Rebirth of a Phoenix: Short Modern Chinese History Stories

By M. CHANG

China has been one of the world’s longest surviving civilizations. Enduring bloody civil wars, foreign incursions, and domestic unrest, the country bounced between centuries of prosperity as a regional superpower and bloodshed in the fall of a dynasty. Coming into the modern age, China entered a period of government change: ending its thou

• Language: English
• Publisher: TOPLINK PUBLISHING, LLC
• Release date: Apr 12, 2019
• ISBN: 9781950540624

M. CHANG

Chang is an author who very much enjoys the excitement of traveling and learning about new cultures and languages. He is an active follower of world events and political science, frequenting many forums and databases. As a frequent traveler to Asia, he became fascinated by how much the East and West misunderstood each other. Having been to both rural and urban China and the United States, he hopes that both sides can make amends from the strained relations the rising and the established superpower face in the 21st century.

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cover.jpg

Rebirth

of a

Phoenix

1.jpg

Short Modern Chinese History Stories

M. Chang

Copyright © 2019 by M. Chang.

Paperback: 978-1-950540-61-7

eBook: 978-1-950540-62-4

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

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Printed in the United States of America

Contents

Dedication

Author’s Note

One Nation, Two Systems

Socialism with in China

5 Year Plans of China

Politics of Western China

Japan’s Miscalculation: Second Sino-Japanese War

Meritocracy in China

Chinese Investment in Africa: One Belt One Road

China Shorts: Do the people have the power?

Opinion: Human Rights, or some might say Lack Thereof

A Geographical Disadvantage

Chinese Made = Cheap?

The Ocean and the CCP

Backwater Country vs United Nations

Dedication

To the leaders of the world, whose actions let us live in interesting times.

Author’s Note

Although all these chapters have been written with as much objectivity as possible, there might be unaccounted bias from being a second generation immigrant. With the identity crisis that affects most 2nd generation immigrants, please take my articles with a grain of salt. However, I do try and make these as objective as possible and bring people the often misunderstood history of China.

One Nation, Two Systems

For many, Hong Kong was the impression of China. For the British, however, it was one of its most valued possessions it still had after the decolonization of the world. This crown jewel, known as the Pearl in the East, and provided a window to do business with a a closed country with hundreds of millions of potential consumers for centuries. Today, Hong Kong, while still a vibrant place to live and a popular place to travel and experience history, is slowing down economically. What has caused this sudden change in economic stabi lity?

Before the rule of the Qing Emperor Kangxi, China was closed from maritime trade with the rest of the world. Not many foreigners could gain access to the country during this ban on sea trade, known as the Haijin Doctrine. This doctrine was imposed during the Ming dynasty was mainly used to protect the country against japanese pirates but the subsequent governments never bothered to abolish it. In 1684, the Kangxi Emperor finally opened the gates to European commerce, establishing the Canton system.

This system allowed for one city, Canton (present day Guangzhou), to open up for trade. The Qing government also proceeded to set up a government-owned trading company to oversee all imports and export in the country. This trading company collected large sums of taxes for the government, but when Pope Clement XI issued a decree denouncing the Emperor’s liberal views on religion, Kangxi tightened his grip on international trade and xenophobia in trade ports grew.

Kangxi’s grandson, Emperor Qianlong implemented new rules that mandated all foreign traders must have a Chinese merchant representative who had responsibility for all the taxes the the foreigner was due to pay. Non-russian ships were also prohibited from using Northern Chinese ports to give the government more control in trade. Eventually, Chinese merchants joined together to form the