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From the Opium War to 1949: Social Chaos and Poverty

In: Japan versus China in the Industrial Race

Author

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  • Wei-Bin Zhang

    (Swedish Institute for Futures Studies)

Abstract

There are basically two interpretations of the slowness of China’s reaction to Western influences. The first is that the traditional Chinese order, within the limitations of its inherited technology and value system, had become a strongly integrated society over the centuries with institutions that had attained a high degree of sophistication. It could not easily adopt Western ways without a fundamental remaking of the entire social order. The second suggests that China’s political tradition inhibited the growth of a nation state. China lacked both the public sentiment and the political leadership necessary for a Japanese type of rapid ‘Westernisation’ with the Japanese ethos. But the two interpretations omit any emphasis on the importance of racial differences between the Manchu and the Han Chinese in affecting the paths of China’s modernisation.

Suggested Citation

  • Wei-Bin Zhang, 1998. "From the Opium War to 1949: Social Chaos and Poverty," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Japan versus China in the Industrial Race, chapter 5, pages 98-125, Palgrave Macmillan.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palchp:978-1-349-26813-9_6
    DOI: 10.1007/978-1-349-26813-9_6
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