From the time of the rise of Chinese civilization, 4,000 years ago, until the year 1978, many things have happened. China became a great empire in the 2nd century BC. a., when the construction of the Great Wall began to defend itself from the Mongols. In the 13th century, the country began to have contact with the Western world. In the Opium War, the Chinese fought against British imperialism, however, they ended up losing the territory of Hong Kong. For the French, they lost Vietnam; the Russians conquered northern areas of their territory; and Japan took Korea and Taiwan. The Chinese also saw the Japanese occupy Manchuria; this situation only ended with the defeat of Japan in World War II.
In 1949, the communists, under the leadership of Mao Tsé-Tung, seized power and carried out numerous changes, nationalizing companies and landholdings and promoting dictatorship. In 1950, China approached the Soviet Union, also entering the Korean War. After Tse-Tung's death in 1976, Deng Xiaoping and his allies took power and set the country on other tracks.
Starting in 1978, China initiated a series of economic reforms, which were based on abundant state subsidies, aiming to make the country a major exporter of low-cost products and seeking to attract heavy foreign investment. With such measures, the country faced a very significant economic growth. Due to cheap labor, hundreds of foreign companies were attracted to the country, making it a true exporting power.
In 1989, even with the end of the USSR, China remained with its closed regime. Basically, the economic policy adopted by the Chinese during this period was based on supporting multinationals, which gradually changed the profile of the Chinese economy. The state strove to guarantee ample infrastructure, energy, raw materials and cheap labor, all that the multinationals wanted. What these foreign companies brought to China was technology, which was essential to the country's modernization.
With mass production, the prices of Chinese products were very cheap compared to other markets, giving the country a fantastic competitiveness in the international market. Who has never found the famous phrase “Made in China” in any product? The State sought to further accelerate economic growth through heavy investments in the construction of ports, airports, bridges, railways, etc.
Currently, with a frightening level of economic growth, China faces new challenges. The main one perhaps is precisely that of reducing dependence on foreign trade, of multinational companies, and trying to build an economy similar to the Western one, based on domestic consumption, on cutting-edge technology and in services. Even so, this "economic revolution" served to lift 400 million people out of poverty. The truth is that no one really knows how far the Chinese can go.
By James Dantas
Brazil School Team
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China - geography - Brazil School
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
DANTAS, James. "Made in China: How did China become a power?"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/china/made-in-china-como-china-virou-potencia.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
