Geography

Posted: August 6th, 2013

China

“Middle Kingdom”

China is sometimes referred to as the “Middle Kingdom”. This term came along when it was first thought that China signifies an ancient empire. This ancient empire was called “Zhongyuan”, which means central region. China is “Zhongguo” in Chinese, meaning Middle Kingdom. The name “Zhongguo” was adopted by the Qing Empire whenever the empire was engaging in international treaties (Guo & Guo,). The Republic of China was established in 1912 after the Qing Empire was overthrown. “Zhongyuan” was where the central government and all the administrations were set up. It was the central point of Chinese civilization as all the empires located there considered themselves as “the only true civilization” (Guo & Guo,). The Middle Kingdom viewed itself as the center of the world as no neighboring countries could match up to its cultural values. The haughtiness that was associated with the Middle Kingdom was unsurpassed by its neighbors and the rest of the international countries. The Opium War saw the end of the empire of system hence the end of the Middle Kingdom and the emergence of the new western model of equal states and subsidiary colonies (Guo & Guo,).

Industrialization

            China’s industrialization has been growing steadily over the last 60 years making China the most powerful economy in the world. With the growth of industries in china, the economy has surpassed expectations. China exports more than half of the world’s industrial products to some of the leading industrialized countries. Technology plays a big part in the growth of industrialization in China. Technological advancements and energy regulations support the industries in China. China utilizes both domestic and international resources in its industries and this has opened up numerous opportunities for the country and the entire world market. Industrial development was also contributed by the growth in systems changes and mechanisms especially between 1978 and 2007. China’s industries enjoy steadfast growth and development because there is ready and cheap labor from the ever-growing Chinese population and ready market for their products from the rest of the world. The agricultural sector of china’s economy has not always been on the forefront in industrial development. However, this has changed as the industries and the agricultural sector have been working together to improve the economy of china and consequently that of the world (Kueh, 2008).