CHIN 149 - Shanghai, Global City: Urban Culture in China from the Opium Wars until the Present

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This interdisciplinary course explores Shanghai’s importance in China’s turbulent cultural and political trajectory from the late 19th Century until the present. It attempts to illustrate how the experience of living in China’s first and foremost modern metropolis has manifested itself through the city’s literature, music, film, and art. We will explore a variety of artistic responses to Shanghai’s urban modernity, analyze the impact of global modernism on Shanghai’s urban culture, and comment on the degree to which the particular social and political context of Shanghai has shaped the arts and architecture of this East-Asian metropolis. (4 Credits)