Reflections on China

This is not a political post. I’m just reflecting on the rhetoric against and hostility towards China and why.
Most people only know China from the last 80 years from around WWII through the Cultural Revolution to Tiananmen Square, Tibet, Xinjiang, etc., so for many people Communist China is and has always been China.

China has been flexing her muscles and refusing to back down on a lot of issues, political or economic, and this has made a lot of countries very angry. I think we really need to know her history to understand why she refuses to be bullied.

China endured occupation by the Japanese during WWII, but her sovereignty was challenged during the humiliating Opium Wars. The West practically beat China into submission.

Also, remember China was ruled by the Manchus during the Qing Dynasty. Since the Manchus are not ethnically Chinese, the Chinese were essentially ruled by foreigners for almost 300 years before the Qing Dynasty was overthrown. Being told what to do by foreigners has been her recent history.

It was during the Qing Dynasty that the US became acquainted with China, especially with the stereotypical garb associated with Chinese people, which were imposed on them by the Qing rulers. Men wore long queues, that they were forbidden to cut off, that was a source of ridicule.

The bullied will no longer be a victim of bullying. Whether we agree with what China is doing, and there are a lot that most of us disagree on, none of it came without precedent. Her history has shaped her mentality. It will help understand her unwillingness to negotiate.

So, reader, I am asking for your thoughts on China. Do you think we should consider China’s history in order to understand her interactions with the rest of the world?

As always, please keep it civil and relevant. I promise I will refrain from commenting on your opinion, but I might be curious enough to ask questions to better understand your views.