china: the former and the next hegemon

8/11/2019 CHINA: THE FORMER AND THE NEXT HEGEMON

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CHINA : THE FORMER AND THE NEXT HEGEMON

A Chinese proverb and I quote, behind an able man there are always other

able men !" To avoid se#is$ %ith the phrase, &et $e '&& in $an %ith the %ord person !

(hat the quote is i$p&)in* is that ever) individua& thou*h he or she is independent,he or she sti&& re+ ons on to the peop&e around hi$ or her &i e the -a$i&),

subordinates, +iti.ens, -o&&o%ers, +o/%or ers, prede+essors and su+h! 0et $e *ive a

+on+rete e#a$p&e, I a$ an individua& but I sti&& depend to $) -a$i&) %ith $)

ne+essities, to $) tea+hers -or $) a+ade$i+s and s+hoo& stu1s and to $) -riends -or

+o$pan)! Thou*h ever) person is an individua&, he or she +annot &ive a&one, at so$e

point in his or her &i-e, he or she %i&& need peop&e to &ean on! 2ou $i*ht as $e %h) I

used su+h proverb as a starter, pri$ari&) be+ause $) paper %i&& ta+ &e about the

Chinese +ivi&i.ation so I intended to be*in %ith su+h!

The Chinese +ivi&i.ation is indeed and ri*hteous to be +a&&ed as the world's

oldest surviving civilization ! It +an be tra+ed that the Chinese +ivi&i.ation has been in

e#tant -or about ut$ost -our $i&&ennia a*o and +ontinues to b&osso$ unti& no%! Fro$

the tit&e o- $) paper, I %as into statin* $) unpopu&ar opinion! I do be&ieve that even

ba+ the o&d da)s, Chinese are rea&&) into a+hievin* e1e+tive and e3+ient

*overnan+e and up to the present ti$es, it +an be +&ear&) seen ho% China boosts to

be+o$e the ne#t he*e$on, pre+edin* 4nited 5tates! I thin China has be+o$e the

&eadin* +ivi&i.ation be-ore and no%, the Chinese %ants to *et ba+ the +ro%n on+e

ta en -ro$ the$! It %as a +&ear/+ut pheno$enon that China has e#perien+ed division

and uni'+ation as %e&&!

Chinese +ivi&i.ation b&oo$ed near the 2e&&o% River or Huan*/Ho River! A

unique pe+u&iarit) o- the Chinese +ivi&i.ation is that its peop&e be&ieved %ith the

+on+ept o- Mandate of Heaven ! This +on+ept $eans that the &eaders have the

approva& o- the *ods in order to ta e +ontro& over the &and and the *overnan+e $ust

be +o$petent and su3+ient! On+e the &eaders be+o$e harsh and +rue&, the *ods %i&&

re$ove this $andate o- heaven -ro$ that d)nast) and this $andate %i&& be besto%ed

to another! Chinese +ivi&i.ation is a&so no%n -or its para$ount d)nasties! Its

traditiona& histor) has the rise and -a&& o- these various d)nasties and s+ho&ars thin

that the $andate o- heaven has *ot to do so$ethin* %ith these d)nasti+

deve&op$ents! To*ether %ith these para$ount d)nasties are the &on* and

%ithstandin* +ontributions o- these d)nasties that enri+hed the Chinese +u&ture!

De&vin* into the histor) o- China, the +&ash -or supre$a+) a$on* its states and



d)nasties has been an issue and this is one reason that +aused tur$oi&, rebe&&ions

and do%n-a&& o- the +ivi&i.ation!

(hat +an I sa)6 A$on* a&& the +ivi&i.ations, Chinese +ivi&i.ation is the

stron*est sin+e up to no% it +ontinues to rise! It has been *ivin* $u+h $ore+ontributions to a&& the +ountries throu*hout the %or&d! I thin that the di1erent

phi&osophies and re&i*ions %hi+h e$er*ed in China served as the +ountr)7s *uidin*

prin+ip&es to perpetuate sti&&! 5o$e o- the &e*a+ies o- the Chinese +ivi&i.ation are the

s)ste$ o- %ritin*, usa*e o- bron.e -or $eta&&ur*), Con-u+ianis$, Taois$, 0e*a&is$,

Great (a&& o- China, 5i& Road, paper, por+e&ain, astrono$), +a&endar, star $aps,

$a*neti+ +o$pass, seis$o*raph, %hee&barro%, $i&& %hee&, %ater +&o+ , sundia&,

*unpo%der, 're%or s, b&o+ printin*, +ivi& servi+e e#a$ination, +hopsti+ s, aba+us,

u$bre&&a -an, ite, -en* shui and $ore! The &ist o- the &e*a+ies o- Chinese +ivi&i.ation

is rea&&) end&ess!Chinese +ivi&i.ation is not as ta#in* and borin* to dis+uss un&i e the other

+ivi&i.ations! I thin one reason is that China is not that -ar -ro$ our +ountr)! 8oth the

9hi&ippines and China are Asian +ountries and the histor) per se o- China is

interestin* to stud)! A&& in a&&, I rea&&) 'nd Chinese +ivi&i.ation as a %e&& done

dis+ussion despite that on&) the ne+essar) points %ere ta+ &ed, so$e d)nasties and

e$perors %ere not dis+ussed but even su+h, it %as a &en*th) but -u&& o- +onsu$in*

and enthra&&in* ideas! 0oo in* at China toda), no %onder, I do be&ieve that the) %i&&

+ontinue to i$part so$ethin* to the $an ind! It is unquestionab&e that soon China

%i&& have its +ro%n and rei*n in the universe! China7s histor) is a+tua&&) interestin*

and %e +ou&d use $u+h ti$e ta+ &in* it!

RAMONE5, Gera&ine Mae !

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china: the former and the next hegemon

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