People’s Republic of China
Introduction
The People’s Republic of China is one of the fastest-growing economies in the entire world, averaging fourteen trillion in GDP by 2019. China is a country that has been built based on the hard work of many knowledgeable leaders who are educated, innovative, and problem solvers. China’s population currently averages at about 1.4billion people. It is a very vast country with most of the people living within the urban centers, although the decentralization of industries to rural homes is also evident. China’s economy is grounded in manufacturing, technology, and industrialization. China has faced many challenges that limit its growth and threaten to slow it down over the next decade if not approached with intricate wisdom and open-mindedness.
Strengths of China
High-quality policies
China has a very efficient and sophisticated leadership that makes high-quality policies that benefit industrial growth in China. Leadership in China is one of its most influential feats because the leaders are well educated and provide sound judgment. Their strength is in identifying issues and forging solutions for the country that make them solve the same problem in other countries, making them a huge exporter. Industrialization in China was due to brilliant leadership by members of the communist party as well as other business leaders like Jack Ma, who are entrepreneurs who have had experiences in education outside of China.
Stability
The political situation in China has been relatively stable for decades. Their communism approach to governing worked when the country was expanding its territories and built a lot of traction for the people of China. China rarely dealt with a civil war within itself.A stable political environment is extremely vital in ensuring that a countries economy thrives. Countries that have experienced retardation in their growth are countries that have experienced political instability and have taken time to bring their people together. War is characterized by the destruction of resources, death, diseases, and poverty, which consequently retard a country’s growth, like in the case of Sothern Sudan or Somalia.
Efficiency
Efficiency in China is hard to ignore. Ability in China stems from how seamlessly power flows from the top hierarchy to the people at the bottom. It is a result of some of the social norms that the Chinese have primarily cultural habits. Culturally,the Chinese are inclined to respecting authority, and this contributes to a very reliable work ethic with the people in China. Chinese are people that love to thrive, but in most cases, they do so within the confines of an authority. They believe in peace and harmony, which makes their dedication to hard work very profound, and it had resulted in an outstanding workforce. Employees in China are very committed to their duties.
Weaknesses of China
Censorship
Chinas communist party has many issues that surround its ability to control the Chinese people. Although some of the control over the people is beneficial, the problems of censorship are backward and create limits for the growth of China. Chinese are limited in their social media engagement and participation, and besides,even their education is very limiting. A result of this phenomenon is Chinese do not understand some ideologies in the world, and their minds are confined . This is a form of ideological purity. The lack of access to some information in China makes it very difficult for the people to be artistic around some spheres of life, like in literature.
Pollution in China
Air pollution
Over the years of rapid industrialization in China, the use of coal as an energy source, as well as industrial air emissions, have led to fine particle pollution as well as a massive reduction in the quality of air. Unfortunately, the effects of these pollutants have spiked a rise in lung cancer, respiratory illnesses as well as premature mortality. The level of air pollution is so high that smog, a mixture of smoke and fog, is seen hovering around the urban cities of China from miles away. The dark cloud is a mixture of air and smoke that has been heavily polluted with industrial emissions.
Water pollution
Water pollution is a problem in rural China. In many parts of rural China,the factories and industries release their effluents in the nearby water bodies, which include rivers. Consequently, the streams then trickle down the waste to other revers and eventually to the ocean. Industrial effluents consist of heavy metals, contaminants, and harmful substances that contaminate the drinking water of the Chinese in rural areas.In rural China,about a third of the population does not have access to piped water. What this means is that the source of water from domestic use at the river. The heavily contaminated water leads to a myriad of diseases, including cancer. Water pollution also stretches to the soil.
Economic challenges in China
Economic challenges in China have been led by the imposition of sanctions by other countries. Since China predominantly exports the goods and does not depend on the domestic market, the imposition of sanctions has a significant effect on the export revenue. These sanctions are based on policies that have come up in other countries that question the intellectual integrity behind the Chinese inventions. Countries like the USA, led by Donald Trump, have set up a task force specifically to address and research on intellectual property rights and has raised the tariff on Chinese goods.
Another economic challenge in China has been as a result of the lack of sustainable innovation. Many of the goods exported are not necessarily new inventions but an improvement in existing product lines, which is cost-friendly. Fixed-income investment in China is not sustainable and needs to be addressed; otherwise, their income will stagnate at some point because the market will be flooded with the goods they produce. Besides,China needs to look within its population and provide products that the domestic markets can thrive on, instead of relying on exports.
The situation for women in China
Women in China have experienced a boost in their access to education. Many Chinese laws regarding the exclusion of women were abolished, and women granted the right to participate in leadership and politics. Initially, Chinese customs did not attach value to women, and the birth of a girl child was regarded as bad luck, to the extent that they were killed. Women were underrepresented in parliament and were rarely allowed to participate in politics. With the stipulation of laws that allowed women to gain an education, many have trickled into the workforce and some even in the executive positions.
Violence against women is yet to be dealt with squarely. Some of the power struggles between men and women in relationships make it difficult for men to respect their wives. Cases of domestic violence still emerge even after all the rights that women were granted. Some men still have the ideology that women should be subject to the men and therefore become violent whenever they are in a position that allows it. On many occasions, men feel threatened by the power and education that their women are exposed to. They seek to undermine this egocentrically through violence.
Literature and Chinese society
Chinese literature speaks volumes about life in China and creates a mental picture of what value is assigned to various people or things in China. Chinese writing is continuous on the role of Buddism, which is the most prevalent religion, and the folklore includes tales of conquests that the Chinese won. Chinese literature explains the tactical discipline that they believe. Books like the ART of War by Sun Tzu is a clear indication of how intricately military intelligence can be applied in everyday life and informs on what values the Chinese seek to develop in themselves.
Stories like ‘Journey to the West tell a tale that is deeply grounded on religion. It is a story of a Chinese leader pilgrimage to India and some of the gods that he traveled with and encountered in his journey that took human form. Chinese literature has deeply embedded in the religion, and the folklore indicates their recognition of a higher power that is beyond human existence. Chinese writing is also informative on how patriarchal the society in China is, and how women were given a lesser role to play in leadership and power. Chinese literature is insistent on hard work and resilience, and these values are incredibly evident in modern Chinese as well.