If you
think that China is a country of many millions of poor peasants who only eat
rice, you are totally mistaken.
Today's
China is something totally different.
vim - vimeo.com/240348883
China is
among the oldest cultures of humankind, over 5,000 years old.
It was
constituted by several nations and in 220 BC, Qin Shi integrated 7 countries
that conquered and became the first emperor of China. His dynasty was short and
violent. (see detail)
Among other
things, it began the construction of the "Great Wall", considered one
of the seven wonders of the world and part of the cultural heritage of humanity
by UNESCO. Second, some claim to have served to defend China from the evasion
of the nomadic tribes of the steppes from abroad, but others argue that it
served to alienate the armies from the centers of power, for the safety of
Emperors and rulers.
The great
wall is a work of enormous scope with about 8,800 km but with a set of
ramifications that extends by a totality of about 21,000 km.
Vimeo - vimeo.com/240348904
Qin Shi, in
order to perpetuate himself, creates a number of monuments, such as the largest
tomb (still untold today) and an army of Terracotta warriors (clay warriors)
with more than 6,000 to 8,000 elements, including men, horses and artefacts,
"which followed him for eternity" and it is today considered a
cultural heritage of humanity according to UNESCO.
Vimeo - vimeo.com/240348910
China is a
country that results from 3 major movements / revolutions:
• The
unification of China about 2200 years ago and the creation of an empire by Qin
Shi;
• The end
of the empire and its transformation into a republic and the Maoist revolution
in the first half of the twentieth century:
• The
economic revolution since the 1990s, integrating China into economic
globalization and joining the market economy, by zones, has led to enormous
economic developments in China.
When we
analyse the evolution of the per capita income of the developed countries, with
the Socialist countries of Asia we find that:
Average per
capita income in dollars (according to data from the International Trade
Statistics yearbook UN)
Developed
Countries - Socialist countries of Asia
1969 249 US
$ / per capita - 21 US $ / per capita
1998 508 US $ / per capita - 15 US $ / per capita
The planned
economy was unable to give its populations a growth reflected in acceptable
income and quality of life.
The result
of the adherence to the market economy model, from 1995, projected China to the
enormous economic growth and enormous social improvement of its populations as
we can verify today, with a growth of more than two digits per year.
Today when
we visit China, we are facing the modern, the traditional, its history, its
culture and its technology.
Its poverty
in some places and its opulence in others.
China is a
fascinating country full of challenges, where we certainly have much to learn
and much to teach.
It
integrates wonderful locations, such as:
The
Imperial City and Tiananmen Square (though with sad memories).
Vimeo - vimeo.com/240348918
The Summer
Palace in Beijing
Guilin and
the marvellous banks of its river
Visiting
Guilin by night is a scenery not to forget in light and animation.
Walking
through the channels of Suzhou by day, as well called the Venice of China is a
beautiful thing not to be missed.
Or ride the
Suzhou channels at night is unforgettable.
Although
China is a tendentiously atheistic country, different religions have an expressive
weight and temples of great quality such as:
Religion in
China (based on different researches
Agnosticism / atheism - 42%
Traditional religion /
Taoism - 30%
Buddhism - 18%
Christianism – 4%
Minority religions 4%
Islam - 2%
The Temple
of Heaven in Beijing
The
Buddhist Temple of the Wild Goose in Xian
The Temple
of Shanghai
The great
mosque in Xian. It is a mosque with a unique architectural trait that looks
more like a Taoist temple.
Spectacles
of great aesthetic quality present aspects of a traditional and deep culture.
Strolling
traditional areas displays the roots of a deep culture or exotic food for a
Westerner:
Traditional
Shanghai
While
strolling the streets of Beijing at night we are faced with interesting habits
and a traditional but exotic food
Finally, in
the museum of Shanghai it is possible to see a repository of varied pieces of
high aesthetic value of the Chinese culture.
Much more
would to be said about Confucius and the Tao, where the fundamental ideas were
transcribed by Lau Tze.
Or about
Admiral Zehang He, who at the beginning of the fifteenth century with one of
the largest armies in history, with more than 300 ships with a force of more
than 27,000 men, marked the presence of China by the seas of China, India,
Arabica and even part of the Pacific ocean.
About the
different dynasties and what led to the fall of the Empire and its
transformation into a republic.
There as
well, much to be said about the territories of Macau and Hong Kong.
Or about
positive and perverse aspects of Mao's cultural revolution.
Or when I
was in China for two weeks, it was not possible to connect to the Internet on
my PC during the first week, as well as access WhatsApp, Facebook or YouTube. I
just have to receive and send a few emails on my cell phone, but from the
second week even that Zero contacts with the outside. The justification I was
given is that there would be a meeting of the central committee, and ...
There is no
doubt that China's enormous development in the last two decades is due to the
implementation of the market economy by zones. However, it is not clear what
the contribution of the autocratic model in the enormous economic and social
development achieved and whether this would have been possible with a
democratic model as we are accustomed in Western countries.
However, as
the Chinese say that "A Whole Great Story has to be always a little
story": I will stop here.
But I leave
two short documents to share with you, one about the first emperor of China and
another a synthesis of the History of China.
