Chinese DNA and Its Impact on Regionalization and Globalization

What is Chinese Cultural DNA?

The Chinese culture has evolved over thousands of years and stems from a society based on the feudalistic model. The Emperor was "God" and ruled with divine power over all the people and all the land. In short most people were poor, no individual was permitted to own land (still the case today) and the Chinese people depended on one another to survive. This model worked and kept the country and its peoples united through its isolated history.

Throughout this extended period a strong sense of cultural equality evolved amongst the people and remains to this day. As Marx and Engels pointed out that the non existence of private land is the key to understanding ancient Oriental history and culture. This historical dynamic has greatly contributed to the Chinese Cultural DNA, a force, which cannot be overlooked when discussing the impacts of regionalization and globalization on China.

Mao’s manipulation of Cultural DNA:

In the past one and a half centuries China made many attempts to create a modern society out of its feudalistic past. China tolerated the influences of foreign forces and then attempted its own initiative when Dr. Sun Yat-sen founded the Republic of China. However, none of these visions succeeded because they did not guarantee equality to all segments of society. The country was prevailed by foreign invasions, civil wars, starvation and diseases, which left the populace with a sense of bitterness and humiliation which many Chinese still feel to this day.

The Chinese people rallied around Mao Zedong and the communist ideology 60 years ago because it promised equality, which appealed to the masses as a vehicle through which they could return to their basic cultural roots. Mao also offered an opportunity for the country to drift back into a period of isolationism from the rest of the world and again enjoy a period of relative internal peace. Confucian ideology stated “fear not poverty but inequality; fear not isolation but insecurity". Being a brilliant scholar of history, Mao knew so well how to use this fundamental Chinese philosophy to suit his own interests and ensure China\'s unity. 

The writer personally experienced the force of this cultural DNA as a young girl growing up in China during Mao’s era. Poverty was a daily life condition for every citizen. Rations included everything from salt to sugar and from matches to clothing. It’s said that even Mao only ate meat once a week. Mao had the people convinced that the country was under an ongoing threat of nuclear attack from the United States. 

I remember our teachers explaining to us how to respond when we heard the sirens. We were told to lay flat on the ground at the time of the explosion, turn our clothing inside out so that the lighter colours would reflect the radiation, check the direction of the wind and then run as fast as possible in the opposite direction to the nearest underground bunker.

Under this atmosphere of fear Mao was not only able to control the people but also to unite them. Twenty to thirty million (no one knows for sure) of his own citizens died of starvation while Mao spent unknown amounts of money in pursuit of nuclear arms for China and foreign aid to spread his version of the communist message to save the world. Nobody complained. Why? Because the populace believed the suffering was shared and no one was spared from it, not even Mao himself. That segment of the populace that unfortunately paid a higher price than the rest was simply those without luck! 

Deng’s Impact on Cultural DNA:

Thirty years ago Mao\'s policies came to the end because most failed and the country was on the brink of bankruptcy. Mao\'s rival and heir Deng Xiaoping decided to abandon Mao’s experiment for “Socialism with Chinese characteristics". Deng pronounced that “Poverty is not socialism and to be prosperous is glorious" and then instituted new policies which allowed some segments of society to become better off than others. In doing so, Deng not only turned Mao\'s communist experiment upside-down, but he also began the unravelling of the country\'s social fabric and made a huge dent in the Chinese Cultural DNA. 

At the present time Deng’s paradigm appears, at least on the surface to be working. China has in recent years enjoyed double digit economic annual growth and even during the current global recession predicts growth of 8%. It has lifted over 250 million citizens out of poverty, captured over 50% of the world market share in a great variety of consumer products ranging from furniture and leather goods to household appliances and textiles. (1)  Some believe that China today has become the most important driving force in contributing to global economic growth, international trade and even poverty reduction.   

China has become the leading manufacturer for most of the world’s consumer products. There are over 100 million Chinese employed in industries that depend on foreign trade. The world’s sea lanes have become China’s life line. Through them ships carry Chinese manufactured goods all over the world and also through them China receives the vital natural resources that its economy so desperately needs to maintain its current feverish pace.  

For the first time since the voyages of Admiral Zheng (1405 - 1433), a brief period in which China was reaching out to the world; the Chinese Navy has entered the Indian Ocean and beyond to the Gulf of Aden in an effort to protect its shipping interests from falling prey to Somalian pirates.  

China’s foreign reserves are ranked number one in the world and the United States is in debt to the former Middle Kingdom to the tune of 2 trillion US dollars. Those aforementioned nuclear underground bunkers from Mao’s time built to protect against nuclear attack from the United States have become thriving underground malls filled with luxury stores, upscale coffee shops and fast food outlets. China\'s current generation would not believe the hardships their parents were subjected to and the horror of the times that the author lived through.

Cracks appearing on Chinese Cultural DNA (Rich Vs Poor):

There is no question that many Chinese are benefiting and prospering from "China Rising"; however simultaneously many more feel that their individual growth of wealth has not kept up with the growth of the National GDP. More serious a problem is that some segments of society are benefiting at the expense of others which is leading to an uncomfortable sense of disparity.
For example according to the World Bank, "China leaped into the mid-income countries with its $3,292 USD per capita GDP in 2008.” (2)  This occurred while China\'s own statistics showed that the average farmer only earned an annual salary of 4,700 RMB or $700 USD during the same fiscal year. (3)  Urban dwellers have fared much better than rural farmers and those who reside along China’s coastal region have seen much more improvement in their lifestyles than those Chinese residing in the country’s interior regions.

There are already approximately 2500 billionaires in China for an average worth of nearly 3 billion RMB each. Collectively they control approximately 7 trillion RMB worth of the country’s wealth. (4)   China’s own Health Department figures recently reported that 50% of the sick can not afford doctors and of the ones fortunate enough to see a physician and require treatment, 48% decline because they do not have the financial resources to continue down the health care road.

Increasingly the Chinese media are reporting on extreme social issues such as a growing suicide rate amongst farmers who can not afford education for their sons and daughters. Other articles are citing stories of desperate individuals purposefully committing crimes in order to be arrested and sent to jail where they can be fed regularly. In only 30 years “China has transformed itself from one of the most equal societies on earth to one of the most unequal now”. (5)

Income gaps between rich and poor are not unique to China. They are also present in many Western countries. The difference however, is that in the West many countries have managed to institute publicly funded safety nets for such individuals. The problem is that no such mechanisms have yet been established in China, nor are there any in the works. The status quo is unfortunately "pay as you go" especially for the poor farmers. A recent survey of 15,000 dwellings showed 95.3% of Chinese believe that instability is a threat to contemporary society. (6)

The effects of this growing disparity are also seen in increasing incidents of public complaints and unrest. From 1978 to 1982 China\'s judicial institutions dealt with 83,700 petition letters and civil suits; however from 1998 to 2002 more than forty million were processed by relevant government authorities, an increase of 504 times! Similarly organized protests and demonstrations against social injustice increased from 10,000 in 1994 to 60,000 thousand in 2003. These numbers again increased to 80,000 in 2005 and 90,000 in 2006. (7)

Such a rapid rise in these statistics has Chinese authorities very concerned. They believe that worsening potential violent uprisings may be brewing just beneath the surface of today’s society. Is this a sign that Chinese Cultural DNA is once again about to emerge and become a force to resist globalization and regionalization? China\'s long history has been the overthrow of one dynasty after another. The common denominator has always been disparity. China is trapped in this historical cycle for thousands of years. Is it about to be repeated? Only time will tell!

International implications of Chinese Cultural DNA:

This Cultural DNA spreads beyond domestic borders and effects China’s relations with the rest of the world. One simply has to study recent Chinese history to see how it manifests itself. What led to a breakdown in relations with the former Soviet Union and the Japanese? 

Soviet Union relations with China turned sour when they began taking the Chinese for granted. Early in the 20th Century China looked up to the Soviet Union and the Soviets gave much financial, political and military aid to China and particularly to the Chinese Communists. Without this assistance the Communists would never have been able to come to power and build the foundation for a modern Chinese army and defence system. The only assistance at the time that Communist China received was from the Soviets. However when China felt they were not being treated fairly and as an equal partner by the Soviets; (ie: disagreement over the financing of the Korean War and many other issues), resentment started to brew towards their “rich big brother” . In the late 50s the relations took a sudden downturn and the Chinese began to question their former ally. In the late 60s border skirmishes and conflict broke out between the two countries. Despite their ideological similarities; it was their inability to understand their cultural differences, which led to the breakdown in the relationship. 

Similarly complicated is the Sino-Japanese relationship. Following World War II the Chinese did not demand war reparations from Japan. Why? China felt that its ancient "off spring" had been taught a lesson and there was no need to rub salt into open wounds! Japan had been brought down to a level equal to China. However with Western help it took Japan only one generation to become Asia’s economic dragon. The scales were once again tipped heavily in Japan’s favour and all that the Chinese could do was to standby and watch as the success story unfolded. Where was the respect for the party which had suffered the most (China) during this conflict? Fast forward 50 years and one can better understand the cultural roots of China’s resentment towards its neighbour. The irony here is that Japan has been by far the largest contributor of foreign aid to China, however this fact has been lost on an unappreciative populace who would rather be treated as equals than accept handouts.

Regarding the Sino - American relationship, this has become probably the most important and complex relationship affecting our economic world today. Some have opined about the possibility of a "G-2" (China and the United States) because of their vastly integrated economies. The world may someday see this unfold, however it is unlikely in the short term. China remains uncomfortable, sceptical and worried about what it views as United States hegemonic practises and influences in Asia. Some consider China\'s resistance towards the "Superpower" as rising Chinese Nationalism; but in fact it is can be better explained as the manifestation of the struggle between China\'s traditional culture and Western culture.

As Samuel P. Huntington emphasized in "The Clash of Civilization and the Remaking of World Order", culture is the key to global politics. Huntington believes that at the very root of every culture lies an unchangeable core and therefore cultural conflicts are inevitable.  If you agree with Huntington\'s theory; all the more reason that the West take time to learn more about China\'s cultural DNA and when appropriate extract for its own use those components that it finds beneficial. This is exactly what China has been doing in its study of Western culture for centuries and will probably continue this practice long into the future.   

Conclusion:

In my opinion globalization and regionalization have had a mixed impact on China. Certainly from an economic perspective they have led the country out of centuries of isolationism and backwardness while simultaneously introducing some negative effects. These dynamics are unintentionally clashing with the core of Chinese traditional society and its cultural DNA by "dividing people through disparity rather than uniting them through prosperity". Until this changes the silent majority of average Chinese citizens will harbour doubts in these processes and resist them morally, culturally until they see real progress in the area of disparity. 

China’s future may well lie in its own "Middle Class", a phenomenon heretofore unknown in the country. This group is still weak in comparison to China’s 1.3 billion population. It is estimated at 26 million families or 80 – 90 million individuals. (8) This class could play two very important future roles 1) by helping bridge the disparity gap and 2) by introducing new genes into the cultural DNA pool. Many hope this group will grow rapidly in size and one day become a strong voice for the Chinese people, and lead the way in transforming China into a legitimate modern nation. China\'s future will depend upon the evolution of its cultural DNA and how well it copes with the rapid ongoing impacts of globalization and regionalization.

Footnotes

1.  China Industrial and Information Ministry - China News Network: August 23rd, 2009.
2.  "China at 60" by Wenran Jiang- The Ottawa Citizen, Oct. 1st, 2009.
3.  Tang Shan Statistical Yearbook 2009 by China Statistics Press.
4.   China Daily: August 20th, 2009.
5.  "China at 60" by Wenran Jiang- The Ottawa Citizen, Oct. 1st, 2009.
6.  "66.  “China Society Risk Analysis" by Chinese Scholar Zhu Li – Chinese Xuehai Magazine, No. 1 issue of 2009.
7.  Same as above.
8.  Voice of America: September 26th, 2009.