History – Debunking Myths of China

Healthcare in China: Old Medicine vs. New Medicine

mgeran / April 7, 2014May 6, 2015 / Health Care and Medicine

By Anna Lanford, Sal Donzella, and Matt Geran

This blog entry is written from the perspective of an old woman who is witnessing the changes occurring in the Chinese healthcare system as modern medicine is taking over the traditional.

Back when I was a young girl, doctors in my town used traditional medicines that have been passed down for generations, such as herbs and acupuncture. Today, there are some doctors who still choose to use medical care based on Traditional Chinese Medicine, like in the past, and others choose to use a more modern method. I have even seen traditional treatments like acupuncture and homeopathy used alongside modern practices and medications. I have witnessed Traditional Chinese Medicine treat all kinds of illnesses: mental, physical, and emotional. The old ways work so well because they address the source of balance within the body, or qi. When the qi is unstable, we become sick, and traditional medicines can return our qi to normal. These long-established remedies can be individualized to fit each patient, and therefore make the treatment more effective. I have heard stories of people who have been cured of pain and had their urge to smoke cigarettes cease after receiving acupuncture sessions. There was even one miraculous story of the traditional working alongside modern treatments. A woman was able to undergo open-heart surgery with very little pain as a result of acupuncture that was used during the procedure. As much as I believe that the old way is the best way to treat the entire body, I can see there is no way to slow modern medicine from creeping into our society.

Even with these breakthroughs in modern treatment, many of us in the countryside struggle to have any access to healthcare. In the past, the Ministry of Health has tried to bring in private investors to help poorly performing public hospitals, but even with the change in ownership, the hospitals continued to reflect poor management. Places like Hong Kong, Japan, and Taiwan, as well as America, Southeast Asia, and Europe are looking to put investments into Chinese healthcare, but I don’t see how they could understand the traditions in medicine that we have used for our whole lives. I worry that they will try to replace hundreds of years of our heritage with machines and computers. I know that these foreigners would let us be able to have more access to modern medicines, but I worry that they will take away what is rooted in the past.

If you want to learn more about acupuncture check out this video about acupuncturists in Shanghai:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pf5Habm3O8.

Related Blogs

False Hope and Despair

The Harbin Scandal

Bibliography

Fontes, Mario, and Stephanie Pina. “Homeopathy and Chinese Medicine: Uniting Two Forms of Energetic Medicine.” Townsend Letter. February/March 2009. 79-82.

Skyes, Kathy. “The Science of Acupuncture.” Alternative Medicine Series. BBC 2006. Web. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41vm87qq1KU

Shobert, Benjamin, and Sandra Ward. “China’s Healthcare Reforms: Addressing Discontent while Creating a Consumer Economy.” The National Bureau of Asian Research, March 7, 2013.

Early Education in China: The Exciting History

mturner2 / April 6, 2014May 6, 2015 / Education

By Matt Turner

The Opium War

Examples from the Thousand Character Classic, made by the Wikipedia user Wjfy

Early childhood education in China can be traced well over a millennium into the past with The Thousand Character Essay, the first basic literary text in Chinese history. It was written by Zhou Xingxi over 1500 years ago and was used by Chinese children in much the same way that the alphabet song is used by western children. It is still partly in use in many regions of China. The Hundred Family Surnames is another educational document that has survived for centuries. Although it was written nearly a millennium ago, the 504 surnames it contains are still used by 90% of all Chinese (Shi 2014). A final classical text memorized by children was the The Three-Character Classic, a poem consisting of couplets of three characters that emphasized Confucian values and behavior. Children had to memorize this poem before they could learn to read or write.

Confucian values were heavily emphasized in much of Chinese early education throughout the centuries. For most of Chinese history, early education was focused on preparing children for the massive and strenuous civil service examinations. A high placement on the exam would allow one to take a job in the government and often offered an escape from poverty, as all classes could take the test. However, since only males could be given government positions, for the most part, only boys were educated, and the girls who were educated were a small minority. Studying for the exam mainly involved memorization of Confucian texts and values.

However, as the 19^th century came and went, Confucianism began to fall out of favor. China suffered a series of defeats to foreign powers and was humiliated by the Unequal Treaty System. Thus, schools began to switch to a more western style of teaching, culminating with the abolishment of the civil service exam in 1905, changing early Chinese education forever.

The next few decades saw early Chinese education in a constant state of flux, with the 1911 Revolution, the Second Sino-Japanese War, and the Civil War rocking China to its very core. Even afterwards, the Cultural Revolution kept many from becoming educated and illiterate. It wasn’t until 1978 that a series of reforms helped Chinese schools to improve. In 1986, the government passed “Compulsory Education Law of the People’s Republic of China”, which sparked a flood of pro-educational reforms and policies such as the Education for All and Millenium Goals. Today compulsory education is available to 99.7% of the Chinese populace, an incredible number.

Early education continues to improve in China; it has been made a national priority and over 100 million children have been given early education of a much higher quality (Vauqhan 1993). However, great challenges remain, and China’s government must be willing to put even more work into this incredibly important issue.

For more information on Early Education in China, check out these blogs:

Early Educaiton in China: Progression of Society

Early Education in China: Effects on Higher Education

Early Education in China: Culture

Citations:

Shi, Evelyn. “Bai Jia Xing: The Hundred Surnames.” China International Travel Service. China International Travel Service, n.d. Web. 4 Apr 2014. <http://www.cits.net/china-guide/china-traditions/baijiaxing-names.html>.

Vauqhan, Joan. “Early childhood education in China.”Childhood Education. 69.4 (1993): 196. Print.

The Ten-Year Long Nightmare: The Cultural Revolution

yhu / November 30, 2012May 6, 2015 / Cultural Revolution

By A. Nichols

On March 15^th 2012, when Xinhua released the news that the political superstar, Party chief of Chongqing Bo Xilai was replaced by Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang, many people felt relieved. He was believed to be one of the most radical Maoist members in the Political Bureau, and his political moves in Chongqing indicated the resurgence of the Neo-Cultural Revolution. Chinese people are afraid of any signs of the Cultural Revolution in the 21^st century because of what they learned from the ten-year long Cultural Revolution under Mao’s iron fist.

All classes of people suffered during the Cultural Revolution, including the Red Guards who almost took control of China’s cities from 1966 through 1968. The Red Guards were formed under Mao’s order and dismissed for the same reason. They were mainly teenagers who came from high schools and colleges, because the government abolished the higher education system, the Red Guards became the only occupation available to them. Schools became their battlefield: they humiliated their teachers, assaulted the “Five Black Categories”, smashed the “Four Olds”, and many innocent people lost their lives. The casualties also included many Red Guards who died in the “violence struggles” with other Red Guard “gangs”. After 1968, again, under Mao’s order, many of those young Red Guards turned into Rusticated Youth of China and went to the countryside to help build infrastructure and agriculture system. Far away from Beijing and other big cities, they were forced to stay in the countryside once they were married to the locals. Peasants and soldiers,who had highest social classes according to Mao, turned against these Rusticated Youths. They were used as laborers and many girls were raped by the officials. The trauma caused by this movement remained in their minds forever.

People Demonstrating Their Love Toward Mao Zedong, Photo By Yohei Yamashita

Ordinary people did not have a good time during the Cultural Revolution either. The unfortunate ones, who had connections with Taiwan or the United States, were likely to go to Struggle Meetings in their work units. These usually lasted for five hours daily according to Nian Cheng’s experiences. Some of them would go to prison, and others committed suicide in order to let their relatives survive. Cheng’s grandparents’ monthly salary remained at 105 yuan for ten years, but the price for livestock kept climbing. But it is still better than most of the families who lost their beloved during this nightmare.

Street view during the Cultural Revolution photo by Yohei Yamashita

There were some high level Communist officials who didn’t escape from the terror of the Cultural Revolution, either. President Liu Shaoqi and Vice President He Long died in prison just because they had some opposite political views with Mao Zedong. Mao’s bootlickers, including the Gang of Four, used this opportunity to gain their political capital, while others like Zhou Enlai and Chen Boda were tried their best to save historical relics from the Red Guards’ destructions.

There are reasons why people are afraid of another Cultural Revolution, because the only ones who will gain benefits from the disaster are Opportunists while other people suffer. May this day never come.

The Rise of China During the Soviet Demise

akaonga / November 30, 2012May 6, 2015 / Assessing China's History, Cultural Revolution, Economics, Politics

By A. Nichols

In the 1900’s, the USSR’s GDP was higher than that of China. Today, however, it is China’s GDP which is higher. The swap was due to a multitude of reasons including better reform decisions and work culture in China than in the USSR. Furthermore, the USSR used prisoners of war as mass laborers, who did shabby work because they resented it. China’s mass laborers (who were Chinese), on the other hand, felt obliged to work for their motherland, and thus did better work.

Photo of Sputnik, the first satellite in space. By Cliff1066

The Soviet Union spent a huge proportion of its GDP on the military, reducing funding to other sectors of the economy. This reduced economic growth. China comparatively spent a small proportion of its GDP on its military. China, therefore, had enough left to spend on other economic activities, thus burgeoning economic growth. In the 1970’s, China allowed some level of capitalism in its economy and individuals set up companies, thereby expanding growth. The USSR didn’t allow any individual to establish a company, and so did not get the benefit that comes from an increase in companies: higher revenue. Also, the abundance of cheap labor in China attracted foreign investment, further expanding job creation and growth. Russia at that time lacked, and still lacks, abundant cheap labor. This discouraged foreign investment, leaving investment largely to the sole local investor, the state.

When both countries reformed in the 1980’s, China opened up to general ideas from the West about economic reform, and these copious ideas led to a greater understanding of how the economy works. China then used these to properly rearrange its economy in a way that has now made the country prosperous.

Chengdu, China. Photo by jdklub.

Russia, on the other hand, believing that the West had nothing to teach them, utterly rejected reform ideas from the West, thus, limiting the reform options that the Soviets could have had. This led to poor reform decisions, which consequently led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union also dismissed globalization, equating it to Americanization. This meant that Russia did not get the benefit of trade, more income. China, on the other hand, opened up to globalization, exporting numerous goods, and is now enjoying a high rate of growth due to the exports.

A human rights protest. Photo by hunxue-er.

However, China might collapse just like the Soviet Union did. Many Chinese citizens now resent their government for its repression, brutality, and high corruption. If these vices of the government accelerate, people could revolt. A specific example would be the repression of the Tibetans, and the Uyghurs in Xinjiang province. Just like the Soviet republics of Georgia and Ukraine started to demand secession from the Union, residents of Tibet and Xinjiang are also demanding secession from China. Simply put, despite China having achieved more than the Soviet Union, it could end up disintegrating just like it.

The High Socialist Period

khammett / November 30, 2012May 6, 2015 / Assessing China's History, Cultural Revolution, Politics

By A. Nichols

Socialist Revolution — http://www.rationalrevolution.net/images/maopla51.jpg

When first introduced to China at the end of the 1940’s, socialism seemed like a good idea.[1] During the first decade of the revolution, beneficial reforms were made on behalf of the working class in China. In the wake of these reforms came a reign of terror and death that claimed the lives of millions. In hindsight we must ask ourselves if the High Socialist Period in China ultimately benefited the country.

During the early years of the Mao Zedong’s leadership, beneficial reforms were made in the areas of new marriage laws and land redistribution. In China women were treated little better than servants. Recognizing that women were a key part of his revolutionary society, Mao Zedong “outlawed arranged marriages.”[2]

Mao Zedong also instituted land reforms that greatly benefited the Chinese people. In the early 1950’s, rural land reforms were achieved by passing rent reductions for farmers and workers, which allowed them to increase the productivity of their land.

Child of the Revolution — http://mikeely.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/expression-during-great-proletarian-cultural-revolutin-in-tibet.jpg

Many believed that the social reforms and changes Mao Zedong put in place would last and would ultimately benefit China. The myth of the new socialist order was finally exposed in 1956 and 1957 with the Anti-Rightist and Hundred Flowers movements.

During the Anti-Rightist campaign, large numbers of arrest warrants were distributed.[3] In the 1958, the Anhui province was given an arrest quota of 45,000 people. “Officials surpassed the quota with 101,000 arrests.”[4]

Following the Anti-Rightist movement came the Great Leap Forward. Ordered to produce enough iron to meet district’s quotas, communes would melt down all their kitchen and farm implements into useless lumps of iron. Communities also had grain quotas they had to meet for the Party. To gain favor, officials would exaggerate the quantity of grain their district produced. As a result, communities were left without food.

Drought, flooding, and exhausted resources led to a famine that ravaged China until 1962. At least twenty million died from starvation in what became known as the largest famine in history.

http://blstb.msn.com/i/58/DDB5C63AE123D0294BCF3B4AAA3E1E.jpg

No one can deny that during the first few years of the revolution progress was made in raising the quality of life for the men and women of the working class. However, Mao Zedong’s drive to create a Communist state led to a catastrophe in China, claiming the lives of over forty-five million people.[5] The implementation of Mao’s well-intentioned reforms resulted in the death of millions and brought untold suffering to the Chinese people.

[1] China: A Century of Revolution (Three Disc Set). DVD. Directed by Sue Williams. Toronto: Zeitgeist Films, 2007.

[2] Spence. The search for modern China, 376.

[3] Wasserstrom. China in the 21st century: what everyone needs to know.

[4] Michael Fathers. “A Most Secret Tragedy The Great Leap Forward aimed to make China an industrial giant—instead it killed 45 million.” Wall Street Journal (New York City), October 16, 2012, U.S. edition, sec. Life and Culture. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444180004578015170039623486.html?KEYWORDS=michael+father+great+leap+forward.

[5] Fathers. “A Most Secret Tragedy The Great Leap Forward aimed to make China an industrial giant—instead it killed 45 million.”

The Chinese Cultural Revolution to the Citizens

bkreutzberg / November 29, 2012May 6, 2015 / Cultural Revolution

By A. Nichols

The Great Proletarian Revolution took place, under Mao Zedong’s rule, around 1966 and ended around 1976. He wanted to establish a more effective bureaucracy for his nation but also to keep a nation plunged in chaos. Mao organized a group of young people whose goal was to spread the idea of socialism around China. This was an economic and social campaign of the Communist Party of China which aimed to use China’s vast population to rapidly transform the country from an agrarian economy into a modern communist society through the process of rapid industrialization and collectivization. It resulted, however, in millions of Chinese dead and came to be a heavy financial cost to China. The Cultural Revolution, instead of creating a better China, left a negative impact on the people and the economy of China.

The focus of my research on this time period is placed on how the treatment of people changed over the political course that was taken during the Cultural Revolution. The Revolution can be described as a time where young Chinese citizens, or Red Guards, united for a democratic society. One main idea of the Revolution was the belief that school should be simpler. The thought was that the more books a person read, the more unintelligent they became. Mao’s goal was to brainwash Chinese society and create Chinese citizens that would grow up to be mindless and uneducated. Chinese youths were encouraged to openly criticize the liberals in the Chinese Communist Party, and the government also began to require that the values of the Cultural Revolution be taught in all schools. Many students were forced into work in the countryside in order to gain the viewpoints and ideals of the hardworking Chinese citizens. Four million college graduates and sixteen million students ended up on farms to perform manual labor during this era. China wasted many talented individuals this way.

In order to be successful, the Communist Party officials had to be good at discovering and separating the reactionary rightists from the revolutionary leftists in the community. The Party strengthened and developed the ranks of leftists, thus displaying a perk to being on the side of the revolution. They then said to concentrate all forces to strike on the handful of ultra-reactionary bourgeois rightists and counter-revolutionary revisionists. The purpose was to expose and criticize their crimes against the Party, against socialism and against Mao Tse-tung’s thought, so as to isolate them to the fullest. During this time, there was no interpersonal trust between citizens. Family members would even turn in one another to authorities over a comment that may have seemed to have a rightist viewpoint. These Anti-Rightist campaigns were instigated by Chairman Mao Zedong and saw to the political persecution of an estimated 550,000 Chinese citizens.

Gangs of hundreds and sometimes thousands of citizens (students) began to multiply around China from so many disagreements around the nation and often led to violent encounters. In the city of Changsha, one gang that had failed to dislodge their rivals from within a building returned with anti-aircraft missiles.

One former Red Guard described Changsha at the time as,

“… absolutely terrifying. Bullets whistled in the streets, and the roar of a motorcycle or the wail of a siren meant violence and tragedy. There was a 9 p.m. curfew and no one wanted to go out during the day unless he had to; there were many reports of the deaths of innocent vegetable buyers by stray bullets” (Hore).

Unfortunately, while they did move their economy forward slightly through the course of Revolution, China’s government did not manage to escape the corruption that has plagued their citizens since the Communist Party began. Until citizens are given full freedom and the ability to comfortably speak out against the government without being interfered with, they will continue to have internal problems and issues with living satisfaction from the people.