cgschina's blog

The CGS Crew at the Farewell Dinner - front row: Katie, Gaby, Tali; back row: Melody, Prof. Mackey

The first CGS Social Science Shanghai Summer Program has come to an end.  I think all of us who experienced it can say it was a great success, and we’ll all have fond memories of our experiences here.  It was a summer of discovery, learning, and excitement; at times, it was also one of confusion, challenge, and a bit of trial and error.

For my part, I couldn’t have asked for a better or more pleasant group of students with whom to work.  I was constantly impressed with Melody, Katie, Gaby, and Tali – they put in a tremendous amount of academic work under challenging conditions, all while living in an unfamiliar country and a new culture.

The entire BU Shanghai Summer Program group at the Farwell Dinner

In both their language instruction and in the CGS Chinese history course I taught them this summer, all four students excelled and showed a great deal of poise and maturity.  They were full of interesting questions and observations, and they helped create a very positive and rigorous classroom atmosphere.  And teaching this group was a lot of fun, too.  Their good humor helped make it easier to endure the string of humid, 100-degree days in this summer of record-breaking heat in Shanghai.

The Students enjoy the Huangpu River boat cruise

It’s no secret that the momentum of world events is shifting toward Asia, and China has fully emerged as a twenty-first century  global superpower.   This group of  CGS students, now armed with knowledge of Chinese language, history, and culture, will be well-equipped to meet the coming challenges of international relations or international business, should they choose to enter those careers.  And since the liberal arts curriculum at CGS aims to help create informed, critical-thinking global citizens, our program in Shanghai is an ideal addition to the college.

I am proud of the accomplishments of Melody, Katie, Gaby, and Tali this summer, and I’m honored to have been the first faculty member to teach in the CGS Shanghai program.  Thanks for reading and sharing our experiences this summer.  -John Mackey

Hudec's Park Hotel, 1934 (left)

The 1920s and 30s were, in many ways, brutal years in China.  Warlordism, intermittent civil war between nationalists and communists, and eventually Japanese invasion all took a heavy toll.  Interestingly, through much of this period, Shanghai produced a flourishing culture of Jazz and decadent nightlife. The most vivid reminders of this era are  Shanghai's Art Deco architectural achievements.  For just a very brief sample of Shanghai Art Deco, click here for an album of photos I took around the city this summer.  More than three dozen of Shanghai's Art Deco structures were the work of Hungarian architect Lázló Hudec.

The "Cité Bourgogne" shikumen in the Former French Concession

While Shanghai is home to several of the world's tallest skyscrapers, and is well-known for its ultramodern Pudong skyline, perhaps the most distinctive architectural features of the city are its shikumen residences. Shikumen are typically two or three-story brick courtyards with stone gateways that lead to a maze of narrow lanes.  They became a significant part of the Shanghai cityscape beginning in the colonial days of the late nineteenth century, and they represent a mixture of Chinese and Western architectural elements. Many have been destroyed to make way for high-rise residences or commercial development, but some, like the charming "Cité Bourgogne," built in 1930, remain.  It's about a ten-minute walk from my apartment in the former French Concession neighborhood, and is an excellent example of the shikumen style and the French influence on the city.

One of the twin pagodas at Shuang Ta

On Friday I made a day trip to the city of Suzhou, about a half hour from Shanghai via high-speed train.  The city has a long history as a desirable destination for both Chinese and foreign visitors alike, and is known for its silk production, temples, canals, and gardens. I visited the twin pagodas of Shuang Ta and Suzhou's largest classical garden, known as The Humble Administrator's Garden.   Suzhou has plenty of charm, and is a perfect destination for anyone who enjoys Chinese gardens.