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| Chinese
History |
Modern China
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New China
(1912 to Present day)
This is a time of turmoil, and events follow this generalised
pattern: End of Empire, Dictatorship, Democracy, Dictatorship,
Civil War, Japanese Invasion, Democracy, Civil War [re-Continued
after a break of 8 years], Communist State, Ideological
Communist State, New Way for Communism + Democracy
I hope you followed all that?
Lets begin in 1912, and the Qing Empire has been
overthrown during the Xinhai Revolution and contemporary
Wuchang Uprising, which can be regarded as the successful
ones of several attempts. The KMT (Kuomingtang) is
formed in Guangdong, and China subsequently becomes
a Democratic Country, as according to the guidance
of their preliminary President, Dr Sun Yat Sen. He
is an internationally cultured person who has studied
western thought, and spent much time visiting the
West. He is a man of vision, and revered to this day
as one of the three founding fathers of modern China
(Mao ZeDong and Deng Xiao Ping being the other two).
You would think he would be the new leader of China.
Unfortunately this was not the case, and the lead
role eventually went to Yuan ShiKai, who became a
version of his Empirical predecessors, turned China
into a Dictatorship, proclaiming himself Emperor in
1915 and disbanding the original KMT Party. During
his first year as President he assassinated his challengers,
and Sun Yat Sen later fled to Japan and carried on
his constitutional works with another version of the
KMT. Yuan died a discredited leader in 1916, but the
vacuum left gave rise to two decades of uncertainty.
During this period, the First World War was in progress,
and the Warring Beijing Warlords favoured siding with
the Allies. They were turned down by the Allies, and
eventually they received funding from the Germans
– but in order to remain neutral. This in turn
led to a resurgent Qing Empire being established,
although it only actually lasted for a few weeks in
June 1917.
This was then successfully challenged by Duan, one
of the most powerful Warlords, and he then takes control
of Beijing, and in theory, China. However, Duan soon
disbands parliament and declares himself President
of China. He also declares war on Germany, and 175,
000 Chinese troops joint the fight against Germany
and the Axis powers in: The Western Front, East Africa,
and Mesopotamia. Of these 10, 000 perish to U-Boats
alone!. However, rule inside China is divisory, and
the Warlords in Beijing continue the internal struggle.
Dismayed by Duan’s policies, Sun returns to China
in September 1917, and established an alternative government
in Guangzhou. Again he was forced out of office by power-hungry
comrades, and later started again in Shanghai. During
this period (1917 to 1919) China is virtually two countries,
divided upon a North South divide. This time his new
KMT Party saw results in 1919, and he was restored to
office in Guangzhou the following year. However, this
government of China lacked funds, and as he was refused
aid by the Western Powers also, so he turned to the
Soviet Union for assistance. The world we know today
would be a very different place if funds had been made
available at this time; not only to Chinese history,
but to that of Russia and the West also.
By a weird twist of fate (Or political intrigue?), Russia
supplied capital and also advisors to both sides, who
had the effect of turning the Southern Nationalist democratic
government into a Leninist State organisation. The Russians
having just completed their own revolution, were betting
on either side winning in China. Quite bizarre really
when you think about it a little. What developed from
this became the Chinese political blueprint up until
1978. Meantime in Beijing, the vacuum created by Yuan’s
passing was filled by a cohort of warlords. 1921 also
marks the beginning of the real struggle between the
CCP and KMT for political control of China. We broadly
term this period the Chinese Civil War, but much of
it was political intrigue, as well as outbreaks of physical
war
During 1917, another curious event occurs, as China
participates in the Siberian Intervention, in support
of Allied Powers under Japanese control. During this
period, some Chinese land that is nowadays part of
Russia, is ceded to the Japanese, who then relinquish
control at a later date. Why? Well China had no internationally
and officially recognised government for many years,
and Western Powers had forbidden any Chinese government
to raise revenue via taxation. This situation is not
resolved until 1928, when Chaing Kai Shek restores
order and his government is recognised internationally.
China’s former Ming capital is restored in Nanjing
City, and this period is known as The Nanjing Decade
I hope you are not confused yet, because it gets
more complicated over the next few decades…
Sun Yat Sen dies in 1925, and is eventually succeeded
by a lieutenant named Chiang Kai-shek. The fledgling
parliament is also supported by the Communists (CCP)
and other factions, who adopt Sun’s political
theories and ideals. Chaing rules Guangdong and neighbouring
Guangxi Provinces, whilst the Nationalist Dictatorship
rules from Beijing. Unfortunately, Chaing has no knowledge
of the West, except military training in Russia. He
then becomes yet another democratic Dictator. You
can begin to see why the Chinese distrust Democracy
as practiced in the early 1900’s.
Well, this wasn’t going to last was it? The
CCP rebel, the KMT rebel, and a civil war ensues.
Synopsis:
There is one gang of warlords controlling Beijing
and Northern China, who all want to be the next Emperor.
In Guangdong there is a separate group of nationalists
who have adopted Leninist ideals. Other Provinces
such as Yunnan have rebelled and are doing their own
thing. The Nationalists hold the cities, the Communists
hold the countryside, and others are going their own
way in life. Through a virtual Dictatorship, Chaing
Kai-shek restores order and subdues most of China.
He is the first to use ‘Blitzkrieg’ tactics
(A Russian invention of Stalin actually), and takes
Shanghai with the aid of Communist forces. For one
decade (1927 to 1937) most major Chinese cities are
controlled by Chaing
Meanwhile, having established power bases in cities,
Chiang then sets about the Communists, resulting in
the first civil war. Warfare is of traditional type,
and the peasants the CCP recruit are no match for
the well-drilled KMT soldiers. This reaches a peak
in mid 1930’s, and the CCP have resulting new
leaders in Mao ZeDong, and later Zhou Enlai. They
thrive in the mountains, foothills and borderlands
of Jaingxi Province, and decide a new type of combat
is necessary. They also need a new base away from
the KMT strongholds, as Chaing’s troops are
over-running them. Mao decides to relocate the whole
army to a different part of China in something called
‘The Long March’. Of the 86, 000 soldiers
who started on the march only 20, 000 survived, but
those that made it changed Chinese history forever.
The Long March (One of several actually), begins in
1934 and lasts for 370 days, in which time they walk
8, 000 kilometres West and then North, and into Shaanxi
Province. Here a new base is established. In recent
Chinese history, this has parallel significance with
the Allies and Dunkirk
The Chinese War of Independence
[ Second Japanese Invasion of China (1937 to 1945)]
The Japanese are not stupid, and have designs for
world domination: along with Hitler, Mussolini, Franco,
and Stalin - to name but a few. The Second World War
actually began in China in 1937, with the Japanese
invasion of Mainland China. Obviously they thought
a civil war was the right time for them to subjugate
the Chinese Nation. For some years the CCP had been
aware of this threat (Just like Churchill in England),
but the KMT ignored it, even after it occurred. Therefore
weird situations arise where two armies think they
are fighting each other, but in fact there are really
three. Chaing tries to continue to ignore the Japanese
threat until he has quelled the CCP and Warlords.
However, Chaing is taken hostage by one of his own
(Zhang Xueliang), in what is known as the Xi’an
Incident, and forced to form an alliance with the
CCP in order to overthrow the Japanese Invasion.
You may consider this to be a very weird time, as
the Chinese civil war is halted to repel a hostile
invasion. Therefore, one day you are all Chinese people,
the next you are fighting a civil war against each
other for political reasons, then the next you are
a band of brothers fighting the invading Japanese,
and then you are supposed to go back to fighting the
civil war…
Then after the Japanese are defeated, you resume
the civil war again. People don’t do this, not
ordinary people – this is asking too much of
them!
There are other differences: The KMT and Japanese
stick to ‘The Rules of War’. Formal Battles
etc. The CCP do not, and create Guerilla warfare.
This is actually their response to many atrocities
inflicted by the Japanese army – something the
Japanese Government still refuses to apologise for
to this day
In 1945 the Japanese surrender, and China tries to
get back to the civil war. It is not easy, and the
then powerful KMT make the first of several very strategic
errors. Instead of crushing the CCP, they instead
decide to hold the cities and places of power. The
size of the army is drastically reduced. The cites
fare well, but peasants in the countryside and ex-soldiers
have little to eat and famine threatens most of China.
Slowly the ex-soldiers are recruited by the CCP, and
they put in place local collectives and aid farming
as a means to ensure all people are fed – not
just the wealthy and powerful in the KMT held cities.
The CCP are not troubled in the rural parts of China
at all. Lastly, hyperinflation results as the economy
is mismanaged. The KMT outlaw ownership of gold and
other precious metals, collecting them against a receipt
called a ‘Gold Standard Script’. Within
a year this proves to be a valueless piece of paper,
and there is great unrest even in the cities, where
corruption is prevalent also
By the end of 1949 the CCP held most of Mainland
China, and the KMT fled to Taiwan, taking with them
2 million people, and a great deal of Chinese treasure.
The flag of modern Taiwan is actually a close version
(But not quite exact) of the KMT Mainland flag, which
was designed by Sun Yat Sen many years before. Modern
Taiwan still features the KMT as a major political
party, and one which agrees with the principle of
reunification (At some indeterminate point in time).
Back on the Mainland, not all KMT followers fled,
and those that remained formed one of the eight official
minor political parties of modern China. I bet you
thought China only had one Party? Well they have nine
in total, but it is hard to challenge the CCP, and
especially in light of all this history.
Flags:
A brief note about Chinese flags for any readers that
are interested. The original KMT flag was designed
by Lu Hao Tung in 1895, and is a white sun set against
a blue sky, with 12 long rays that represent the 12
hours of a traditional Chinese day, 12 calendar months,
and symbolise progress. Sun Yat Sen then added the
field of red to symbolise the earth, and blood brothers.
The white sun and blue sky is set in the ‘Canton’
of the flag, and this is probably the correct historical
reference for why Guangdong and Guangzhou in particular
are nowadays called Canton. The three traditional
Chinese colours also have significant Chinese meaning,
and echo Sun’s Three Principles of the People
However, The Northern factions and first leadership
in 1912 adopted the 5 coloured striped flag representing
The Five People Under One Flag initially (From the
top: red, yellow, blue, white, black), although this
was thought to imply a hierarchy and certain exclusiveness
of certain peoples. It was used along with the 18
rayed sun flag and the 12 rayed sun flag until 1928,
when the latter became the only Republic of China
flag from then onwards. The modern flag of Taiwan
is very similar, but the 12 rays of the sun have slightly
shorter points; otherwise it is identical to the former
KMT flag
The flag of the Peoples Republic of China is a red background
with one large central star and four smaller stars in
an arc set centrally in the canton. This echoes the
red field and band of blood brothers symbolism, plus
the colour red symbolizes the hero’s of the revolution:
whilst the five yellow stars signify the unity of the
people of China namely in historical context: The large
star being the Central Government, and the four smaller
stars represent the traditional four categories of the
people in the state: Workers (gong), Farmers (nóng),
Intellectual (shì), and Businessmen (shang)
1st October 1949
This year sees the birth of modern China. China consists
of three parts:
• The Chinese Mainland, including Hainan Island
and isles of the South China Sea. There are also disputed
borders with Russia, India, and Pakistan (Kashmir);
and claims on islands off Japan (Oil resources)
• Hong Kong and Macao are considered to be SAR's.
These are Special Administrative Regions which have
a different social and political format, and are basically
democratic. Democracy was instigated by Beijing when
these colonies came back under direct control at the
end of the 20th Century. Noteworthy is the fact that
Britain did not operate a democratic system of government
in Hong Kong! China is rightly proud to call this "One
Country, two systems". Citizens of the SAR's are
considered to be Chinese, but not 'Mainlanders'
• The third is Taiwan (Formosa) and associated
islands (Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu). This is known as The
Republic of China
Events post 1949
Mao ZeDong becomes the fist President of The Peoples
Republic of China, declaring this from the Gate of Heavenly
Peace in Tiananmen Square. Mao’s aspirations were
grand and very practical: “Mao's first goal was
a total overhaul of the land ownership system, and extensive
land reforms. China's old system of landlord ownership
of farmland and tenant peasants was replaced with a
distribution system in favour of poor/landless peasants.
Mao laid heavy emphasis on class struggle and theoretical
work”. He instigated major reforms, based upon
5-year plans. The first significant one was in 1958,
and called ‘The Great Leap Forward’. The
theory was great and resembled a ‘make it at home’
stance. However, due to local intensified mini-steel
co-operatives, workers were taken from their fields,
and harvests withered un-gathered. This in turn led
to a famine, with China’s birth rate halving due
mainly to malnutrition. Ordinary farmers were also set
a specific goal of yield, which was always met. However,
there was no incentive to harvest extra produce, as
they would not be allowed to keep any of it = it would
be donated for the greater good of the people
Mao’s other two major initiatives: ‘1966:
The Cultural Revolution’ and ‘The Anti-Rightist
Campaign’, resulted in cementing a rural peasant
version of China. Famine continued, exacerbated by floods
and droughts, whilst crops that could be grown or harvested
were not, due to the quota system. Basically there was
no incentive for anyone to work for nothing. I am trying
very hard not to be political here, and simply state
facts as I have researched them. These views are not
expressly my own either
In 1972, at the peak of the Sino-Soviet split, Mao and
Zhou Enlai met Richard Nixon in Beijing to establish
relations with the United States. In the same year,
the PRC was admitted to the United Nations, replacing
the Republic of China for China's membership of the
United Nations, and permanent membership of the Security
Council.
Chairman Mao dies is 1976, and he has now become China’s
Savior. He is highly respected, even to this day. He
is briefly replaced by ‘The Gang of Four’
which includes Mao’s third wife if I remember
correctly, although Hua Guofeng and Deng Xiao Ping are
also in contention.
After Mao's death in 1976 and the arrest of the Gang
of Four, blamed for the excesses of the Cultural Revolution,
Deng Xiaoping quickly wrested power from Mao's anointed
successor Hua Guofeng. Although he never became the
head of the Party or State himself, Deng was in fact
the Paramount Leader of China at that time, his influence
within the Party led the country to economic reforms
of significant magnitude. The Communist Party subsequently
loosened governmental control over citizens' personal
lives, and the communes were disbanded - with many
peasants receiving multiple land leases, which greatly
increased incentives and agricultural production.
This turn of events marked China's transition from
a planned economy to a mixed economy with an increasingly
open market environment, a system termed by some "market
socialism". The PRC adopted its current constitution
on 4 December 1982.
New China 1979 - Present
In 1978, Deng Xiaoping gets Party approval for ‘The
Policy of Openness and Economic Reform’. This
results in a new era for China, one which is still current
and growing to this very day
The city of Shenzhen (Just across the border from Hong
Kong), was created some mere 20 years ago as an example
of 'New China'. It has been a great success, but Beijing
still tends to favour Shanghai as its international
showpiece. Shanghai was also a new city some 50 years
ago, and can be regarded as Moa's favourite. This is
all at odds with real history, where trading from the
Pearl River delta has continued unabated for several
millennia. History maps usually refer to different
locations, but please know these are all within 10 miles
of each other: Canton, Guangzhou, Foshan, Nanhai, Panyu.
Names for places also change over time, just to keep
things interesting!
So, Beijing favours Shanghai, whilst there are only
two serious economic zones:
1. Hangzhou / Northern Zhejiang Province
- responsible for about 30% GDP (2007)
2. The Pearl River Delta - responsible
for 34% of GDP (2007)
What you need to understand is that China is not a hard-line
Leninist state. It is a Communist State with a modern
and compatible Market driven Economy. This is very unusual,
and invented by Deng Xiaoping
However, all good ideas need other people to see them
to fruition - and sometimes what we think is the right
path, turns out to be a blind-alley.
In 1989, the death of pro-reform official Hu Yaobang,
helped to spark the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989,
during which students and others campaigned for several
months for more democratic rights and freedom of speech.
However, they were eventually put down on 4 June when
PLA troops and vehicles entered and forcibly cleared
the square, resulting in numerous casualties. This
event was widely reported and infamously videotaped,
which brought worldwide condemnation and sanctions
against the government.
Please consider very carefully how you view this,
especially in the light of what has transpired since.
The highly emotive pictures (Video) of that student
standing in front of that tank, probably rates second
only to the naked girl fleeing through the mud in
Vietnam. However, the truth lies a very long way away
from what we are allowed to see and know by Western
Governments - for they also have their own agandae
President Jiang Zemin and Premier Zhu Rongji, both former
mayors of Shanghai, led post-Tiananmen PRC in the 1990s.
Under Jiang Zemin's ten years of administration, the
PRC's economic performance pulled an estimated 150 million
peasants out of poverty and sustained an average annual
GDP growth rate of 11.2%. The country formally joined
the World Trade Organization in 2001.
Although the PRC needs economic growth to spur its development,
the government has begun to worry that too rapid a rate
of economic growth will negatively impact the country's
resources and environment. Another concern is that certain
sectors of society are not sufficiently benefiting from
the PRC's economic development.
China Today (2009)
China is now led by a new team with very modern and
International views, namely: President Hu Jintao and
Premier Wen Jiabao. This is proving to be an excellent
combination of talents and resources, supported by an
outstanding team
For much of the China's population, living standards
have seen extremely large improvements, and personal
freedom continues to expand. Let's put the record straight:
1. Completed a scheme to provide electricity
to every Chinese family in 2008 (For sure - easy in
the cities - we have more power than we know what to
do with. This includes everyone! Nomadic tribes on the
Himalayan Plateau and in the Taklamakan Desert). Wind
and Solar Power have been widely implemented wherever
possible
2. Started a new welfare state system,
which will be functioning for all major places by 2012:
Free Health Care, Pensions, and Unemployment Benefits
(Already available privately for $60 per month / over
20 years). It will be open to everyone by 2020. Not
bad for Country that has 1, 400, 000, 000 people to
look after. For several years they have had medical
trains going to far-flung places, but this now means
permanent facilities and support - locally.
Comment: Western Healthcare could learn
a lot from this model
3. The Future of China is Green!
China still has a great dependence on fossil fuels,
and is commissioning new power plants (Coal and Nuclear)
at a rate of one-per-week. China is a 'Developing Country',
don't forget this.
a. In 2006 China (in association with
Guangzhou University) developed a 'mag-lev' wind turbine
system that will run on 'frictionless bearings', and
from 1.5 kph of wind power
b. Chinese auto (Car) manufacturers
are now fully committed to having Hybrid, Electric,
and Eco-friendly versions of their products on market
within 2-years (Some exist already - I mean main-stream,
commercially viable production and sales)
c. They are researching into all types
of alternative energy resources, running trials, and
implementing where practicable
Summary
Modern China has five forefathers:
1. Dr Sun Yat Sen -
patronaged the first Republic of China. His Party was
called the KuoMingTang (KMT)
2. Mao ZeDong - Founded the Peoples
Republic of China in 1949. First Chairman and foremost
modern forefather
3. Deng XiaoPing - Man of vision and
creator of Modern China as we know it today with 'The
Policy of 'Openness'
4. Jiang Zemin - Developed the Openness
Policy during the 90's and created the 'Three Represents'
principle
5. Hu Jintao - Created the 'Scientific
Development Concept'
To date, six men have held the office of the president
of the People's Republic of China: Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi,
Li Xiannian, Yang Shangkun, Jiang Zemin, and the current
president, Hu Jintao
China today has 9 political parties, not just one!
What I hope that you will take away from this short
and incomplete study of recent Chinese history, is that
China is a land of Family, and of Brothers. Their general
greeting is ‘Lai xi fan maya?’ (simple Cantonese
version), meaning ‘Have you eaten (rice) today’.
Such were the times of recent deprivation, that food
is still the first thing Chinese enquire about when
greeting others. Please view the Civil War (Horrendous
as it was), as a spat between Brothers, for all Chinese
people are Brothers and Sisters at the end of the day
Do not pay any attention to politicking about Taiwan
– They are considered simply as wayward Chinese
Brothers, that is all. You will see that after Hong
Kong and Macao have been allowed to embrace democracy,
Taiwan will eventually follow. And Foreigners should
also be aware of their own problems, before having
a go at a very young country that in the modern sense,
has just celebrated it’s 30th Birthday!
Perhaps Deng Xiao Ping’s version of Socialism
represents the acceptable face of Communism, and a
way forwards we can all learn from?
Footnote:
China is a very old culture and new country, and
Traditionally China is composed of:
Three Creators, Four Dragons, Five Kings,
and 57 Peoples
To learn more about current Chinese government, please
click the link below for the excellent Chinese Government
website in English language - which is full of current
news, reviews, and details of China's political structure
and hierarchy
http://english.gov.cn/index.htm
This is a brief and general history of modern China,
which has no political agenda. We are merely trying
to state the facts as we understand them, and as referenced
from many sources, including (But not exclusively),
several pages from Wikipedia – you can see below
for a fuller description:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Republic_of_China
and here for a view of what happened concerning the
KMT:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuomintang
And the history of Communist China here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_People's_Republic_of_China
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This information is as supplied by Wikipedia, as dated
March 2009 or later, and/or other reliable sources.
Maps (Unless stated otherwise)
are provided in association with Thomas Lessman
Web: www.worldhistorymaps.info
Disclaimer:
Please check this information yourself as it may alter
without notice, and whilst we try our best to ensure
it is correct, please do not hold us responsible for
any errors - this is intended as a simple guide only |
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