Wittenberg University Journals
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Making and Deconstructing Mythologies in Yun-Fei Ji’s The Three Gorges Dam Migration (2010)
Get PDFIn 1996, the Chinese government commenced construction on the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) in Hubei. While this was touted as a success in the movement toward modernization, at the same time 1.5 million people were displaced from their ancestral homes and the environment was irreparably destroyed. This paper explores the way contemporary Chinese artist Yun-Fei Ji’s 2010 work The Three Gorges Dam Migration unveils the environmental degradation, powerlessness, and propaganda involved in the construction of the TGD. While the work was created between 2008-2010, it is based on a scene from 2003 in Ji’s memory; as such, this paper considers the social, political, and economic situations of both 2003 and 2008. I argue that specific moments in these years – such as SARS, the recession, and the Beijing Olympics – simultaneously bolstered and deconstructed mythologies of modernization in China; Migration reflects these deconstructed mythologies by retelling a narrative alternative to the propagandistic mythos of the success of the TGD
A Fantasy in Ink: How Japanese Export Art Reflects the West\u27s Obsession with the Exotic
Get PDFJaponisme is an oft-studied subject in European art history. Papers and books abound describing how various artists in the second half of the nineteenth century were inspired by a pan-Western obsession with a recently opened Japan and its art. What is discussed less often is the impact this obsession had on the art coming out of Japan. As local customer bases dried up, Japanese artisans increasingly had to adapt their art to suit the tastes of a West that was enamored with the idea of their country, but the idea did not always match the reality. Through a mixed study of primary source documents, historical analysis, studies of Orientalism, and the art itself as its colors, compositions, and subjects transformed over the course of the Japonisme period, this paper seeks to demonstrate that many of the works sold by Japanese artists in international exhibitions and the art export trade were designed specifically to appeal to a Western fantasy of the exotic Orient, and that the Japan presented in those works is an invention. There are clear implications herein of the power behind art viewership and the West’s hegemony of knowledge
The Changing Dynamics of a Japanese Company Amid the Globalizing Business Environment: A Case Study of Hitachi Construction Machinery Company
Get PDFJapan’s mature market combined with its decreasing population has left little room for domestic market expansion. Because of this, many Japanese companies have been required to explore overseas markets in order to maintain and expand their sales revenue. While numerous Japanese companies have struggled to adapt to globalization, Hitachi Ltd., a Japanese multinational conglomerate, has become a frontrunner in its organizational transformation. A recent example is its move from the traditional, seniority and lifelong employment system to a merit-based salary system, which aims to attract talented, high-level workers overseas. Hitachi Construction Machinery (HCM), one of Hitachi’s eleven businesses, is an excellent case study of how Japanese companies are changing in response to globalization. Three research groups investigated this on-going, momentous transformation of a representative of Japan Inc., HCM, through first-hand experiences and semi-structured interviews with company representatives throughout Japan. The research included in-depth investigations of how globalization has affected HCM in three areas: language, cultural, and unification training processes; human resource management; and reaction to global environmental issues through its product lines
Vietnamese Matriarchy and Modern Nationalism
Get PDFThe Vietnamese origin story of Âu Cơ is an “invented tradition” ingrained in Vietnamese culture as resistance against colonialism. This gender-critical essay will examine different theoretical approaches and interpretations of ethnosymbolism, or, “invented traditions,” and the power of collective forgetting in forging a romantic nationalist navel, as well as the consequences on women’s movement
A City Redefined: Anti-China Sentiment and the Rise of Localism in Hong Kong, 1988-Present
Get PDFThis study explores the origin and development of anti-China mentality in Hong Kong since its first local election in 1988. Decades of rapid economic development established Hong Kong people\u27s unique identity as the more capable Chinese. The self-perception of superiority coincided with the Handover in 1997. Robust trade between the city and China led to the fear of marginalization in the global stage. After the failed government campaign of "Asia\u27s World City", Hong Kong witnessed growing hostility towards its Northern counterpart. The Umbrella Revolution in 2014 marked the start of direct confrontation against Beijing. While some radicals called for independence, the general public is divided on the future of the former British colony
Repression, Punishment, and Genocide: An Examination of Human Rights Violations in North Korea
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Tribute and Trade: An Overview of Economic Relations between China and Southeast Asia During the Song and Ming Dynasties
No full textChina and Southeast Asia have a long, shared history of commerce between them, one that began to flourish during the Song Dynasty. In Chinese history, however, commerce is inseparable from tribute. Southeast Asian polities exploited flaws in the tributary system to prosper at China\u27s expense. The Ming and Song tributary systems are each examined in turn, followed by explorations of global trade\u27s beginnings in Chinese and Southeast Asian commercial relations and the problematic nature of Chinese exports to Southeast Asia during the Song and Ming. From there, the Southeast Asian attitude towards Chinese tribute and trade is analyzed, first generally and then regionally, looking especially at Song and Ming imports from Southeast Asia. The two megaregions had major economic influence on one another from 960 to 1550 C.E. The tributary system fostered Song and Ming feelings of superiority over Southeast Asia, while Southeast Asian societies viewed the system primarily as a means of trade, sustaining their mandala-based societies and fueling their temple construction. 
