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Travelers' Club meets and talks about China and Mao Tse Tung April 21 meeting: Mao Tse Tung was the topic of the paper given by Nancy Newton. He was born in Hunan Province, China, on Dec. 26, 1893 and lived until 1976. He worked at various teaching jobs and was converted to Marxism in 1918. Her paper dealt with his rise to power and how he schemed and blackmailed to get his way. He is remembered for the Long March, the failure of the Great Leap Forward and for his launching the Cultural Revolution.' His desire was to dominate t he world. In pursuing his goal, he caused the death of millions of Chinese people. He was a tyrant. Over 70 million Chinese perished under his rule. Mao was also a poet of eloquent grace and simplicity who wrote many poems as well as a calligrapher who developed his own style. During the 20th Century the social and polished uses of calligraphy changed radically. Under Mao, words were frequently seen displayed on banners with revolutionary slogans. Most of the time, the style was bold and block-like with no resemblance to calligraphy produced via the use of a brush. Today, Mao's portrait dominates Tiananmen Square in the heart of the Chinese capital. In 2006, the government in Shanghai issued a new set of High School History text books which omit Mao, with the exception of a single mention in a section on etiquette. Students in Shanghai now only learn of Mao in junior high school. The second paper was given by Lynn Simmons. Her subject was China's Silk Road which, at its height, extended from China to the Mediterranean powers and in part by the ancient Romans' great love for the beautiful silk. The route was a pathway for new religions, trade goods, conquerors and explorers. Members welcomed Janet Loehr to this meeting.
May 5 meeting: The Travelers Club continued its study of China with a meeting held at the home of Margaret Weiman's daughter Elaine. Two studies were presented. The first, given by Kate Curtin, was titled Reawakening the Dragon. It told of the Modern Silk Road that sends goods from the Far East to the west. China has made a dramatic leap into the global economy and continues to grow at an amazing pace. The second paper, given by Mary Valentine, was titled Four Flavors and Eight Cuisines. The important flavors in Chinese cooking are sweet, hot, sour, cold, bitter and spicy. The Chinese believe that certain foods have a beneficial effect on certain parts of the body. They waste nothing and many foods that are considered delicacies will not be found on a western menu.
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