Just some history...

The clear delineation b.n societies and sorts of people is so clear and evident here. It's like the Chinese live in a 3rd world nation but yet they don't really. They way they live in is such stark contrast to the way we live that when I'm here I'm really glad to be an American! No one has AC in their homes, they ride their bikes everywhere and if they can't afford a bike they walk. With no AC in their homes, they also don't have clothes dryers so instead they hang their luandry on their windowsills. (Now this happens in America a lot, however, here it is everywhere) So I'm sure that w.o AC or dryers they don't have TVs! Imagine that Americans!! Instead of watching tv at night they out and about, socializing, playing cards (I saw this group of four men sitting in a cart playing cards with one another. It was quite picturesque but I didn't take a picture, sorry), people go dancing in the park, they do Tai Chi... they don't focus on the material wealth that we Westerners do b.c they don't have it. (OR they DO have it available but instead choose not to take advantage of it all b.c. by holding back they produce all of our goods which we greedy little urchins eat up but then int turn it gives all of money to them and they back it! interesting. So they also don't have the sewage system (which if you've been reading YOU KNOW!!) Their "sewage system" is a man who rides around on a bike with a barrel behind him and he goes to all the squatting urinals and scoops everything into the barrel! Then once he gets enough barrels he rides out past the city and dumps it somewhere! Europe and America used to be like that but that was back, well, in the 19th century-- but still with a century of progress-- we've really come so far... We read an article in class (yes, yes, I know--I'm bringing in the history!! lol) about how China was FAR more advanced then the rest of the world over a thousand years ago. They had Iron, Coke (a form of coal), STEEL all in the year 1000. They actually had it prior to that but it was being mass marketed by the yr. 1000) These are the things that the West didn't get until the 18th and 19th centuries!! Now the whole article was basically talking about gov't support...In 1000, the Chinese gov't fullheartedly supported the mass production of these metals, however, as they were invaded by the Jurchen (nomadic people from Manchuria in the north) the support disappeared. Once the Mongols invaded them (Genghis and Kublai Khan) they supported it once again however it never reached the mass production level until the 20th century!! At that point it was strictly for the gov'ts use of making weaponry and things for the military which is why at the time the Mongols were greatly feared throughout the entire world as being militarily superior. (which they were) So the gov'ts were always vulnerable to attack from outsiders or even worse the rich merchants bankin money on the Silk Road trade overthrowing the gov't. This skepticism and paranoia of the Emperors was the reason for the unstable support towards progression b.c. they were afraid of overthrow if the people got too powerful.
This unstable support is the reason why the Chinese are peeing into slits in the ground while we have telephones in our nice luxurious bathrooms! Interesting.