ch 3 &4

According to Dodson in chapter 3, the Chinese who reside in the countryside are being forced out of their homes in order for the government to build on parts of their land and so they can better the economy by working in the factories. Although these actions can be justified by the idea that the government has real ownership of the land, all the country dwellers end up being left with a lot less money then they came with considering all the money that they have invested in their land. The government uses the hukou system, forcing Chinese to obtain these living permits, so that the government can control how long they can live in certain areas and if they are allowed to migrate. I think this system is really bizarre and corrupt. In talking to a 50-year old man, Dodson compares the current situation to how China used to be when it was communist and everyone was equally rich. I think China was better off in communism than it is with all the sneaky government rules and regulations. I think the government wants to stimulate the economy and catch up with countries like the United States, but I think they could find better ways to do so, like maybe spreading out factories and giving the people more options of where to  live.

I find it repulsing that the Chinese not only allow so many toxins in their ecosystem, but also allow their people to work amidst those toxins. They are convincing their people that the toxins they are spreading are beneficial enough to continue releasing them, and the people agree! It’s insane. I feel like the government creates production and success in such a way that it is seen as a greater importance than the health of the community and the rest of the country. I think introducing sustainability to China is necessary at this point. If it’s not stopped now, the outbreaks of hysteria and even death are sure to keep multiplying. Dodson claims that the government officials simply “do not want to be bothered with the complaints of illnesses” because they are being bribed by the factories to stay open. This gives me an even more corrupt insight on the government of China. It makes me think twice about all of the products we use in America that are made in China. I feel like I’m supporting the deaths of millions of workers and urbanites who live around factories in order to pay less for the products I receive.

Chapters 3 & 4

Chapter 4 Response

According to Bill Dodson, property transfer in China is a factor that greatly limits the economic and social growth of China’s culture. Dodson goes on throughout the chapter describing the stories of urbanites and country folk and how unequal the opportunities for success are for both groups. Page 49 describes Dodson’s conversation with a man in his mid-fifties. Dodson wanted to know the difference in equality throughout the years; the man clearly stated the shift that occurred because of the government’s control over living conditions. This part of the book gave me an insight on how things did not progress in China, but they got worse for individuals. I greatly agree with a lot of what Dodson concludes in this chapter. Due to the hukou, it has caused a generation to completely loose the chance in receiving an education because of their current location. With China having such a massive population, I would think the government would endorse policies that would allow all aspects of the country to grow instead of limiting them.  Dodson also mentioned that the hukou systems caused society to “tolerate inequalities” between social classes. This unfortunately is a big issue that will not allow individuals to have the ability to work hard for their success. 

Chapter 4 Response

China’s desire to be the most advanced country has become too extreme in my opinion. Not only do they control most of their society’s freedom, but also they are careless in the process of gaining power. The most compelling piece of information related to pollution is the harm that China is causing to their country as well as neighboring countries. I thought this was the most compelling because the US is so careful in maintaining health regulations when it involves the safety of individuals; it is hard to think that China being such a populous and leading nation chooses to place masses of people in danger. Unfortunately, the public doesn’t have much power in influencing the government about improving pollution. Page 68 illustrates the unimportance China place on the voice of the people. After complaints of illnesses caused by The Jilin Connell Chemical Plant, the company supposedly took care of the situation for a few hours, but surely ignored the request of the people. Reading this incident shows just how the government deals with similar situations. It does not make sense to me how a country that stresses advancement so much cares so little about the very people that make up whom they are as a country. I could understand why individuals in a society may be uncomfortable with the idea of building factories near homes and businesses, but when it becomes a problem that can be traced and recorded as a statistic, the government should be more aware about the health problems heir choices are causing. 

Ch. 3 and 4

China is currently trying to move more people from the county into cities to help work on building the cities and getting them caught up with Western cities.  Making this happen is made possible because of the hukou system; this gives the government control of the amount of people given migrant permits.  To legally move somewhere, a person must have a migrant permit, or else they could be expelled from wherever it is they are trespassing.  Many people in the county are having their land seized, because they only lease their land from the government, to make way for factories and other commercial uses.  Most people are not being given enough financial compensation when this happens. Since the government actually owns the land, I suppose this is fair, although not being given enough money back for the land is not.  Because of China’s high population the hukou system does seem like it could help with property issues, otherwise it could be chaotic.  But I know I would not be happy having to live with their system.  Also, the idea of moving such a large amount of people into the cities makes me wonder if there will be enough people able to produce enough food and other agricultural goods.  

I found the section about how China’s pollution is spreading and hurting other countries’ environments the most significant part from Chapter four.  It’s pretty selfish of China to not only hurt its people, but also citizens of other countries that are stuck next to it and have China’s pollution forced upon them.  It’s bad enough that they are poisoning themselves, especially when the victims are unaware, for financial gain.  I’m not sure it this would actually work out, but one thought that crossed my mind is that in the long run it would be cheaper for them to follow China’s EPA standards than pay for later cleaning up their mess, plus any lawsuits and medical bills they may have to pay for from the people.  Maybe if the victim countries cut-off trading with China they would stop.  Either because they no longer have as many people to produce products for, or because they need their money, so they would then listen to their requirements on how the products will be produced.  This is a very drastic reaction and probably wouldn’t happen.  I doubt America would start producing or find new countries to get the many products we get from China just because of China’s pollution that get’s mixed into our West Coast’s pollution.     

Ch. 2

In chapter 2 Dodson explained that the Chinese middle class is anxious because they don’t feel like they have enough money for all of their needs.  There is not enough money to pay for their housing, medical expenses (especially because you have to pay a upfront no matter what condition you are in), and schooling for their children.  I thought that the remark, “…the larger and richer the Chinese middle class becomes, the less safe and more anxious it will feel” (page 30) was a little strange, I would think it would be the opposite; I can’t think of any reason for this logic other than more competition for little resources. 

I don’t really know much about real estate in the United States, so I was a little lost when home ownership was brought up, but it does sound like it would be very stressful to not have a mortgage, which only 20% of the middle class have. When minimum deposits were mentioned, I know the out-of-towners 30% and second home 40% is pretty high, but a 20% deposit sounds reasonable, maybe a little high.  I think that the 40% deposit on a second home is very reasonable in a county as highly populated as China.

I would have hated to have gone through the Chinese schooling system; to me, that sounds like the most stressful part of life mentioned in the chapter.  The exams sound awful, studying for hours each day for a year! It’s wasn’t surprising when Dodson mentioned how parents try to bride their children and their teachers so that they will get good marks, a lot depends on those grades! I thought that it was interesting that most people do not like the exam system, but don’t try to get it changed, if a parent in America didn’t like the way a school’s examination system worked their would be so many complaints! It’s strange that they don’t try to work together to try to fix it.

The health care system was probably the saddest part of this chapter; having to pay before you get treatment when in critical condition is just wrong.  I thought it was kind of nice that in communities people with the same health condition would put their money together to but a medical machine for the treatment of everyone, even if it is not exactly hygienic.

Overall, since China is improving, especially with their expanding economy, I think they have less of a reason to be anxious than Americans.