The Great Reversal: The "Rise of Japan" and the "Fall of China" after 1895 as Historical Fables | Summary and Q&A

Transcript

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Summary:

This video is a lecture given by Professor Benjamin Elman of Princeton University as part of the Edwin O. Reischauer Memorial Lecture series. The lecture focuses on the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95 and challenges the commonly accepted narratives of Japan's rise and China's decline during that period. The video discusses the imagery and optics of the war, the lessons learned from the conflict, and the changing perspectives on China and Japan in the 21st century.

Questions & Answers:

Q: Who is the speaker of the lecture?

The speaker of the lecture is Professor Benjamin Elman of Princeton University.

Q: What does the lecture focus on?

The lecture focuses on the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95 and challenges the commonly accepted narratives of Japan's rise and China's decline during that period.

Q: What is the Edwin O. Reischauer Memorial Lecture series?

The Edwin O. Reischauer Memorial Lecture series is a lecture series that honors the contributions of Professor Edwin Reischauer to the study of Japan, China, and Korea.

Q: What were the main lectures of this year's series about?

This year's lectures were given by Professor Benjamin Elman of Princeton University and focused on undoing and redoing modern sino-japanese cultural and intellectual history.

Q: Why do some people question the sponsorship of the Rice Institute for the Rice-Laurie Memorial Lectures?

Some people question the sponsorship of the Rice Institute for the Rice-Laurie Memorial Lectures because the Fairbanks Center for Chinese Studies believes that Chinese studies at Harvard owes a special debt to Edwin Reischauer.

Q: What is the rush hour lecture series?

The rush hour lecture series is a lecture series that was established in 1985 to honor Professor Edwin Reischauer.

Q: What is the purpose of the Fairbanks Center for Chinese Studies?

The Fairbanks Center for Chinese Studies is a center that aims to deepen understanding of East Asia as a region through current scholarship.

Q: What did the first speaker of the Rice-Laurie Memorial Lectures study?

The first speaker of the Rice-Laurie Memorial Lectures, William Theodore de Bary, studied the travels of the Japanese monk Ennin to the Tang court.

Q: Who co-taught the famous Rice-Patties course at Harvard and what did they teach?

Professor Edwin Reischauer co-taught the Rice-Patties course with John Fairbank. Reischauer taught the first half of the course, which focused on a cultural history of China, and Fairbank taught the second half, which focused on the modern Far East.

Q: What did Professor Reischauer do in 1942 that was notable?

In 1942, Professor Reischauer ran a special introductory course in Japanese at Harvard that was oversubscribed, recruiting some promising Harvard undergraduates who went on to have distinguished careers.