Affinity diagram for CAFA analysis lesson tomorrow

So in preparation for tomorrow's exercise on affinity diagramming, I completed one today based on the "data" I have collected for my research question: What are the conditions for Cultures-based innovation in China?

I completed the analysis in three hours based on informal interviews, observations, and the literature over the last few weeks. It is not an official research project yet but may serve as a basis for one between CAFA, Swin, Inner Mongolia University Normal, and maybe Hong Kong Polytechnic.

Final interpretations? You will have to find out tomorrow.

Holhot Inner Mongolia

Yesterday, I arrived in Holhot, Inner Mongolia. It is a town of about 2 million in the city and 5 million with the surrounding areas. The place is very ancient, but the city itself feels very new. There are no old trees. The buildings on the road are so newly constructed that most are not occupied yet.

It is an minority region of the Mongolians who have an ancient culture that I will explore more of today.

Imperial College

As a professor, the Imperial College was fascinating for me. I had not realised before how democratic it was as a system in terms of making sure bureaucratic posts were based on merit not just heredity. This was part of Confucius's philosophy.

It widely influenced education throughout East Asia and Europe. It was the only Chinese college to allow foreigners to enrol and had places reserved for ethnic minorities. What was really cool was the Emperor's lecture hall in the centre shaped like a bi (circular disk of jade with a square within representing heaven and earth). Ah, to give lectures in a room like that!

The exhibition that explains its history was very thorough with scene recreations of the working and living traditions. The only question it did not answer was at what age would the students enter the academy?

They ended the Imperial exam system in the early 1900's. The exhibition displayed two critiques of the system. First, the system caged top scholars in the nation limiting their thoughts and thus potential contributions to knowledge. Second, the system stifled innovation as the education system was geared toward learning for the exam, but not surpassing the knowledge in it.

We should think about the second more as we rush to teach to the test.

Confucius Temple in Beijing

After lunch at a cool Western vegan restaurant in the local hutong, we went to Confucius's Temple. It is the graduation season in Beijing, so there were students taking photos with his statue.

It is amazing to think of his contributions regarding governance and education. His desire for virtuous government and the rejection he received from the leaders of China at the time is a model for perseverance. Although his ideas seem old fashioned now, one can imagine that his humanism was heretical at the time.

I am most fascinated by his contributions to education. I did not know the connection between his ideas and the establishment of the Imperial National System in China.

Lama Temple

Our first trip was to the Lama Temple, established in the late 1700s as a symbol of harmony and unification when China annexed Tibet. A former palace, it is the largest Tibetan temple in mainland China outside of Tibet.

If I were to claim any religion, the one I am closest to is Buddhism. Li Fan Fan was a practitioner so I performed the prayers at the various temples within the complex with her. It took nearly two hours.

I left feeling very peaceful.

Mobile library in Beijing

Yesterday, Wang Yan and Li Fan Fan took me to the Lama Temple, Confucius Temple, and the Imperial College. It was nice because it was their first time to see as well. On the way to the subway, we came across a mobile library where people can electronically check out and return books. Wang Yan read out some of the titles for me. The range was very wide from mysteries, books on raising children, Chinese medicine, mathematics, to Ming Dynasty history. It is such a cool concept. There seemed there might have been two or three books checked out.

CAFA lessons: Observation and proto analysis

Last Monday's lesson on observational research. The students' projects are shaping up nicely. They will collect their data this week and we will meet up on Sunday.

Lessons: interviewing and self doc

Panjiayuan: antique market

Yesterday, I went to the Panjiayuan antique market with Hang Hai, super guru of all things Chinese and antique, Hu Xiaomei and Zhang Rui, the super negotiators. I bought some amazing textiles. The indigo wax prints are from artisan Shou (I am sure I an writing this wrong) in Southern China. He draws the image in black wax and then it is died indigo and the wax melted. This was the highest quality ones we could find. There was a stall in which they had painted on the pattern, but kept trying to tell us it was wax.

The other piece the seller said she bought ten years ago from a woman. It is probably 20-30 years old. Hang Hai explained that there are not a lot of antique textiles as they dissipate in the Southern climes where they are made. Also with all the cultural upheavals in China, it is rare to find something over 100 years old. Thus it would be extremely expensive. The late Ming textiles Hang Hai was looking at were over $5000 Aud.

Lido Centre

There was this famous vegetarian restaurant in the Lido area of Beijing which is not far from CAFA. It was about a 25 minute walk. It was a nice low pollution day so I thought I would walk over to it.

Today is still the holiday, so there are many street markets. I passed thought one on the way to the main road. Lots of second hand clothing and bags, followed by fruit and nut stands. I bought the zongzi which are the holiday sticky rice wrapped in a leaf triangles served during the Dragon Boat holiday. It represents the rice the villagers threw in the river for Qu Yuan's ghost.

I arrived to find out that the restaurant is now a yoga studio. So I went to Starbucks which looks the same anywhere, but the food is different (black sesame cookies and real Chinese oolong tea). There are other expats here as well using the free wifi. I am working on the research ethics lecture. I'll go to the park later.