China Defiled by Barbarians
China Becomes the West’s Playground
By Alex Powar
April 3, 1900
Last month American John Milton Hay gave the
Western world and Japan free access to trade in China, and in doing so tore
away our country’s pride. The
“Open Door
Policy” allows all countries free admission to our ports and eliminates
any opportunity for our government to intervene.
The
countries included in the plan are the United States, France, Germany, Great Britain,
Italy, Japan, and Russia. Japan
was the only country to openly challenge the policy, but the other countries
evaded it until Hays approved it regardless[1].
“When
the Americans finally discovered the value of the trade we have to offer, they
found it necessary to involve themselves without China’s consent,”
said spokesperson Mao Tze.
Why
were the Americans so interested in our trade? The Americans are emerging from an economic depression and
are now venturing out to foreign markets.
They are especially interested in China because the American textile
manufacturers are able to promote their cheap cotton goods[2].
Spokesperson Tze proceeded to say that the Western barbarians
have basically pillaged our docks with only their own benefits in mind.
Their capitalistic societies are ruled by greed and are not affected
by the hardships that others have to endure on the road to gold, god, and
glory.
If
we have received any benefit from this new policy, it is the dissipation of the
spheres of influence
held by the Warlords over various sections of coastline[3]. With the dissolution of the spheres,
policies have been changed as well so that only the Chinese government is
allowed to collect taxes on trade, and all the powers have to pay harbor dues
and railroad charges[4].
Because
of the wars China has become increasingly dependent on foreigners for funds[5],
so the country cannot just shut these foreigners out, but China must find a way
to regain its pride and show the world that it is still strong.
Picture
Citations:
Andy Eavis, “China Caves Project: Latest News,”
Sun. Oct. 13, 2002, http://homepage.mac.com/brianjudd/cavedive/china/chinanew/chinanew.html
(3 February, 2003).
“Illuminations – Revisiting the Buffalo
Pan-American Exposition of 1901--John Hay, Secretary of State,” n.d., http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/exhibits/panam/johnhay.html
(3 February, 2003).
“JPEG image 491x755 pixels,” n.d., http://history.sandiego.edu/cdr2/corps/pics/u00105a.jpg
(3 February 2003).
