3657 - China – From Mao to Now (Mike Revzin)
Course Description
Instructor: Mike Revzin
We’ll look at the dramatic evolution of China since the 1976 death of Mao Zedong, and see how life has changed for the Chinese people since the government ended some aspects of its rigid communist system.
We’ll also see what travel was like for foreign tourists when China first opened up, and hear some tips on traveling there today.
Among the course topics: the end of the system in which jobs and housing were assigned by the government, the rise in living standards, the introduction of some free enterprise, the school system, religious freedoms and restrictions, rapid urbanization, the modernization of transportation systems, and U.S.-China relations. There will also be a few fun “pop quizzes” to test your knowledge of some surprising facts.
Instructor Bio
Mike Revzin worked as a journalist in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Shanghai. He edits a magazine about China, has published many articles and book reviews on that subject and has edited books about that country.
Some information in the class will be based on his often humorous personal anecdotes. He has presented overviews of China at an orientation program for foreigners in Shanghai, to business people preparing to live in China, and to various other groups. He also has an academic background in Asian Studies.