Assess the impact of modernisation in Chinese Society today.

After Deng Xiaopings economic reforms in 1978, there has been an influx of
modern and western influences into the country. No doubt the Chinese
society is very different today from that of Maos era and before, certain old
socialistic attitudes still remain especially in the older generations and the
rural areas. This essay seeks to study the contradictory impacts of
modernisation has on the Chinese society. Even though modernisation
exposes the Chinese society to a plethora of foreign influences, paradoxically,
it also heightens the Chinese awareness of their own traditional roots. Hence,
while it is undeniable that modernisation leads to obvious social changes in
China, it must not be ignored that the Chinese society is highly
heterogeneous and diverse; and its extent of impact depends largely on how
well-accepted the effects of foreign influences are by the different
communities in China.
Modernisation has led to rapid urbanisation that invariably changed Chinas
social demographics. Dengs economic liberalisation resulted in the opening
up of coastal cities. The establishment and expansion of other urban centres
leads to greater trade and commerce. More Chinese also migrated from rural
to urban areas in search of better livelihoods. These have caused the
transformation of Chinese family structure as most who lived in cities would
prefer to have nuclear families over extended ones. Hectic city life also
resulted in more late marriages, higher divorce rate and more people
choosing to remain single. Coupled with the one child policy, and changing
Chinese values, birth rates have dropped and the Chinese population is
rapidly ageing. This trend has become irreversible as more than half of the
Chinese population are living in cities today, adopting new social perceptions
and leading modern lifestyles, comparable to other foreign cities, such as
Bangkok and Seoul.
Rising affluence and better education after modernisation have resulted in
the rise of a class of well-to-do Chinese. Chinas middle class is normally
concentrated in large cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. They are the two
major consumers of foreign products and services. Being well-travelled and
better-informed, the middle class of China has spearheaded even more social
trends, such as the revival of traditions and bringing in cultures and lifestyles
beyond the country. This group of Chinese also includes prominent
intellectuals and artistes. They are the critiques of contemporary Chinese
society and creators of future social trends making its impact extensive. An
example would be the artist, Ai weiwei. The middle class communicates
among themselves through modern media like Wei Bo and Ren Ren and
disseminates ideas like environmentalism and human rights that even the
authoritarian government find it hard to control.

Changing lifestyle of the common people as a result of modernisation is

evident in the appreciation and adaptation of foreign culture. Household fast
food names like Macdonald, subway and KFC are quickly changing the dietary
habits of Chinese. Visiting pubs and karaoke lounges instead of drinking tea
and eating dim sum has become the favourite pastime of many Chinese.
Popular culture from the West, Japan, South Korea as well as some other
foreign societies have gained wide popularity in China. This exemplified in the
variety of music the younger generations listen to, their fashionable dress
sense and the assimilation of western stories in the movies they watch.
Relaxation of official control over religious beliefs and their adherences have
also resulted in an insurgence of foreign faith. Official figures states that
there are now 15 million of Protestants and 6 million Catholics in China. Given
that communism and religion are supposed to be mutually exclusive and the
Chinese Communist Party has always been hostile towards western ideas,
this is a notable change.
Modernisation has brought with it the spread of values that are distinctly
different from the Maoist past. Capitalism has placed a greater emphasis on
materialism, consumerism and competition. This has resulted in people
pursuing individual success and personal qualifications at the expense of
collectivism and familial commitments. The rise in divorce rates and
cohabitation rate could have also been a by-product of this. The get-richquick mentality has led to many social problems like the proliferation of
scams, vices, defective manufacturers and industrial pollution. Corruption is
so deeply entrenched in the Chinese society, it is rooted even in the
government that is supposed to be mitigating it.
However, there are limitations to the impact of modernisation as many inland
rural regions still remain relatively unaffected. Inland provinces such as
Gansu and Qinghai are relatively intact from modern influences which
impacted mostly coastal cities. Villages in the countryside are still staunchly
adhering to traditional agrarian lifestyle. For example, women are still
discriminated in many of these places and families would prefer boys over
girls. Traditional values like concern for ones family surname are still
practised. Foreign influences concerning entertainment and modern values
could not reach the countryside due to poor transportation and
communication. Even when they do in some places, minority groups treat
them with hostility and see it as just another of the governments attempt to
infiltrate their nature culture. Furthermore, many rural folks continue to
worship Mao and his ideology. Many are alien to the new culture and values
that struck coastal cities.
Modernisation has the reverse impact of heightening Chinese awareness of
their traditional roots. Greater natural confidence as a result of the successful
economic reforms, expansion of Chinas prestige and the search for cultural

identity amidst the influx of globalisation, has led to the revival of traditional
Chinese culture. Chinese traditional culture, formerly suppressed under Mao,
is revived by the state to promote nationalism, social stability and cohesion.
One of such example is the promotion of Confucianism that is evident in Hu
Jintaos policies of developing a Harmonious World. The deviation from
Marxist theories and the need to learn from the experiences of other renewed
interest in the ancient philosophy. Chinese New Year, ancestor-worship,
QingMing and Mooncake festivals are now practised under official
encouragement.
In sum, modernisation has brought about significant impacts in various
aspects of the Chinese society. While modernisation has rapidly and radically
transformed the city areas of China, it must be noted that on the other end of
the spectrum, there are areas that are still minimally influenced by it. Most
importantly to note, modernisation is a continual process and hence global
trends will continue to change the Chinese mindset and their social life.