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The following are curricula materials prepared by University of Michigan faculty, teachers, and specialists in the field of Asian studies. Other materials may be accessed through our multi-cultural and Asian-related website directory and selected sites listed below.

China Mirror

China Mirror was launched by the Center for Chinese Studies in 2002 to meet the widespread need for authoritative, balanced, and up-to-date resources on China, its history, culture, people and institutions. Designed as a series of case studies, the project allows people of China to speak for themselves through primary sources--mirrors, treatises, gardenscapes, almanacs, and artifacts. Each case study is written by internationally-recognized experts and provides an introduction, insights to the genre and manufacture of the object, its global context and social function, and how the item's historical value relates to the present. Because the units begin with specific objects and work outward toward a deeper understanding of a particular moment, China Mirror units avoid vague generalizations or stereotypes about "the Chinese."

Additional materials enlighten users on common misconceptions about China and common mistakes in teaching China. Stacked to the side are resources on poetry, human rights, and China firsts in science and technology. Topics include Women and Art in Thirteenth-Century China; Medicine and Childbirth; Culture and International Relations in the Eighteenth Century; China and International Law in the Nineteenth Century; and Popular Belief in Ancient China.
The log-on and password for access to the units are
chinamirror
chinaed

Individual Lesson Plans and Resources

Developed in conjunction with University of Michigan-supported projects and performances, these materials also highlight changing standards in world history/geography and can be applied across the curricula to include math, music, and the humanities. Part of an ongoing series.

• The Face of Contemporary China  China: Speed Trading on the Information Highway (in conjunction with CCS China Photo Contests: CCS 2006 Photo Contest     CCS 2007 Photo Contest)
  
• Chinese Opera and Face Painting (in collaboration with University Musical Society) Shen Wei Dance Arts: Second Visit to the Empress
  
• Chinese Music Wu Man, PiPa and the Chinese Shawm Band (in collaboration with University Musical Society)
• Silk Road and Maritime Trade (in collaboration with U-M International Institute) under construction

Additional Resources

These core sights and resources offer educators a variety of materials and links for classroom materials and can be applied to elementary, secondary, and post-secondary levels.

• Asia for Educators (Columbia University)
• Asia in the Curriculum
  
• Ask Asia (Asia Society)
  
• Education About Asia (Association for Asian Studies)
  
• Primary Source

China in World History

Selected chapters on China from a high school world history text covering Eras 4-8.

World History: Patterns of Interaction; McDougal Littell, 2005

Click here to download the Textbook PDF or Click here to open it as a new window.