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The China Coin

by Allan Baillie

These materials were prepared by Kylie Lowe, Cabramatta High School

The China Coin
Cultural Revolution
from Yohei Yamashita

Building knowledge of the text
Research activity
Text prediction activity

Vocabulary development
Word bank activity
Composing sentences

Reading the text
Chapter summaries
Plot sequencing
True or false activity
Matching characters with quotes
Thinking about how the text relates to the Area of Study: Belonging

Deconstructing the text
Visual representations
Analysing textual features
Writing about textual features

Responding to the text: Preparing for HSC Paper 1, Section II
Creative responses
Analytical responses

Note: To complete individual exercises please print the activity sheets.

Outline

The China Coin is one of the Prose Fiction texts in the English (ESL) Course Language Study within an Area of Study. The Language Study within an Area of Study extends students' skills in responding and composing. It requires students to:

Respond to and compose longer, more sustained and more complex texts at and beyond the literal level.
Further develop their understanding of ways meaning is shaped in and through texts.
Explore and examine relationships between language and texts, and interrelationships among texts.
Examine the individual qualities of texts while considering the text's relationship to the wider context of the Area of Study.
Synthesise ideas to clarify meaning and develop new meanings.
Take into account whether aspects such as context, purpose and register, text structures, stylistic features, grammatical features and vocabulary are appropriate to the particular text.

The Area of Study: Belonging requires students to explore:

The ways in which the concept of belonging is considered and expressed in and through texts.
How perceptions of belonging, or not belonging, vary.
How the concept of belonging is conveyed through the representations of people, relationships, ideas, places, events and societies.
The underlying assumptions that shape those representations.
How the composer’s choice of language modes, forms, features and structures shapes, and is shaped by, a sense of belonging or of not belonging.
The ways in which they perceive the world through texts.
The ways in which this study may broaden and deepen their understanding of themselves and the world.
The connections between and among texts in their representations of the concept of belonging.

General Statements about Belonging

People may choose to or not to belong.
Ideas about belonging and not belonging are conveyed through the people and relationships presented in texts.
Ideas about belonging are conveyed through places presented in texts.
Belonging is conveyed through events and societies presented in texts.
Ideas about belonging and not belonging vary and are shaped within personal, cultural, historical and social contexts.
Attitudes to belonging change over time.
A sense of belonging can emerge from the connections made with people and groups.
A sense of belonging can emerge from the connections made with places.
A sense of belonging can emerge from the connections made with communities and with the larger world.
Belonging can be considered in terms of acceptance and understanding.
People may encounter barriers which prevent belonging.
Belonging gives individuals the potential to enrich a community or group.
Not belonging gives individuals the potential to challenge a community or group.

In engaging with the text, a responder may:

experience and understand the possibilities presented by a sense of belonging to the text and the world it represents.
experience a sense of exclusion from the text and the world it represents.

Engagement with the text may be influenced by the different ways perspectives are:

given voice in a text.
absent from a text.

Students study two prescribed texts each of which must be a different type of text and additional texts of their own choosing from a variety of sources, in a range of genres and media.Paper 1, Section II of the HSC Examination requires students to synthesise their knowledge about these texts in an extended response composition using a range of textual forms.Adapted from English Stage 6 Prescriptions: Area of Study, Electives and Texts, Higher School Certificate 2009-2012, Board of Studies NSW, 2007.This unit is intended as an on-line unit of work which can be used by students working on their own, or by teachers to supplement their own materials. It assumes, however, that students have discussed the concept of Belonging in class. This unit of work provides an opportunity for close study of The China Coin with responding and composing activities to develop students understanding of this text's relevance to the Area of Study and to help prepare students for the HSC examination. This unit of work refers to the Puffin Books, 1992 publication.

Building knowledge of the text

The purpose of this section is to help you understand about the historical, political and social contexts of The China Coin. This novel by Allan Baillie was first published in 1991. It is the story of a teenage girl's journey with her mother through China. While fiction, the story is set during the real-life turbulent months of student pro-democracy demonstrations across China which culminated in what became known as the Tiananmen Square massacre of June 1989. The author researched the background for The China Coin during a trip to China with his family in 1989. He was in Beijing during the time of the massacre. The following activities will help you understand more about the real-life events and issues in China's history around which the narrative of The China Coin is woven.

Research activity

Following is a selection of sources of information about China's modern history. You will be able to find these sources, and many others, in your school or local library and on the internet. For each source, answer the following questions in your workbooks.

What does this source tell you about China's modern history?
How (in what ways) does it convey these ideas (i.e. language and visual features)?

Source 1	Biography: Wild Swans by Jung Chang, Flamingo Publishers, 1992, Chapter 7 Web site: 20th Century China: A Partial Chronology
Source 2	Documentary: The Gate of Heavenly Peace, 1996. A complete transcript of this feature length documentary can be read at: The Gate of Heavenly Peace - Transcript

Suggested answers

Text prediction activity

Look at the front and back covers of The China Coin. Use your knowledge of China's recent history to help you make some predictions about events in this novel. How are these ideas presented? Refer to both language and visual techniques. Consider what the images and the blurb may suggest about ‘belonging’ or ‘not belonging’.

Suggested answers

Vocabulary development

The purpose of this section is to help you identify and understand key words, terms and names before you begin your reading of the text. You will need to be familiar with many of them and be able to incorporate them into responding and composing tasks. Ensure that you can also spell them correctly.

Word bank activity

Here are some words, names and terms which relate to China's modern history:

The Long March	Intellectuals	Cultural Revolution
Martial Law	Communism	Democracy
Mao Tse Tung	Tiananmen Square	Hunger strike
Protest

Place each word, name or term next to its meaning in the following table. Refer to what you learned in your research or to a dictionary. Add other words and meanings which relate to China’s modern history to this list as you read the text.

Word/term	Meaning
	Founder of the Chinese Communist Party and founder and chairman of the People’s Republic of China
	A system of government in which all property belongs to the state and all economic activity is controlled by a single political party
	A march organised by Mao (1934-1935) to spread his ideas across China and gain support
	Also known as ‘The Decade of Chaos’ (1966-76). This movement in China tried to force intellectuals to believe Mao’s philosophies or ideas. If they resisted they were imprisoned or killed.
	A large square in the ancient Forbidden City in Beijing in which thousands of students protested against government corruption and lack of democratic freedom in June 1989
	People such as students and teachers who think about politics and society and, in China’s case, were against the communist party
	A demonstration or show of anger and frustration at a government’s policies
	Where you stop eating for a period of time to show your support for a cause. It sometimes results in hospitalisation or even death.
	When the army comes in to help a government impose its laws and control its people, sometimes using force
	A system of government in which the people in the country decide who they want to be in power

Suggested answers

Composing sentences

Use the source material and the word bank activity to help you construct 5 sentences which summarise China's recent history for you. At this stage do not refer to The China Coin.

Sentence 1:

Sentence 2:

Sentence 3:

Sentence 4:

Sentence 5:

Suggested answers

Reading the text

The purpose of this section is to guide you in your reading of the text and help you to understand the characters, events, themes and issues and relate these to the concept of Belonging.

Chapter summaries

Below is a summary of the first chapter of the novel. Use the words in the word bank to complete the summary.Word bank

family	mystery	wish	differently	key
died	culture	search	father	mother
teenage	Chinese	ancient	Malaysia	taxi
Cantonese	belonging	coin	English	China
belong	connect	home	Australian	pressure

Chapter One summary

Chapter One begins with ______________ Leah on the plane with her mother Joan. They are about to land in ______________. An ______________ half-______________ was sent by Joan’s father before he died and the ______________ surrounding it inspired Leah’s father to suggest they go to China in ______________ of the other half. But he had ______________ before they had the chance to do this together. Leah is going to China for him, to fulfill his ______________, whereas Joan was going because the coin was ‘the ______________ to a lost family’. It was important to Joan to go to find these people she never knew existed because ‘now they had become all the ______________ she had’ (p.11). Joan was ______________. She was born in Penang, ______________, and moved to Sydney when she was a teenager. For her, it was important now to ______________ with her family and ______________; to feel she belonged. Leah feels ______________. On the plane she resents the air hostess’s comment about her “coming home” (p.10). As far as she is concerned, she wasn’t even an ABC (an Australian Born Chinese) because her ______________, David Walters, had been ______________. Leah felt she didn’t ______________ in China; she identified too strongly with her ______________ roots but she realises when Joan starts babbling away to the ______________ driver outside the airport in ______________ that ‘Joan was on her ______________ ground’ (pp. 13-14). This sense of ‘belonging’ for Joan and of ‘not ______________’ for Leah puts ______________ on an already strained ______________-daughter relationship.

Suggested answers

Using the first chapter summary as a guide, compose your own short summary for each chapter. Refer to the main characters and events as well as to aspects of the concept ‘belonging’ or ‘not belonging’. Use at least one relevant quote. Ask your teacher to check your summaries.

Plot sequencing

Place the following events in the order they happen in the novel:

No.	Event
	Leah assures herself that she is not Chinese.
	The grey woman on the train to Shanghai gives Joan and Leah a history lesson.
	Leah makes eye contact with a student in Chongqing who looked like her.
	Joan and Leah meet Ke on the road to Red Star Village.
	The half-coin and letter arrive for Joan from her dying father.
	Joan and Leah see a young man putting up pro-democracy posters in Guangzhou.
	Heng crashes into Joan on his motorbike and she is taken to hospital.
	The air hostess says, “Welcome home” to Leah.
	Joan and Leah are prepared to be evacuated from China
	Joan and Leah learn more about their family and China’s history in Good Field Village.
	Li-Nan welcomes Leah as part of their family.
	Ke and Leah talk about their fathers and about the student protests.
	The army kills and injures hundreds of demonstrators in Tiananmen Square.
	Leah's father dies of cancer.
	Leah kisses Ke.
	Li- Nan tells Ke he can’t go to the protest in Chengdu.
	The Chinese government declares martial law in Beijing.
	Leah and Joan fly to Beijing to continue their journey and to find Ke.
	Leah gets lost on the street of Shanghai.
	Leah wishes Joan could share her feeling with her.
	Leah is beginning to change and wants to be a part of her Chinese family.
	Li-Nan and Leah discover the other half of the coin in an old metal trunk.
	Ke kisses Leah (on the cheek).
	Ke travels to Beijing to support the students in Tiananmen Square.
	Ke gives Leah the two-halves of the coin blown into a glass egg.

Suggested answers

True or false activity

Beside each of the statements below write 'T' if the statement is true and 'F' if it is false.
( ) Leah's father was not interested in searching for the other half of the ancient coin.
( ) At the beginning of the novel Leah is able to identify with her Chinese heritage.
( ) Joan goes to China in the hope of finding the family she never knew existed.
( ) Leah feels like she doesn’t belong in China because she is so tall.
( ) Joan eats a lizard for dinner on their first night in China.
( ) Joan and Leah find the other half of the coin in Good Field Village
( ) Joan's traumatic childhood memories of "the mob" in Penang cause her to react strongly to Leah's disappearance in Shanghai.
( ) Leah was angry because Joan seemed to get over her husband's death so fast.
( ) During the Cultural Revolution Ke's father was killed for his poetry about freedom.
( ) Ke gives in to peer group pressure and goes with his friends to the protest in Chengdu after Li-Nan said he couldn’t go.
( ) Hu Yaobang was a Communist Party leader who wanted more freedom for the people.
( ) While climbing the Great Wall of China Leah is finally able to think of her father 'almost without pain'.
( ) The sharp noises Leah heard at night in Beijing were firecrackers.
( ) The Chinese government television news reported the facts about Tiananmen Square.
( ) Leah and Joan were prepared to be evacuated from China by the Australian Embassy after they heard that Ke was missing, presumed dead.

Suggested answers

Matching characters with quotes

The following quotes show how the characters feel about ‘belonging’ or ‘not belonging’. The quote might refer to themselves, another character or a group of people in society. Match each character from the list below to the relevant quote. Then, for each quote, explain how it relates to the Area of Study. Try to match the quotes with the characters before you refer to the page numbers.

Character List:

David Waters	Joan	Grandfather
Li-Nan	Tong	Woman in Shanghai
Leah	Ke	Air hostess (flight attendant)
Grey woman on train	Foreign student	Embassy official
Young man in Guangzhou	Heng	Tall youth (known to Ke)

Character	Quote	Relevance to Belonging
	"But we inherit a mystery, a challenge. We must go. All of us. To find the secret of the coin.” (p.12)
	"Welcome home." (p.12)
	“We are enemies of the State.” (p.22)
	“In Australia you are Australian, but in China you are Chinese.” (p.41)
	“I didn’t ask to come! It’s your rotten China.” (p.65) ‘Yes. We’re family.” (p.55) “I want to be a part of it.” (p.145)
	"Scum… The students are counter-revolutionary thugs." (p.55)
	"Ah, students want to change China. Some people are afraid they might." (p.61)
	“People will think you’re one of them.” (p.68)
	“You are in this house. You are part of our family now. Welcome.” (p.105)
	"I am sure you have found the right family." (p.130)
	“Some party cadres demand payment for permission to build a factory… So I am expected to be corrupt.” (p.132)
	“It is today that we need you.” (p.146)
	“No, I can’t call myself part of the marchers any more. It’s not “us” that is winning. It’s “them”. I’ve dropped out.” (p.152)
	“We’re getting you out.” (p.183)
	“I don’t want to go home. I want to stay and help them fight.” (p.186)

Suggested answers

Thinking about how the text relates to the Area of Study: Belonging

Re-read the Syllabus Prescriptions rubric on the Area of Study: Belonging. HSC questions will refer in some way to the statements about belonging made in the rubric and so you need to be familiar with them and understand how they relate to The China Coin as well as to your other prescribed text and texts of your own choosing. Some of these statements have been identified below. For each one write a paragraph explaining how the statement relates to The China Coin. Refer to characters and events and provide a quote from the text to support your response. Once you have answered these for The China Coin try and make links to your other prescribed text and other texts of your own choosing. The suggested answer for each statement may only refer to one or two characters; there may be other characters or groups you could discuss in relation to the statement. Page numbers are for your reference only; you do not use page numbers when you quote in the HSC exam.

Ideas about belonging or not belonging vary (change) and are shaped (molded, challenged by, changed) within personal, cultural, historical, and social contexts.
A sense of belonging can emerge (come out) from the connections made with people, places, groups, communities and the larger world.
Belonging can be considered in terms of experiences, and ideas about identity, relationships, acceptance and understanding.
By belonging, or not belonging, a person can enrich or challenge a community or group.
People may choose to belong or not belong or there may be barriers (obstacles, problems) which prevent (stop) them belonging.

Suggested answers

Deconstructing the text

GinaThe purpose of this section is to help you identify the structural and language features of the text and to explain how these features have been used by the author to present his ideas about belonging. The China Coin is a narrative; it tells a story. A good story must have characters, themes and settings which engage the audience. The structural and language features used by the composer also play a role in keeping the audience interested.

Visual representations

The following activities will help you visualise the journey made by the characters in The China Coin. Understanding this will help you identify the stages in their sense of ‘belonging’ or ‘not belonging’.

On a blank map of China trace Joan and Leah's journey across China using different coloured pens to indicate the different stages of their travels. You could photocopy the map in the text to use for this purpose.
Complete the following table which shows the different places Leah and Joan visit in China in their search for the half-coin. Use dot points to record the main events and characters in each place and explain how they relate to the Area of Study. An example has been provided for you.

Place (Setting)	Event(s) & character(s) involved	Relevance to belonging
Guangzhou	Leah and Joan arrive in China Leah and Joan explore the city They eat at a restaurant and see a student ‘telling the facts’ on a poster	Joan is excited about finding her Chinese family Leah resents being identified as Chinese by the air hostess. Joan can speak Cantonese and Leah can see she is ‘on her home ground’ even though she had never been in China before Joan tries to sell China to Leah (tell her how great it is) and refers to her own mother’s memories of the city. She says to Leah, “We came from here…” (p.16) Leah feels very conspicuous (obvious, standing out) and knows she does not ‘fit in’ and belong as she is so much taller than the Chinese people around her Leah is critical of the “dirty mud” Pearl River and the “cruel” customs, such as the hens rammed in their cages at the market. She does not identify in any way with China. Joan eats snake for dinner and Leah is horrified, ‘Joan was changing with every minute they spent in Guangzhou and it was starting to get frightening’. (p.21) Whereas Joan wants to soak up the atmosphere and feel she belongs, Leah does not. The young man putting up political posters calls himself one of the “Enemies of the State” (p.22) because he does not identify with the beliefs of the communist party. Rather, he feels a sense of belonging to the growing numbers of students and others hoping for democratic reforms. The noise of firecrackers used in a celebration frightens Leah and she thinks, “I hate it. I hate China.” (p.23) She does not feel she belongs at all.
Good Field Village
On the train to Shanghai
Shanghai
On the riverboat / Wuhan
On the second riverboat / the Yangtze river / Chongqing
On the train to Chengdu / Chengdu
Red Star village (Turtle Land village)
Beijing

Analysing textual features

Complete the table below finding examples of the features or techniques identified and explaining their effectiveness. Find other techniques and examples to add to this list. Try to use examples which you can relate to the Area of Study: Belonging.

Feature	Example of use & page reference	Effectiveness of this feature/ relevance to Belonging
metaphor
Adjectives
Inner monologue
Flashback
Symbolism

Suggested answers

Writing about textual features

Use the table above to help you write a paragraph explaining how textual features are used to convey ideas about belonging. Refer to at least three features. For each, give an example of its use in the text and then explain its effectiveness in conveying ideas about belonging. Remember to include a topic sentence at the beginning of your paragraph to introduce the features.

Suggested answers

Responding to the text: preparing for HSC Paper 1, Section 2

The purpose of this section is to help you compose both creative and analytical responses to set questions about the text. Your answer in the HSC exam will be assessed on how well you:

demonstrate understanding of the ways language shapes and expresses perceptions
organise, develop and express ideas using language appropriate to audience, purpose and context.

Creative responses

In the HSC you may be required to compose a creative response to the Area of Study: Belonging. You will need to remember that this question will ask you to refer to your two prescribed texts as well as to texts of your own choosing which you have also studied and it may require you draw on your own experiences. The following tasks refer only to The China Coin, however, you may wish to re-do the question with reference to all your relevant texts. Remember to plan your responses carefully before you begin writing. Your teacher is the best person to ask for help.

Task 1: Diary writing
Many travelers keep a travel diary in which they record the sights, events and experiences encountered on their journey. (Today, some people like to create a blog instead if they have access to the internet on their travels. There was no internet in 1989, the year in which the Tiananmen Square massacre occurred.) Imagine you are Leah, the main character in The China Coin. Write a sequence of diary entries which explores your developing sense of belonging, or not belonging.

Hints:

Use realistic dates (i.e. dates in 1989 which correspond to the events described in the novel)
begin with a greeting (e.g. “Dear Diary”)
use the first person (“I”)
use emotive language (i.e. describe your feelings)
use authentic language (i.e. language the teenage Leah would have used)
use dashes ( - ) and ellipsis ( … ) to show reflection or uncertainty
include any relevant quotes from the text.
conclude each entry appropriately (e.g. “Goodnight” or “I’ll write more tomorrow”).

Task 2: Letter writing
Today we can communicate in written form through email or text messages. These forms of communication did not exist in 1989. In The China Coin Ke writes a letter from Beijing to his mother Li-Nan. Imagine you are Joan, Leah or Ke in The China Coin. Write a letter to a friend or family member sharing your experiences, thoughts and feelings especially as they relate to belonging. Refer to key events and at least ONE other character in the novel.

Hints:

Use realistic dates
use realistic addresses
begin with a greeting (e.g. “Dear …”)
use the first person (“I”)
use emotive and authentic language
include any relevant quotes from the text
do not re-tell “the story”
end your letter appropriately (e.g. “Love from …”).

Task 3: Interview
You are the host of a show on a community radio station. You invite Leah to speak to your listeners about what she learned from her travels and experiences in China and in particular how individuals have the potential to enrich or challenge a community or group.

Write the transcript of the interview.

Hints:

Identify the speaker using their name on a new line, e.g.
Radio host:
Leah:
do not use quotation marks
use first person (“I”)
use conversational tone
refer creatively to aspects of belonging explored in the text

Analytical responses

In the HSC exam you may be required to compose an analytical response in a variety of textual forms such as an essay, speech, interview or article. You will need to remember that this question will ask you to refer to your two prescribed texts and may also expect you to include reference to texts of your own choosing. The following tasks refer only to The China Coin, however, it would be a good idea to re-do the question with reference to your other relevant texts, once you have studied them. Remember, the Syllabus rubric states that in your responses and compositions you will explore “the connections between and among texts” (see page 24 of the Prescriptions booklet). This refers to the similarities and differences between The China Coin and the other texts you have studied in the Area of Study. You must be prepared to write about these. Remember to plan your responses carefully before you begin writing. Your teacher is the best person to ask for help.

Task 1: Essay
"A sense of belonging can emerge from the connections made with people, places, groups, communities and the larger world.”

Discuss this statement from the Syllabus rubric with reference to The China Coin by Allan Baillie.

Hints:

Structure your essay using an introduction, a sequence of paragraphs and a conclusion
use language appropriate to audience, purpose and context
include any relevant quotes from the text – use the ‘Matching characters with quotes’ activity to help you
Refer to the use of textual features – use the ‘Analysing textual features’ activity to help you.

Task 2: Speech
You have been asked to give a speech to a Year 12 class on the topic of Belonging. Write the transcript for your speech, discussing how the concept of belonging is conveyed through the representations of people, relationships, ideas, places, events and societies in The China Coin.

Hints:

Begin your speech appropriately (e.g. “Fellow students”)
structure your essay using an introduction, a sequence of paragraphs and a conclusion
use language appropriate to audience, purpose and context
include any relevant quotes from the text.

Task 3: Book review
Write a book review of The China Coin by Allan Baillie. Your review is to appear in a youth magazine. Refer to how the composer’s choice of language modes, forms, features and structures shapes, and is shaped by, a sense of belonging or not belonging.

Hints:

Keep in mind your audience and purpose
use formal language
do not re-tell “the story”
include any relevant quotes from the text.