Fearing China

The U.S. media and politicians tell us that China is a threat to our very survival, claiming that they take our jobs, pollute the world, repress their own people, and represent all that is opposed to our values and our way of life. However, Terry Wittenmyer takes on the media, the politicians, and the "experts" to show you why China should not be feared. Go on a journey of exploration to learn what's unfolding in China today, and along the way, discover important moments from China's past that influence its present. Look beyond the headlines and into the statistical facts and the untold "rest of the story," to better understand China's rise. With each chapter, you'll be challenged to consider a different path for U.S.-China relations-a path that considers China not as our greatest threat, but as our greatest opportunity. The news headlines warn us of the growing threats from China. We're warned to fear China's military buildup, which "threatens the Pacific region," and their exponential economic growth, which "is accomplished through currency manipulation and unfair trade practices." Each day brings new warnings and more reasons why we should fear China. But do the headlines tell the whole story, and is that story even accurate? Explore the truth behind the headlines as the reality of China is revealed. Should the U.S. counter China's growing military power? Is China the biggest threat to our cyberspace security? Is Trade with China destroying our economy? Are Chinese products like toys and food dangerous? Is China the most polluted country in the world? Should we refuse to work with China on technology? Is China stealing all that we create by ignoring intellectual property rights? Should the U.S. promote democracy in China? Are human rights in China ignored with the denial of basic freedoms like the right to vote, limits on freedom of speech, and a one-child policy? Is Chinese communism a threat to the West? Is a growing gap between rich and poor setting the stage for a grand revolution in China? Asking the question: Should we fear China?"

If China suddenly democratised, would it cease being labelled as a threat? This provocative book argues that fears of China often say as much about those who hold them as they do about the rising power itself. It focuses not on the usual trope of economic and military might, but on China's growing cultural influence and the connections between China's domestic politics and its attempts to brand itself internationally. Using examples from film, education, media, politics, and art, Who's Afraid of China? is both an introduction to Chinese soft power and a critical analysis of international reaction to it. It examines how the West's own past, hopes, and fears shape the way it thinks about and engages with China and argues that the rising power touches a nerve in the Western psyche, presenting a fundamental challenge to ideas about modernity, history, and international relations.

On the fear of China --Blinded by the Beijing consensus --New Cultural Revolution --Media offensive --Brand Confucius --Back to the future? --All under heaven --Yellow man's burden --Imagined power.

Glossy television images of happy, industrious, and increasingly prosperous workers show a bright view of life in twenty-first-century China. But behind the officially approved story is a different reality. Preparing this book Gerard Lemos asked hundreds of Chinese men and women living in Chongqing, an industrial mega-city, about their wishes and fears. The lives they describe expose the myth of China's harmonious society. Hundreds of millions of everyday people in China are beleaguered by immense social and health problems as well as personal, family, and financial anxieties--while they watch their communities and traditions being destroyed.Lemos investigates a China beyond the foreigners' beaten track. This is a revealing account of the thoughts and feelings of Chinese people regarding all facets of their lives, from education to health care, unemployment to old age, politics to wealth. Taken together, the stories of these men and women bring to light a broken society, one whose people are frustrated, angry, sad, and often fearful about the circumstances of their lives. The author considers the implications of these findings and analyzes how China's community and social problems threaten the ambitious nation's hopes for a prosperous and cohesive future. Lemos explains why protests will continue and a divided and self-serving leadership will not make people's dreams come true.

The secrets behind China's extraordinary educational system – good, bad, and ugly Chinese students' consistently stunning performance on the international PISA exams— where they outscore students of all other nations in math, reading, and science—have positioned China as a world education leader. American educators and pundits have declared this a "Sputnik Moment," saying that we must learn from China's education system in order to maintain our status as an education leader and global superpower. Indeed, many of the reforms taking hold in United States schools, such as a greater emphasis on standardized testing and the increasing importance of core subjects like reading and math, echo the Chinese system. We're following in China's footsteps—but is this the direction we should take? Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Dragon? by award-winning writer Yong Zhao offers an entertaining, provocative insider's account of the Chinese school system, revealing the secrets that make it both "the best and worst" in the world. Born and raised in China's Sichuan province and a teacher in China for many years, Zhao has a unique perspective on Chinese culture and education. He explains in vivid detail how China turns out the world's highest-achieving students in reading, math, and science—yet by all accounts Chinese educators, parents, and political leaders hate the system and long to send their kids to western schools. Filled with fascinating stories and compelling data, Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Dragon? offers a nuanced and sobering tour of education in China. Learn how China is able to turn out the world's highest achieving students in math, science, and reading Discover why, despite these amazing test scores, Chinese parents, teachers, and political leaders are desperate to leave behind their educational system Discover how current reforms in the U.S. parallel the classic Chinese system, and how this could help (or hurt) our students' prospects

The real and potential power of China, the world's most populous nation, has long been seen as a threat by its smaller neighbors and global powers alike. The Fear of Chinese Power provides a history of this perceived threat from the 1880s to the present day, and offers rich historical context to an enduring and current concern. Focusing on the United States, but also exploring perceptions from Britain, Germany, the Soviet Union and Japan, this book asks why these fears exist and shows how they have played out on both a strategic, diplomatic level, and in the public sphere. Taking a chronological approach, the chapters explore themes such as western opposition to Chinese immigration, international views of China's new republic, hopes of friendship during the rule of Chiang Kai-Shek, the Korean and Cold Wars, Communist China's economic growth, the Chinese in popular culture and China as a modern global power. Taking economic, military and cultural vantage points into account, The Fear of Chinese Power explains why a powerful China has been a mainstay of the western imagination since the 19th century, and reveals a history which has shaped international perceptions of China to the present day.