Captain Cook's Impact On The Tahitian People

Before the arrival of western powers, China was very stable, agricultural, and ethnocentric. They had many factories that produced silk, cotton, and porcelain with their natural resources: salt, tin, silver, and iron mines. They had no interest of trade or interaction with foreigners. From the early eighteenth century, European and American Imperialism spread throughout China with a goal to extend their nation’s power. China was one of many territories that undertook the changes of New Imperialism. By 1912, the country was governed by outside nations: Great Britain (mostly), Russia, Germany, France, and Japan. Their influence on China resulted malignantly on the country’s economy, political ties, and lifestyle; in spite of the few

When the Chinese and Europeans first came into contact with each other, there was a mutual fascination for the other's culture, or way of life. The Chinese began to look at the European culture. They became interested in Western thinking. They were also beginning to look at the religion that the European missionaries were preaching about, Christianity. On the other end, the Europeans who came in contact with the Chinese were fascinated by their culture and their philosophy, mainly the philosophy of Confucius. While the two cultures seemed to be a good match, each respecting and admiring the other, it came to an abrupt halt. The end result was China and Europe both rejecting the other culture.

There are many things in history that can mark the milestone differences between China and Western Europe. No one really knows when Chinese culture really began, however Chinese civilization began near the Yellow River (Huang He) becoming North China, and Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) indicating South China. The first Dynasty, the Xia (Hsia) Dynasty began in about 2070 or 2205 BCE. Historians have found proof of the wheel first being used in China during this time showing urban culture did exist. The Shang Dynasty followed introducing the first Chinese Government. A lot of the “basic” Chinese culture was introduced during the Zhou (Chou) Dynasty such as the “Mandate of Heaven.” China contains a lot of history throughout the years. There were battles between the states, many new emperors and leaders, as well as new technologies. All of which brought three great Chinese philosophies; Daoism, Confucianism, and Legalism. It wasn’t until about 581 CE that China was reunifies under the leader, Sui Wendi. Wendi linked North and South China together by the Grand Canal. It was during the Song Dynasty, in 960 CE, that China promoted better tools. The

Many European countries such as Germany, France, and Great Britain, as well as Russia, Japan and the United States wanted to gain control of the Chinese market and dominate the trade and goods of that country. The result of

1.) During the fifteenth century, China and Europe both began rebuilding their civilizations after the destruction that the plague brought. Both commenced to rebuild their population, economy, and to begin cultural growth. Although the two civilizations had their difference in the way that they began to rebuild, they also shared some similarities. As both showed signs of improvement, it is viewed that “Europe was […] more different from its own recent past than [the] Ming dynasty China was from its pre-Mongol glory” (428). Even though Europe went though the most change, China still showed a lot of improvement, especially considering that they were coming back from having a foreign ruler.

Pederson (7) explains that there are stages of culture shock, which he identifies as the honeymoon, negotiation, adjustment, and adaptation. In the honeymoon phase, a person is likely to get excited about being in a new place, meeting new people, tasting new foods, and acquiring new habits. However, as time passes by, they get into a phase of negotiation, where the differences between the culture one is used to and the one they find themselves in start to become apparent. Feelings of anxiety, anger, and frustrations start to take shape as unfavorable events perceived as strange come in the way of the person 's life, especially if a person does not feel accepted in the new culture (Mukherjee 273). Loneliness may set in, and the urge to go back to the familiar culture strongly comes into play. However, as time goes by, adjustment sets in, usually within six to twelve months, and one gets accustomed to the culture and also comes up with a routine. By this phase, one knows what is expected of them, and life once again becomes ‘normal.’

Many Ming Dynasty officials resisted European trade and ideas because of four reasons. First, China was at the height of its power at the time that the Europeans came to China. Because of this, the Ming officials thought that China wouldn’t benefit from accepting the European’s request to trade. Second, China thought that the Europeans were barbarians, and the Ming officials didn’t want to trade with uncivilized people. Third, China’s main philosophy, Confucianism, influenced people into not trading with outsiders. Confucius taught that “people should place loyalty to society ahead of their own desires” (pg. 286). This meant that people shouldn’t trade in order to keep harmony. Lastly, Ming officials didn’t want Chinese people to adopt Christianity.

Every country has a culture that is unique to that area, and in that culture are different things that are considered normal. There are certain rules to obey and norms that are just expected to be followed by observing other people. Going to a different country can be shocking because social norms in one area may be completely different from the social norms of another area, leaving the visitor feeling confused and out of their comfort zone. One example of a social norm in the United States is leaving a tip after eating at a restaurant, usually around fifteen percent, but in some countries tipping is not expected and can even be offensive.

Before Europeans further decided to explore and imperialize Qing China, Chinese government and society was strictly conservative in the sense that they were rarely exposed to outside influences. Being considerably isolated from expansion, imperialism, and industrialization in the west, it took the people of China by surprise when suddenly Chinese power began switching between the Western nations, all of whom were fighting for dominance. These Western pressures changed how the Chinese incorporated Europeans into their society, they had to sign unequal treaties and push for reforms while still trying to maintain Chinese tradition. However, being forced to succumb to European power did not completely change their view of foreigners, or stop their

1. Culture shock- The disorientation that people experience when they come in contact with a fundamentally different culture and can no longer depend on their taken for granted assumptions about life. Pg. 35

The eleventh through thirteenth centuries represented a dynamic time period in history. Differing cultures across the world continued to evolve through societal, political, and militaristic changes. Though they likely would not have crossed paths, Western Europeans and Chinese from the Song Dynasty would have held very different views of the cultures of their counterparts. Western Europeans and Song Chinese had very different cultures, but aspects overlap. A European visiting China during this period would have marveled at the diversity of the economy and the importance of scholarly work, while Chinese visiting Europe would have been awed by the manorialism that fueled the economy, the importance of military conquest, and the role religion played in all aspects of life.

Europe had the biggest impact on China out of the two nations. There was a brief period in China’s history where their government at that time was rather unresponsive this allowed the Europeans to come in and taken

Chinese culture is truly one of the great civilization our world has come across. It boasts a vast geographic expanse, over 4000 years of written history, as well as a rich and profound traditional society. Many aspects of Chinese civilization can be traced back many centuries. It is so diverse and unique, yet harmoniously blended, and presents itself a priceless benefit to the world.

China has about five thousand years history which is a very long period of time. Also, the Chinese civilization was growing with these periods of time and it will continues greater than ever. Many wars and unhappinesses were happening during this period. Although, the time has passed, the histories and the civilizations have not passed. These family virtues, serious, working attitudes, sense of justice and the great Confucian tradition have been deeply assimilated into the Chinese people. Some Chinese traditions are different from North American’s. The Chinese culture has many special characteristics which are very interesting for people to learn.

China is considered that of a third World County and their culture is deep in beliefs and customs with rules. In addition, China is located on the eastern Asia bordering Afghanistan, the major culture there is that of Han