An Economic Geography of China [antikvár]

INTRODUCTION In this book it is the author's intention to give a description and analysis of the country and the economy of the people from a geographical standpoint, having particular reference to the development and changes that have taken place since 1949. But, because we are dealing with a country deeply immersed in a communist revolution, the purpose of which is nothing less than the conversion of a quarter of the earth's population to a radical change of outlook and way of life, we shall often have to modify our conventional western geographical approacli. In Chiná today politics impinge at every point. There is constant emphasis in every field, on the farm, in the factory, in the school, in the office, and in generál, political i.e., ideological correctness as the sine qua non of success. It is held that correct thought will determine correct action in all fields, political, economic, social, military, recreational, cultural, even geographical. While thought cannot materially affect basic geographical phenomena such as relief, climate, mineral resources, it can and does vitally affect man's use of his environment. This is a fact that communists in generál—and Chinese communists in particular—have seized on, and it is the reason why, in season and out of season, they seek to mould men's minds with all means in their power. The Chinese Communist Party (C.C.P.) has set itself to build a modern socialist state and to do this it must create a socialistically-minded people. Unless this fact is understood and held constantly in mind, most of what has happened in the last two decades makes no sense. It is a colossal undertaking for it is nothing less than an attempt to convert somé 700 millión people (80% of whom are of conservative peasant stock and nearly all of whom have a long Confucian heritage) from an individualistic and clannish outlook to a national and international outlook in which the greatest good is held to be 'the good of the people'. The years ahead alone will prove the success or failure of this endeavour. Many reports seem to show that somé initial headway has been made, witness the enthusiasm and willing-ness of farmers to share their agricultural experience and of technicians and workers to share knowledge of successful experiments in industry. It remains to be seen how far this spirit can be extended and how long it can be maintained. The subject of China is charged with emotions—and consequently with much inaccurate information—for all1. Accounts of developments in China during the last 20 years, whether emanating from China itself or from the West, have often been written with so much bias and sometimes with deliberate intent to mislead, that the formation of correct conclusions becomes elusive. It is very difficult to prevent preconceived ideas and morál judgments from intruding into what is intended to be a scientific study. For instance, when dealing with communes, a real effort will be needed to exclude a mass of erroneous data, particu-larly in regard to the family, that has gathered round the subject. When matters of personal freedom and standards of living arise, it is difficult not to project western standards on to a situation to which they are not really relevant. The more enlightening comparisons, political and economic, are those between pre-1949 and post-1949 China rather than between China and the West.