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Analyze continuities and changes in social, cultural, political and economic practices in China from 1750 to present.
Analyze continuities and changes in social, cultural, political and economic practices in China from 1750 to present.
China has had a very dynamic history dating back to the supposed Xia Dynasty. The Chinese civilization has had its fair share of ups and downs, prosperous and not so prosperous times. From the period of 1750 - present, China experienced more changes than continuities. Changes such as political control, cultural developments, and economic control were defined by previous Chinese experiences while continuities such as social distinctions and technological innovations persisted.
One change experienced from 1750- present was the political control of China. China is a unique civilization in that it developed on the basis of dynasties, or ruling families. Once a family came to power, it could remain in power unless it lost the "Mandate of Heaven" - the gods' permission to rule. In between different dynasties was usually a time of turmoil. This can also be seen in Western Europe from 600 C.E. -1300 C.E. where the Roman Empire fell and feudal kingdoms rose, as well as Germanic invaders. Following the final dynasty, the Qing, China experienced a similar state of turmoil. This is where the nationalists and communist parties grew. In the Chinese Communist Revolution of 1949, led by Mao Zedong, the Dynastic cycle of China finally ended and was replaced by a Communist government. This is interesting since the Dynastic cycle had persisted for over two millenia, finally changing to support a different political style. This style tried to renovate China's economy and world significance through bringing equality, similar to socialism. The reason for this change is that the leader wanted to consolidate more power as opposed to previously where land holding aristocrats could easily rise and threaten the emperor's rule. Another change is economic control. Prior to 1750, the Tang and Song were well known for renovating trade and restoring merchant status. Paper money, advanced ship building, the Grand Canal, built by Sui) as well as increased technology led to prosperous state where trade was controlled by the people. From 1750 - present it changed. The Communist government quickly seized control of all trade, basing it on a command economy. This meant that citizens were given what they needed, not wanted. One of the last great Chinese explorers occurred under the Ming Dynasty. His name was Zheng He and he raised morale for China and exposed it to outside technologies, such as advanced ship building by the Arabs in the Middle East and East Africa. Only recently has Chinese economy incorporated some capitalist ideals, especially under Deng Xiaoping. The reason that China cut off trade and changed the economy to a command economy was due to Western encroachment. Many Western nations, such as Great Britain, took advantage of China, creating policies such as the Open Door Policy and spheres of influence in order for said Western nations to prosper. This is evident in Great Britain forcing the sale of Opium to China prior to 1750.
Despite China exhibiting many changes, it also experienced continuities. One continuity was the social distinctions. Social stratification in China, for the most part, favored males. This is evident in the policy of foot binding under to Song Dynasty. Such policies were aimed at belittling women and making them subservient. Merchants were also considered "mean people" during classical China as their riches were due to others' hard labor. These social distinction inevitably persisted during Communist China in 1750-present. Despite female position increasing slightly recently, similarly to in India (due to banning caste systems) there was still a clear distinction. The One Child Policy of China clearly shows this as families were provided economic privileges for having 1 child, preferably male. Merchants were also shunned upon at the commence of the Communist Revolution. The reason for this continuity is that throughout the dawn of history, social distinctions were evident, giving rise to gender inequalities. This tradition persisted for many millenia and forms the barebones of Chinese civilization, making it hard to undo. Another continuity is technological innovations. Through Chinese history, technology improved. It went from wood and stone tools under Shang to bronze under Zhou, further progressing to support iron and steel tools. From 1750- present, technology improved even more. This is due to Communist China's Cultural Revolution which sought to industrialize China, bringing it to the forefront of civilization. Such industrializations led to increased agricultural output, allowing for the massive populations. The reason for this continuity is that China needed to modernize. In Western Europe during 1700s, the Industrial Revolution allowed nations to become world powers through mechanization. China wanted to experience the same perks, therefore they needed to continue pushing technology to new limits. This explains why, currently, China is one of the most technologically advanced nations in the world.
From 1750- present, China experienced more changes that continuities. Changes such as political control and economic development were sparked by previous experiences and outside influences while continuities such as social distinctions and technological innovations persisted.