fought with honor. The woman of a samurai family was not excluded from the man’s work. Woman where also trained in the arts of combat and were know even to join their spouse on the battle field in combat.The Samurai had a protocol for their fights. They begin by shooting arrows or matlocks at either to charge towards each other. Before they begin the actual fight they call out each other’s family and challenge them to come forward and fight. Fighting usually to death or until one side runs away. Often rather than surrender or die the losing side will commit suicide or seppuku.Originally the Samurai used bows and arrows on horseback. Over time they gradually developed a sword called the Katana which they used in close range combat along with spears. They began to believe that the close range combat was a better approach than the long range combat and so they focused their training in this area. Which relied heavily on marshal arts.The head of the Samurai was the Shogun. The Shogun ruled over the Samurai below him and his purpose was to originally to defend the emperor. Samurai who did not have a Master were called Ronin. Ronin were either mercenaries that would only enter a job if it paid well and followed their code of ethics otherwise, the Ronin would just wonder and fight only that was seeking vengeance for the death of their Master.Over time the Shogun became more powerful than Emperor all the way up to the 1900 century when the American’s came for trade purposes.The American’s made demands for their trade such as whaling. As this Western influence moved in the ways of the Shogun and the Samaria began to become extinct.Bushido is the Samurai code of ethics by which most Samurai lived by. It is basically a code of honor. It wasn’t originally written. Some of the examples of the code are:The Samurai is willing to die for his Master.The Samurai would be received land as a reward for the fighting for his Master.The Samurai would always do their daily rituals in the same order.Their code said that if their Master’s died in battle the Samurai either committed suicide or sought vengeance on the opponent.However, the influence of the Samurai are still part of the modern culture. Samurai where also known to practice some of the fine arts like poetry, art, and litera ceremony as one of the most important ceremony’s.Samurai poetry seems a little contradictory for a warrior. The composition of poetry was however, very important to the Samurai. Some of the most feared warrior lords were also known to poets who composed verses even when staring in the face of certain death. One of these was Minimato Yorimasa, who, when defeated by the Taira, composed a poem before killing himself.Another thing about the samurai was their change in there nature of combat in that power samurai masters built castles to defend themselves. Fighting styles had to be changed to lay siege to a castle and win. Samurai castles where very while built for their age and often the most powerful samurai lords owned the best of them today only one of this ancient castles remain but form what is learned they where built to withstand attacks and sieges for a long time.Samurai during peace time would often find themselves under employed even though they where of high social rank in Japasub divided into 12 subclasses. On the top was the shogun as mentioned on the previous page. On the bottom where the foot soldiers.The Samaria has had a big influence even today in the modern culture of Japan from the martial arts to poetry to the respect for the elders all practices from the age of the Samaria.This clip art is said to be a cartoon of a government official. Although I think the caption is wrong,the cartoon was labeled Bushido. It is more funny than serious.This is an example of a drawing of a Samurai amour hat.This is a little boy dressed in a costume like a Samurai. The Samurai has had a large influence on marketing to children even in the US including the most popular NinjaTurtles.References used for this paper:“Life Among the Samurai” by Eleanor J. Hall“Samurai Warlords of Japan” by Arlan Dean“Bushido - The Way of the Samurai” based on the Hagakure by Tsunetomo Yamamoto“Samurai – The Story of the Japan’s Great Warriors” by Stephen Turnbull.Clip Art by MicroSoft.Wordngs.
Matthew JolleyCUST 2370JohnstonMovie Review: Joy Luck ClubJoy luck club is the heart wrenching story of four Chinese American families and their history. The movie is narrated by four Chinese mothers who reflect on their personal struggles of their youth spent in China. The over all theme of the movie is one of determination and cultural assimilation.My favorite part of the movie was when one of the women is telling the story of her mother bribing a matchmaker to set her daughter up with a wealthy husband. When the mother-in-law to be saw her infant future daughter in law, she commented, “She looks like a little brat…” Comments like this were common throughout the movie; I noticed that the Chinese seem to be much more blunt, perhaps even rude than other East Asian cultures. In any case, the matchmaker responded by saying “ohhh, but look at her round lucky face- she is sure to bring you many sons grandsons.”The wedding was very elaborate; lots of dramatic colors (especially red), loud music, and ornate costumes. They made a point to pay respects to the ancestors shrine during the ceremony; later, it was the suspected anger off the ancestors that ended the marriage.The Chinese seem to be a very superstitious people. Throughout the movie, people’s opinions and actions were heavily influenced by superstitious notions and accusations. The fact that they use a matchmaker to choose a spouse, and that they fear the opinion of their dead elders, shows that they value cultural practice, tradition and role-commitment more than they do emotional self-satisfaction. Another example of superstitious self-sacrifice was shown when one of the other four narrators recounts her mother slicing open her own arm in order to put her blood in a tea for her ailing grandmother.Chinese parents have dramatic control over their children, compared to us spoiled-brat-Americans. The same woman who had made the blood-tea for her mother, was earlier disowned by her family after being raped and becoming pregnant. It is hard for me to grasp as a Westerner- our culture holds that a parents love is unconditional, It appears that respect comes first in Chinese culture- in this unfortunate woman’s case, her rape was a dishonor for the family and had to be rectified.One of the saddest parts of the movie is the story of how one woman had to abandon her twin children. She was on the road seeking refuge from a war that was terrorizing the country. Eventually, she could walk no more. Rather than die clutching her babies, she opted to leave everything she had worth anything at all in a bundle next to her babies, along with a note promising more money to whoever took the children to their father in Shanghai. This was not a cowardly act, but the last resort to save the children… based on superstition once again; “dead mother, next to babies… very bad luck…” one of the women recalled.The Luck Club was a fantastic movie, and has given me some insight into the complex practices of the Chinese, along with a new respect for what many of them have endured over the past years.