China Emerging

ABC News Classroom cobbled together this introduction to China's rising status in the global arena out of stories from Good Morning America, World News Tonight, and Nightline that generally focus on China's growing economic, technological, and scientific power, and the risk it poses to American hegemony. In one segment, Bill Weir visits China and finds a country bustling with opportunity, where cabbage farmers own cell phones and communist officials brag about their $50 million chateaus. In another, he compares the day of a Chinese teenage girl and her American counterpart, emphasizing the Chinese student's long hours in school, as well as heavy math and science curriculum. Other segments cover the meeting between President Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao, genealogy tours in China, and the country's pollution crisis, with commentators such as authors Thomas Friedman and James McGregor delivering relevant sound bites. Given the recent spate of lead-tainted toys from China, the negative side of explosive economic growth might have been investigated more, along with a closer look at the interrelationship between the U.S. and China's economies. While this DVD—which includes a teacher's guide with suggested questions and activities—may offer some starting points for discussion, the fact remains that this is essentially a collection of run-of-the-mill news clips, not a cohesive, tailor-made educational program. An optional purchase. Aud: J, H. (J. Wadland)