Tag: Economics

The Golden Arches March Into China

Natalie Curry / / Food

By Natalie Curry and Jack Moran
Part III of Series on American Food In China
Americanized Chinese Food Part I, Part II

McDonalds in Shanghai, China,  Photo by Ivan Walsh,  Obtained via Flickr

Is China turning into America?  As tourists flood into China some locals are concerned that “China in the future would be turned into an America of the present” (Notar 20). As James Watson presents in his article on McDonalds in China, some have gone so far to say that the expansion of McDonalds is a “new form of imperialism” (Watson, 121). The documentary film Big Mac: Inside the McDonald’s Empire brings up the point that in a McDonalds restaurant in China it is nearly impossible to tell that one is actually in China, everything is the same as it would be in an American McDonalds with some minor signage/language differences. Continue reading “The Golden Arches March Into China”

Chinese Village Tourism

Christian Frabitore / / Economics, Environment

By Thomas Stubbs, Connor Courtney, Christian Frabitore, Simone Alimonti, and Kate Stevens

IMG_1695
A young girl dressed in stylized garb for a village processional during the Bun Festival in Hong Kong. Tourists seen in the background. Photo credit: Mister Bijou, accessed 4/14/15, via blogspot

Like the rest of China’s economy, the tourism industry is growing at an almost unimaginable rate. Travel was highly restricted for Chinese citizens until the mid-1980s, but since then it has become a form of leisure affordable for an ever-increasing number of people. For example, when Hong Kong was finally made open to mainland Chinese in 1997, soon they made up 75% of the island’s tourist population. Until the mid-2000s most Chinese tourists still traveled in big tour groups to keep their trips affordable, but since then independent tourism has become much more commonplace (Chan and Zakkour). Since more people have money and a desire to travel there has been a growth in tourism in the rural villages of China, as seen in one of our Chinese Environmental Film Festival Films, Peasant Family Happiness. The pumping of new economic life into these traditional agricultural villages would seem to be a positive occurrence. However, the conversion of an agricultural community into a tourist mecca comes with certain consequences. Continue reading “Chinese Village Tourism”

Americanized Chinese Food Invades China

Natalie Curry / / Food

By Natalie Curry With Jack Moran
Part I of Series on American Food in China Part II  Part III

After glancing at the menu of any restaurant in America claiming to serve Chinese or Asian food, one might guess that this deep-fried, sweet and sour cuisine is less than authentic. The unique blend of American and Asian cuisine that is present in the United States can hardly be considered Chinese food, but it is developing in a new market, China. Americans living or visiting China are craving Americanized Chinese food and a new selection of restaurants are striving to meet this demand.

Photo by Natalie Curry A typical American Chinese dish, General Tso's Chicken at a local Greenville restaurant.
Photo by Natalie Curry
A typical American Chinese dish, General Tso’s Chicken at Wok Inn in Greenville

Shanghai is the site of the first Westernized Chinese restaurant, which opened in the fall of 2013. The aptly named Fortune Cookie restaurant specializes in“authentic American Chinese food”, which seems somewhat of a contradictory phrase (Fortune Cookie Restaurant). However, this phrase makes more sense when one considers that the owners of Fortune Cookie are not trying to provide authentic Chinese food, but rather the unique hybrid cuisine that originated with Chinese immigrants and has bloomed into an American favorite. Fortune Cookie serves well-known dishes like Kung Pao Chicken, Crab Rangoon, and Spring Roils (Fortune Cookie Restaurant). Megan Emery-Moore, an American expat teaching in Shanghai, discusses how Fortune Cookie’s sweet and sour chicken makes her feel like she is “at home” (Langfitt). That seems to be the essence of the appeal of Fortune Cookie for Americans, as the flavors and dishes are reminiscent of the ambiguous Chines takeout places located in nearly every American city. Continue reading “Americanized Chinese Food Invades China”

Pollution in China: Trash to Ca$h

ewatt / / Environment, Pollution

By Plicca Watt

      In the Eastern coastal Chinese city of Hangzhou shrewd entrepreneurs are turning the city’s trash into valuable, clean energy.  The Hangzhou Environmental Group (HEG) has transformed the city’s decades- old landfill into a methane gas powered energy plant and even attracts tourists to the plant site with environmental video games, hikes in the eco- park, and so called “trash tours.”

Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest, “A Man Stands Over A Pile Of Used White P”, accessed 7 Apr 2014, http://quest.eb.com/images/115_2759933

        When garbage decomposes, a toxic methane gas is released which warms the earth twenty times faster than carbon dioxide.  The HEG’s power plant traps and transforms the harmful gas into clean energy.  Not only is this a profitable way to produce energy, but this system also helps curb pollution and better the environment in China.  Part of the reason why China has experienced problems with pollution in recent years is due to the exorbitant economic growth.  With a growing middle class, more Chinese people the economic ability to purchase consumer goods which in turn means more garbage is produced that will end up in the Chinese landfills. Even the Chinese government have shown concern for the nation’s environmental and pollution issues. Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao states, “Environmental pollution has become a major problem in China’s current development and it has not been addressed well.”

        It is encouraging to see that the Chinese have emerged with ingenious solutions, such as the Hangzhou Environmental Group’s landfill to energy plant, that facilitate not only economic growth, but also environmental health.

Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest, “Air Pollution Over Shanghai, China”, accessed 7 Apr 2014, http://quest.eb.com/images/132_1231890

 Works Cited:

Liu, Coco. “Turning Trash to Gold in China.” Scientific American Global RSS. N.p., 1 June 2011. Web. 7 Apr. 2014. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/turning-trash-to-gold-in-china/>.

“Premier Wen Jiabao Meets Press.”Premier Wen Jiabao Meets Press. Consulate of the People’s Republic of China, n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2014. <http://toronto.china-consulate.org/eng/topics/lianghui/t240621.ht

What has China Done to Become an Economic Leader?

jgray2 / / Economics

By A. Nichols

Today, China’s economy thrives with yearly exponential economic growth rates. However, the country has seen overwhelming amounts of economic turmoil in the past such as the demolition of private businesses and universities. In 1953, private universities were transformed into state universities, which the Chinese had modeled after the Soviet educational system. The government acted upon private businesses as well around the same year. Head officials of these businesses were slowly denounced in rank in order to give the government control of company operations. These actions gave a lot of economic power to the government.

With the rise of Mao Zedong, economic disaster was waiting to happen. One of Mao’s goals during his Great Leap Forward was to boost production agriculturally and in factories by a drastic percentage. Gregory C. Chow states in his book, China’s Economic Transformation, that Mao was no economist. In fact, he tackled his economic concerns the same way he tackled politics: with the support of China’s citizens. Throughout Mao’s rein, many suffered from starvation due to the heavy demands that Mao had for crop production.Mao

In 1962, Liu Shaoqi rose to power. Under his rein, a majority of Mao’s policies and regulations were abolished and new goals were set. Gregory Chow describes these goals as the “four modernizations” which were to increase proficiency in industry, defense, agriculture, and technology.

In 1966, Mao returned with his Cultural Revolution. This movement caused destruction in the homes of elderly citizens that were infiltrated by the younger generation. Many universities closed their doors as a result of the hostility shown by the younger generation. This act made the education system completely dysfunctional. The Chinese economy could not flourish with all of the political chaos that occurred through a decade a of Mao’s rule until he died in 1976.

Deng Xiaoping rose to power after Mao’s death. Xiaoping, in 1979, opened diplomatic relations with the U.S. This was a big move for China as they began to show more diplomacy and recapture the “four modernizations” that were sought after under Liu Shaoqui’s rule.

Throughout the 1980’s China began to show strong economic growth. In 1982, yearly energy production began to increase above 9% per year.  This large increase was a result of increased efforts in coal production, hydroelectric power, and intensive extraction of petroleum. With such cramped, fast-moving cities, the energy was needed for everything to function proficiently. Another improvement shown throughout the 1980’s was the growth in exports to other countries. This served as a huge economic booster for China.China Trade Chart

China today is undergoing a lot of economic problems as a result of consistent growth in production. Though the growth continues, citizens are losing interest in the purchasing of goods. An article in The New York Times called “China Confronts Mounting Piles of Unsold Goods” talks about the massive overflow of goods in warehouses in China as a result of reduced spending by the citizens.

China is still well on its way to becoming the world’s top economy, but flaws in China’s system still exist that will hinder the growth of the economy. However, China has seen some of the worst economic disasters. Therefore, history teaches what not to do, leaving only improvement for the future.

Hong Kong

Capitalism in Communist China

cdaley / / Economics

By A. Nichols

The world we live in today is no longer dominated by the United States’ economy; a new power from the East is rising. That new power is China. China’s economy has been booming over the last few decades, steadily increasing faster than other country. However, when one thinks of China the first thought that comes to mind is that China is communist. As reform is slowly enacted, the economy sees more privatization and market-oriented concepts.

China's Capitalist Revolution

China has not always had a capitalist economy. It was not until the late 1970’s that reform was enacted to help open up China’s economy to capitalism and the international world. When Mao Zedong was in charge, he ran the economy into the ground with his economic reform, “The Great Leap Forward”. A new Chinese leader took over by the name of Deng. He sought to reform legislation, to open up the economy, and allow for more privatization. Deng pursued this new reforms because he saw what was happening in the Soviet Union. Deng, himself, believes the Soviets collapsed because of so little economic reform.

China’s system of capitalism is a very different one from that of the United States. China has what is called Sino-Capitalism, whereas America has Anglo-American capitalism. Sino-Capitalism relies heavily on informal business networks instead of legal codes and transparent rules. Sino-Capitalism is based off networking, and there is a term, “Guanxi networks” that describes this complicated process. This process is essential to succeed in China’s economy. Sino-Capitalism is typically used by authoritarian countries mainly located in Southeast Asia, so this is a perfect match for China. China and the US

“In 1973 when I asked, ‘What do you want to be?’ the answers were political,” Mr. Koppel said. “People said, ‘I’d do whatever the motherland needs of me”. This quote was used in the movie, People’s Republic of Capitalism, to describe how people responded to such questions in fear of their life because one could not express personal desires. However, since then China has seen many economic reforms for the better. People asked today respond differently from how they did in previous years. They responded as such: “Today people say, ‘Hey, I want to get rich, I want to make money”. Since the reforms, more freedom has come about and people can truly pursue their dreams and ambitions.

During the great recession of 2008, China was one of the few countries to make it out alright. In the midst of their survival, China was able to obtain about one trillion dollars of America’s debt. The article, China’s Capitalism: A Rigged Game, describes how China has been making money off US debt. China has also manipulated their own currency in their favor. China has rigged the game and that comes from the vast amount of corruption that is seen within the government. China’s economy is essentially a state-capitalist economy, and it has had so much success that it does not seem like there will be a democratic China in the near future. China's economic rise

Is the Cost Too High for Chinese Olympians?

jsantini / / Sports

By A. Nichols

CHINA/

Views of China vary. Some think of a repressive, Communist country that is the world’s greatest threat to Democracy. Others still will think of an innovative nation that will lead the world into an age of utopian socialism. The Chinese PRC knew, as well as any other government knows, a large part of a country’s reputation is linked with its athletic reputation, and the Olympics are respected as the pinnacle of athletic events. To host the game is to give the entire world an inside and personal view of your country. Every success and downfall will be well-documented and praised by the press, the greatest opinion-changing machine in the world. Why were the Chinese so intent on hosting? According to Xu Guoqi, “The Chinese have become obsessed with their country’s international status. For the Chinese, sporting events represent something deep and fundamental, validation into the league of nations.”[1]

OLYMPICS-CHINA/An NBA player will spend up to four months a year on the road. This pales in comparison to most Chinese training regimes. According to the documentary China Rises , Xiao Sha, a fourteen year-old Junior Olympic Gymnast has seen her family only once in the past three years, so as not to be distracted from her training. Sadly, Xiao Sha did not make the London Olympic team and is now, as far as any documentation, outside the world of gymnastics. How sad that a country would take the best and most formative years of a child’s life and then, after they have wrung every drop of potential out of her, leave her on the streets. She was then unable to compete with her peers because she did not have the opportunity to go to school. Synchronized diver Wu Minxia was kept ignorant of the death of her grandparents and her mother’s battle with breast cancer. According to her father, “Wu had a premonition, and she called us asking if she was okay. We had to lie; ‘everything’s okay.”[2] The reason for this hurtful lie was simple: Wu’s family and the government did not want her to lose focus on her training. This is the mental and emotional abuse that Chinese Olympic athletes have to endure.

Chinese athletes also suffer from physical abuse. “The women are literally beaten into submission,’ Johannah Doecke, diving coach at the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis in the United States, told Reuters. ‘If you said no to anything, you would be chastised, slapped around. It’s a brutal system.”[3] Chinese coaches and athletes do choose to focus and defend the necessity of their actions. Chinese Diver Chen Ni spoke to the necessity of physical abuse: “Most of the time, coaches care about their divers even more than their own children. Thus, as parents they have to force their children to do things safely… Sometimes they hit their divers.”[3] China is a great nation, if only they would have more confidence in their international image. Maybe then, they would cease the terrible human-rights abuses that they commit in the name of “national pride.”

Little Boy being streched

[1] Guoqi, Xu. Olympic Dreams: China and Sports. Harvard University Press, Cambridge Massachusetts, London England, 2008. Accessed November 4th, 2012.

[2]   Rosenfield, Everett.  Wu Minxia: Chinese Diver’s Parents Hid Family Illness, Deaths from Her. Time Magazine; Olympics. Accessed, November 7th, 2012. Last Modified by Editor, August 3rd, 2012.  http://olympics.time.com/2012/08/03/wu-minxia-chinese-divers-parents-hid-family-illness-deaths-from-her/

[3] Ian Ransom and Ryan McNeil, Reuters. (Additional reporting by Steve Slater in London and Sabrina Mao in Beijing; Editing by Greg Stutchbury.)  The Shocking Lengths China Will Go To Win at The Olympics. http://www.businessinsider.com/a-chinese-olympian-had-no-idea-her-mother-had-cancer-because-her-parents-feared-it-would-disturb-her-training-2012-8 Accessed November 7th, 2012. Last Modified by editor, August 9th, 2012

[4] Photo’s by Reuters, by Aaron, Chris; Is China’s Olympic training program too much? http://sport.malaysia.msn.com/olympic-games/hys-is-china%E2%80%99s-olympic-training-program-too-much#image=1

Capitalism in China

ebailey2 / / Economics

By A. Nichols

When discussing China, the question of whether or not China is a socialist or a capitalist country is always brought up. While the Communist party is in power in China, the economic structure of the country looks very different from a typical communist economy. By looking at the reforms that China went through under Deng Xiaoping, the increase in privatization of factories and homes, and seeing if socialism and capitalism can work harmoniously, it shows that China is no longer a strictly socialist nation, but rather a nation that is capitalist with socialist qualities.

To understand how China’s economy shifted towards a more capitalist economy, one has to look at Mao Zedong’s successor, Deng Xiaoping, and all the reforms he put into place. After Mao Zedong died, it was not long until Deng Xiaoping changed the way China was run. Deng Xiaoping encouraged China to open up to foreign investments and he encouraged others to “get rich gloriously” (BBC). It drastically changed China’s economy; China’s economy soon stabilized and then it started to grow rapidly: ten percent a year, lifting two hundred million out of poverty (BBC).

One key aspect of deciding whether or not China is indeed capitalist or not is the privatization of China’s businesses and homes. When Deng Xiaoping opened China up to the West, many previously state-owned businesses become were soon privatized by Western businesses. See Edward Gargan’s New York Times article about an American businessman coming to China. American companies came to China; not only big industrial companies, but fast food chains and commercial stores.

McDonalds_medium

Photo Credit: capl@washjeff.edu

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With a shift in attitude towards privatization of businesses, it comes as no surprise that there was also a huge focus on the privatization of homes.The idea of being wealthy enough to own your own home is very appealing to many Chinese, and is forming a new class that is focused on the social status that comes with owning one’s own home (Li Zhang). It gives the people in China a small sense of what freedom is like when they can own their own home. The privatization of what was once state-owned housing and companies shows that China is shifting away from the traditional “communist” ideas and moving towards capitalism (Li Zhang). See Joseph Kahn’s article on the shifting views of capitalism in China.

DSCN3027Photo Credit: Erin Bailey

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With the emergence of private property and businesses, it is clear that China is no longer a truly socialist nation, but is it one hundred percent capitalist? There is no black and white answer, though there was a major shift in political and economic thought when the economic reforms of Deng Xiaoping were put into place. The reforms allowed there to be an opening up of ownership, and allowed there to be the existence of private business owners (Faure).

Noting that China is no longer a strictly socialist society, the question now is whether or not capitalism and socialism could possibly work at the same time. China is truly a unique country at the moment; it has somehow been able to mix the socialist, capitalist, bureaucratic, and business sectors all together, creating this interesting hybrid system. See Ming Li’s article on how capitalism and socialism work together in China.

Bible Factory in China

Photo Credit: Erin Bailey

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.

China is definitely in a unique situation. China is never going to fully be free of the socialist qualities, which means China is a mix of socialism and capitalism, and it will stay mixed for a while. China is capitalist with “Chinese characteristics;” not fully capitalist, but not fully socialist either (Mingi Li).

Works Cited:

BBC, “Becoming a Superpower: Deng Xiaoping’s Reforms and Their Legacy.” 

 China’s Capitalist Revolution, Web,URL
 Li Zhang, “Private Homes, Distinct Lifestyles: Performing a New Middle
     Class,” Privatizing China: Socialism From Afar, editors Li Zhang
     and Aihwa Ong, United States of America, Cornell University Press,
     2008,Chapter. 23-40
David Faure, “China and Capitalism: A History of Business Enterprise in
     Modern China,” Hong Kong China, Hong Kong University Press, 2006,
     1-124, 68.
Mingi Li. “A Harmony of Capitalism and Socialism?.” Science & Society 73,
      no. 2: 216-221 ,April 2009, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost,URL