U.S.-China Mutual Trust Committee
Historical and Cultural Context of China’s Perspectives on the World
We examine three corresponding topics in Chinese history that shed light on how China views the world:
China’s Tributary System
In exchange for tributes from neighboring and other trading countries, the Chinese Emperor, ruling by a mandate from Heaven, granted them border protection and sovereignty over their own land. This peaceful system lasted for more than two thousand years until its collapse following the Opium Wars…
Chinese in the U.S.
Since the Gold Rush, hard-working habits among Chinese immigrants frequently led to hostilities from local citizens who feared for their livelihood. The resulting Chinese Exclusion Act was on the books for 61 years until its repeal in 1943…
China in the 21st Century
Fifty years after Deng Xiaoping began market reform China has grown to be the second largest economy in the world and become a global trading partner. It has It has raised 800 million of its citizens out of poverty, and resumed peaceful trading with its worldwide neighbors. Similar to its age-old tribute system, China has continued to respect each neighbor’s sovereignty over its own form of government…