HIS 1141 - Classical Jiangnan in China

Credits: 2.00
Jiangnan, which means “the south of Yangzi River,” is a cultural and economic region slightly smaller in size than modern France. Centered around today’s Shanghai, Jiangnan by all accounts was/is the most prosperous and most highly urbanized region in China, featuring distinctive gardens, arts, and landscape. A historian compared the region to England because since the eighteenth century both have become highly developed economic regions and formed distinctive regional cultures on both sides of Eurasia. We will travel to the region and view gardens, folk arts (e.g. iron pictures), art workshops/markets, and mountains/rivers/lakes, all of which feature the regional culture and history. Locations to be included are Shanghai, Zhouzhuang, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Zhenjiang, Wuhu, Hefei, Huizhou, etc. Students will keep daily journals and amass a portfolio of Jiangnan-based photos and journals the local Jiangnan culture. These journals and photos will result in a campus-wide show.