History & Culture
The Chinese Republic 1911-1949
In 1911 Sun-Yat-Sen (1866-1925) instigated a revolution. It soon gathered momentum and spread across southern China. However the Qing turned to a man named General Yaun Shikai and gave him sweeping powers to crush the revolution. The Qing were then persuaded to abdicate in February 1912 by the General. Yuan Shikai became president of China after siding with the rebels. A parliament was elected in February. However the general had no intention of sharing power with parliament and soon made himself dictator. The Nationalists (Kuomintang) party were banned at the end of 1913 and parliament was closed in January 1914.
In 1921 the Chinese Communist Party of CCP was founded. One of its leading lights was Mao Tse-Tung (1893-1976). By 1935 he became head of the new party.
China was changing in the early 20th century. Industry was expanding and China saw a wave of strikes and labour unrest in the 1920s. Then in 1926 the Kuomintang decided to unite China. From their base in the south they sent an army of 150,000 men into the north. In 1928 the Northern Expedition was renewed and in April Kuomintang forces entered Beijing. China was reunited.
Meanwhile the Kuomintang and the communists fell out. In the autumn of 1927 Mao Tse-Tung led a peasant rebellion called the Autumn Harvest Uprising but it was crushed. However in the countryside Mao-Tse-Tung adopted a more successful policy. From his base in the mountains he carried out a guerrilla war campaign.
In 1934 the Kuomintang attempted to encircle the communists. Mao decided to break out. About 90,000 soldiers escaped the trap and embarked on a long march to the north of China but in 1931 the Japanese invaded and occupied Manchuria so both sides agreed to put there differences aside to repel the Japanese.
The Communist Takeover
In August 1945 Russia declared war on Japan. As a result Russian troops occupied Manchuria after the Japanese surrender. When they withdrew the communists were left in control of Manchuria. In 1946 the civil war resumed between communists and Kuomintang. In November 1948 - January 1949 the communists won a decisive victory at Huai-Hai. The remaining Kuomintang fled to Taiwan and in October Mao-Tse-Tung declared the Peoples Republic of China in Beijing a communist state.
Modern China - The Early Years of the Peoples Republic
Before 1949 the communists had begun redistributing land. During the 1950s factories were built in central China. There was also great progress in education. In 1950 a law was passed giving women equal rights with men in divorce and custody of children. They were also given equal property rights. In 1958 came the Great Leap Forward, an attempt to greatly increase output of farming and industry. However the Great Leap Forward was too ambitious.
The Cultural Revolution
In 1966 some students attacked their teachers in posters at universities. Mao feared that revolutionary fervour was flagging so he decided to encourage the movement. The students began to call themselves the Red Guard and they held rallies in Beijing. The Red Guard had become very powerful and they started disrupting industry and agriculture. Finally, Mao ordered them to disband. Mao himself died in September 1976.
China’s Economic Miracle
In recent years China has become an economic success story. By the 1990s China had become an affluent society. In the last years of the 20th century the government switched to a market economy. Peasants in communes were given contracts. They were given a certain amount of land and agreed to grow a certain amount of crops. If they grew any excess they could sell it. In industry, factories were given more autonomy. They were allowed to make their own agreements with their suppliers and their customers. If they made large profits they could pay their workers bonuses.
The new slogan was 'To be rich is glorious!’ Four special economic zones were formed in the east. The result was a huge increase in Chinese industrial output and a great improvement in Chinese standards of living. In 2005 there was a significant sign of China's growing economic power when Shanghai overtook Rotterdam as the largest port in the world. China is predicted to become the world's largest economy by 2040.
Chinese courtesies have always been formal and follow strict rules, although sometimes Chinese people seem to be impolite according to Western norms in public places.
Chinese Culture
To understand the Chinese well, some concepts should not be ignored:
Mianzi (Face) never insult or embarrass a person. In order to get a positive result, don’t allow a Chinese person to lose face. Criticism should be delivered privately, discreetly and tactfully.
Guanxi (Relationships between People) It is very important for the Chinese to have good relationships. They often regard good social relations as a symbol of personal ability and influence. Someone who has no connections would be despised and is only half-Chinese.
Keqi means to be considerate, polite, and well mannered and also represents humbleness and modesty. Arrogance is frowned upon. Chinese seldom express there thoughts directly and prefer to express themselves in a roundabout way.