The 21st century has opened up a lot of opportunities for China - and its 1.3 billion citizens - to develop. The nation’s dreams of an economy big enough to support more than a billion citizens, improved government, advanced science and education, social harmony, and a better lifestyle for the Chinese people are finally being fulfilled.
With more than 50,000 companies found in the country, China’s economy is predicted to outgrow the Unites States’ in a few years.
China has been an influential culture ever since the beginning of time. The country, which is the birthplace of the Sinic Civilization, boasts three famous philosophies: Confucianism, which is the basis of China’s present education and determines one's position in their social heirarchy, Legalism which influenced and whose views provide the basis for the country’s laws, and Daoism which is founded on an ancient Chinese concept and . Other foundations of Chinese culture, such as art and literature, shaped many important aspects of Chinese traditions.
When European exploration began in Asia during the 1500’s the global context of China changed. New innovations were created to meet the of the competing for territories and resources, and this all occurred when China began to get accustomed to its way of living, believing that they had reached the highest state of development. They had, in fact, seen these new innovations in use when they were forced to defend their territory from the emerging imperialists colonizing Asian countries during the 1800’s
By the early 1900’s the imperialist countries had seized territories that belonged to the once-proud Chinese citizens. The European powers, Japan, and the United States, upon realizing the wealth that could be found in the Chinese market, had begun to establish trading relations with China. As time passed, the foreign powers demanded that they be given concessions and rights to trade within the country, and whenever China refused, it was forced to comply through military force inflicted by the foreign powers.
Due to the chaos, turmoil and utter shame the Chinese felt from the lost wars, the enforced treaties and foreign invasions, citizens began to form revolutionary groups. These groups aimed to overthrow all forms of foreign influence the country, but brought about instead, indemnities that left the country economically crippled.
Dynastic rule was finally overthrown during the 20th century and was replaced by socialist rule under. The Republic of China was finally established in 1912 Yuan Shikai. However, it was only a republic in name; in truth, the country was plagued with internal wars and political confusion. In spite of this, intellectuals all over the country made themselves known, relaying Western ideas and concern for China’s future.
The first and second World Wars provided relief to the strained society and allowed the country to develop; industries expanded and several cities became industrial centers. After Yuan’s death in 1916, government power in Beijing was continuously lost and transferred to warlords. It was during this period that Sun Yat Sen formed the Kuomintang, a nationalist party bent on improving and bringing China into the modern world. The group found itself head to head with the Chinese Communist Party which had more or less the same goals but had other ways of achieving them. After Sun’s death in 1925, Chiang Kai-Shek, a young general at the time, took over. Hostility intensified between the two groups until a civil war between the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party ensued.
The Chinese Communist Party, under Mao Zedong emerged victorious and began his leadership of China. Mao introduced several campaigns that were founded on Communist ideas and were meant to promote development and prosperity among the Chinese citizens, but instead had created backward development and severe economic handicaps.
After Mao’s death in 1976, the Chinese Communist Party placed Deng Xiaoping in control of China. Deng allowed China to develop in a way that the Chinese never expected. He created agrarian reforms and eliminated poverty, imported foreign technology to help modernize China’s industry, reinstated examinations for selecting college students that would be sent overseas for advanced education. These are only some of Deng’s programs that helped create the comfortable lives that the Chinese citizens enjoy today.
After Deng’s brilliant leadership of the Chinese nation, a new political figure emerged in the form of Jiang Zemin. Jiang continued the steady rising of China’s economy and development, allowing it places in the world’s biggest industries.
Once Jiang retired from the Chinese Communist Party in 2002, Hu Jintao was chosen to succeed him and later became President of China in 2003. Hu launched a space program that had been the focus of accelerated development two years back. China revealed to the world just how much it had advanced by sending into space a piloted spacecraft in October of 2003.
In January of 2006, China reported to the world that its economy had risen by 9.9%. This has made China’s economy the fourth largest in the world
Nowadays, China plans to follow the west’s path and hopes to become a country of innovation. It plans to become a nation advanced not only in its technology but also in its thinking and customs. In fact, it has taken its first steps into the modern world by creating plans for the scientific technologies which they predict they can complete within the next 15 years. China is now promoting the construction of its national innovation system and is speeding up the pace of commercialization of research funding. China hopes to increase its proportion of funds for scientific research from 1.44% to 2.5%.
With the brilliance of the Chinese citizens and the leaders that put the people first, there is no other way but forward.
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