Portfolio WEEK 4 Tutorial on Element1
I had my first tutorial with Annie today. Instead of watching things floating on air, I made a presentation and popup book demos.
Ten years later, one of the nation’s most vocal political critics shares ten essential messages for freedom and peace of mind. ‘Harmonize your external appearance with your innermost thoughts. What we present to the outside world should be congruent with the quality of our inner world. We see a lot of discordance between what a person appears to be and what a person really is nowadays. But the harmony between the two is actually how an individual becomes an individual.’
We talk about the Freedom of making art: I don’t really like to be controlled and I defo I care about grades because I put lots of effort into it. It is really hard to take myself out (not to be selfish) when I really want to make small progress than last time… It is never about competition or win or something. It is about in the future someone can hear me and I am eager to wait…
I am luckily that we promise to use the same mindset. To give each other Freedom.
“It may be dangerous to tell people that they don’t have free will,” Sapolsky said. “The vast majority of the time, I really think it’s a hell of a lot more humane.”
For a long time, the impression of history in our minds is a summary of the laws that illuminate thousands of miles, and a grand narrative with a towering roof. Although this is correct, the perspective is too high and impersonal. Even if some narrators deliberately lower their perspective, they only stay above the temple, between civil and military officials, and are concerned about a small group of elites
Questions from my sunshine Annie:)
[The different version of Puyi’s documentary]?
I found the documentation on Puyi on wiki is more storytelling then the ones on Baidu: ( I am comparing them because they are the most convenient resources that people will be looking at)
Growing up with scarcely any memory of a time when he was not indulged and revered, Puyi quickly became spoiled. The adults in his life, except for Wang, were all strangers, remote, distant, and unable to discipline him.Wherever he went, grown men would kneel down in a ritual kowtow, averting their eyes until he passed. Soon he discovered the absolute power he wielded over the eunuchs, and he frequently had them beaten for small transgressions. As an emperor, Puyi’s every whim was catered to while no one ever said no to him, making him into a sadistic boy who loved to have his eunuchs flogged. The Anglo-French journalist Edward Behr wrote about Puyi’s power as emperor of China, which allowed him to fire his air-gun at anyone he liked:The Emperor was Divine. He could not be remonstrated with, or punished. He could only be deferentially advised against ill-treating innocent eunuchs, and if he chose to fire air-gun pellets at them, that was his prerogative.
He appears to be physically robust and well developed for his age. He is a very “human” boy, with liveliness, intelligence and an enthusiastic sense of humour. Furthermore, he has excellent manners and is totally free from arrogance […] Although the emperor does not seem to have been spoiled yet, from the nonsense and futility that surrounds him, I am afraid there is no hope that he will emerge unscathed from the moral dangers through of the next few years of his life (very critical years necessarily for a boy in his early adolescence), unless he can be removed from the influence of the hordes of eunuchs and other useless officials who are now almost his only companions. I am inclined to think that the best course of action to take in the interest of the boy himself would be to remove him from the harmful atmosphere of the “Forbidden City” and send him to the Summer Palace. There it would be possible for him to live a much less artificial and happier life than he can under the present conditions… –Johnston
“Manuscript of the History of the Qing Dynasty”: The emperor rushed to serve as his successor, supervise the regent of the country, and conduct military and state maintenance. All major matters were dealt with by the Queen Mother. After the great changes began, the political power was suddenly transferred, the world was made public, and preferential treatment lasted forever, thus creating a miracle unprecedented in the ages. During the reign of Yu Bin, the cultural relics were still new. It is difficult for those who compile history to decide what is right and wrong. However, when Confucius wrote about the Spring and Autumn Period, his pen was written as a pen, and his sharpening was sharpened. The world you see is more detailed than what you hear. Once you know something about it, you will never know it. Is it also the case that future generations in the world will learn from each other?
Celebrity comments
Li Shuxian: Puyi was an emperor, but I was an ordinary nurse. However, we sincerely loved each other. Whether it was the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference where Puyi worked or the hospital where I worked, people knew that Puyi was particularly good to me.
Li Maojie: The so-called “Manchukuo is the paradise of kings” is basically a lie created by the Japanese. Puyi deceived himself and others in lies and continued his dream of being emperor. The cramped space in the main hall used by Puyi when he ascended the throne is a reflection of Puyi’s life like a caged bird.
Mao Zedong: The recent leader Li Shouxin and Zhuo Shihai are advancing on Sui, and the German king is nothing less than Puyi, the Mongolian puppet state, acting aggressively. How can we allow others to snore next to the bed of Japanese imperialism?
Zhou Enlai: You were only two or three years old when you became emperor. You cannot be held responsible for what happened at that time. But in the Manchukuo era, you are responsible.
Yu Dahua: Undoubtedly, the last emperor Puyi was an important historical figure, a special figure with extraordinary experiences and legendary destiny in human history. However, as an emperor, he never controlled state power for a day; he had been in the political whirlpool for a long time but never play a key role.
Yan Chongnian: Xuantong ascended to the throne at a young age and became the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty. China has been in power since Qin Shihuang proclaimed himself emperor in 221 BC until Emperor Xuantong abdicated in 1912. After 2132 years, Puyi was not only the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, but also the last emperor in Chinese history. Puyi’s abdication not only marked the end of the Qing Dynasty, but also the end of the Chinese monarchy.
- Wikipedia: Wikipedia articles aim to provide a balanced historical perspective, incorporating various viewpoints and interpretations. The focus is on presenting a comprehensive picture of historical events and figures.
- Baidu: Baidu might emphasize aspects of Puyi’s life and the Qing Dynasty that are more relevant or significant in Chinese culture and history. This could result in different emphases and interpretations.
- Wikipedia: Wikipedia articles are expected to rely on verifiable and reputable sources. Information about Puyi on Wikipedia would be based on academic, historical, and reliable references, which are often in line with global historical scholarship.
- Baidu: Baidu might include sources and references that align with Chinese historical narratives, which could differ from Western or international perspectives on Puyi’s life and the events surrounding him.
- Wikipedia: Wikipedia aims to provide a neutral and comprehensive overview of its subjects. While there can be debates over content, Wikipedia generally does not engage in censorship, and contributors aim to provide a balanced perspective.
- Baidu: Baidu is a Chinese company, and its content may be subject to censorship and government regulations. Information related to sensitive topics, such as the history of the last Emperor and the Qing Dynasty, may be shaped by the Chinese government’s viewpoints and policies.
- I personally found putting the different emphasis on documenting it was quite interesting. It feels like wikipedia is more comprehensive and storytelling (You get lots of information from a single character while some of them actually is not right) while Baidu has put the effort like “what the government would like you to know” very centralised. It is good that Puyi has its own book, so we could understand and interpret him in a new dimension.
The result shows that: Wikipedia is superior in most cases while Baidu Baike is a little better in the entries on Chinese history. The operating mechanism is the main reason for it. The result implies that in the field of history, well-established online encyclopedias can be reliable for common users although improvement such as developing operating mechanisms is still needed. Shang, W. (2018). A Comparison of the Historical Entries in Wikipedia and Baidu Baike. In: Chowdhury, G., McLeod, J., Gillet, V., Willett, P. (eds) Transforming Digital Worlds. iConference 2018. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 10766. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78105-1_9
What is the political reason behind the short focus on the last emperor?
Too Wide–He symbolizes the founding of the Republic of China in 1912 to the founding of New China in 1949.
Too Small–In the changing times, the fate of character is really tragic//It is no doubt that Puyi is always being a puppet. He is seen as the failure in the politics, in opposite to the aim the government want us to read about. what we read about our politics, mostly of success.
How the emotion is changing in Puyi’s life in my perspective?
少不更事的封建帝王/民主共和下的复辟之路/抗日战争下的傀儡皇帝/国共内战的摇摆棋子/新中国的新公民
The feudal emperor who was young and insignificant/The road to restoration under the democratic republic/The puppet emperor under the Anti-Japanese War/The swinging chess piece in the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party/The new citizens of New China
Why we should know about him? What is his contribution to the world?
Puyi’s real historical role is as a symbol of the Manchu emperor. It is precisely because of his power and throne that many people have no choice but to listen to him. Restorationists or Japanese invaders used his symbolic role to play a bad role in the War of Resistance Against Japan. The greatness of our party, using his symbolic role, allowed him to participate in politics as a Manchurian, which played a good role. Puyi’s merits and demerits are all due to his symbols.
How the composer 坂本龙一 affect to my composition?
This is something I would reflect on later…
How we make the project in an immersive dimension?
It really depends on the space…I wouldn’t like it to be too impetuous.