Weekly Blog #4: Reforming China into Capitalism

Was he really god or not?

This week we learned about how the central power of the CCP shifted from Mao to Deng Xiaoping during the People’s Republic of China.  After Deng Xiaoping became the leader of the Communist Party of China, he led China to turn towards a market economy, into capitalism. He began transforming China by abolishing the rural commune and making the farm households participate in the “responsibility system” where land could be sold, bought, and inherited without allowing the farmers to own their land; farmers had to lease land from the collective.  Farmers wanted to make as much money as possible, so they shifted to cash crops. Deng furthered his reforms by establishing special economic zones that enabled many different zones, like Shenzhen, to modernize by allowing a flood of foreign visitors in. Foreign firms were often offered incentives by these zones which included low taxes, new plants, and cheap labor force.

The Reformer (Deng Xiaoping)

In an article about a Chinese woman, called Bai Di, who grew up in socialist China and who participated in the Cultural Revolution, she talks about the different environment people live in back in her days compared to modern day. When she was young, she only needed two sets of clothes to live—since she didn’t have that much things, so she felt that she has never needed more than she has then. But compared to present time under the capitalist society, more and more people develop desires for everything. Now, everything is about “money, money, money”.  She continues to compare the Mao era to capitalism by emphasizing that individualism in a capitalistic society only allows you to think that you are the most important, that it would be a boring life as “your existence is irrelevant to others”. Since a capitalistic society involves fierce competition between companies and/or individual businessmen, so the whole society promotes individualism. The essence of uniting together equally to make profits, like communism, is gone. This was the start of an economic boom in China.

Deng Xiaoping was able to turn China from a poor and regressive country into a country with rapid economic growth. His reforms were successful and China was able to grow, it continues to grow today. 

Weekly Blog #3: Mao's leadership in the People's Republic of China

Ironically, a card issued to promote celebration of the Great Leap Forward

In this short week, we managed to cover the overview of the People’s Republic of China. We were given a short lecture on the rise of the PRC and we watched a movie called To Live by Zhang Yimou, a film about the purpose of living that was banned in China. We also had a discussion on the different problems that Mao faces after the CCP took over China and whether capitalism or communism is better.

  

After the Communist Party of China took over China, Mao had to face many different problems which included foreign, domestic, and economic problems. Some foreign problems included the competition of capitalism in USA versus communism in China. Capitalism enabled people who owned private enterprises to become richer while the poor stays poor; this economic system encourages people to become individualistic. It promotes class distinction as the gap between the poor and the rich became wider resulting in a domestic problem. Meanwhile, communism enables everyone to profit equally, for example a doctor and a farmer earning the same income. Communism promotes an egalitarian society where there
 is a classless society. Since Mao was an effective leader that had control of China, communism was able to serve as the economic system. Peasants were able to live better lives compared to the past as land has been distributed to them.

Following the Soviet Union as a model, Mao started the Five Year Plan which emphasized building industries that produce steel, machine tools, and trucks that could be used later to help further economic development. This plan became very successful as the equipment produced was shared and land was given to peasants. He decided to proceed on to the second Five Year Plan, which is the Great Leap Forward. The goal of this plan was to mobilize the Chinese people for rapid industrialization. During this period, the party established major local governmental units called communes that are in charge of collecting taxes, economic development, education, etc. The plan was unsuccessful as it turned out to be a gigantic step backward. Mao’s decisions to do things were too rapid, and because of mismanagement, agriculture production fell. To make things worse, crop estimates determine the taxes that farmers have to pay. Farmers were l

Life during the Great Leap Forward Famine

eft with little grain due to the taxes the government gave them. The poor weather added on to this problem resulting in the worst famine that China has ever had. It was very sad to know how many people had died from this famine—estimation of over 15 million deaths. 

Weekly Blog #2: The Guomindang (Chiang Kaishek) vs. The Communist Party of China (Mao Zedong)

In the third week of November, we started learning about the Republic of China. In a documentary about the Republic of China, we listened to interviewees talk about their life during that period of war. It was sad to hear how much it had impacted the daily lives of the people living during that time. This period had marked the rise of two very important parties in China—the Guomindang (GMD), also known as the Nationalist, and the Communist Party of China (CCP). These two opposing forces were fighting each other to rule the country but at the same time combined forces to protect their people from other harmful sources.

Chiang Kai Shek

Guomindang emblem

The competition between the GMD and the CCP was majorly based on their popularity from the people. The GMD consists of wealthy people while the CCP is made up of peasants. Since peasants make up a majority of the country’s population, the CCP was favored more than the GMD. One distinct figure of the CCP was Mao Zedong. He did not serve as the leader until the Long March, where he marched along with tens of thousands of soldiers to flee from the pursuit of the GMD. Mao came from a pro

Mao Zedong

sperous peasant family while the leader of the GMD, Chiang Kai Shek, was born to an upper class of salt merchants. Mao was able to gain loyalty from his followers as he was a very kind and considerate leader. Taken from an account of a soldier during the ROC, he described a touching story of how Mao gave up his portion of his food which included three little steam buns to his fellow soldiers, saying, “You must eat, you still have to march.” He was very kind and caring towards his subordinates. Mao’s Red Army was very well disciplined as they were well educated and taught to be kind to civilians. Meanwhile, the GMD were seen as ruthless after releasing the White Terror against the Communists. Corruption in the party soon led to Chiang Kai Shek’s fall and he had no choice but to flee to Taiwan as the CCP was coming after them.

Communist Party of China emblem

The Chinese revolution consists of many different events that wanted reforms which included the May 4^th Movement, the New Culture Movement, and the New Life Movement. It was very interesting yet horrifying to learn about China during this period as many great changes are happening to China; horrific in the way that many lives have been spent to create a better China. The creation of the People’s Republic of China awaits.

Weekly Blog #1: West Influences vs. East philosophy

This week in our History of China class, we not only covered the materials on the Qing dynasty and its fall, but we also had an in-depth discussion on Western influences in China’s prosperous port—Canton, also known as Guangzhou—and the Qing dynasty’s struggle to maintain their power on the port, the justification of labeling the West as criminals and barbaric, and the justification of religious tolerance China had. One issue that I found interesting was how culturally different these two civilizations are, in terms of religion.  Another particular issue that I found most interesting from what we have learned this week and in our discussion was the importance of Western influences in China during the Qing dynasty, specifically, during the Opium Wars.

Be morally virtuous and respectful.

Firstly, I would like to touch on the different religion/philosophy each country holds. Christianity is to Britain as Confucianism is to China. Taken from the New Testament, the Christian “Golden Rule” states: “Do to others what you would want them to treat you”. This rule is viewed in a positive way in which one should treat other people justly in order for them to be justly treated. Meanwhile, the Confucius “Negative Golden Rule” taken from the Analects states: “Do not do to others what you would not want others to do to you.” This rule offers the idea that “I don’t like this done to me, so I won’t do it to other people.” This rule is to stop one from doing evil; to get rid of the evil first. Compared to the Christian “Golden Rule”, the Chinese “Negative Golden Rule” serves as a more independent thinking and less demanding than of the Christians. The Confucius “Negative Golden Rule” encourages self-restraint by which people express their respect for ancestors and elders. In contrast, the Christian “Golden Rule” suggest people to do good deeds, which in context, is to proselytize people to become a Christian; it is the same idea as “I like being Christian, so I will make you a Christian too.” Both rules are similar in that they both encouraged a caring and thoughtful behavior.

Welcome, my followers.

These two differing views in life can be applied to the Age of Exploration where there were the Ming expeditions, and European, specifically the Portuguese and Spanish voyages. During this period, Ming fleets were well known for their enormous size which intimidated foreign lands. They had a choice to make when entering foreign lands: to conquer or to make peace. By applying the Confucius “Negative Golden Rule”, the Ming fleets did not try to conquer as they did not want their own lands to be conquered too, so they instead established tributary systems to maintain peace. However, in Portuguese and Spanish cases, they were very keen in converting local people in different countries to become Christians or Roman Catholics since this was one of their motives for sea-trading.  

                     

Spanish and Portuguese ships.

The topic of western influences in China during the Qing dynasty has sparked many questions regarding the past: whether the world would be different if China continued their Age of Exploration, whether China would become the dominating country on sea-trading, whether China would be different if Western influences did not enter the country, and others. The Opium Wars marked the beginning of the period that China is finally freed of their isolation since they become more involved in interaction between foreign contacts. The more Western influences China received, the harder the Qing dynasty had to struggle to maintain its government. Christianity was one factor that weakened the Qing government in which it has been interfering with the normal ordinary lives the Chinese had. And so, rebellions broke out for the people desired to rid the country of Christianity. Another factor would be the silver imbalance that favored China, which allows the country to bloom, especially their population. A bigger population would mean more mouths to feed, and so because the Qing dynasty was in the midst of a weakened government, they had difficulties in managing the country, so peasant rebellions broke out. 

Ming fleets used by Zheng He.

Everything would be very different if the West did not enter China. China would still remain in isolation and would still continue with the dynastic cycles. And if they had continued sea-trading during the Ming dynasty, they would definitely overpower the West with their enormous ships. But because of their different nature of behaviors, that they do not seek to conquer foreign lands, China would most likely not be as violent as the West is. 

Screencast Assignment

Questions on the Readings on Western and Eastern Beliefs and Religion

Stone Inscription Zheng He left on Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
1. How did Ceylon (Sri Lanka) treat Zheng He on earlier voyages? How did Zheng He react? How would Da Gama have reacted?

In earlier voyages, the local rulers of Ceylon were unfriendly so Zheng He quickly departed from the location. Da Gama would have killed the local rulers and conquer the lands of Sri Lanka by establishing a colony there as a port, and convert the local people into Roman Catholics.
2. How many different religions were there in Sri Lanka during this time? Who were the main gods?

There were 3 different religions in Sri Lanka during Zheng He’s expedition in Sri Lanka: Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism. The main gods from these respective religions were Buddha for Buddhism, Allah for Islam, and the god Shiva for Hinduism.
3. What was the Chinese reaction toward this religious diversity, based on the evidence of the trilingual inscription left by Zheng He?

Their reaction toward this religious diversity was to deal with this “cosmopolitan trading community” by offering “lavish tributes” of gold, silver, and silk to each of the respected gods.
4. How would the Christian explorers probably have reacted to this diversity?

Christian explorers would have either held them as captives or enslave them, especially to the Muslims since they are the Christian’s enemy.

The Pope on New Discovered Lands:

1. What is the Romanus Pontifex, and what does it show about how the Christian (Catholic) Church thought about non-Christian cultures?

The Romanus Pontifex was a papal bull which is the most authoritative announcement a pope can make as the representative of the Christian god on Earth. It authorized the Portuguese King do subdue, enslave, or conquer any non-Christian or Muslim peoples whom the Portuguese might encounter on their voyages of discovery between Cape Bojador and the Indies.
2. What is this idea of the Monarchia Universalis, and who would be the "universal monarch"?

The idea of the Monarchia Universalis was an idea of having a universal Christian empire. The universal monarch would be the Pope or the Priest.
3. Did the missionaries during the Portuguese and Spanish Age of Exploration--remember, only six or seven decades after Zheng He's voyages ended--show any curiosity about foreign ideas of religious truth?

The missionaries during the Portuguese and Spanish Age of Exploration did not show curiosity about foreign ideas of religious truth and instead focus on seeking for people to convert to Christianity or Roman Catholic. “Only a few members of the clergy who travelled to Asia were required to study the basics of the religions of Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism. Most of them were satisfied to dismiss all other religions as the work of the Devil.”

Requerimiento

1. What's the basic message of this Christian (Catholic) text to all non-Christians in the North and South American continents?

The basic message of this text was for all non-Christians in the North and South American continents to obey the priests sent from the Highnesses of Spain to what they, the priests, have preached and taught to them—to convert to Christians (Catholic). Only if all non-Christians in the North and South American continents do well in obeying the priests, the Spanish conquistadors will leave them alone, without servitude, and allow them to live freely. But if they do not follow this requerimiento, or “requirement”, the Spanish conquistadors will enter the country forcefully, declare war against the, and enslave all of them. 

The West and the East in the Age of Exploration

The motives of the West and the East differed in aspects of international trading. According to the documents, the West, particularly the Portuguese and Spanish, was displayed as having an essence of superiority by looking down on other cultures. A motive included the need for the West to overpower the Muslims, their archenemy, in sea trading. Since Arab traders were in control of the trade in slaves, gold, ivory, and spices, the West wanted to surpass the Arab’s domination in these trading enterprises. Their other main motive for expansion was to spread Christianity. The West had a more violent way in dealing with situations and an example of this would be Vasco da Gama, who arrived on the port of Calicut, raided the town, and took some Indian hostages to get his cargo of spices. Meanwhile, the motives of the East during the age of exploration were for trading purposes, diplomacy, and the acknowledgment of foreign rulers to the Chinese emperor. The Chinese had a more diplomatic way of dealing with foreign rulers; they would give them tribute, valuable goods from China, for them to acknowledge the Chinese emperor as the Son of Heaven. They were able to deal with foreign rulers due to the capable Muslim sailor, Zheng He, who was appointed by the Chinese emperor Yong Le to go on an expedition. His ability to communicate in Chinese, Tamil, and Arab enabled the Chinese to create better and friendlier contacts with foreign lands.

The reason for the differing behaviors of the West and East was due to the fact that they had different cultures. Christianity was a religion that united the people in the West, and it served as an important goal for the West to convert as many people as they could to Christianity. Since people felt united by a single religion, they felt more superior to other cultures and this serves as a factor of the violent behavior the West holds. Christianity provided salvation, a better afterlife if they have done good deeds while in China, there was not a single religion that united the people of China, but a philosophy compiled by Confucius’ teachings. Confucianism provided a good foundation of maintaining a peaceful and harmonic empire by completing the role they are assigned to. Confucians also accepted other religions which allowed the Chinese to become more open to cultures from foreign lands.

Defending the East’s behavior would be easier than defending the behaviors of the West. This is because the East had no motive of invading foreign lands and conquering them, they were simply well-armed with a total fleet of 30,000 men for protection against pirates and threats. Meanwhile, the West would enter a country and enslave those who don’t obey them. But in the view of spreading Christianity for their country, it might be considered a good deed since they are gaining more followers of God. But it is still hard to conclude with a good justification of the behaviors of the West.