Background: For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight.
January 8th 2007Asia » China » Jilin We came to Changchun for one reason only: to see the palace of Puyi, the famous "Last Emperor" of China who's life has been the feature of several books and an academy-award winning movie. I read th ... 7 photos[full story]
January 11th 2008Asia » China » Jilin Internet access is very random in this city known as Yanji. And so updates of my life here will also be very random. In fact, every aspect of my life feels very random here. I am currently typing on a ... [full story]
December 24th 2007Asia » China » Jilin And so I didn't go to Australia, thinking that I wouldn't have the funds, and now I find myself in Yanji. What a place! They heat with coal, making the air so smoggy that it is worse than Beijing!! Th ... [full story]
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