Industrial Revolution

Information in this post is taken from wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution_in_China

Why does the industrial revolution in China takes place almost 1 century later than countries in Europe and other western countries?

There are 2 school of thoughts, which I find both contributed to the late development.


Traditional view (why revolution happens later)

1. In China, if by digging the ground a whole day one can get what will purchase a small quantity of rice in the evening, one is contented.

2. Different belief systems in China and Europe dictating where the revolution occurred.

3. The key difference between these belief systems was that those from Europe focused on the individual, while Chinese beliefs centered around relationships between people. The family unit was more important than the individual, and this have played a role in why the Industrial Revolution took much longer to occur in China.

California school of thought (why revolution happens later)

1. Europe and China were remarkably similar in 1700, and that the crucial differences which created the Industrial Revolution in Europe were sources of coal near manufacturing centres, and raw materials such as food and wood from the New World, which allowed Europe to expand economically in a way that China could not.


In my own words, both thoughts can be summed up by,

1. Easily contended, low in ambition and lack of knowlegde and foresight.

2. Believed that harmony in the community is more important than progression. Cannot detached oneself for higher purpose in life.

3. The lack of resources and the access to get to them.