Hi. It’s been a while. Sorry for not writing at all! I’ve been pretty busy, but I didn’t write because I was very lazy. So anyways, I’m back! Let’s get into today’s topic!
China. You can’t read the news without hearing about China. China is predicted to take over the US as the number one global superpower by 2032, and some estimate that to be even earlier. But how did this happen? As always, when you look at a topic, start with the basics. How did China begin, and how did their beginning differ from the US? Let’s dive into the birth of China.
China is almost 4000 years older than the US. China was founded in 2070 BCE, with the start of the Xia dynasty. They fell 400 years after, and soon the Qin dynasty arrived. The Qin dynasty was the first dynasty to unite China together. They created a strong sense of unity by imposing strict restrictions on the people. The dynasty didn’t last long, and the Han dynasty rose. The Han dynasty was the most important dynasty because they united all of what we know as Eastern China, which is where the majority of the population lives to this day. They created the feeling of national unity, which ties most of the population together today. The Hans tied together China.
Fast forward to the American revolution. Britain is broke after a very expensive war with the American colonies, and now they cannot rely on the colonies to fund them anymore. The British are huge traders with the Chinese, and they export lots of goods such as spices and silk in exchange for silver. Britain is starting to run into a trade deficit with China, and they are struggling to find a product to trade with China. After some failed negotiations with the Emperor of China to try to get the Chinese to import some British goods, the British have an idea. They have plenty of opium from Bengal, and they start to export that opium into the country. This is disastrous for the Chinese, as most Chinese citizens get addicted to opium. China tried to restrict the import of opium, but it ended up escalating into a full-scale naval war. In the end, China fell to the British in 1912, ending the Imperial rule of China.
The People’s Republic of China was formally established on October 1, 1949. After a long Civil war between the political parties, the Nationalist Party (or the Democratic Party) and the Communist Party, the CCP emerged victorious, driving the Nationalist Party to Taiwan to create more issues for the world later. But for now, the leadership of China was rock-solid.
China was formed on the ideals of unity. China has a one-party system, leaning into its imperialistic roots by creating a one-party rule. America, however, was created on the idea of independence. Every person is different, and the idea of independence runs in America’s history.
A country that is not a free-market democracy succeeding is a new concept for many. But the concept that a country has to be free to be successful is a western concept. Clearly, that concept is up for debate, due to the overwhelming success of China. China cannot be explained in typical western concepts, which is what makes China so complex to most experts. It is simply impossible to explain China with western ideals. As time goes on, the idea that the west is the golden standard for a country will fade, and other cultures and concepts will arise, similar to China. One thing is for sure, and that the gold standard of westernization is over. And it’s all thanks to China’s history.
Note from the author: This article was written in 2021 on my old blog on medium. I am reposting it here for archival purposes. This article has been modified to fit the new blog.