So, China.
The Chinese are both dirty and cleaner than us, both more stupid and more intelligent than us, both more powerful and less powerful than us, both more developed and less developed than us.
Hard things to find in China:
Deodorant
Bleach
Loo freshener
A highway code
English speakers
Cheap hotels
A universal electoral system
Cheap coffee
So they say China is still 'developing' but in many ways China demonstrates that it has already developed and is 'developing' in the same sense that EU countries like Greece or Portugal are developing.
The Chinese invented (or 'developed'), amongst other things:
Gunpowder (which was used only in fireworks due to a fear of those in power that if used for military means, the complex feudal system with its Confucian hierarchy would collapse. Not so the West: they used gunpowder to wage wars with each other and also in order to forcibly open China up to trade against its will)
The compass (many claim that due to this factor and the expertise of Chinese shipbuilding that Columbus was holding a map drawn by the Chinese when he first 'discovered' America, indeed, what was Columbus's main incentive for going 'West'? In order to find a Western passage to India and China, home of the 'spice' as well as silk, tea, opium, porcelain; things which originated in China. It is also claimed that China 'discovered' Antartica, Australia, South America and Cuba. See 1421 by Gavin Menzies for more on this.)
The cultivation of silk
The cultivation of tea
Porcelain (1000years before Europe partly due to the unavailability of 'kaolin' clay in the 'West')
The seed drill
The wheelbarrow (1000years before Europe)
Iron casting (1000years before Europe)
Writing
Paper (1000years before Europe)
The printing press (650years before its first use in Europe)
Magnetism (the floating magnet and magnetic declination, both 200 years before Europe)
Shipbuilding advancements such as efficient sails (mat and batten principle), stern-post rudder and watertight compartments.
Given all of the above, why did China not become a colonial power in the same way that European countries became as a result of similar 'technological' advances? Why also did China become 'victim' of the exploits of the British East India Company and the British Government as well as 'victim' of other colonial powers such as the Germans, the Portugese and the Japanese? Was it the opium?
Perhaps the main reason for China's falling behind and its destruction by predominantly European powers (and Japan, lest we forget)is its collectivism vs the individualism of 'our' capitalist, Western world. We were colonisers in the name of trade, private entrerprise and personal enrichment.
But China...what do we really know about China besides the fact that their language has no word for yes and no 'to be' verb? (this claim has been independantly verified by a Linguist [1])
I have read your composition which be called China 2005. It's a big surprise for me! Even i
haven't knew such news. in the end you ask why did China not become a colonial power in the same way that European countries became as a result of similar 'technological' advances? i
think the answer is the corrupt government at that time. Do you know Qing dynasty? It is the last feodal dynasty in China. People hated those governors in Qing. Huang Pan (English Student and comrade, China)
see; Moriarty