The first topic regarding China that interested me is the political system. Since I can remember I’ve always been told by those around me that China is a communist country. People seem to think that China is the last surviving communist country from the Cold War. Also, when these individuals referred to “communism” they meant the old fashion communist manifesto type of communism. I think many of these individuals grew up during the Cold War era and have, in a sense, not left it. They do not realize the changes that have occurred since the CCP has taken control of the government to the present day. The China of today definitely implements socialist policies, however it no longer follows hard line communist policies like no private ownership and government involvement in every aspect of life. China has show itself to definitely still be very authoritarian, especially with Xi Jinping’s move to re-centralize power. However, the level of centralization in the CCP of Moa’s time is long gone. China has moved to include more democratic institutions and seeks to include the input of people through government supported medians. However, China is still very restrictive with the flow of ideas from the West and even with institutions of input this does not mean the CCP implements every policy. From this semester I have learned about the changes that have taken place within CCP that has resulted in the current government. China is still not a democracy, but it definitely includes many democratic elements that I did not realize existed before taking Chinese politics this semester.

The Second topic relates to art both modern and ancient. For this paragraph, I draw from two different experiences during the semester. One of them is the recent documentary we watched in class regarding Ai Weiwei and his method of using art for protest. The second is our visit to the art museum in Richmond to view the Terracotta warriors. The visit to Richmond opened my eyes to the rich cultural history that the people of China associate themselves with. Not only did we see the Terracotta warriors but we were able to view pottery, armor weapons, roof tiles, and much more. As I made my way through the exhibit, my appreciation grew for China and its people. Their culture has lasted for countless centuries and I would imagine that for a Chinese citizen there is much gravity behind this knowledge. The experience gave me a respect I had not had before for China and its culture. In regards to Ai Weiwei and our discussion in class afterwards about art, I did not realize how China even used regulations to manipulate art. As you mentioned, China supports art galleries and art shows through government funding and in turn are able to regulate the art produced by artists to represent whatever they like. However, Ai Weiwei did not allow the Chinese government to manipulate him at all. His art was symbolic and representative of the struggles of the Chinese people against their government. He also used art to point out government atrocities, such as the covering up of the death of school children with his backpack display. Even though the government tore down his gallery in China, he continued to remain strong and to produce art protesting the corruption within the government.

I have learned that the Chinese people are innovative and strong and no matter what the world may throw at them they will find a way to persevere.