Home | P.R.C. Modern Chinese History
In this section on modern history of China we cover the last one hundred years. Our History section gives full coverage of the dynastic period from earliest times. The Republic of China was founded on January 1st 1912, and we include pages on the Peoples Republic that was founded in 1949, the leaders of the P.R.C. and also the unique system of Chinese government . Looking both backwards and forwards there is coverage of China's ambitious program of space exploration ; some musings on China's likely future trajectory , its economy and that formative experience for the founding P.R.C. leaders : the Long March .
Leaders of Modern China Modern History The leadership of the People's Republic since 1949 has been one of stability with an emphasis of continuity and steady progress. This was not the case in the early years. With China such a major power it is important to understand the background to the handful of people who have led China in a new direction. Read more…
Toad Frogs and toads are valued in China because they keep down insect pests on crops. In some regions their name is similar to qián 'money, coin' and this has given them an association with good fortune and luck. Read more…
Epic and formative episode in the rise of the Communists Modern History The epic tale of the struggle of thousands of soldiers over thousands of miles of challenging terrain has been held up as the chief heroic episode in the early days of the Communist party. It was during the Long March that Mao Zedong emerged as leader with his own vision for the future of China. Read more…
Treaty Ports in China All about the exploitation of China by foreign powers from the Ming dynasty to the foundation of the PRC in 1949. The establishment of foreign enclaves within most Chinese cities one hundred years ago led to many frictions with the foreign powers, particularly Britain. The treaty port system forcibly opened up cities to foreign trade in late Qing dyansty China. Read more…
The building of China's railways The building of railways became a competitive scramble between foreign powers in the late 19th and early 20th century. Railways were seen as the key first step to opening up inland China for trade. Britain, France, Germany, Japan and America all invested in the building of them only for the investment to be lost in the following years of turmoil. Read more…
May the Fourth 1919 Modern History The Chinese reaction to the Versailles Treaty was the major turning point in modern Chinese history. Widespread student protests throughout the country led to a change in government policy and a refusal to sign the treaty. It was a nationalist movement calling for solidarity againt foreign exploitation that was eventually to lead to a militarized Guomindang as well as the foundation of the Chinese Communist Party. Read more…
Wed 29th MayChinese traditional medicine backed by UN For thousands of years Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been used very widely in China. The World Health Organization (special agency of the UN) has aroused some debate by publicly supporting TCM as a legitimate medicinal option by including a chapter on it in their global compendium.
Since the PRC was founded in 1949 China has supported both the Western system of medicine and the Traditional. Initially this was a necessity as funds could not support the rapid creation of a Western system of hospitals and medicines for 1,000 million people. Since then there has been a drift towards using both systems for different purposes. For injuries and infections Western treatments are sought while for long-term and minor ailments the traditional system is used. Another factor is cost, China does not have a free health service and so a cheap TCM treatment is attractive compared to a hospital visit. Many Chinese believe TCM can be a good preventive before a disease takes hold.
One of the main concerns about TCM is that quite a few remedies require parts of endangered animals. With increased prosperity these supposed cures for arthritis; impotence and so on have become increasingly sought after. However many ingredients are from common plants and fungi and do not give the same cause for concern as with tigers, pangolins, sea horses and other animals. Acupuncture and moxibustion are part of TCM and these do not require ingesting dubious ingredients.
The main criticism has always been that it has unproven efficacy; however some of the ingredients have been shown to have useful medical properties. The use of herbal medicine in Europe only came to an end in the early 20th century. Every village would have a herbalist with there own special potions. Here also some treatments were beneficial, many of no demonstrable effect (placebo) and a few were dangerously toxic. In China the government spent considerable effort in the 1970s and 80s to choose the ones that are beneficial and this is one reason why TCM has better credentials than remedies from elsewhere.
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Superpower China Modern History An in-depth overview of the position of China in the world and its likely development in the future. China is on track to being the leading super-power before too long. There is worldwide speculation on where the future will take China. For thousands of years China was by any measure the top nation on Earth, and so it seems natural that after 150 years of turmoil China will become the leading country again. In this page we speculate on what this might mean to China and the rest of the world. Read more…
Modern History Index People's Republic of China - Future - Leaders - Government - Space Exploration - Economy - Long March - Republic of China - May 4th Movement Copyright © Chinasage 2012 to 2019
