DeJuana Covington
AC1102411
GE350-World Regional Geography
May 27,2011
China in terms of being the “Middle Kingdom,” population growth issues, and industrialization.
China in Mandarin Chinese in called Zhangguo, this really means “Middle Kingdom” when it is translated into English. The term Zhanggou originated from the Zhou dynasty’s belief that China was the center of civilizations in there part of the world, in which they truly were. They were not aware that in the western hemisphere of the world there were civilizations as well. It was not until the 1900’s that they firmly believed that they were the center of the world and what was surrounding them were savages. The term middle kingdom that China had adopted was surrounded by a firm belief. One of the biggest ones was on how they worked together and contributed much to their modern attitude towards the global economy.
The part of Chinas main beliefs that held true even to this day is that of family. Traditionally you find more families in China Working together than while farming and such which led to why they were so successful in the agriculture part of their economy, and why it has stuck around for so long. The industrialization of China did occur on a significant scale during the 1950’s. During what is known as the great leap forward, this plan was used from 1958-1961. It was used to transform China from an agriculturally led economy that relied heavily on peasant farmers and independent variables that were beyond human control (such as the weather), into what was a modern communist society through the process known as industrialization.
The one major back lash to all of this growth and advancement was Chinas forever growing population. There are a few factors that contribute to their rising population and they are as follows: China’s total fertility rate is 1.7, which means that on average each woman will give birth to 1.7 children throughout the continuation of her life. The necessary fertility rate for a reasonably stable population is 2.1: nonetheless, Chinas population is expected to break record highs and keep growing over the following decades. This can be contributed to immigration factors, and a decrease in infant mortality. Also decreases in death rate as national health improves. By late of last year, 2010, the expected population was estimated to be 1.4 billion people. It was estimated again around 2030 that the population was expected to decrease steadily.
In closing I would like to add that China is one of the fastest growing economic super powers. This is all from their vast knowledge and quick learning children to their old beliefs in family and agriculture. They will always have ways to improve their civilizations. As I said before China “the Middle Kingdom” will never let go of their beliefs and traditions, but the only thing that could hurt them would be the rising population as jobs grow scarce and living conditions become more aggressive and savage due to over population.
