By Katie Salisbury
Reprinted from the winter 2006 issue of the Stanford Journal of International Relations
Turn over any object you own, look on the backside, and there you will most likely see these words printed: Made in China. A country that sounds at once exotic and as ordinary as the school cafeteria sporks (plastic utensils that are a combination of forks and spoons) imported from it, China is rapidly becoming a major player on the world scene. Since the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976, and the institution of the Reform and Opening-up by Deng Xiaoping, the country has witnessed a tremendous amount of economic, political, and cultural change.
Though the rest of the world has not been blind to this transformation and many foreign companies are beginning to profit from early investments in China's emerging market economy, the effects of change have been most significantly felt from within the borders of the country. Walking down a Shanghai street past countless skyscrapers into a local Haode convenience store to choose among a dozen different brands of toothpaste is now an ordinary occurrence, but while thirty years ago it would have seemed unfathomable to any Chinese proletarian.
Chinese citizens are being faced with freedom of choice like never before, but the choices they make are increasingly influenced by the way in which they perceive the often idealized, Western world. Every major city in China offers a regular selection of expensive luxury item stores such as Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Gucci, Ferrari, and Tiffany's. In Beijing, both sides of the freeway are crowded with gigantic billboards advertising new housing developments or as they are more aptly called, villas. As an American, I cannot help but react with amused surprise to the English titles given to these luxury apartments, names like Beijing Euro Village, Thames Town, Park Avenue, or even Yosemite.
For the few who can afford it, and even for those who cannot, luxury has become the way to live. Stories about young women who line up to buy the latest Louis Vuitton bag with money saved up from over a year's worth of paychecks, only to push and shove their way back onto the public transit bus and head back to their small, cramped apartments are not uncommon. Bustling metropolises like Beijing and Shanghai may boast their share of ten story shopping malls complete with modern accommodations, and American franchises like Starbucks, KFC, or McDonalds seem to set up business on every city block, but there is a flipside to this picture. Beggars and cripples still wander the streets, migrant workers from rural towns struggle to find a decent job in the big cities, vendors trying to make a living hawk their wares on the street, and young boys toil late into the night in hardhats on construction sites.
At times, the stratification of classes and the visibly widening gap between rich and poor is astounding. The reality of change is that not everyone will reap its benefits in the short run and even a new, booming market economy will not fix the ills of Mao Zedong's totalitarian regime overnight. For a Democracy-loving American living in China, it is easy to despair at vestiges of the enduring reign of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Red propaganda banners draped across gates or along sidewalk walls urge Chinese citizens to support the CPC’s latest campaign or project, a sign that the patriarchal, controlling presence of the CPC is still very real. As long as the CPC maintains its grasp on power, the Party’s agenda will continue to be conservative and self-serving. Progressive reforms that would benefit the whole country and that might even strengthen the central government’s authority are routinely quashed; the CPC opposes freedom and democratic values because it fears the ultimate demise of its monopoly on power.
Nevertheless, change has already been set into motion, and China has started on an irreversible path towards industrial development, economic growth, and modernization. No longer closed off and isolated from the influence of the rest of the world, China joined the international community and became a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) since 2001, and as such it cannot ignore modern standards of justice and order. If businesses and corporations are to continue to invest and set up operations in China, they must be able to rely on an efficient and fair legal system to ensure the protection of their financial assets. International Human Rights activists will also continue to pressure China to adopt universal standards for the protection of human rights.
On a humid summer morning walking through Fuxing Park in the old French Concession area of Shanghai, I find the park full of life. Old men, camouflaged by park foliage, practice Tai Chi, a group of men and women dance everything from salsa to the waltz, an activity forbidden during the Cultural Revolution, and in the corner, a group of patriotic citizens sing impassioned renditions of old Communist tunes. Life goes on as it always has, enduring through times good and bad, and despite moments of frustration and feelings of doubt about the future, China is still a place where a sense of optimism and potential can be felt in the air.
Katie Salisbury is a senior at Stanford University.
Back
|
Beijing is to host the Summer Olympics in 2008.
___________
Shanghai is to host the Expo in 2010. |
