Ȱ as ȱ a ȱ result ȱ of ȱ the ȱ cultural ȱ revolution

ȱ As ȱ a ȱ result ȱ
of ȱ the ȱ Cultural ȱ Revolution, ȱ millions ȱ of ȱ people ȱ were ȱ forced ȱ into ȱ manual ȱ la Ȭ
bour, ȱ and ȱ thousands ȱ were ȱ executed. ȱȱ
The ȱ death ȱ of ȱ Mao ȱ in ȱ 1976 ȱ marked ȱ the ȱ end ȱ of ȱ “Maoism” ȱ and ȱ the ȱ beginning ȱ of ȱ
a ȱ new ȱ area ȱ in ȱ Chinese ȱ history ȱ under ȱ the ȱ guidance ȱ of ȱ the ȱ CPC ȱ (Communist ȱ
Party ȱ of ȱ China). ȱ The ȱ CPC, ȱ under ȱ the ȱ leadership ȱ of ȱ General ȱ Secretary ȱ Deng ȱ
Xiaoping ȱ “turned ȱ its ȱ attention ȱ to ȱ ‘righting ȱ the ȱ wrongs’ ȱ it ȱ had ȱ experienced ȱ
during ȱ the ȱ cultural ȱ revolution” ȱ (Chai ȱ 2003, ȱ p. ȱ 167). ȱ As ȱ a ȱ consequence, ȱ the ȱ
CPC ȱ instituted ȱ a ȱ policy ȱ of ȱ “reform ȱ and ȱ opening” ȱ to ȱ the ȱ outside ȱ world ȱ in ȱ 1979, ȱ
and ȱ China ȱ followed ȱ a ȱ path ȱ of ȱ socialist ȱ modernisation. ȱȱ
Succeeding ȱ Jiang ȱ Zemin, ȱ Hu ȱ Jintao ȱ took ȱ over ȱ the ȱ position ȱ as ȱ general ȱ secre Ȭ
tary ȱ of ȱ the ȱ CPC ȱ Central ȱ Committee ȱ in ȱ 2002 ȱ as ȱ well ȱ as ȱ president ȱ of ȱ the ȱ state ȱ in ȱ
2003. ȱ In ȱ 2008, ȱ the ȱ CPC ȱ had ȱ more ȱ than ȱ 67 ȱ million ȱ members. ȱ
China at a Glance
China ȱ is ȱ the ȱ world’s ȱ most ȱ populous ȱ country ȱ with ȱ a ȱ total ȱ population ȱ of ȱ about ȱ
1.313 ȱ billion ȱ by ȱ the ȱ end ȱ of ȱ 2005. ȱ After ȱ Russia, ȱ Canada ȱ and ȱ the ȱ USA ȱ of ȱ Amer Ȭ
ica, ȱ China ȱ is ȱ the ȱ fourth ȱ largest ȱ country ȱ in ȱ the ȱ world. ȱ Governmentally, ȱ China ȱ
is ȱ divided ȱ into ȱ 22 ȱ provinces ȱ (China ȱ considers ȱ Taiwan ȱ its ȱ 23rd ȱ province), ȱ five ȱ
autonomous ȱ regions ȱ (Guangxi, ȱ Nei ȱ Mongol, ȱ Ningxia, ȱ Xinjiang ȱ Uygur, ȱ Xi Ȭ
zang) ȱ and ȱ four ȱ municipalities ȱ (Beijing, ȱ Chongqing, ȱ Shanghai, ȱ Tianjin) ȱ which ȱ
are ȱ directly ȱ supervised ȱ by ȱ the ȱ central ȱ government ȱ as ȱ well ȱ as ȱ the ȱ special ȱ
administrative ȱ regions ȱ of ȱ Hong ȱ Kong ȱ and ȱ Macao. ȱ The ȱ capital ȱ of ȱ China ȱ is ȱ
Beijing. ȱȱ
Immediately ȱ after ȱ the ȱ end ȱ of ȱ “Maoism”, ȱ as ȱ Deng ȱ Xiaoping ȱ focused ȱ on ȱ mar Ȭ
ket Ȭ oriented ȱ economic ȱ development, ȱ China ȱ started ȱ to ȱ catch ȱ up ȱ economically ȱ
with ȱ the ȱ industrialised ȱ Western ȱ World. ȱ The ȱ pace ȱ of ȱ China’s ȱ economic ȱ devel Ȭ
opment ȱ in ȱ recent ȱ years ȱ is ȱ outstanding, ȱ as ȱ China’s ȱ GDP ȱ growth ȱ rates, ȱ for ȱ
instance, ȱ totally ȱ exceeded ȱ the ȱ average ȱ GDP ȱ growth ȱ rate ȱ of ȱ the ȱ EU Ȭ 15 ȱ coun Ȭ
Cultural ȱȱ
Revolution ȱ
End ȱ of ȱ Maoism ȱ
China ȱ Today ȱ
Geographic ȱȱ
Profile ȱ
Economic ȱ Profile ȱ

The External Environment
Part II
147
tries ȱ (see ȱ Figure ȱ 7.5). ȱ China ȱ is ȱ also ȱ expected ȱ to ȱ become ȱ the ȱ leading ȱ country ȱ
by ȱ exports ȱ in ȱ the ȱ near ȱ future. ȱȱ
Annual ȱ GDP ȱ Growth ȱ Rates ȱ of ȱ China ȱ and ȱ the ȱ EU ȱ 15 ȱ ( ȱ in ȱ %) ȱȱ
8.8
9.9
10.1
10.0
9.1
8.3
8.0
7.1
7.8
2.7
2.9
1.8
2.3
1.2 1.2
1.9
3.9
3.0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
China EU 15
ȱ
Source: ȱ , ȱ . ȱ
However, ȱ the ȱ rapid ȱ industrialisation ȱ also ȱ caused ȱ serious ȱ problems ȱ for ȱ the ȱ
largest ȱ market ȱ in ȱ the ȱ world. ȱ Problems ȱ include ȱ widespread ȱ poverty, ȱ as ȱ China ȱ
is ȱ economically ȱ a ȱ very ȱ heterogeneous ȱ country ȱ (Holtbrügge/Puck ȱ 2005, ȱ p. ȱ 31), ȱ
corruption ȱ and ȱ a ȱ very ȱ high ȱ level ȱ of ȱ environmental ȱ pollution. ȱ
China’s Culture According to the GLOBE Study
As ȱ described ȱ in ȱ this ȱ Chapter, ȱ the ȱ GLOBE ȱ study ȱ identified ȱ nine ȱ dimensions ȱ
of ȱ culture. ȱ By ȱ comparing ȱ the ȱ respective ȱ scores ȱ to ȱ the ȱ mean ȱ value ȱ of ȱ all ȱ 62 ȱ
cultures ȱ examined ȱ in ȱ the ȱ GLOBE ȱ study, ȱ Figure ȱ 7.6 ȱ displays ȱ the ȱ results ȱ of ȱ the ȱ
study ȱ for ȱ China 1 . ȱȱ
China’s ȱ scores ȱ are ȱ very ȱ heterogeneous ȱ regarding ȱ numerous ȱ dimensions ȱ of ȱ
the ȱ Globe ȱ study. ȱ The ȱ results ȱ indicate ȱ that ȱ inhabitants ȱ of ȱ China ȱ score ȱ heavily ȱ
on ȱ performance ȱ orientation, ȱ collectivism ȱ (institutional ȱ and ȱ organisational), ȱ
humane ȱ orientation, ȱ and ȱ especially ȱ on ȱ uncertainty ȱ avoidance, ȱ all ȱ of ȱ which ȱ
are ȱ above ȱ the ȱ mean ȱ of ȱ all ȱ countries.