It has been several years since the Taiping Rebellion (which ended in 1864) and we still have not been free from oppression. We are still being taken advantage of by people who do not relate to us. At first it was the warlords dominating with their power. Now the power has shifted to the foreigners. Not once have we, the people of China, been given the respect we deserve. Since the rebellion, we have not been able to exercise our rights, express our opinions and live as we choose.

Foreign powers are in control of all of our best ports and all materials exported from there. We are only tools for the foreigners. We are seen as inferior to these alien powers and are made to follow their laws and use theirs systems to execute all trading in these regions. Several different nations are participating in this public display of Chinese humiliation. France, England, Russia, Japan, and Germany all rule port areas in China. The trading rights to specific ports are exclusive so only one country is in control of one port and its surrounding regions. The extent of their control is unbearable. These areas should no longer be considered Chinese due to the extent of the foreigners powers in the region. They have control of all trade, mining sites, and transportation. The Chinese natives living in the regions controlled by foreign powers are not free to trade with whom they please. Western goods are "imported under low tariffs" forcing the Chinese to buy them because of the lack of Chinese production (1). I must clarify that these spheres of influence are not colonies. "Chinese law still apply(s)", at least to the Chinese who live in the area (2).

When I spoke James Chin, a farmer at his fathers ranch in the Shandong Province, all he could say about the foreigners was "they are devils taking over our land. It is a disgrace to Chinese natives, and for all of China"(3). These devil nations have taken over our land and have created trade monopolies throughout the entire coast of China (4). These are the spheres of influence. Meanwhile the Chinese government receives nothing in return for the crops and other raw materials that the foreigners take from us, because of the warlords exclusive deals with the foreign nations (5). Since the Chinese government now has no say in all the economic trade happening, it is loosing power rapidly. China is now being run by foreigners, and because of that our economy is fallen dramatically. When I spoke with Empress Cixi's secretary about soon to come foreign policies, all he said was "this trouble will soon be over" (6). All I can say is that I hope this man is right. The Chinese government and their people need to join together and restore the sucessful image of China.

Foreign influence in our country has driven us to a state of internal weakness. China was once the mother country of all of Asia. We were seen as powerful, and independent. We did not need any foreign goods to support us. However, foreigners pressed their way into our country because of their needs, and now we are paying the price. They are taking all that is valuable to us and leaving us with debt and chaos. This is not even the first time they have hurt us. Not long ago the Opium Wars, which can be traced back to the British, were fought in our land due to the manipulation of our people by foreigners (7). We were made to clean up after the war even though it was a problem that the British created. The foreigners humiliated us then, and they continue to humiliate us now. If we have already lost our power; let us not loose our patriotism. China needs to rise against these countries and once again be free of foreign influence. This will not be an easy task, and it may take some help from the outside world, but we can do it. We are the Chinese.

1. StevenWarshaw, China Emerges (Diablo Press, 1992) 80.

2. Eileen H. Tamuka, China; Understanding Its Past

(University of Hawaii Press, 1988) 113-114.

3. Tamuka, 113-114.

4. Warshaw, 80.

5 J. Buschini. "Spheres of Influence" in "The Boxer Rebellion," [ http://www.smplanet.com/imperialism/fists.html], January 25, 2001.

6. Tamuka,113-114.

7. Cliff Schaffer. "Opium in China," [http://mojo.calyx.net/~schaffer/heroin/opichin1.html], January 25, 2001.

1. J. Buschini. "Spheres of Influence."

2. Thomas C. Caswell. "Spheres of Influence" in "China," [http://regentsprep.org/regents/global/themes/imperialism/china.htm], January 26, 2001.

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