China: history, culture, and contemporary issues

China

Today when one thinks of a country with explosive economic growth and a bright future both economically and politically, China comes to mind. China has risen in prominence on the global stage at an exceedingly fast rate. It is sometimes referred as the United States, next great potential rival, and with good reason. It is officially known as the People's Republic of China and is the world's most populated country in the world, with over 1.35 billion people (CIA). It is ruled by a single political party, the Communist Party, with Beijing being the capital and therefore, the epicenter of political power in China. China is also the second largest country in regards to land area. It is a diverse geological country, its landscape consisting of deserts, forests, to subtropical forests in the south (CIA). A country with vast natural resources, its population being of them, and a rising power on the global stage, it merits a cursory analysis. This paper will briefly examine its history, and then delve into its current economic status and political system.

China is home to one of the world's earliest civilization, established in 221 BCE (Wilkinson, 2000). However, the first recorded Chinese dynast was the Shang, ruling from the 17th to the 11th century BCE. Eventually, the Shang were conquered by the Zhou, who ruled from the 12th to the 5th centuries BCE (Wilkinson, 200). The Zhou dynasty came to an end when its rule became weakened by warlords. Independent nations arose from the weak Zhou, which kept warring with each, the time of the Warring States period end was dominated by seven powerful states.

The Warring States period ended when the state of Qin conquered the seven other kingdoms in the region in 221 BCE, creating the first united China. The Qin dynasty only lasted fifteen years soon after the Emperor Qin Shi Huang's death. The Han Dynasty which ruled China from 206 BCE to 220 CE is the dynasty that left the greatest impression on China today (Wilkinson, 2000). It was a military power that launched campaigns into Korea, Vietnam, Mongolia, and other regions. It became the largest economy in the ancient world, by establishing the Silk Road in Central Asia. They also adopted Confucianism as the state philosophy. According to Wilkinson (2000), the fall of the Han dynasty ushered a series of subsequent dynasties, two of them were the Tang and Song dynasties. During the 13th century, China was conquered by the Mongols who established the Yuan dynasty, until Zhu Yuanzhang rebelled against the Mongols and founded the Ming Dynasty in 1368 (Wilkinson, 2000). China entered another golden age under the Ming Dynasty, developing a powerful navy and a rich economy. During this period, the capital of China became Beijing, previously it was Nanjing. The Ming Dynasty ended in 1644, when Li Zicheng led a revolt against the Ming and established the Shun Dynasty, which was short lived when the Machu Qing Dynasty overthrew the Shun. The Qing was the last imperial dynasty in China's history, ending in 1912. The 19th century saw the slow decline of the Qing Dynasty (Keay, 2009). They lost two opium wars against the British Empire. China was made to sign unfair treaties, pay reparations, allow special privileges for foreigners, and give Hong Kong to the British. In 1895, at end of the Sino-Japanese War, China loss influence in Korea and gave Taiwan to the Japanese (Keay, 2009). The Qing dynasty also suffered from rebellions and famine. Eventually, the Qing Dynasty collapsed and the Republic of China was established by Sun Yat-sen of the Nationalist Party.