The Outline of Chu Culture: History, Literature and Traditions

1. Basic Teaching Information

Course Title	Chu Culture: History, Literature and Traditions
Teaching Team: Wang Aiju, Wang Weiqun, Zhou Xining, Zhou Yanyu, Yang Xiaoyan	Targeted Students：International Students who are learning Chinese as a second/foreign language or Chinese students who are interested in Chu culture.
Course Credit：2	Lecture Hours： 30 lecture hours and 3 practical hours
Course Leader (UK side)	Weiqun Wang	weiqun.wang@nottingham.ac.uk
Course Leader (China side)	Aiju Wang	wangaiju@whu.edu.cn
Course Staff	Zhou Xining	zhouxining@whu.edu.cn
	Zhou Yanyu	zhouyanyu2003@163.com
	Yang Xiaoyan	yangxiaoyan@whu.edu.cn
Course Type：General Education Course
Related Preview Courses：

2. Course Introduction

楚国是春秋战国时期的强国，留下了丰富的文化遗产，至今仍在影响着中国。《楚文化： 历史、文学和传统》这门通识课程旨在用英文介绍中国楚地文化，为期11周。在这门课程中，我们将和同学们一起探索中国古代楚国的历史、文学和习俗及其对当今中国社会的影响。 具体安排如下：

第一部分 楚文化的界定和形成

第1周：楚国的地理和环境，以及楚国崛起的主导原因。

第2周：楚国的历史及楚国和楚地在中国古代更大背景下的地位。

第3周：中国历史上最伟大的诗人之一屈原的生平和作品《离骚》。

第4周：传奇人物项羽和刘邦之间的竞争即楚汉之争及其对中国历史的影响。

第二部分 楚国的人文遗迹

第5周：黄鹤楼、中国传统弦乐器古琴、伯牙子期的知音之交。

第6周：岳阳楼、范仲淹的名篇《岳阳楼》及“先天下之忧而忧、后天下之乐而乐”的中国士大夫阶层的人文精神。

第7周：滕王阁及《滕王阁记》。

第三部分 楚文化和名人对现代中国的影响

第8周：太平天国到洋务运动时期楚地的影响：曾国藩与张之洞。

第9周：20 世纪初的革命文学和武昌起义。

第10周：当代楚文化比如楚地美食以及著名的端午节及庆祝活动等。

第四部分 楚文化实践考察

第11周 楚文化实践考察，参观黄鹤楼,省博物馆或琴台等地。

Chu State was a powerful country in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, leaving behind a rich cultural heritage that still influences China today, known as Chu Culture. The course Chu Culture: History, Literature and Traditions is jointly developed by Professor Wang Weiqun at the University of Nottingham, UK and Professor Wang Aiju at Wuhan University, China, to introduce Chinese Chu culture to the international world. The whole course consists of 11 weeks, including 10 lectures and 1 field trip.  In this course, we will lead the students to explore the history, literature, and customs of Chu State in ancient China and its influence or impact on modern and contemporary China.

Course Outline

Part I Definition and formation of Chu Culture

Week 1:  Chu's geography and setting, and the way it contributed to its rise as the dominant power.

Week 2：The history of Chu and the status of Chu and Chu in the larger context of ancient China, including the leadership of Chu during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods.  

Week 3：The life and works of Qu Yuan, one of the greatest poets in Chinese history, and his masterpiece "Li Sao".

Week 4：The rivalry between two legendary figures, Xiang Yu and Liu Bang, known as the Chu-Han Fight, and how it affected the fate of Chinese history.

Part II Relics of Chu Culture

Week 5： Yellow Crane Tower, the traditional Chinese stringed instrument Guqin and the story of finding true friends like Boya and Ziqi.

Week 6:  Yueyang Tower, Fan Zhongyan's famous essay "Yueyang Tower" and the humanistic spirit of the Chinese scholar-bureaucrat class who " Worry before all others have worried, rejoice after all others have rejoiced ".

Week 7: Tengwang Tower and the essay with the namesake

Part III The Influence of Chu Culture and Celebrities in Modern China

Week 8: From Taiping Rebellion to the Westernization School: The contribution of Zeng Guofan and Zhang Zhidong in the transformation of Chu and China.

Week 9: The revolutionary literature of the early 20th century and the famous 1911 Uprising that led to the establishment of the Republic of China.

Week 10: Contemporary Chu culture such as Chu cuisine, and the famous Dragon Boat Festival and celebrations spread overseas.

Part IV Field Trip

Week 11: A field trip to experience Chu culture

 

3. The Allocation of Content and Lecture Hours

Contents	Lecture Hours
第一周 惟楚有材于斯为盛：山川地貌环境	3
第二周 春秋五霸战国七雄：楚文化的形成	3
第三周 路漫漫上下求索：屈原与《离骚》	3
第四周 生死人杰与鬼雄：霸王项羽与刘邦	3
第五周 高山流水觅知音：黄鹤楼与古琴台	3
第六周 先天下之忧而忧：范仲淹与《岳阳楼记》	3
第七周 秋水共长天一色：滕王阁与《滕王阁记》	3
第八周 力挽狂澜于将倾：曾国藩与张之洞	3
第九周 辛亥革命及共和：红楼与武昌起义	3
第十周 连通世界的楚文化：楚地美食、端午节与赛龙舟	3
第十一周 楚文化考察	3

 

4. Assessment Methods and Marking Criterion

本课程的考核包括课程论文（70%）、课堂讨论（20%）、实地考察（10%）。

课程论文：学生就课程中涵盖的特定主题撰写一篇课程结业论文，用中文或英文写作, 3000字左右。例如楚文化中特定人物、事件或地点的文化和历史意义， 或者对他们进行比较或对比。要求学生分析楚文化中特定人物或历史现象对中国社会的影响。

课堂讨论：要求学生积极参加课堂讨论，提前阅读材料并且针对相关的主题在课堂上进行展示。

实地考察：课程结课前会安排一次实地考察， 比如武昌起义旧址红楼；岳阳楼或黄鹤楼等，要求学生参加。

Essay assignment (written) 70%: Students are required to write a final essay, app. 3,000 words (in Chinese or English according to their levels of Chinese), on a specific topic covered in the course on, example, the cultural and historical significance of specific people, events or places in Chu culture, or comparing or contrasting them. Students are required to analyze the impact of specific figures or historical phenomena in Chu culture on Chinese society. Marking criteria are the same as other courses essay writing in Wuhan University or the University of Nottingham.

Classroom participation(20%)：Students are required to be active in participating in the classroom activities and discussion. They are expected to read materials before class and present their opinions in class. Marking criteria are the same as other classroom presentations in Wuhan University or the University of Nottingham.

Field trip(10%): During the course, students are required to participate in a field trip to one or two places of Chu culture, such as the old sites related to 1911 Revolution (also known as the Xinhai Revolution), e.g the Red Chamber, Yueyang Tower or Yellow Crane Tower.

5. Textbooks and References

No textbook in English is available, but each chapter has a reading list and reading materials.