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Ben Braaten

Professor Breen

English 1121/07

6 December 2006

Descending Mount Tai

China, a country with 1.2 billion people and 3 thousand years of history, a rising dragon now

unshackled by the bonds of communism and the torment of the Great Proletarian Cultural

Revolution, and subsequent Great Leap Forward. The former destroyed thousands of years of

history, left a generation uneducated and murdered 500,000, the latter left twenty million dead of

famine.

Today the Chinese Dragon has been partially restored by twenty plus years of reform. It has

awoken the west, with its roaring economy, cheap, plentiful labor and rising cities. The corporate

icons of our day, Microsoft, Wal-Mart, and comrade’s land at her doorstop seeing a fortune to be

made. Not all is right; the open window of globalization has brought not only 200 million out of

poverty, but a chilly breeze into the abode. The breeze is slowly but surely giving the dragon a

devastating virus. The virus has been there and is just exacerbated by the breeze. Its true roots

reach deep into crannies and nooks of China's past. China is currently incapable of the needed

reforms to retain political solvency. The aging population, traumatic past, philosophical

tendencies, environmental deterioration and the oppressive, centrally controlled government will

force China to retreat from its lofty goals; unless carefully calculated reforms are enacted.

The two malignant philosophical tendencies involving China’s future are Confucianism and

Legalism. Both have in the past and to a degree in the present given strength to China, but today
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these tendencies need to come to terms both politically and culturally with the demands of the

modern world. Confucianism, based off of Confucius’s teachings emphasizes humanness,

loyalty, meritocracy, and governing not by rule of law, but through example and rituals. In

contrast to Confucianism, Legalism believes in a clearly written, public, code of laws which are

harsh and evenly enforced, ensuring that neither the mighty nor the weak can escape. Both

Legalism and Confucianism entrust authority in the state through allowing inequality and

hierarchy to be socially desirable and through the use of operant conditioning, a psychological

method of learning, where one performs a certain task or not based o the expected consequence.

The utilization of operant conditioning was done by prescribing unwanted consequences for

undesirable behavior. Confucianism did this through rituals and Legalism through rigidly

prescribed punishments. Such a structure is not adept to today’s world were one needs to be able

to think independently.

At the close of the 19th century an agrarian China realized reform was needed having been left

out of the industrial revolution and fallen victim to imperialism (Wills 274-288).Reform came

with Laing Qichano and a hundred days of reform, which ended with the Dowager Empress

holding the reform friendly Emperor captive. However, the Empress later favored reform after

foreign forces occupied Beijing in response to the Boxer Rebellion, a rebellion against the

Christians started by the Empress. Reform eventually led to the end of Dynastic rule in 1911 with

the rise of the National People’s Party (Kuomintang) which would fall with the rise of Mao

Zedong in 1949 (Wills 297, 350).

Mao Zedong, rose to power through philosophical charisma, the use of Yan'an1 Communism,

and gorilla warfare against the weak Kuomintang. On October 1, 1949 Mao under the Gate of

1
Ya’an Communism, involves governing by placing activist in villages who instead of carrying out ordered Party
policy orders, adapt policies to the local circumstances. This required activist to go through “thought reform”
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Heavenly Peace in Tiananmen Square proclaimed “The Chinese people have stood up” With that

proclamation a new age in Chinese history began (Wills 335-350). During the reign of Mao the

Chinese people will undergo two traumatic reforms, the first the result of idealism gone astray,

the second an effort to continue the revolutionary spirit.

“A revolution is not the same as inviting people to dinner, or writing a essay, or painting a

picture...it cannot be anything so refined, so calm and gentle, or so mild...A Revolution is an

uprising, an act of violence whereby one class overthrows another,” wrote Mao on peasant

uprisings (Wills 311). At the heart of Maoism is the belief in a peasant revolution against the

capitalists and establishment in order to form an egalitarian, communal society.

After Mao’s ascendance to power and initializing collectivism and an anti-rightist

campaign, Mao initiated the Great Leap Forward (GLF). The GLF created communes; each

commune would be self sufficient, with its own education, health care, agriculture and industry;

thereby eliminating the need for a larger bureaucracy and central planning (Wills 354).However

this did not succeed due to poor quality of the products and a famine, which killed 10 -40 million

and was due to poor weather and over seeding, leading to a partial repeal (Wills 355).

After stepping down as chairman for the Peoples Republic of China (Wills 355) and then

receiving criticism from intellectuals, Mao encouraged the idea of a Cultural Revolution (CR).

At the center of the CR were the Red Guards, radical student groups endorsed by Mao, who

attacked all figures of authority including scientist, scholars, teachers, and government and party

officials. This was done with the intent of having a continued revolution against the ruling class.

Eventually the disorder began to interfere with productivity and was halted. The effects of the

CR was best described by the Economist:

“Hundreds of thousands of people were murdered; hundreds of millions had their

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lives shattered. Neighbors informed on one another, children betrayed their

parents and the machinery of the government was destroyed. And entire

generation learned to trust no one, with consequences that mar china today.”

("Cultural”)

On the consequences of Maoism Terrill, Ross, a Mao biographer said recently “China has

abandoned Mao's policies but not faced the structural and philosophical issues involved in

Maoism--and probably won't until the Party's monopoly on political power comes to an end. Yet

unless China gets the Mao story correct, it may not have a happy political future” (Terrill).

After the tribulations of Maoism, Deng Xiaoping initiated in 1979 reform and the

introduction of market incentives into the centralized government. Thereby allowing China’s real

GDP to grow by 9.8% between 1979 and 1998; while in the process raising 200 million out of

poverty and creating one of the world’s most robust economies (Morrison 44); an economy

China hasn’t the adequate institutions to regulate.

The domestic counterparts to a vast array of China’s problems have been solved at home

through the maturation of our government and institutions. This process takes time and a solidly

laid foundation. China’s economy will be a mirage, not to enter into reality until it can sustain a

dip in the economic cycle; an event China is presently ill prepared for. Among a nation’s most

important institutions is its banking system. “China's sclerotic financial system not only fails to

allocate capital properly; its frailty endangers the country's continued growth and stability,”

writes the Economist, “If money circulates around a sound economy the way blood circulates

around a healthy body, then outwardly robust China has a black hole for a heart,” (“Non-

Performing”).

Among China’s problems is its environment, it is in shambles. China’s cities haven’t

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clean air, one half the populations lacks clean drinking water; and the majority of waste receives

no treatment (Wang 38, 36). Chengang Wang makes the problems clear through the following

description:

There is severe pollution of urban air, acid rain deposition in many areas, serious

water pollution, a shortage of drinking water, and solid waste pollution. In

addition, soil erosion and deforestation are accelerating. Factors that have

contributed to this state of affairs include rapid industrialization, inadequate

public awareness of environmental protection, and insufficient management by

the government. These problems endanger public health and quality of life; they

restrict the nation’s economic and social development. (Wang 33)

Sadly one of China’s most critical problems lies in its people. China’s both large and

aging population, demands care for the elderly and to be fed. China will have a difficult time on

both accounts without any social security and a future shortage of domestically produced grain

due to the lost of cropland to industry, a rising population, environmental deterioration, and

inadequate productivity gains (Brown 26-32). Onward the face of China is aging rapidly due to

the one child rule. Unlike other aging nations China hasn’t a safety net for its elderly. Moreover

China will have a shortage of educated workers since the elder generations are less educated than

their youthful counterparts. Of the parents of the one child children, a few will have no surviving

children, a quarter plus will have no living sons, therefore becoming dependent upon their son-

in-laws household and possibly competing with his parents for resources (Brown 21). Onward a

shortage of wives in a nation where all who can do marry, young men will find themselves with a

frustrating future. Similar to that experienced by Muslim men (Brown 23). Furthermore China

may face political instability due to economic disparity. China’s rural population earns only forty
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percent of their urban neighbors wages, this in a once egalitarian society (Han). In addition, as is

pointed out by Joseph Stiglitz in the context of China “Ultimately, growth and prosperity, widely

shared are necessary, if not sufficient for long-run stability.” (184)

The Communist Party of China has a history of oppression. At the center of the

oppression are the attempts to squelch dissenters, and to control information. Last year China

imprisoned 27 journalists, more than any other country. Onward China is the most ardent user of

internet filters (“Living”), employing an estimated 30,000 people to monitor and censor. Victims

range from Wikipedia to journalist, imprisoned for emailing state secrets which are as simple as

statistics. (“Wikipedia”) Journalists are not the only victims, Song Yongyi, a historian was

imprisoned for researching the Cultural Revolution. Yongyi remarked “They are not very

creative today—they still use Mao’s methods” (Coeyman). Practitioners of Falun Gong, a

Chinese spiritual movement are common targets. Efforts against practitioners were stepped up

after thousands gathered in a rally to make Falun Gong legal outside the Party headquarters.

Since then the practitioners have been disappearing, with the government saying their deaths are

self-inflicted and due to Falun Gong, but the International Educational Department Organization

concluded “The only deaths have been at the hands of the Chinese authorities…people have been

broken down, not by Falun Gong, but by extreme torture, incarceration in mental hospitals with

brutal treatment, hard labor in labor camps and other such practices,” (Casil, 228).

A Country which cannot allow its people the basic freedoms, which requires news

agencies “not to produce or disseminate harmful texts or news likely to jeopardize national

security and social stability”(“Living”) cannot also allow the freedom of expression and thought

required to grow a educated, innovative and entrepreneurial population base needed in a global

world.
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Napoleon Bonaparte once said “China is sleeping giant. When it wakes, it will move the

world” In all likelihood China will indeed move the world in the next generation or two, but first

the Chinese Communist Party will have to relinquish control, and a new form of governing will

need to fill the vacuum. Such a task is not easy as the pragmatic Niccolo Machiavelli asserts“It

must be realized that there is nothing more difficult to plan, more uncertain of success, or more

dangerous to manage then the establishment of a new order of government, for he who

introduces it makes enemies of all those who derived advantage form the old order and finds but

lukewarm defenders among those who stand to gain form the new one” (22).

If China decides to take on a new form of governing it should first reinstate the

Confucianism principle of meritocracy, secondly China should create, and expand government

institutions with the help of Nobel Laureates Joseph Stiglitz, and Muhammed Yunus, as well as

seeking aid from established counterparts abroad. Stiglitz should be contacted for his expertise

on globalization and institutional construction and Yunus for his experience with the valuable

micro-lending concept. Among the institutions who should receive especially ardent care are the

banking and education systems. Both of which are wise investments in the Chinese future. The

third action that should be taken is the careful formation of a constitutional government with

publicly elected officials. Among the characteristics of such a government would be a stronger

than average central government and if wished a constitutional monarchy with a faux Emperor.

Written into the formation of the publicly elected government should be clause allowing

succession of Non-Chinese peoples from the Republic after X number of years and a populous

vote. Maturing institutions, electing officials and enacting other reforms before succession will

create bonds and relationships between rulers of the numerous newly created nation states,

therefore ensuring a degree of cooperation. The above action should be taken in as expedient
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fashion as possible, because once civil war ensues the pot which contained all previous order has

been shattered.

Presently China is descending Mt Tai, a course of action taken first thousands of years

ago by Chinese Emperors who would ascend and descend the sacred mountain with the hope of

claiming immortality. Only after descent would they discover the entire course of action was

done in vain.

The ideal of China becoming the next superpower has been a both highly publicized and

premature prediction due to the quagmire of issues now present in China. The commentators who

trumpeted the rise of the long sleeping dragon have told us of a world with “Three Billion New

Capitalist”2, and of a planet where “The World is Flat”3. These commentators have snared the

nation’s attention and influenced our country’s politicians, business leaders, educators, and

public about a world where the United States is no longer competitive. Many of their points are

valid so when it comes to America disregard everything stated above. China's looming failure is

no reason not to undertake needed reforms at home. China may fail but the Indian tiger to the

south, still looms strong. Even if the tiger falls into a pit in our day and age crying wolf is a fine

ideal. It has the capability to provide a greater standard of living for all Americans.

In the years to come America, China and the greater world will learn important lessons on

how to harness the force of globalization, and to develop a vaccine in order to make the breeze

coming in through that open window not so devastating after all. Until then as one of the many

books on globalization is titled it may be a “World on Fire”4

2
Clyde Prestowitz’ book Three Billion New Capitalists: The Great Shift of Wealth And Power to the East discusses
the rise of the east.
3
Thomas L. Freidman’s bestselling book The World is Flat: A brief history of the 21st Century on Globalization in
which Freidman claims the world is metaphorically “Flat.”
4
Amy Chua ‘s book World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global
Instability says that globalization has created a lot of social problems
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Works Cited

Brown, Lester R. China’s Growing Population “Will Lead to Worldwide Food Shortages.” China

Opposing Viewpoints. Ed. Torr James D. San Diego: Greenhaven, 2006. 17-24

Casil, Janice. "Falun Gong and China's human rights violations." Peace Review 16.2 (2004):

225-230. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost Anoka Ramsey Community Coll. Lib.,

Cambridge, MA. 28 Nov. 2006. <http://search.ebscohost.com.> .

Eberstadt, Nicholas. “China’s Aging Population Will Cause Serious Problems.” China Opposing

Viewpoints. Ed. Torr James D. San Diego: Greenhaven, 2006. 17-24

Han, Taejoon, “China: a Shared Poverty or uneven Wealth?.” The Elliott School of International

Affairs. George Washington University.Dec. 6, 2006.

<http://www.gwu.edu/~econ270/Taejoon.html>.

Machiavelli, Niccolo, : “The Prince.”Trans. Daniel Donno. New York: Bantam 1981.

Morrison, Wayne M. “China Faces Serious Economic Problems.” China Opposing Viewpoints.

Ed. Torr James D. San Diego: Greenhaven, 2006. 17-24

"Non-performing." Economist 370.8367 (2004): 18-19. Academic Search Premier. 21 November

2006. . Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost Anoka Ramsey Community Coll. Lib.,

Cambridge, MA. 28 Nov. 2006. <http://search.ebscohost.com.>.

“Living dangerously on the Net" Reporters Without Borders. 12 May 2003

<http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=6793>.
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Reporters Without Borders. 15 Nov. 2006 <http://www.rsf.org/

int_blackholes_en.php3?id_mot=88&annee=2006&Valider=OK>.

Terrill, Ross. "Mao Now." Wilson Quarterly 30.4 (2006): 22-28. Academic Search Premier. 21

November 2006. EBSCOhost Anoka Ramsey Community Coll. Lib., Cambridge, WI. 28

Nov. 2006. <http://search.ebscohost.com.>.

"The Cultural What?." Economist 20 May 2006: 12+. Academic Search Premier. 5 October

2006. EBSCOhost Anoka Ramsey Community Coll. Lib., Cambridge, MA. 28 Nov.

2006.< http://search.ebscohost.com>.

Stiglitz, Joseph E. Globalization and its Discontents. New York: Norton, 2002

Torr James D, ed. China: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego: Greenhaven, 2006

Wang, Chenggang. “ China Faces Serious Environmental Problems.” China Opposing View-

points. Ed. Torr James D. San Diego: Greenhaven, 2006. 17-24

“Wikipedia blocked again.” Reporters Without Borders. 15 Nov. 2006 <http://www.rsf.org/art-

icle.php3?id_article=15374>

Wills, John E. “Mountain of Fame.” Princeton: Princeton UP,1994

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