The Chinese:
American Fascination
Ronald G. Helms
Wright State University
Introduction
While the 2008 Beijing Olympics focused worldwide attention on China (Liu, p 43 – 47 & Gifford, p 196- 204) there are multiple reasons why U.S. citizens and social studies educators are fascinated with China. The 2008 Olympics were a source of pride to the Chinese.
Beijing will do its best to solve the environmental and traffic problems for the Olympic Games and will create comfortable conditions for athletes and visitors, a foreign ministry spokesman said.
Preparations for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games was proceeding smoothly and a splendid performance would be presented to the world then, spokesman Liu Jianchao told a press conference in Beijing. "All Beijing citizens and the Chinese people will open arms and warmly welcome athletes, coaches and audiences from all over the world and we hope they will have a good time in Beijing," he said.
"I believe with joint efforts from China and the world, the Beijing Olympics will succeed," he added.
Liu said such an international event as the Olympics will offer a platform for communication and promotion of friendship between China and other countries and between the Chinese people and the people all over the world.
China expected no political interference to the Olympics, because it runs against the spirit of the Olympic Charter, Liu said (http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/official/preparation/n214250332.shtml).
Perhaps it was the study of Marco Polo’s visits to Cathy that school children studied in grammar school first motivated Americans to visit China. Marco Polo actually spent nearly a quarter of a century in China, and under Kublai Khan became governor of Hangchow (Durant, 1954, p. 3). Or perhaps a set of Americans will seek out ancient Chinese fossil remains (Tarpy, p. 86-97). History, wars, and economics are all reasons that Americans are fascinated with a visit to China.
WWII and the China-Burma-India Theater will motivate a generation of Americans and their children. Many U.S. military personnel “flew the Hump.”
The recovery of Burma would be the constant preoccupation of the American theater commander, one of the war's most controversial figures. "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell had served in China during the interwar years, knew the country, and could speak its language fluently, but sloppiness as an administrator and planner, along with a sharp tongue, ill suited him for his largely diplomatic responsibilities. He blamed British defeatism and Chinese incompetence for the loss of Burma and made snide comments on other Allied leaders, notably Chiang Kai-shek, to whom he referred in his diary as "Peanut." On the other hand, if Stilwell seemed overworked at times, it was understandable, given the sheer number of positions he held. He simultaneously served as chief of Chiang's joint Allied staff, President Roosevelt's personal representative to the Chinese leader, administrator of Lend-Lease, and commanding officer of the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater of Operations, which he established on 22 June.
With headquarters at Chungking, a branch office in New Delhi, and a primary mission to supply China, the CBI Theater was largely logistical in nature. Cargoes entered the theater at Karachi, Pakistan, and, once the threat from Japanese air power lifted, at Calcutta, India. They then proceeded by railroad, road, and ferry to Assam, the Indian province closest to the Burma border. Theater communications suffered from the fact that the British had designed the defenses of India to meet an attack from the western approaches, leaving the transportation network in the east less well developed. Not only were lines of communications unusually long— Assam was an incredible 67-day journey by rail from Calcutta—but they also were congested and inefficient, plagued by differing railroad gauges, slow construction, and differing national attitudes on allocation of resources. The situation improved somewhat in November 1943 when the Allies reached an agreement for 4,600 American railroad workers to help operate key sections of the lines. Once the goods reached Assam, rickety transport planes had to fly them over the Himalayas to China. Pilots flying this route, called the "Hump," had to contend with poor weather, 15,000-foot mountain peaks, and enemy fighter planes operating from a base at Myitkyina
(http://www.history.army.mil/brochures/indiaburma/indiaburma.htm).
…..The author’s father was directly involved in WWII, and was stationed near Calcutta. This military service in the Army-Air Corps prompted a life-long interest in both India and China. Perhaps it is the reading of specific Chinese histories (Chang, 1997) that offer motivation to visit the former imperial capital of Nanking.
…..Both the National Council for the Social Studies (1994 & 2000) and the Ohio Department of Education (2003) mandate the study of China. But perhaps page 2 of Ohio Department of Education (2003) Academic Content Standards K- 12 Social studies provides Americans the ultimate rationale for visiting China: Students (teachers) “should engage in authentic experiences and take field trips” (ODE, p. 2). The Americans who traveled to China with the author exhibited several of the above reasons to visit China.
…..From childhood to present, I have been fascinated with China and with the Chinese. This article will report some events of my leadership of a PEOPLE TO PEOPLE Ambassador Program several years ago
(http://www.peopletopeoplealumni.com/community/home.php). Winter, spring, and fall had served as a time of preparation for this great Chinese adventure. As a forty-year veteran of the International Sister City Program and as a forty-year veteran of foreign traveler and veteran delegation leader, I was delighted to lead a social studies delegation to China. The PEOPLE TO PEOPLE Ambassador Program contacted NCSS to request the author as delegation leader.
National Bureau of Statistics of China (http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/)
The following are some current statistics concerning China:
China’s economic output equals $ 1.6 Trillion in 2007
China’s economic output is expected to triple over next 15 years
China is expected to overtake Japan by 2015
China is expected to overtake U.S. by 2039
China is world’s largest producer of coal, steel and cement
China is Worlds second largest consumer of energy
China is Third largest importer of oil
Starbucks will have more cafes in China in 2010 than in the US
China manufactures two thirds of the world’s copiers, microwave ovens, DVD players and shoes.
Wal-Mart, the worlds’ largest corporation, imported $ 18 billion worth of goods in 2004 from China.
80 % of Wal-Mart’s suppliers are from China
Cheap imports from China have saved American consumers more than $ 600 billion in the past decade (American Manufactures have profited even MORE by selling these imports in USA!)
In December 1978 Chinese government decides to focus on development and modernization, instead of ideology to guide its policies
This decision Resulted in a 9% growth rate for more than 25 years
300 million people were lifted out of poverty in China in the same period
Average Chinese person’s income has quadrupled
In five years, China will produce more Ph.D.s than America will educate
The price of gas was $1.84 a gallon in 2007
In 2007, Chinese surpassed English as the most used language on the internet.
…..Often economist and political scientist find that comparing certain variables and considering various demographic figures are valuable in determining the relative strength or a nation.
Sino-American Comparisons (http://www.henrythornton.com/article.asp?article_id=4951)
USA:
Land Area: 9,631,418 sq km
Population: 293,027,571 (July 2004 est)
China:
Land Area: 9,326,410 sq km
Population: 1,298,847,624 (July2004 est)
USA:
Government Type: Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition
Currency: US dollar (USD)
China:
Government Type: Communist State
Currency: Yuan (CNY); also referred to as Renminbi (RMB)
USA:
Languages:
English, Spanish (spoken by a sizeable minority)
China:
Languages:
Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fozhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka
dialects, minority languages
USA:
GDP: Purchasing Power Parity - $10.99 trillion (2003 est.)
Economic Growth Rate in 2004 - 4.4%
GDP – per capita: $37,800 (2003 est.)
China:
GDP: Purchasing Power Parity - $6.449 trillion (2003 est.)
Economic Growth Rate in 2004 – 9.5%
GDP – per capita: $5,000 (2003 est.)
US Exports to China(2004) - $ 34.7 Billion
US Imports from China(2004) - $ 196.7 Billion
Trade Imbalance with China - $ 162 Billion
(30.6% Increase from 2003)
USA accounts for 24% World’s Energy Consumption
China accounts for 12.1% World’s Energy Consumption
General Motors has 7 joint ventures including 4 factories that manufacture automobiles on mainland China employing approximately 13,000 employees. Products are sold under the Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Opel and Saab nameplates. These plants are located in Shanghai (2 plants), Liuzhou (Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region), Shenyang(Liaoning). Profits from these four plants trebled to $437 million last year (2004)
McDonalds currently has 600 restaurants on the Chinese mainland.
KFC has 1000 outlets.
China is PepsiCo Inc’s third largest market in the World with $1Billion in sales in 2004.
Coca Cola claims 53% of China’s carbonated soft drinks market.
Production of Steel(2004)
USA - 91.6 Million Tons
China - 181.7 Million Tons
Consumption of Steel(2004)
USA - 118.2 Million Tons
China - 244.2 Million Tons
Wal-Mart entered the Chinese market in 1996, currently having 40 stores in 19 cities and employs more than 20000 associates.
USA:
Military expenditures – dollar figure: $370.7 billion (2003 est.)
China:
Military expenditures – dollar figure: $60 billion (2003 est.)
USA:
Telephones – main lines is use: 181.599 million (2003)
Mobile cellular: 158.722 million (2003)
China:
Telephones – main lines is use: 263 million (2003)
Mobile cellular: 269 million (2003)
USA:
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.3% (2003)
Population below the poverty line: 12.5% (2003 est.)
China:
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.2% (2003)
Population below the poverty line: 10% (2001 est.)
USA:
Literacy:
Total population: 97%
Male: 97%
Female: 97% (1999 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
China:
Literacy:
Total population: 90.9%
Male: 95.1%
Female: 86.5% (2002 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
USA:
Population growth rate: 0.92% (2004 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 77.43 years
Male 74.63 years
Female 80.36 years (2004 est.)
China:
Population growth rate: 0.57% (2004 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 71.96 years
Male 70.40 years
Female 73.72 years (2004 est.)
USA:
Birth rate: 14.13 births/1000 (2004 est.)
Death rate: 8.34 deaths/1000 (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.63 deaths/1000 live births (2004 est.)
China:
Birth rate: 12.98 births/1000 (2004 est.)
Death rate: 6.92 deaths/1000 (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 25.28 deaths/1000 live births (2004 est.)
USA:
Sex Ratio:
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
Total Population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
China:
Sex Ratio:
At birth: 1.12 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female
Total Population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
USA:
Highways (paved): 6,406,296 km
Railways: 228,464 km
Waterways: 41,009 km
Airports with paved runways: 5,128
China:
Highways (paved): 314,204 km
Railways: 70,058 km
Waterways: 121,557 km
Airports with paved runways: 332
Travel Concerns
Many Americans are eager to contribute the Chinese economy. Visitors enjoy the opportunity to walk the streets and visit the stores of regular Chinese. Safety is not a concern or issue. I found myself walking the city streets alone at night with no regard for crime; on the other hand, I did observe that young Chinese couples were not opposed to public displays of affection. The Americans were assigned to the highest floors of the Chinese hotels. In the morning it was possible in the cities to look down and view a brown haze of smog. The Chinese have not yet solved the pollution problems, and pollution will be a factor in the 2008 Olympics
(http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/dynamics/headlines/n214249684.shtml).
As social studies professionals our delegation was well aware of the fall of Nanjing to the Japanese in December 1937. Following the rise of Sun Yat-sen, the national government continued to be headquartered in Nanjing.
Summer Palace in Beijing
As Social Studies delegates, we know the history of the empress dowager. We know the excesses of the empress. The recent film, The Last Emperor is in mind (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/last_emperor/).
In Chinese history he is known as "The Father of the Revolution" or "The Father of the Republic." In the West he is considered the most important figure of Chinese history in the twentieth century. As a revolutionary, he lived most of his life in disappointment. For over twenty years he struggled to bring a nationalist and democratic revolution to China and when he finally triumphed with the establishment of the Chinese Republic in 1912 with him as president, he had it cruelly snatched from him by the dictatorial and ambitious Yüan Shih-kai. He died in 1924, with China in ruins, torn by the anarchy and violence of competing warlords. His ideas, however, fueled the revolutionary fervor of the early twentieth century and became the basis of the Nationalist government established by Chiang Kai-shek in 1928.
Sun Yat-sen based his idea of revolution on three principles: nationalism, democracy, and equalization. These three principles, in fact, were elevated to the status of basic principles: the Three People's Principles. The first of these held that Chinese government should be in the hands of the Chinese rather than a foreign imperial house. Government should be republican and democratically elected. Finally, disparities in land ownership should be equalized among the people, wealth more evenly distributed, and the social effects of unbridled capitalism and commerce should be mitigated by government. The latter principle involved the nationalization of land; Sun believed that land ownership allows too much power to accrue to the hands of landlords. In his nationalization theory, people would be deprived of the right to own land, but they could still retain other rights over the land by permission of the state (http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MODCHINA/SUN.HTM)
Military history is filled with the conquest of the enemy’s capital. Upon Sun’s death both Chaing and Mao claimed followers and authority. The historical view is that Chaing blundered when he choose to expend resources and military to fight Mao. Even as the Japanese invaded China, this civil war endured. The Japanese war machine was simply too powerful for divided China.
Chiang Kai-shek had a humble beginning, but he received an education that lead him to attending a Japanese military staff college and serving in the Japanese Imperial Army for several years. A keen supporter of Sun Yat-sen, he returned to the newly created republic of China in 1911.. His task was to create an army for the Nationalists (Guomindang). Chiang Kai-shek was chosen by Sun Yat-sen to lead the Guomindang’s military academy at Whampoa which was set up in Canton. Chiang was sent to Moscow for six months in 1923 studying how the Red Army was organised.
In later years and once he was the leader of the Guomindang, Chiang tended to favour those who had worked at Whampoa and appointed them to important jobs within the Guomindang.
When Sun Yat-sen died in 1925, there was a power struggle for his successor. Chiang had two advantages over his rivals. First, he was seen by most as the leader of the Guomindang army which was considered a loyal and disciplined army likely to fight for Chiang. Second, he was in a politically central position in China.
In 1926, Chiang consolidated his position in the Guomindang by successfully embarking on a campaign against the warlords. By June 1928, he had control of Canton, Beijing and Nanking - three of the most important cities in China. He was also the party’s chairman and commander-in-chief of the army.
In September 1928, the Organic Law gave Chiang what amounted to dictatorial powers over China. Chiang was appointed president but his hold over the whole nation was never secure simply because of the vast size of the country and the fact that his army could not be in all parts of the nation at all times. This is why the Communists selected Yanan as a safe place at the end of the Long March. The Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931 and their eventual attack on China in 1937 also lead to vast areas of China not being under Chiang's control. (http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/chiang_kai.htm)
Mao was born in Chaochan in Hunan province. He came from a peasant family. As with all peasants living in Nineteenth Century China, his upbringing was hard and he experienced no luxuries.
He first encountered Marxism while he worked as a library assistant at Peking University. In 1921, he co-founded the Chinese Communist Party. Mao gave a geographic slant to Marxism as he felt that within an Asiatic society, communists had to concentrate on the countryside rather than the industrial towns. In reality, this was a logical belief as China had very little industry but many millions involved with agriculture. Mao believed that a revolutionary elite would only be found in the peasantry and not among those who worked in towns.
With Zhou Enlai, Mao established a revolutionary base on the border of Hunan. In 1931, Mao set up a Chinese Soviet republic in Kiangsi. This lasted until 1934 when Mao and his followers were forced to leave Kiangsi and head for Shensi in the legendary Long March which lasted to 1935. Here they were relatively safe from the Kuomintang lead by Chiang Kai-shek but far removed from the real seat of power in China – Peking (Beijing).
From 1937 to 1945, the enmity between the KMT and the Communists was put to one side as both concentrated their resources on the Japanese who had launched a full-scale invasion of China in 1937. It was during this time that Mao developed his knowledge about guerrilla warfare that he was to use with great effect in the civil war against the KMT once the war with Japan had ended in 1945.
By the spring of 1948, Mao switched from guerrilla attacks to full-scale battles. The KMT had been effectively broken by the skill of Mao’s guerrilla tactics and defeat was not long in coming. In October 1949, Mao was appointed Chairman of the People’s Republic of China.
He governed a country that was many years behind the world’s post-war powers. China’s problems were huge and Mao decided to introduce radical solutions for China’s domestic weaknesses rather than rely on conservative ones.
(http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/mao_zedong.htm)
Thus a must visit site in Nanjing (PEOPLE TO PEOPLE) is the visit to the memorial of the Japanese massacre of Nanjing (http://www.cnd.org/mirror/nanjing/). Over 300,000 citizens and soldiers of Nanjing were killed (Chang, 1997). This memorial is much like the National Holocaust Memorial in Washington D.C. The memorial was designed as a history lesson for Chinese students.
We arose at 5:45 AM and its now 11:15 PM. We were done with the very serious business of meetings. Now suddenly we were all standing in the center of Tiananmen Square (http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB16/documents/index.html). The events of 1989 were on our minds. We were face to face with the Great Hall and with Mao’s Mausoleum. There was a marked absence of military and police.
Can we wait to visit the Forbidden City? Today’s schedule provides the delegates an opportunity to visit the prestigious China Social Studies Academy. This research institution like several others on our tour was well founded with a significant meeting area and impressive Chinese Scholars. We defined the Social Sciences, Sociology, and the Social Studies as these concepts are used in the U.S. Delegates were able to ask insightful questions. By now we realized the first answers were often insufficient. Follow-up questions were necessary. Again the current mixture of capitalization and socialism is explained: “It doesn’t matter if the cat is black or white as long as the cat catches the rat” (http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0156-7365(199407)32%3C197%3ABCWCAI%3E2.0.CO%3B2-S).
We depart for Hong Kong today. Suddenly the pressures of leadership and constant decision-making evaporate as does the sweat from the tropical climates.
Hong Kong, described as a 'barren rock' over 150 years ago, has become a world-class financial, trading and business centre and, indeed, a great world city. Hong Kong has no natural resources, except one of the finest deep-water ports in the world. A hardworking, adaptable and well-educated workforce of about 3.58 million, coupled with entrepreneurial flair, is the bedrock of Hong Kong's productivity and creativity.
Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China on July 1, 1997, after a century and a half of British administration. Under Hong Kong's constitutional document, the Basic Law, the existing economic, legal and social systems will be maintained for 50 years. The SAR enjoys a high degree of autonomy except in defense and foreign affairs.
(http://www.info.gov.hk/info/hkbrief/eng/ahk.htm).
References
Beijing to offer good conditions for Olympics{Retrieved February 17, 2008} http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/official/preparation/n214250332.shtml
Black Cat, White Cat: An Inside View of Reform & Revolution in China {Retrieved January 20, 2008}
(http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0156-7365(199407)32%3C197%3ABCWCAI%3E2.0.CO%3B2-S)
Chang, I., (1997) The Rape of Nanking. New York: Penquin Books.
China sets pollution reduction targets for 2008 {Retrieved January 18, 2008} (http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/dynamics/headlines/n214249684.shtml)
The China-Burma-India Theater {Retrieved February 15, 2008}
http://www.history.army.mil/brochures/indiaburma/indiaburma.htm
China v the United States: Economic Comparisons {Retrieved February 15, 2008}
(http://www.henrythornton.com/article.asp?article_id=4951)
Chiang Kai-shek {Retrieved February 15, 2008} http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/chiang_kai.htm
Durant, W., (1954) The Oriental Heritage. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Gifford, R., (December 2007) Beijing’s New Flame, Conde Nast Traveler.
Hong Kong {Retrieved February 15, 2008} (http://www.info.gov.hk/info/hkbrief/eng/ahk.htm)
Mao Zedong {Retrieved January 19, 2008} http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/mao_zedong.htm
Modern China: Sun Yat-sen {Retrieved January 18, 2008}
(http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MODCHINA/SUN.HTM)
The Last Emperor {Retrieved February 16, 2008} (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/last_emperor/).
Liu, M., (January, 2008) Mao to Now. Newsweek.
Nanking Massacre {Retrieved January 16, 2008} http://www.cnd.org/mirror/nanjing/
National Bureau of Statistics of China {Retrieved January 12, 2008 http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/
National Council for the Social Studies. (1994). Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for the Social Studies,
Washington, DC: NCSS
National Council for the Social Studies. (2000). National standards for social studies teachers, Washington, DC: NCSS
Ohio department of education. (2003). Academic Content Standards K- 12 Social studies, Columbus OH.
PEOPLE TO PEOPLE Ambassador Program {Retrieved February 2, 2008}
(http://www.peopletopeoplealumni.com/community/home.php)
Tarpy, Cliff (August 2005) China’s Fossil Marvels, National Geographic, 208 (2).
Tiananmen Square, 1989: The Declassified History {Retrieved January 20, 2008}
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB16/documents/index.html |
