Modern Chinese History
Modern China as we know it today has had to undergo a long transformational journey that has given it a completely new face. The China of 1500BC was quite different from the China of 2008 as we see it today. The earliest written history about China dates back to 1100 BC. It was pioneered by the Shang dynasty. The development of the literature, philosophical outlook and the culture of the Chinese people came during the time of the Zhou dynasty. It ran from the year 1122 BC up to around 256 BC. The Zhou dynasty came immediately after the Shang dynasty.
It was the longest ruling Chinese dynasty and after its break, the warring states of China emerged. These times of the warring states were characterized by sheer anarchy and enmity and law and order was hard to spot in the establishment. All the same, the emperor continued to rule the vast territories that made up the empire and this was made possible by the bureaucratic systems that were put in pace by successive dynasties. The end of the warring states of China ushered in the Qin dynasty which was followed by the Qing dynasty.
The period in between the Qin dynasty and the Qing dynasty represents what historians have called imperial China. Items of great historical significance such as the Great Wall of China were constructed during the Qin dynasty. The wall went a head to get a great boost during the Ming dynasty. The spectacle of the great philosophy of Confucianism was taken up by the Chinese with great enthusiasm in the period of the Han dynasty. Perhaps the most significant occurrence that contributed in its own way towards the emergence of modern day China is the rise of the People’s Republic of China in the 1st of October 1949.
During this time, Taiwan separated from mainland China but it was still being governed from mainland China under the leadership of chairman Mao Zedong, a hot headed communist ruler. He pushed forward land reforms, communism took root as an economic philosophy and wealthy peasants and landlords experienced serious persecution under the communist economic philosophy. The aggressiveness of Chairman Mao and the communist leadership establishment led to the invasion of Tibet in the year 1950.
Attempts at democracy in China have always gotten harsh responses from the leadership and the most pronounced case took place in 1986 when students staged nationwide demonstrations for democracy and they harshly dealt with. The kicks of Chairman Mao are not gone despite his demise since the succeeding regimes have continued to propagate the business of communism. To them, the citizens are expected to obey all that the state does without questioning. This is a key tenet of Confucianism, a philosophy that calls upon the complete obedience and cooperation of the people.
The decisions of the communist party are beyond question and are immutable. China and the World The world as it stands is not looking at China with a smiling face. There seems to be worry and a lot of issues are being pointed out as the reasons for this kind of relations between China and the other nations of the world. All these issues are pegged on one key element which is democracy. Indeed,so many actions of the People’s Republic of China have openly brought out the act hat the Chinese communist leadership is not only undemocratic but also intolerant.
The possibility of China becoming a superpower is not a source of worry. If it actually exists, it is one of those unjustified worries the world would be having about china. In any case, the world will be very happy to have china becoming a strong economic nation as this is a key requirement for the attainment of the superpower status. The worry about China is its continued abuse of human rights within and without its borders. The world is worried about china because of its actions in places such as Taiwan and Tibet (Roy, 2003). There is extreme mistreatment of the people of Tibet in their justified push for independence.
China has been supporting rogue nations such as North Korea that are likely to hand over dangerous weapons of mass destruction to terrorist groups like alqaeda. The above worries about China stand justified and they really need to be carefully considered to ensure that China does not keep on punishing its own citizens who are genuinely clamoring foe democracy. In the behavior exhibited by China, an appropriate way of handling it needs to be found. It is not uncommon to get divergent views concerning the way China should be dealt with. Some voices are pushing for containment while others are pushing for engagement.
So far, the two methods are not mutually exclusive and it is highly proposed that both be applied but at different times. The first step as it were has to be engagement. The communist leadership in Beijing needs to be invited to a series of round table talks where the case of democracy for both the Chinese people and that of China’s neighbors should be discussed and the best way forward initiated. It is possible that with the increasing speed at which people who were once in bondage are becoming free, China is going to see the sense and letting God’s people be free.
However if the leadership fails to heed to the calls for democracy, the world will be left with no option but to resort to the other method. The activities of China will then be put on the spot and the world community of nations will come together and forge a way of containing the nation. Besides the above, China is entangled in a messy conflict with Taiwan. The Chinese leadership does not want the Taiwanese to be recognized as an independent nation but as a province of China (Brown, 2004). At this pint in time, it is not right for the Chinese to cling onto the Taiwanese.
A parallel case is in Europe where Georgia wanted to take back its breakaway region of South Ossetia and the Russians forcefully stopped the Georgians. Thus the Chinese likewise have no alternative but to let the Taiwanese people have their freedom and independence (Manthorpe, 2005). Added to the Taiwanese problem is the fact that the United States of America is not so flattered with the way the Chinese have treated the Taiwanese so far. This has placed the United States of America in a tight position since it has to deal with the quickly rising china with caution (Menzies, 2004).
The best policy that is true to American lore and history is to defend frredom. America has carried the flag of freedom in so many parts of the world and if it does not defend the independence of the Taiwanese, its principles in the world will be questioned. Leaving the above aside, there is likelihood that the Chinese can launch an attack on the Taiwanese for unification. In this case, the United States once more will have to live true to its creed and defend the Taiwanese. It must rally the world behind it in its defense of the Taiwanese.
In conclusion, China has been a hot issue around the world. Democracy is not negotiable and all the people being oppressed by the Chinese leadership must be defended. In dealing with the Chinese, engagement must come first after which pressure can be applied in case of failure to comply. The Taiwanese are supposed to be independent and the world led by the United States of America should be ready to defend them if attacked by the Chinese. This is the only way to ensure that democracy is enjoyed by all in the world.
References:
Brown, M. J. , (2004): Is Taiwan Chinese? The Impact of Culture, Power, and Migration on Changing Identities. ISBN 0520231813, 9780520231818, Published by University of California Press Manthorpe, J. , (2005): Forbidden Nation: A History of Taiwan. ISBN 1403969817, 9781403969811, Published by Palgrave Macmillan Menzies, G. , (2004): 1421: The Year China Discovered the World. ISBN 006054094X, 9780060540944, Published by Perennial Roy, D. , (2003); Taiwan: A Political History . ISBN: 0801488052; Cornell University Press,
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