Dating back thousands of years, great civilizations and mighty countries have brought the world closer together, bringing nations together by means of new technology. From the earliest sailing ships to the fastest commercial jets and the internet, the world has come closer together. "Globalization has been perceived as causing inevitable changes across nations and a universal tendency for convergence" (Law, Comparative Education Review). No country can escape the effects of globalization, especially the larger nations such as India, the U.S. and China. China's history goes a long way back, and that culture and environment has been endangered because of the threat of globalization. The nation has had its own golden ages, been in countless wars, been torn apart by civil war and made many cultural and political achievements. China has been around so long that it leaves it rich with culture, an amazing environment and the knowledge of trade and industry.
China's trade can be traced back many centuries, from the Silk Road and the earliest European ships to our modern means of transportation. The Silk Road was one of the early successes of trade, and the ancient dynasties made it possible. "Dynasties separated people into communities and used land lords to tax the peasants and gain a profit. A well functioning economy was the sign of a stable dynasty (Rawski, pg. 6)." These dynasties bore the brunt of early Chinese trade and managed the economy. A while later maritime technology became good enough that ships were able to go around the world, and at this time Britain was the major power. But "China placed strict limits on trade and experienced a balance of trade in their favor (Esler, pg. 649)." Soon thereafter though "By the 1830s, British ships were bringing in opium and controlling the Chinese economy. Two wars were fought over this, and both times the British won (Esler, pg. 650)." The two wars were named the Opium Wars, and consequently China came to be dominated by the West. Unsuccessful attempts were made to reclaim its nation (Boxer Rebellion) but these failed. Time went by and Europe began to lose influence in China. The World Wars began and ended, and it was at this time the Chinese Civil War was fought. The Communists came out on top and China underwent a reform after World War II. "Under the reform, China transformed into a communist state, nationalizing business. China also tried to increase its heavy industries, such as steel and coal. Mao distributed land to peasants in order to increase agricultural output (Esler, Pg. 652)." Unfortunately, this didn't work out, as Mao's personality cults turned the nation into chaos. After he died though, more sensible people took over like Deng Xioping. "Deng backed a program called the Four Modernizations, agriculture, industry, science and defense. Also introduced was the free market economy and the willingness to foreign help (Esler, pg. 655)." China has undergone many economic low points and great achievements. Not only has China had a large history of trade, its culture is also rich in history.
Just as the Chinese have a long history of trade, their culture dates back just as far. There have been many Chinese achievements in the past, and they have had a long time to develop a very interesting culture. "As long as 5000 years ago, the Chinese were casting bronze and had made many artistic achievements (Lonely Planet)." The Chinese were way ahead of other kingdoms in the ancient times, and they knew it. They regarded other people as barbarians, thinking they themselves were better than everyone else. Chinese art was also a thing of amazement. "Ornate and traditional figures show that music and warfare are prominent in Chinese culture (Rozman)." Confucianism was the major religion in China back then, especially during the Han Dynasty. "Confucianism has long been cited by Chinese scholars as the dominant culture in China (T. Jeremy). Confucianism consists of five rules, telling people how to live. Food is always a major part of any culture, and the Chinese are no exception. "Some examples of Chinese dishes are sweet and sour pork, Peking Duck and Dim Sum to name a few (K.C. Chang)." The Chinese have a wide variety of dishes; contrary to the stereotype that all the Chinese eat are rice and fortune cookies 24 hours a day. "Indeed, perhaps one of the most important qualifications of a Chinese gentleman was his knowledge and skill pertaining to food and drink (K.C. Chang)." The Chinese are also known for their new years, which is a very big holiday for them. China has a broad culture, but its environment is also quite large.
Many nations are restricted to a small section of the earth and therefore experience only one type of climate. China, on the other hand, is so large it experiences a great variety of climates and terrain. "China's climate is extremely diverse, tropical in the south and sub-artic in the north (CIA)." China's terrain is also very diverse since China takes up so much space. "Its [China's] terrain is mostly mountains, high plateaus and deserts in the west, with plains, deltas, and hills in the east (CIA)." Because it has such a varied terrain and climate many animals are present in China. "China has very diverse animal life, pandas, snow leopards, bears, tigers are just a few, not to mention the birds and fish (Lonely Planet)." Unfortunately, the population of animals has dwindled dramatically, and many Chinese animals have been put on the endangered list. In fact, China's entire environment has taken a downward spin since it started to industrialize and grow so fast. "A report released in 1998 by the World Health Organization noted that of the ten most polluted cities in the world, seven can be found in China (www.eiadoe.gov)." Although laws have been passed and the Chinese are making a little effort to recover their environment, it would take a miracle to be able to fix all the damage that has been done.
Because China has been around for such a long time, it has had time to grow, to develop and be one of the most important nations in the world. The Chinese people, over the years, have been able to experience a great environment until recently, been involved in world trade affairs and has developed a rich culture. Currently though, China has changed so much that many things that were there 10 or 15 years ago aren't here today. Globalization is affecting the Chinese in more ways than they think, and some are not even aware of it. The current status of China today is very different from where it was just a decade back.