The Crackdown: Tiananmen in 1989

During the documentary on the Tiananmen protests, it was obviously known that Deng's crackdown against those who opposed Communist rule, and wanted to voice out for democrat order and free speech, was militantly undone through Deng's intolerance. He didn't want Communism to fall to it's feet and surrender before it had a chance to prevail in all regions. That's why the governments decision to throw over the protesting people came of second nature, almost automatic. Even though these actions weren't pleasantly digestible by the government, in the article regarding the interview with Lee Kuan Yew, it gives us the impression that China's government is ultimately at it's apex;"The regime in Beijing is more stable than any alternative government that can be formed in China." Lee later stated that if the students were to carry control that day in Tiananmen, it would be of, "Something worse than the Soviet Union." Lee gives us the idea that China is only and ever will be, to succeed, a communist country.

To Live: China Since 1900

The movie nearing the last days of the Great Leap Forward, the people in the commune are have been working extremely hard to achieve their goal to produce steel, after the tiresome work, they going in to a mood of happiness. They start celebrating by gathering together in the canteen and having a whole fest of food to be eaten, what they do not realize is that they actually don't have as much food as they initially think they do, they are going and eating their food for the following year. During this time we had a sudden increase in the population, and these were known to decrease the food output for future generations and could effect their own children in later stages, and so on. This would hinder the progress of the nations plans to expand their economic chances and this was tackled by the one child policy, which stimulated couples to only have one child, but the problem was in the remote areas like the countryside the political messages weren't passed as well as in mainland. This eventually exemplified later by an increase in the population.

To Live: Life Under Mao

During the 1950s, life was very much changing for the people of China. As the movie To Live documents the series of events in perfect fashion, it paints the picture to how extremist the communist party truly were. For Mao it was the beginning of a new revolution and a new system of change and equality, but for the most part the prosperity of the land as a whole. The 'Great Leap Forward' as Mao planned, was going to change the economy, but not gradual growth, rather, the plan needed to materialize within a ridiculous time. The backyard steel campaign as we see in the movie was a good example to Mao's plan. Fugui an average class man and his family are donating their iron utensils, anything they could find to please the country's plan to a mass production of steel. In turn this donation also spurred their interest to as the movie quotes 'liberate Taiwan', they would take all donated iron and make bullets out of them. Later the movie showed us how life was like in a commune, since the communes were set up so that nothing would distract the people from their tiresome commitment of labor, eating halls were set up. The eating halls would reduce the amount of people spending time cooking meals, in the movie you can see that they all sat together, often cramped together with their families. During Mao's rule I get the feeling that life wasn't easy, you had to be selfless, you needed hope that one day your family generation would only live to see the scarifies that were made.

Ming and Qing: War after War, Loss after Loss

What do you get when you cross a 300 year old dynasty, an overpowered war and some conservative thinkers? First you'll get a huge amount of treaties increasing restriction in your homeland, and secondly, well, let face it, narrow minded people. During the Qing, Emperor Qianlong, has ruled out any forms of missionaries and trade influence from the desperate George III and Macartney. Eventually the rejection of against the westerners installs a plan, why don't we smuggle them in? Exactly. During this time China was addiction, was on its knees anytime they could get their had on opium, man were selling their wives in exchange for money for the possession of opium. Opium in other words was widespread, it engaged in a collapse in many lives, and didn't stick well to many, like the Emperor. This is when Commisoner Lin stepped in, he was commissioner by the emperor to request that Britain stop the import of opium into Chinese soil, they would have none of that, and neither would the Chinese. This just urged Lin to confiscate tons of opium, and he then mixed it with lime and mud and dumped it into the bay. Before you know it this implemented anger in the British hearts, and the Chinese are swept away into a total massacre. What's important was the Treaty of Nanking, it had given the west access to a few port, for residency and for trade. In later history, we'll see the both Britain and France reluctant to think otherwise then to attack the Chinese, after the Chinese disloyalty of the Treaty of Nanking and their assault against the British forces, not to mention the Chinese imprisonment of the British representative. The westerners advancement soon showed itself to repeat history, we had a second opium war, and the Treaty of Tianjin was established, again and commonly reflecting back to what happened earlier the treaty had increased the number of resident and trade ports available. The last and final war came around 30 years later, but it all ties back, we keep seeing china getting in some sort of mix up with a foreign country and get caught on the wrong side. The Sino- Japanese war, Japan at the time was running into Korean territory in hopes of conquering, but the Chinese stood in their way but where no match for the already modernized Japan, and again for the third time treaties had been set. The Treaty of Shimonoseki, enabled manufacturing in china to be set, through these bloody events China was always on the back foot, maybe it was their conservative background? I believe it played a part even when the Self-Strengthening Movement was placed, china developing weaponry, was like china erasing their past ancestors all their honor and glory was burned to ashes. The people didn't like the idea and were very unwilling to conform to the western ways, as well as Cixi the empress, was a blockade to the adaption to the ideas of blending western in to Chinese ways.  We have war after war and loss after loss, and solutions in front of them but never truly grasped them because their stubborn culture had engulfed the idea of conformation.

Ruan Ji

Ruan Ji considered to be on of the most particularly noticeable member of the seven sages of the bamboo grove, a group of poets and philosophers who gathered in a bamboo grove near the country house, where they enjoyed drinking. Ruan Ji is considered to be one of the greatest poet of his era. Ruan Ji's poetry is described to be critical, sarcastic, and of angry criticism of Confucianism. Ruan Ji crafted beacutiful work and seemed to live a simple and free life without much to care about rather then read poetry and drink. He is a very interesting man and should be defiantly regarded as a top poet of the seven sages.

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Ruan_Ji

Gu Kaizhi: Painting

Gu Kaizhi is a renown painter of ancient China, and is known to be the founder of traditional Chinese painting. What catches me the most about Gu Kaizhi, is his talent for making portraits of human figures, those for me are the best type of artwork, and its really defined in his artwork. He is truly a master of the arts, and his pieces were describes "like no one has ever seen before."Its interesting to see the life that a famous artisans was blessed to have, prosper in so many ways that it did like Gu Kaizhi.

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Gu_Kaizhi

Wang Xizhi: Legendary Calligrapher

Wang Xizhi, is regarded to be one of the most known Chinese calligrapher, known for his breathtaking arts of words. This man reminds, of Confucius bringing back order into society by declaring the way Wen and Wu and the Duke of Zhou, were the way to rule. Instead of going to the past politically like Confucius did, he look for previous dynasties and copied them. Leading to large amounts of calligraphic materials. Wang, born in a family of calligraphers, really seemed to understand what it was all about. It all makes me wonder how the rise of perfection in this time consuming art begin.

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Wang_Xizhi