China's Losing Battle

Societies tend to resist changes.  This is especially true in the areas of race and culture.  It has always been natural for people to make judgments about other people.... regardless of the personal knowledge of the other persons.  In fact, sometimes an individual person is so sure of their opinion the facts may not even matter.  If such a person believes in the superiority of their own culture then it is easy to believe that foreigners, especially their influence, must be kept in check.

China is a society that has been increasingly opening up to the West for the past two or three hundred years.  Granted, after the Communist victory in 1949 China was closed to the West for a few decades.  However, that has today been radically changed!  Yes, there was a time when China struggled to keep the influence of the West under control.  This was particularly true during the early part of the 19th century.

In those days, China was gradually opening up to foreign influence... especially the Western variety.  However, the Qing government issued strict rules for the lodging and mobility of foreign persons doing business in China.  The rules might seem to say the Chinese did not want Westerners around, but they actually demonstrate the opposite.  In those days, China already understood that interaction with the West had definite economic advantages.  China was fighting to maintain their cultural distinctiveness.  Even so, the temptation for economic development was winning out over purely cultural considerations.  That is why the Chinese government felt it necessary to issue such restrictions in the first place.

Best regards from your friend,

Harlan Urwiler

For more information, feel free to visit my website at:  http://www.myorientalgallery.com/.