- Geography
- Isolationism
- The main focus during Mongol rule was becoming a great military land power, and most people had very little concern for naval developments. After Mongol rule in China, leaders were eager to restore pure Chinese culture, therefore outlawing large trade-ships from leaving the country.
- Ethnocentrism
- It has been shown throughout history, that the Chinese have a distinct nationalism and ethnocentrism. They have often shown that they feel that their nation is superior as well as their culture (i.e. Policies of Isolationism).
- River Valleys
- Huang River/ Yellow River
- Origination of the Chinese people began in this river valley.
- Called the “Yellow River” because it often floods and deposits significant amounts of yellow silt. This is the most dangerous river in the area.
- Confucianism
- Confucious lived during the Chou dynasty: a time of social disorder and chaos. He therefore believed that solving these problems would only come about by instating social order and mutual respect for all, explained by the five relationships.
- No teaching of God or life after death.
- Code of Conduct
- The Five Relationships
- Husband to wife, parent to child, brother to younger brother, Ruler to Minister/subject and friend to friend.
- Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE) Golden Age
- Emperor Han
- Established Confucianism as official religion
- Established Civil service exams (required for participation in government).
- Silk Road
- Opened up new trade routes. Brought the introduction of new foods, and led to contact between China and regions of the Middle East.
- Got its name from China’s most abundant export: silk.
- Accomplishments
- Advancement in Sciences/Medicine: Acupuncture, zoology, botany, astronomy, chemistry, and architecture.
- Introduced: rudder, paper, fishing reel, and wheelbarrow.
- Emperor Han
- Tang Dynasty (618 CE – 907 CE) Golden Age
- Leaders expanded influence into areas like Central and Southeast Asia, and demanded tribute from them.
- Redistribution of land for peasants. Confucist scholars began to work for the government.
- Strict social structure imposed: Gentry, Peasants, and Merchants. (Highest in social structure à lowest in social structure). Unlike European social structures, social mobility was very possible and not uncommon.
- Scientists invented: gunpowder, mechanical clocks, block printing and vaccines, towards the end of the dynasty.
- Opium Wars
- The Chinese considered themselves the “Middle Kingdom” (the belief that they were at the center of the world). They thought that Europeans wanted to trade their worthless trinkets for priceless Chinese pieces. To set off this imbalance, Britain introduced opium into Chinese society.
- The Chinese government attempted to stop the British from trading opium with the Chinese, but ultimately failed.
- Unequal treaties (19c)
- Because of the Treaty of Nanjing, the Chinese were required to:
- Pay reparations to Britain.
- Open ports for British trade, breaking their isolationism policy.
- Provide Britain of control of Hong Kong.
- Allow British citizens living in China to live under British law and be tried in British courts, only.
- This led other European nations to follow, and also establish unequal treaties with China for their own economic benefit.
- Spheres of Influence were established by Western European countries in China, which bothered the Chinese and led to a series of uprisings.
- Because of the Treaty of Nanjing, the Chinese were required to:
- Boxer Rebellion (1900)
- The people of China rose up against the foreign influences in their country. The European countries saw this as a threat to their profits, so they formed a coalition and put down the rebellion.
- Revolution of 1911
- Causes:
- Social Discontent
- Government Inefficiency (Manchu Court).
- Dissatisfaction with Constitutional Movement.
- Acceptance of revolutionary ideas by intellectuals.
- Wuhan Uprising – successful.
- Strong military positions, strong armed force, little government resistance, support from wealthy merchants.
- Results:
- New Provisional Government: Sun Yat-Sen / Sun Yixian is elected President.
- Causes:
- Sun Yat-Sen
- Nationalist leader, fought to end foreign domination.
- Formed Nationalist Party and overthrew the Manchu Dynasty.
- Replaced Manchu Dynasty with a republican government and was elected president of the Chinese Republic and New Provisional Government.
- Communist victory (1949)
- Communists (led by Mao Zedong) defeated Kuomingdang (Nationalist Party led by Chang Kai-shek in the Chinese civil war
- Communists now in control of mainland China
- Nationalist party in charge of Taiwan and some islands
- Communists supported by Soviet Union; Taiwan supported by US
- Mao proclaimed People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949
- Mao Zedong (1893-1976)
- Leader of the Communist party in China and won the civil war against the Nationalist party
- Created unified China without foreign domination
- Initiated Great Leap Forward and started the Cultural Revolution
- Chairman of the People’s Republic of China
- Disliked criticism of the government (anti-rightist movement)
- Communes
- China separated into large communes during the Great Leap Forward
- Contained about 5000 families
- Everything owned by the commune; worked for commune, not for self
- Everything was provided there: entertainment, health care, schools, etc.
- Every aspect of life was controlled by the commune
- Great Leap Forward
- Initiated by Mao to help economic growth
- Collectivized agriculture and small industry in rural areas
- Failed because of droughts (caused famine that killed millions of Chinese) and Soviet Union stopped supporting it (felt Mao was pushing too hard to a communist revolution
- Cultural Revolution (1966-1969)
- Encouraged revolutionary committees of Red Guards to take power from the state and Communist party authorities
- Believed in purging of intellectuals and imperialists, carried out mostly by Red Guards
- Against religion: mosques, temples, churches burned
- Labeled many “counterrevolutionaries” and purged; also great leaders such as Deng Xiaoping
- Deng Xiaoping and economic reforms
- Reformed and opened up economy (foreign investments) à socialist market economy
- Believe in the Four Modernizations: agriculture, industry, science and technology, and military
- Signed agreement with the UK that Hong Kong would return to China in 1997
- Four Modernizations: agriculture, industry, science and technology, and military
- Legal reform; laws passed in National People’s Congress
- Tiananmen Square and human rights
- Demonstrated at Tiananmen Sqare on June 4,1989
- Student and intellectuals protest against slow reforming
- Wanted end to corruption in the government
- Wanted rights given in the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China
- Deng declared martial law on May 20th
- Military came in with weapons to clear demonstrators from the stree
- Resulted in high numbers of students going overseas because countries gave political refuge
- MFN status and the WTO
- In 1971, PRC was finally accepted by the Security Council of the UN (Taiwan had be the china accepted before)
- Most of the United States’ trading partners have MFN statue (renamed Normal Trade Relations)
- All pay same tariffs when enter US
- Bilateral trade relationship that allows each country to have the most advantageous trade agreement with the other country
- Promotes free trade
- Economic growth
- Recent economic growth astounding
- Average of 7.9 GDP growth per year
- Capital rose 10% in 2000
- Trade increased 18% in 2002
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