Reference no: EM13135466

Historical China evokes enchantment, wonder and mystery. Glowing lanterns and paper dragons and colorful kites that fill the sky on windy days come to mind. Emperors bent on construction and destruction, rice farmers bent over their fields as the mist rises from the dewy ground. As one of the cradles of civilization, China has enjoyed some 4,000 years of continuous civilization making it, beyond question one of the world's oldest civilizations. Events of the last two centuries have somewhat tarnished China's image at least on the world stage. The Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989 which killed over 2,000 people is a modern example of the dangers of trying to protest against a totalitarian state. (Hays, 2008) Reports of child labor and human rights abuses even today continue to damage China's reputation in the global arena. (China Labour Bulletin, 2007) In spite of the growing pains that China is currently undergoing it is still an interesting country to study. Its economic power and growing military and technological influence in the region also make it an important nation to be familiar with.