China Rises

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the information presented in the video. Of course my favorite chapter was the discussion on food and agriculture (surprise, surprise) in Chinas growing economy. Chinas consumption of arable land and the rate at which it is being paved over sends chill down my spine. How could a country with so many starving people neglect such a resource? Easy, MONEY……. The video has it everywhere, the glamour’s lights of a shanghai night, zealous consumption of land, food, labor and natural resources for the soul purpose of becoming rich.

Throughout the documentary hints of rebellion and uprising are common. There are many examples of how the government has oppressed the people and what negative influences it has had on the lives of not just individuals but families and entire communities. However, if what this documentary is saying is true, the balance of that power seems to be shifting slowly back toward the people. As artists and musicians are allowed to express themselves more openly, messages to the public can bring anger and uprising. In my opinion China is spending to much time focusing its energies outward on global superiority and not inward on its peoples well being. This may just be the beginning though.

Do not get me wrong, I see Chinas growth as a positive thing for both the world’s economy and China. The opportunity and increasingly better life style available to an urban Chinese citizen proves progress is being made, though the conditions in there outlying provinces are nowhere near the level I believe necessary to be considered a developed nation. As negative as I was in the above paragraphs on land consumption, I also see it as an opportunity for myself. If China continues to neglect its natural resources, like the leather factory river and the sand dunes which once used to be fields of green, nations such as the US can profit by either supplementing these resources or consulting on there rejuvenation.

Simply based upon the information given in the video, I have a very pessimistic view of Chinas ability to sustain there growth under current conditions. What if the 2008 Olympics turn into a peasant revolt, unlikely as that is, how then will China be perceived by the world? How would it handle the situation if it did happen? Would countries such as France and UK approve of there tactics?