Tales of Four Chinese Cities (in English)

In this seminar we will focus on an important topic of modern Chinese culture: urban imagination. We will examine the literary and visual representations of four cities in modern China: Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Taipei. Through close analyses of the fictions, films, photographs, and paintings that illuminate Chinese urbanism, we will extensively discuss the cultural manifestations of Chinese metropolises, which are also central to an understanding of the differently articulated forms of Chinese modernity. (Previous work at the 0200-level in modern Chinese literature or culture is desirable, but not required) 3 hrs. sem.