A sovereign state in East Asia, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has a population of 1.3 billion, the highest in the world. The Communist Party of China based in the capital of Beijing governs the 5 autonomous regions, 22 provinces, and 4 municipalities that are directly controlled and also Macau and Hong Kong that are self-governing. The Communist Party of China also claims authority over Taiwan. An Asian regional power, China is described often as a potential superpower.
The history of China can be traced back to the emergence of the world's earliest civilizations on the banks of the Yellow River. China was cut off from the rest of the world by vast seas, mountains, and deserts. This explains China’s greatly original culture. The political system in China was dominated by dynasties comprising monarchies that were hereditary. The state expanded, fractured, and reformed many times since 221 bc, when the Qin dynasty formed a Chinese empire by conquering several states.
The last dynasty was replaced by the Republic of China (ROC) in 1912. It ruled the mainland for a number of years, and, in 1949, was defeated by the “Communist Party of China”. This Party established the People's Republic of China and the ROC government went to Taiwan.
China has been the world leader in economics and technology since the “premodern” era. Its economic performance reached a peak in the Song Dynasty (Zhu, p. 104). During this period, China had advanced technologies, the highest urbanization rates, and the largest national economy in the world.
However, China lost its leadership position to Western Europe between the years 1500 to 1800, when its per capita GDP stagnated in comparison with Western Europe. This stagnation was often attributed to the stifling rule of the Ming and Qin dynasties when innovation was looked down upon and political systems were ridden with regressive policies.
The two Opium Wars that took place between China and Great Britain in the 1840s and 1850s weakened the imperial system. A defeated China was forced to throw open its borders to the West and to Japan. These changes brought industrial technologies and factories to China. However, World War II and its own civil wars prevented the industrialization process from gaining momentum in the country until the 1950s. In fact, the effect of industrialization on China was so minimal that China’s per capita GDP declined between 1800 and 1950. The People’s Republic established in October 1949 was primarily responsible for hastening the industrialization process in China.
Industry in China was nationalized by the Communists. The Communists ruled with an iron hand and any defiance met with suppression. In 1958, farming and industry saw a sea change when Mao attempted to increase production through “The Great Leap Forward”. Peasants were guided to form cooperatives, called communes, of their small pieces of land. Women could leave their babies in the care of nurseries while they worked. Peasants were encouraged to dig canals and improve their water conservation systems. They also had to make their own steel in temporary furnaces.
The Great Leap Forward was far from anything envisioned by Mao. So many farm hands had been employed to produce steel and improve infrastructure that it caused farm produce to decline resulting in a disastrous famine during the years 1959 to 1962.
The situation caused by the famine was further worsened by the decision to export grain. The famine left 36 million people dead but it must be noted that a number of deaths could be attributed to the execution of peasants who stole grains. Mao was unrelenting and said “To distribute resources evenly will only ruin the Great Leap Forward. It is better to let half the people die so that the other half can eat their fill”. Following the famine, The Great Leap Forward mission was abandoned.
China experienced rapid economic and social development by shifting from a centrally-planned to a market-based economy since initiating market reforms in 1978. GDP growth has averaged nearly 10 percent a year making China the second largest economy in recent times lifting more than 800 million people out of poverty.
China rose among the world’s progressive economies after economic reforms were introduced in 1978. China is the largest exporter in the world and also tops the list of importers. China has the world’s largest army and has developed nuclear weapons as well. Its defense budget is the second largest in the world. The PRC is a member of the United Nations. In 1971, it became a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.
China exerted considerable influence both culturally and in governance on its neighbors, especially Japan and South Korea. As against the Roman influence, which involved a great deal of force, in Asia the Chinese way of life and its knowledge percolated automatically down to its neighbors. Even foreign invaders ended up following Chinese cultural practices over the years.
China Today
With a population of 1.3 billion, China plays an important and influential role in the global economy. Much of its aspirations find root in the age-old Chinese principle of Confucianism. The bigotry of its imperialism was kept under check by partially religious sentiments propounded by the great philosopher Confucius. Modern Chinese ideologies are based on values such as discipline, respect for authority, and scholarship and the security which comes with it. The nation and its well-being took precedence over everything else.
Growing faster than any country in the world, it is said that China will overtake the United States as the world’s largest economy within two decades. Even the conservative figure of eight percent will catapult China to the number one position economically.
Obstacles like a weak banking system and a majorly dysfunctional service sector will not stop China from usurping the United States of its superpower status. The mostly disenfranchised status of the people has also not deterred its growth in any way.