Over spring break, students in Professor Christofferson’s course China on the Border: Provincial Relations on the Periphery were given the opportunity to conduct field research on Sino-Myanmar and Sino-North Korea relations. This course is popular among students at the Center and is attended by Chinese and international students interested in learning more about China’s provincial foreign relations. This research trip was funded by the Hopkins-Nanjing Center and allowed students to investigate cross-border issues and paradiplomacy on China’s periphery.
This year marked the second time the trip has been offered to students. The field research trips were created as part of an initiative to develop innovative teaching and learning opportunities at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center. Having taken part in the experience, this trip was valuable because it brought Chinese and international students together to explore relevant course topics. In this way, this trip embodies the goals of the Hopkins-Nanjing Center to develop cross-cultural understanding and cultivate knowledge about Sino-global relations.
This year the class was divided into three groups of students. One group traveled to both Jilin and Liaoning provinces in Northeastern China, while the other two groups journeyed to Yunnan Province in Southern China.
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| Students pose in Dandong, China, in front of the Sino-North Korea Friendship Bridge |
Each group focused on issues that affected the areas they were visiting. The group that visited Jilin Province and Liaoning Province researched China-North Korea cross-border trade, Chaoxianzu (China’s ethnic Korean minority group) culture, and tourism along the border.
The two groups that ventured to Yunnan also had different research topics. The group visiting Kunming, Ruili, and Tengchong investigated Myanmar refugees in China, the Belt and Road Initiative, tourism, and cross-border trade. Meanwhile, the remaining group spent time in Jinghong and Daluo, Xishuangbanna Autonomous Prefecture, to study the region’s HIV/AIDS prevention efforts, cross-border security, and Daizu culture and tradition.
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| The Ruili Field Research Group (Yunnan, China) speaking with cross-border traders |
Although I (regrettably) did not enroll in the course at the beginning of the semester, I was invited by the class to join the field-research trip and contribute my own perspectives and skills so that there was equal representation of both Chinese and international students in the groups. I am very appreciative of the opportunity I was given and for my time spent in Xishaungbanna Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan. Through this trip I met incredible people, visited a number of influential organizations, and learned more about the current issues facing Xishuangbanna’s population on the China-Myanmar border.
During the field research trip, our team was fortunate enough to schedule interviews with a number of different departments and NGOs. In Kunming we were part of a discussion panel with Yunnan University’s Myanmar Studies Institute and the School of International Studies. In the city, we also met with representatives from Save the Children, a NGO that works to promote children’s rights in Yunnan and around the world. These sessions contributed to our understanding of cross-border relations, the nature of NGO development in Yunnan, and human rights issues.
After several days in Kunming, our team of four took a plane to Jinghong, Xushuangbanna. Xishuangbanna is famous for its history, rich cultural heritage, tropical climate, and wildlife. Our first stop in Jinghong was the Xishuangbanna Women and Children’s Psychology and Law Center. Here, we learned more about the Dai ethnic community in Xishuangbanna and the nature of the organization’s service to the region. Then we visited the Buddhist organization 佛家之光, which uses Buddhist concepts to provide locals with sex education and education about HIV/AIDS.
While Kunming and Jinghong were beautiful and interesting places, Daluo was my favorite place we visited on the trip. While in Daluo we stayed in Mengla, a small village only a few hundred meters away from Myanmar. We spent most our time in Mengla with a family of highly engaged peer-mentors. The family provided us with a lot of information on cross-border security, drug use issues, and Dai culture along the border. They assisted us in setting up an interview with a CCP leader who discussed border security issues and a Buddhist leader who discussed the history of Buddhism and the importance it has to Dai people. This family was incredibly hospitable and kind, went above and beyond to facilitate our research, and made sure that we felt welcome. I cannot thank them enough, and I hope that I have the opportunity to meet with them again.
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| At the Buddhist complex in Daluo with religious leader Mahājiao. |
Overall, these course-related field-research trips allowed students to apply what they learned in the classroom to actual real-life scenarios. These trips gave students a firsthand account of what relations are like along borders. They gave students a glimpse into the issues that local populations face and insight into the nature of their day-to-day lives. I found my trip to be a fascinating experience and recommend it to all incoming students!
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| Xishaungbanna Research Group in front of the Daluo Border Crossing |
Written by Alexandra Hansen, Certificate '18
