Mao’s Last Dancer- Discussion Panel- Monday 20 August
The panel discussion featuring Chinese teacher Mark Hall, Executive Officer- International Program Augustinian School Australia, Vivian Cao, and several Chinese International students from Year 10 and 11 was designed to provide Year 8 students with contextual background on Communist China and Chinese culture to complement their study of Li Cunxin’s memoir Mao’s Last Dancer. Mark Hall took the Year 8 students on journey through the origins of Communism, the formation and rise of Mao Zedong’s CCP- Communist China Party, The Great Leap Forward (1958-59) and The Cultural Revolution facilitated by Chairman Mao’s Red Guard. In addition, Mr Hall shared personal experiences of his wife’s estrangement from her sisters and relayed colleague Zhang Bing’s hardship resorting to a starvation diet leaves, grassroots and insects.
Vivian Cao spoke to the boys about the intense pressures she experienced during her Chinese schooling involving students attending school from 7:30am- 9:00pm in classes of 108 students and an additional three hours homework each night for six days per week. Furthermore, Ms Vivian enhanced student knowledge of Chinese fables in Mao’s Last Dancer explaining several fables that were used to teach values and lessons throughout her childhood. Finally, some of our Chinese International students in Year 10- Alan Meng, Steve Piao, Dio Tang- and Year 11- Ben Rong, Riley Zhang, Daniel Yu- demonstrated profound courage and maturity to share their experiences as history students learning about Chairman Mao in China and some of the differences and difficulties they have encountered in Australia and at St Augustine’s College.
The discussion panel was an opportunity for the Year 8 boys to understand more about the Chinese heritage of members of the Augustinian community and develop their appreciation of other cultures.
- Listening to the opinions of the exchange students on the differences between eastern and western cultures was a fascinating experience which provided me with further context on Li Cunxin’s memoir Mao’s Last Dancer. (Aston Walsh, 8ENG1)
- I gained knowledge in relation to the context of China, political issues and the way China functioned during and after the Cultural Revolution. It was amazing to see Chinese staff and students talking about their experience. (Alex Greig, 8ENG1)
- It was very interesting to hear the students comparing their daily lives in China to how they live now and how they were influenced by the “communist way.” (Matthew Zabel, 8ENG2)
Mr Thomas Hinton
Assistant Head of English
Learning Programs, Resource and Innovation