China

Seeing as Hong Kong is bordering mainland China, the impetus to explore this great country has only gotten stronger since my arrival. After spending the last 4 days doing nothing but studying ahead in my courses (hence no blogging), tonight I embark on a 9 day trip of one of the most intriguing countries in the world.

Where to start? China's spot in the international limelight has only increased with the opening up of its economy under Deng Xiaopeng following the death of chairman Mao in 1976. Since then it hasn't looked back, and in 2009 it became the largest market for passenger cars in the world. In 2010 it had the worlds largest manufacturing output, which now accounts for 20% of the global total. The image of China in the West, mostly bashed for its one-party system and intervening government, as well as its unpopular policies for not letting its currency float or its stance on human rights, is mainly one of ignorant fear - what is China, and what are they capable of?

However, China is much more than an economy. With a land area of 9,5 million square kilometers, it is only slightly smaller than the United States of America. Its geography is perhaps even more diverse, with the Gobi desert and harsh climate of Mongolia in the North-West, the Himalaya's to the South West, the rugged forested region of South Central (Sichuan province, home of the Giant Panda), the central basins settled around the Yangzi and the Yellow rivers, and the flatter, more prosperous regions on the Eastern coast. Chinese dynestical history spans more than 4000 years, and from the rise of the Qin Dynasty in 221 B.C, imperial China would last over 2000 years till 1911. Arguably the most advanced nation in the world before the Enlightenment, China invented paper-making, the compas, and printing, as well having utilized gunpower-inventions by the 10th Century.

Having spent a brief time learning about Chinese history, several interesting topics surface. Trade with Europe was not something which China wanted, but the outrageous demand for spices, silk, and porcelain from Europe meant the China allowed some trade. The Macartney embassy from England's King George III in 1793 to open up more trade ports, ease restrictions on trade quantities, and establish a permanent embassy in Beijing was seen as an unacceptable demand and refused, marking the start of strained relations between the two nations which ultimately led to the Opium Wars.

Another factor in history is stability. China's size has meant it has been virtually impossible to sustain peace. Chinese history is littered with wars, blood feuds, raids from the North, and civil uprising. European history can relate, with the downfall of the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire, the implosion of the Holy roman Empire into fragmented houses such as the Habsburgs, the demise of seafaring nations such as Portugal and the Netherlands, as well as the decline of influence for empires such as England, France and Russia. Even America, applauded for its muliculturalism, is only some 250 years old, and was founded on the promise of individual freedom, alliviating freuds concerning politics and family status, and the vast amount of space meant conflicts were limited.
China has realized the effect of war on its country, and as such pursues stability before all else, notably the rights of the individual (something the Americans especially oppose) and self-sustainability in the international community (a huge strategic advantage).

The lure of this journey has been Beijing, apparently one can spend weeks there and not get bored. It boasts the Forbidden City, Mao's maosoleum, the Great Wall of China and Tiananmen Square, just to name a few, but I can only afford to spend 5 days there. Then the idea is to travel south to Shanghai on the high-speed train, spend a couple of days there, and then work my way inland to Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, a large inland port city (some 10 million citizens) on the Yangzi river. Finally, a long over-night train will get me back down to Shenzhen and across the border.