Outline

Overview

This unit of study explores the history of the popular categories of Chinese society from the perspective of their interactions and contrasts with elitist cultural forms and socio-political objectives over the ages, considering processes of social and cultural change in terms of resistance, mimesis, and subversion, and exploring the parallels and prolongations of these in the modern world.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Asian Studies
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	12 credit points at 2000 level in Asian Studies or 12 credit points at 2000 level in Anthropology or 12 credit points at 1000 level or 2000 level or 3000 level in Chinese Studies
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Sean Moores, sean.moores@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Presentation	Presentation n/a	15%	Ongoing	Equivalent of 750 words
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Tutorial participation n/a	10%	Ongoing	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Essay proposal n/a	15%	Week 07 Due date: 09 Apr 2023 at 23:59	750 words
Outcomes assessed:
Small test	End-of-semester test Week 13 lecture	20%	Week 13	50 minutes (1,000wd equivalent)
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Research essay n/a	40%	Week 13 Due date: 28 May 2023 at 23:59	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction. What is “Popular China”?	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 02	Echoes of Popular China in Ancient Times	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	Popular Religion in Pre-modern China	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Rural Popular China in Pre-modern Times	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	Urban Popular China in Pre-modern Times	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	Gender and Sexuality in Pre-modern China	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	Heroes and Resistance in Pre-modern China	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	“Illicit Popular China”	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 09	Popular Literature and Theatre	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 10	Maoism and Popular China	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 11	The Origins and Development of Cinema in China	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 12	“Popular Greater China”?	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 13	“Popular China” in the Present and Future?	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
Lecture recording: Most lectures (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience.
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Week 1 – Introduction. What is “Popular China”?

Storey, John. “What is popular culture?” In Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction, 1-15. London: Routledge, 2015.

https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.library.sydney.edu.au/lib/usyd/detail.action?docID=2046454

Week 2 – Echoes of Popular China in Ancient Times

Major, J. S., & Cook, C. A. “Introduction to Ancient China” In Ancient China: a History, 1-9. London: Routledge, 2017.

https://www-taylorfrancis-com.ezproxy.library.sydney.edu.au/books/mono/10.4324/9781315715322/ancient-china-john-major-constance-cook

Week 3 – Popular Religion in Pre-modern China

Wai Yip Wong. “Defining Chinese Folk Religion: A Methodological Interpretation.” Asian Philosophy, Vol. 21, No. 2 (May 2011): 153-170.

https://doi-org.ezproxy1.library.usyd.edu.au/10.1080/09552367.2011.563993

Week 4 – Rural Popular China in Pre-modern Times

Anderson, E. N.. “China’s Early Agriculture.” In Encounters with Asia: Food and Environment in Early and Medieval China, 35-54. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2014.

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/usyd/reader.action?docID=10930615&ppg=49

Week 5 – Urban Popular China in Pre-modern Times

Xue Pingshuan. “The merchants of Chang’an in the Sui and Tang dynasties.” Frontiers of History in China, Volume 1, Issue 2 (2006): 254-275.

https://doi-org.ezproxy1.library.usyd.edu.au/10.1007/s11462-006-0005-1

Week 6 - Gender and Sexuality in Pre-modern China

Yao Ping. “Labor, profession, and everyday life.” In Women, Gender, and Sexuality in China: A Brief History, 88-115. London: Routledge, 2021.

https://www-taylorfrancis-com.ezproxy.library.sydney.edu.au/books/mono/10.4324/9781315627267/women-gender-sexuality-china-ping-yao

Week 7 – Heroes and Resistance in Pre-modern China

Pines, Yuri. “The People.” In The Everlasting Empire: The Political Culture of Ancient China and Its Imperial Legacy, 134-161. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2012.

https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.library.sydney.edu.au/lib/usyd/detail.action?docID=879137

Week 8 – “Illicit Popular China”

Rowe, W. T. “Violence in Ming-Qing China: An Overview.” Crime, Histoire & Sociétés, 18(2) (2014), 85–98.

https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.library.sydney.edu.au/stable/24570703?sid=primo

Week 9 – Popular Literature and Theatre

Sin, William. “The Water Margin, Moral Criticism, and Cultural Confrontation.” Dao: a Journal of Comparative Philosophy, 16 (1) (2017), 95–111.

https://link-springer-com.ezproxy.library.sydney.edu.au/content/pdf/10.1007/s11712-016-9536-4.pdf?pdf=button

Week 10 – Maoism and Popular China

Womack, Brantly. “From Urban Radical to Rural Revolutionary: Mao from the 1920s to 1937.” In A Critical Introduction to Mao, edited by Timothy Cheek, 61-86. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010.

https://doi-org.ezproxy1.library.usyd.edu.au/10.1017/CBO9780511781476

Week 11 – The Origins and Development of Cinema in China

Berry, Chris. “Red Poetics: The Films of the Chinese Cultural Revolution Revolutionary Model Operas.” In The Poetics of Chinese Cinema, edited by Gary Bettinson & James Udden, 29-49. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016.

https://link-springer-com.ezproxy.library.sydney.edu.au/content/pdf/10.1057/978-1-137-55309-6.pdf?pdf=button

Week 12 – “Popular Greater China”?

Lupke, Christopher. “Reflections on Situating Taiwan in Modern Chinese Cultural Studies.” The Journal of Asian Studies, 71(1) (2012), 57–61.

https://www-cambridge-org.ezproxy.library.sydney.edu.au/core/journals/journal-of-asian-studies/article/reflections-on-situating-taiwan-in-modern-chinese-cultural-studies/BB3B828BC3F6C3462685E1635CF5D711

Fung, Anthony. “Consuming Karaoke in China: Modernities and Cultural Contradiction.” Chinese Sociology and Anthropology, 42(2) (2009), 39–55.

https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.library.sydney.edu.au/doi/pdf/10.2753/CSA0009-4625420202?needAccess=true&

Additional General Bibliography:

Adorno, Theodor W., Bernstein, J.M. (ed.), The Culture Industry: Selected Essays on Mass Culture, London: Routledge, 2001.

Allan, Sarah & Cohen, Alvin P. (ed.), Legend, Lore, and Religion in China: Essays in Honor of Wolfram Eberhard on his Seventieth Birthday, San Francisco: Chinese Materials Center, 1979.
Benn, Charles D., Daily Life in Traditional China: The Tang Dynasty, Westport; Greenwood Press, 2002.

Besio, Kimberly & Tung, Constantine (ed.), Three Kingdoms and Chinese Culture, Albany: State University of New York Press, 2007.

Birge, Bettine, Women, Property, and Confucian Reaction in Sung and Yüan China (960–1368), Cambridge, Mass.: Cambridge University Press, 2002.

Bodde, Derk, Festivals in Classical China: New Year and Other Annual Observances During the Han Dynasty, 206 B.C.-A.D. 220, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1975.

Bordahl, Vibeke & Wan, Margaret B. (ed.), The Interplay of the Oral and the Written in Chinese Popular Literature, Copenhagen, Denmark: Nias Press, 2010.
Chang, Chun-shu, The Rise of the Chinese Empire, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2007.

Dien, Albert E. (ed.), State and Society in Early Medieval China, Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1991.

Eastman, Lloyd E., Family, Fields, and Ancestors: Constancy and Change in China's Social and Economic History, 1550-1949, New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.

Ebrey, Patricia & Walthall, Anne, Pre-Modern East Asia: To 1800: A Cultural, Social, and Political History, (3rd ed.), Wadsworth Publishing Co., 2014.

Feuchtwang, Stephan, Popular religion in China: The Imperial Metaphor, Richmond: Curzon, 2001.

Ge Liangyan, Out of the Margins: The Rise of Chinese Vernacular Fiction, Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2001.

Goldin, Paul Rakita, The Culture of Sex in Ancient China, Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 2002.

Hinsch, Bret, Women in Early Imperial China, Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002.
Johnson, David [et al.] (ed.), Popular Culture in Late Imperial China, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1985.

Johnson, Kay Ann, Women, the Family, and Peasant Revolution in China, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1985.

Ko, Dorothy, Cinderella’s Sisters: A Revisionist History of Footbinding, Berkeley: University of California Press, 2005.

Kuhn, Philip A., Rebellion and its Enemies in Late Imperial China: Militarization and Social Structure, 1796-1864, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1980.

Lagerwey, John & Kalinowski, Marc (ed.), Early Chinese Religion; Part 1: Shang Through Han (1250 BC--220 AD), 2 vol., Leiden & Boston: Brill, 2009.

Lewis, Mark Edward, China's Cosmopolitan Empire: The Tang Dynasty, Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2009.

Lewis, Mark Edward, The Early Chinese Empires: Qin and Han, Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2007.

Lewis, Mark Edward, Sanctioned Violence in Early China, Albany: State University of New York Press, 1990.

Mair, Victor (ed.), The Columbia History of Chinese Literature, New York: Columbia University Press, 2001.

Mcdermott, Joseph P., The Making of a New Rural Order in South China – I. Village, Land, and Lineage in Huizhou, 900–1600, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2013.

Nadeau, Randall L. (ed.), The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Chinese Religions, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 2012.

Naquin, Susan, Peking: Temples and City Life, 1400-1900, Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000.

Nienhauser William H. Jr. (ed.), The Indiana Companion to Traditional Chinese Literature, (vol.1), Bloomington & Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1986.

Robinson, David M., Bandits, Eunuchs, and the Son of Heaven: Rebellion and the Economy of Violence in Mid-Ming China, Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 2001.
Ruan, Fangfu, Sex in China: Studies in Sexology in Chinese Culture, New York: Plenum Press, 1991.

Seiwert, Hubert, Popular Religious Movements and Heterodox Sects in Chinese History, Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2003.

Spence, Jonathan D., Mao, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1999.

Sommer, Matthew H., Sex, Law, and Society in Late Imperial China, Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2000.

Storey, John, Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction, New York: Routledge, 2015.

Strinati, Dominic, An Introduction to Theories of Popular Culture, London: Routledge, 2004.

Theiss, Janet M., Disgraceful Matters: The Politics of Chastity in Eighteenth-Century China, Berkeley: University of California Press, 2004.

Van Gulik R.H., Erotic Colour Prints of the Ming Period, With an Essay on Chinese Sex Life from the Han to the Ch’ing Dynasty, B.C. 206-A.D. 1644, (vol.1) [1951], Leiden & Boston: Brill, 2004.

Waley, Arthur (tr.), The Book of Songs (1937), edited with additional translations by Joseph R. Allen, New York: Grove Press, 1996.

Wan, Margaret B., Green Peony and the Rise of the Chinese Martial Arts Novel, Albany: State University of New York Press, 2009.

Wang, Ping, Aching for Beauty: Footbinding in China, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2000.

Witkin, Robert W., Adorno on Popular Culture, London: Routledge, 2003.

Xiong, Victor Cunrui, Sui-Tang Chang’an: A Study in the Urban History of Medieval China, Ann Arbor: Center for Chinese Studies, University of Michigan, 2000.

Xu Zhuoyun, Ancient China in Transition: Analysis of Social Mobility, 722-222 B.C., Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1965.

Zhou Yiqun, Festivals, Feasts, and Gender Relations in Ancient China and Greece, Cambridge, Mass.: Cambridge University Press, 2010.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. understand the subtleties of fundamental sociocultural and historical developments in the history of China.
LO2. have stronger critical thinking skills, going beyond stereotypes and simplistic narratives.
LO3. reflect upon the ways in which cultural expression emerges in differing historical and social contexts.
LO4. have developed valid and effective research methodologies and an awareness of the importance of academic honesty.
LO5. present clearly and coherently your work in both written and oral assessments.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This unit is continually updated thanks to the input of student feedback.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

ASNS3618: Popular China

Semester 1, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect