Do We Really Know China?

An Outsider’S View

Different cultures and civilizations have different perception of a history context and ideas. The Greek philosophers Socrates, Plato, Demosthenes, Aristotle, etc. shaped Western thought, Western logic and built our thought systems. Nowadays we need historical pluralism and to form a cohesive whole, especially in an increasingly multipolar world. It is said that Western people, from a European philosophical perspective, are only capable of addressing alternate philosophies using our own mindset. China historically saw its civilization as self-evident universal and did not feel the need to justify this in European terms. Despite the difficulties in comparing different cultures and civilizations, this text summarizes the influence between China and the West, Chinas soft power as well as the current situation of China and its way up the global ladder of power. The concept of Chineseness and the identity with the Sinosphere, a brief presentation of Chinas history, geopolitical influences, and industrial aspects, the foundation of Chinese thought, language and writing system as well as technological achievements, traditional medicine, arts, and cuisine are only some of the topics covered in the next pages. In addition more subjects are analyzed that provide an overview of the current global position of China, the countrys efforts for reform and global influence as well as its future potentials. These subjects dont fall far from discussing various economic and industrial facts like the integration of Chinese and European renewable energy markets, the made in China phenomenon, foreign policy, and the countrys position as a rising aid donor. After reading this book, it should become obvious that China sees herself as Chung-Kuo; that means the Middle Kingdom, the centre of the universe, and the worlds oldest culture and society. So one could say that this is what they are trying to do so they can make their country again the centre of todays world. But during their rise, which they characterize as peaceful, they need to maintain global balance and escape from potential unpleasant events, for example one could think of an analogy of US-China relations and the Thucydides trap. Its seems so far that all the odds are with them, their soft power in combination with political strategies, their ability to evolve and follow global trends in addition with a huge internal market brought China to its position today. But will China hold this place? Will the country rise to worlds number one, and in Chinas way to global dominance, are we expected to see any more reforms? It seems that all these are in the hands of the Chinese.