《孙子从美国来》 A Grandson from America

Learning Objectives

In this section, we will introduce a low-budget, high-quality Chinese film set in the western countryside of China,《孙子从美国来》(Sūnzi Cóng Měiguó Lái, "A Grandson from America"). Besides the fact that this is a humorous, sensitive film, three features of the film make it very special for learning the Chinese culture and language:

The storyline revolves around reviving the ancient Chinese performance art, 皮影戏 (píyǐngxì, 'Shadow Puppetry'). In this movie, we get to see this beautiful Show Puppetry art-form and the accompanying music, folk songs, and cut-out figures.
The language is mainly in the Shanxi dialect of Chinese, which is not far from Mandarin, so we can use the language to learn Chinese while also gain familiarity with a major Chinese dialect.
The theme of the film is cross-cultural clashes from the angle of grandson-grandpa relationship. We can gain insights of the subtle ways that the Chinese culture is expressed in everyday habits and ways of interacting.

Our learning objectives are:

gain knowledge of the art form 皮影戏.
gain knowledge and proficiency in the subtle ways that Chinese people interact with each other, particularly in requesting, thanking, suggesting, pleading.
gain knowledge of various Chinese idioms, fixed expressions (including curse word!) and connotations of specific word choices.
gain knowledge of the tacit cultural expectations that underline how people behave and react to others.
gain practice with natural, conversational Chinese at the discourse-level.
practice speaking and listening, and reading and writing at the advanced level.

What is 皮影戏 (píyǐngxì, 'Shadow Puppetry')

请大家看一段皮影戏 (可以从1分20 开始看）。看几分钟，想一想：

皮影戏里用到了几种艺术形式（比如说，音乐）？
传统的皮影戏里的皮影用哪些颜色？
你觉得现在的年轻人喜欢不喜欢皮影戏？为什么？

我们一起来了解一下皮影戏吧。The following is a narrated PPT with Chinese text alongside images. You can use this as a listening practice as well as to learn about the art of Shadow Puppetry. We also provided he text of the PPT script in Pinyin and Chinese characters. You can use this text-based version to practice reading.

Anticipate the Film through Movie Posters

大家看看这些海报。左边是电影的海报 (hǎibào, poster) 。右边的两张图是电影剧照 (jùzhào, stills). Please think about the following:

看海报 (hǎibào，poster)，想一想：

电影的名字是《孙子从美国来》，还有一个名字是《当孙悟空遇上蜘蛛侠》。你知道孙悟空是谁？蜘蛛侠是谁？它们在电影里代表了什么？
说方言的爷爷第一次见到说英语的孙子，还要自己一个人照顾孙子。你觉得，孙子会碰上有什么麻烦事吗？爷爷会碰上什么麻烦事？
你觉得这个电影会是温暖动人的，搞笑(gǎoxiào, funny)的，还是激动人心的？

Click the audio player above to listen to these questions in Chinese. (If any words are unfamiliar to you, you can use our corresponding Quizlet vocabulary flashcard set to practice. (Go to Flashcard)

Getting to Know the Characters (A Film Synopsis Example)

Component #1: The 3-min Youtube video below is a narrated PPT that I created to show you a synopsis of the film in Chinese. Practice your listening and reading along with these slides. Hope you find them helpful.

Component #2: If you would like to study the synopsis with Pinyin, below are a PDF file of the script with Pinyin and a companion audio recording.

Click the audio player above to listen to the synopsis in Chinese. (If any words are unfamiliar to you, you can use our corresponding Quizlet vocabulary flashcard set to practice. (Go to Flashcard)

Component #3: Now, time for some speaking practice. Given what you've practiced (new words learned, new information understood, etc.), practice speaking about the film and the characters using the image below. Some ideas to organize your speaking:

电影的名字叫什么？英文名字叫什么？导演是谁？主角是谁？什么时候上映的？
电影的主题是什么？
电影里的主要人物是谁，他们是什么关系？
电影的主要故事是什么？

Watch the Film and Think Critically

Watch the film. Think about the following questions. Take notes and be ready to share your thoughts with others or in your class. Practice speaking about your thoughts in Chinese in response to these questions.

0 到 8 分钟

电影开始的时候，老杨头不小心睡着了，在做梦。他梦见了什么？一下子醒过来，他看见电视上演什么？
老杨头的家是在中国的北方还是南方，城里还是乡下？你怎么知道的？用电影开头镜头来说明一下。
老杨的儿子叫什么名字？老杨的儿子回来了。你觉得老杨看到儿子是高兴还是不高兴？
老杨给儿子做面，吃饭以后，跟儿子聊天。儿子说老杨说话“难听”。什么是说话难听？举几个例子说明老杨是怎么说话难听的。
为什么老杨说儿子把杨家的脸都丢光了？儿子为什么说我都不知道我是不是你亲生的？
早上见到邻居，老杨为什么不跟他说话？

9分钟到后面

老杨头和孙子开始了他们的磨合期。这里面你最喜欢哪一个细节？说说看。
什么时候老杨头和孙子开始非常好了？

22分钟左右到后面

老杨头在山上跟朋友聊天（唱歌的那个朋友）。从这里面你看出来老杨头为什么不想开皮影戏学习班？
电影到后面，老杨头答应开皮影学习班了。为什么他改变了想法？给三个原因。
老杨头开学习班，看到学员了，为什么生气了？
后来，老杨头的儿子回来了，却跟爱华分手了。布斯要走了。老杨头送给布斯什么东西？你觉得老杨头难过吗？为什么呢？

Your reactions:

电影中你最喜欢的一个地方是什么? 为什么？
电影中有没有你看不明白的地方？
电影最后，老杨头看着井口。为什么呢？
最后，电影是个“团圆”的结局。你喜欢这个结局吗？

Study Speech Acts and Culture in the Film：Greetings

Authentic language as the language used in the film is rich in cultural information. In the following narrated video clips, some of the fixed expressions, cultural connotations, and Chinese ways of interacting are explained. Not that you need to speak in this type of way, but it would be useful and interesting to see how greetings reveal people's relationships and attitudes toward each other.

Below is the script for this scene with Pinyin, word-glossary and translation added. You can use it to study authentic language usage and also to practice reading.

Study Speech Acts and Culture in the Film：Favor-Requesting and Favor-Rendering

The "asking for milk" scene in the film is well-written and well-acted. The following clip explains the subtle language expressions through which Chinese people request a favor from others while showing gratitude and rendering favor as requested and showing willingness. We also explain how people interpret other's answers (or lack of an answer) and how people regard the issue of money.

Below is the script for this scene with Pinyin, word-glossary and translation added. You can use it to study authentic language usage and also to practice reading. It is a bit longish, but you can see how common it is to repeat words and phrases to show willingness, eagerness, gratitude.

Research and Practice： Research about an Endangered Cultural Form

One central theme of this film is that the Shadow Puppetry is an endangered cultural art form. Because it is such a traditional and beautiful art form, we have the obligation to preserve it. But as it happens with all efforts trying to preserve something that is old and out of fashion, it is not easy to do. Just as a family relationship, it takes effort and dedication. In this assignment, you will research about an endangered Chinese cultural form. "Endangered" means that this cultural form is traditionally practiced, but is no longer in common practice. Without our effort to consciously advocate it, it will become extinct. For example:

a particular kind of painting, drawing, sculpturing, architecture, music, singing, performance, dance, opera or other art-form.
a particular kind of customs, practices, festivals, traditions.

You are recommended to research this topic in the Chinese context. But if you prefer, you may also choose to do this in any other cultural context.

Use the 皮影戏简介 PPT and video as your sample.

Required components: The final product is a presentation with a visually engaging powerpoint as your aid. You will present your project in class, and also do a recording of your narration over PPT and make it available on youtube.

5 references (wikipedia, baidu baike, hudong bake are permissible sources, but make sure you use some visual source as well).
incorporate examples of how this cultural form is portrayed in the popular media. This will make your presentation engaging to your audience.
the submitted contents should contain:

8 slides minimum to introduce the art form, its significance, history, context of use, why it is now endangered, is there any effort of preserving it, why you find it interesting, examples of its portraiture in the popular media. Include references.
a written script in the formal register to explain the slides, which should undergo at least one peer review and one teacher-feedback. Keywords unfamiliar to your peer should be glossed on the script.
Recording of narrated PPT and made as video.
Presentation (which doesn't have to use the script) in a lively and creative format in class.

Enjoy!

Writing Practice: A Writing Assignment

Writing Prompt (写作文）

Write an essay in which you describe the film and write your personal reactions and analysis.of the cultural clashes portrayed in the film. Include:

1) what do you find interesting in the film that you think is cultural? (for example, why 老杨头说话难听？or, is there such a thing as a Chinese way of showing love? what things are different in the film from your own experience?)
2) concrete instances in the film that illustrates your point and how you understand these instances.

The genre of your essay is a film reaction piece. Include a synopsis and then expand along the line of the two components mentioned above. Practice writing to incorporate the written features of Chinese.

Enjoy!