looi101

The Term of Middle Kingdom – historical reference to China

The term originates from ancient Chinese cosmology and geography. The Chinese historically viewed their civilization as the center of the known world, with all other lands and peoples positioned at the periphery. This wasn’t merely arrogance—it reflected the reality that China was the dominant civilization in East Asia for much of recorded history, with theContinue reading “The Term of Middle Kingdom – historical reference to China”

Why China didn’t Break into Fractured Several Small States Like Europe

The Chinese system attached a negative cultural label to non-Han peoples: This made Chinese civilization uniquely expansionist and assimilationist Mandate of Heaven The civilizational model worked very well for thousands of years: Confucianism Reinforced It Confucian ideology emphasized: Geographic and Historical Factors China’s turning point: The Xinhai Revolution (1912) – The Explicit Turn to EthnicContinue reading “Why China didn’t Break into Fractured Several Small States Like Europe”

Han Chinese Identity

The Han Chinese themselves are the product of centuries of absorption and integration of different people’s across vast geographic regions. Han Chinese is not monolithic but rather a mixed population shaped by thousand of years prolonged processes of expansion, absorption and assimilation, resulting I considerable regional and cultural variation. Han Chinese majority itself is deeplyContinue reading “Han Chinese Identity”

Racism

Racism derived from cultural or ethnic differences total elimination is unrealistic. Instead is the extent of racism and whether it destabilises society. The real concern becomes the degree of racism, whether the level of racism remains manageable or escalates into serious social instability. Key elements for naturalness: cannot be entirely eliminated, to establish realism. Rather,Continue reading “Racism”

Answering the question: Where does Chinese racism against Chinese come from?

There is a proverb in Chinese 非我族裔其必異 loosely can be translated as “People of different ethnicities are inherently different.” This is the world view that people don’t share same ethnic ancestry or bloodline are biologically and generically distinct, and it’s not changeable through culture assimilation. China the primary differences exist not between Han and non-hanContinue reading “Answering the question: Where does Chinese racism against Chinese come from?”

Why Britain Couldn’t Maintain its Empire

Britain’s extractive colonial strategy was profitable in the short term but created the conditions for its own collapse. The Short-term Profitability (1757-1900s) Why Extraction Worked Initially Global dominance: Britain’s naval and military superiority meant no other power could challenge its colonial hold. Massive wealth transfer: Britain extracted enormous wealth from India—estimated at trillions of dollarsContinue reading “Why Britain Couldn’t Maintain its Empire”

Hong Kong as a Successful Example of Colonialism

Hong Kong is often cited as a “successful” example of colonialism, but the answer is more complicated than it first appears. Hong Kong transformed from a small fishing village into a major trading hub and manufacturing center under British colonial rule (1841-1997). Positioned between China and the rest of the world, making it a naturalContinue reading “Hong Kong as a Successful Example of Colonialism”

Indian Textile

Indian textiles were the best in the world for centuries due to a combination of superior raw materials, advanced techniques, skilled craftsmanship, and accumulated expertise. Superior Raw Materials Dyes and Mordants Advanced Manufacturing Techniques Hand Spinning Early British Machinery (1760s-1800s) No, British textiles weren’t “bad”—they were just different and, initially, inferior in many ways: AdvantagesContinue reading “Indian Textile”

Economic Logic of Colonialism

How colonialism was fundamentally extractive rather than developmental. Britain didn’t want to develop India; it wanted to extract from India. Britain chose extraction because it was more immediately profitable. You might think: “India has cheap labour, so factories should have been built there.” But colonialism isn’t about rational economic efficiency—it’s about power and control. ReducedContinue reading “Economic Logic of Colonialism”

Historical Cost of India’s Independence and British’s Extraction

India’s independence from British rule (1947) involved significant human and material costs across multiple dimensions. Human Cost The struggle for independence resulted in thousands of deaths throughout the independence movement. The most devastating period was around Partition in 1947, when communal violence between Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs erupted. An estimated 200,000 to 2 million peopleContinue reading “Historical Cost of India’s Independence and British’s Extraction”