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China is very different from the United States. We have truly traveled to a whole new world. Some of the Scholars discussed how you cannot be considered a "world traveler" until you've visited China, and no trip to China is complete without climbing the Great Wall. I am happy to say that we have done that and much more! In addition to daily field trips, we have attended lectures by Dr. Shiping Hua and a professor from Renmin University. Our studies have been focused around global superpowers, with opinions from both the American and Chinese viewpoint. It's interesting to hear each person's take on current events as well as a forecast of the future.
Dr. Hua explained that when he was in school all of his expenses were paid, but he had to make sacrifices for the sake of education. The students were not even allowed to date. If they did, they would be replaced by someone that is also very capable, but was willing to focus more on their studies. The Chinese people have historically had to compete to get into the best schools, compete to finish school and compete for a job, just to be able to survive. That is a significant difference with my generation of Americans. We have not had to compete to survive, but rather to thrive. I have a feeling that Chinese productivity will decrease once the young generation realizes that they don’t have to work as hard to survive. There will be more of a focus on being happy and having fun, which is virtually non-existent among the middle age (and older) Chinese, according to the Renmin professor.
They are currently experiencing their industrial revolution, like the U.S. experienced long ago. They focus on the security of the state and economic prosperity more than things that would be viewed as non-essential (maybe even luxuries) like environmental policy at this point because they are simply trying to survive, and establish international standing. It’s like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and I assume that the U.S. was like this before we were a "superpower." The professor predicts that China would begin exporting their values, much like the U.S. does, in around 30 years which is when he believes they will become the world’s superpower.
So, to predict how China will grow it may be helpful to look into the United States' history. We have experienced significant growth as a modern state in our history, but China is developing much more rapidly. In this technologically advanced era it appears that they will grow much faster than the United States did. But, your opinion on China's future (in the next 30 years) depends on which perspective you accept: Are they a "fragile superpower" or the next global superpower?
Maybe I'll have an answer to that question by the end of the trip!
— John Weber, from the PRC
Dr. Hua explained that when he was in school all of his expenses were paid, but he had to make sacrifices for the sake of education. The students were not even allowed to date. If they did, they would be replaced by someone that is also very capable, but was willing to focus more on their studies. The Chinese people have historically had to compete to get into the best schools, compete to finish school and compete for a job, just to be able to survive. That is a significant difference with my generation of Americans. We have not had to compete to survive, but rather to thrive. I have a feeling that Chinese productivity will decrease once the young generation realizes that they don’t have to work as hard to survive. There will be more of a focus on being happy and having fun, which is virtually non-existent among the middle age (and older) Chinese, according to the Renmin professor.
They are currently experiencing their industrial revolution, like the U.S. experienced long ago. They focus on the security of the state and economic prosperity more than things that would be viewed as non-essential (maybe even luxuries) like environmental policy at this point because they are simply trying to survive, and establish international standing. It’s like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and I assume that the U.S. was like this before we were a "superpower." The professor predicts that China would begin exporting their values, much like the U.S. does, in around 30 years which is when he believes they will become the world’s superpower.
So, to predict how China will grow it may be helpful to look into the United States' history. We have experienced significant growth as a modern state in our history, but China is developing much more rapidly. In this technologically advanced era it appears that they will grow much faster than the United States did. But, your opinion on China's future (in the next 30 years) depends on which perspective you accept: Are they a "fragile superpower" or the next global superpower?
Maybe I'll have an answer to that question by the end of the trip!
— John Weber, from the PRC