Write an essay showing the ways China has influenced, and has been influenced by, the wider world. Make a specific argument about which has been greater: China's influence on the world or the wider world's influence on China. It's true that many people have thought that China is a mostly closed empire and culture, but that couldn't be further from the truth. China has continued to have an impact on western culture in the areas of religion, cuisine, health and lifestyle. For example, Buddhism is currently enjoying a tremendous amount of popularity in the West and is being explored and practices by a range of Westerners, from Madonna to Elle Fanning. Nearly every other home in America has a box of green tea in their cupboard, a practice which was relayed directly from China. Vegan diets of white or brown...

For example, many Chinese eat a traditional Western breakfast of toast or cereal. Western fashions such as jeans or short skirts have been copied in China as have the tendencies to mimic the fashions of Western celebrities. However, the Chinese government doggedly pursues its own agenda at the expense of the rest of the world, and China in many ways is not part of a more global world economy and international partnership. As a result of this, I think it's safer to say that China has been more profoundly influenced by the rest of the world than vice versa.