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X. Zhang
emerging market economy countries to follow the old path of polarizing competition
once adopted by developed western countries.
Western industrialization only satisfies and accommodates few countries. Industrialization has been going on for more than 200 years, but the western developed
countries that have truly benefited from it account for only 16% of the world’s population while consuming more than 60% of earth’s resources, with their ecological
footprint exceeding half of earth’s bearing capacity. While the earth is in the middle
of a dire environmental crisis, the western path of industrialization, if adopted by the
rising China that has 20% of global population, will expose both China and the rest
of the world to a common crisis.
As the flaws of the west-exclusive industrialization are exposed, the biggest challenge China faces in its industrialization is whether it is able to create a new civilization path that can benefit the vast majority of people. This is a hard question for
China’s industrialization and for the evolution of human civilization. The solution to
it will be a blessing for China’s modernization and human civilization.
4. Western industrialization kills and smothers the diversification of human
culture and civilization and seriously destroys human civilization and
cultural ecology
The development of cost-externalized industrialization not only seriously destroys
natural ecology and environment, but also damages human civilization ecology and
cultural ecology. The ancient society before industrialization was an ecological world
where various cultures and civilizations co-existed. Starting with industrialization in
the West, the immense productivity of material wealth motivated by technological
innovation and market competition quickly led to the collapse of the ancient productive approach and relations. As far as human civilization is concerned, industrialization replacing and overthrowing the ancient production approach and relations is a
price that has to be paid for human progress. The ancient agricultural civilization took
place in a relatively closed environment as different ethnic groups scattered around
the world completed this process almost in parallel in roughly the same period. In
comparison, industrial civilization started in the West and then spread to the whole
world. It promoted the fast rise of the West with economic, cultural and military
predominance. As a result, the process of western industrialization spreading across
the world was not only accompanied by the disintegration of ancient production
approach, but also by the destruction of the diversified cultural ecology left from
the ancient society. From the 15th to the nineteenth century when the West went
ahead on colonialism, the Latin American and African aboriginals and cultures that
could barely protect themselves were devastated. After WWII, the western industrialization began to make its way to developing countries in a peaceful way, and the
latter’s national cultures were gradually eroded or replaced unawares by commodity
economy and the western lifestyle.
Especially after the end of the Cold War and the disintegration of the Soviet-led
socialist bloc in the 1970s, economic globalization evolved into global economic
marketization and cultural westernization. Pursuing industrialization at the expense
X. Zhang
emerging market economy countries to follow the old path of polarizing competition
once adopted by developed western countries.
Western industrialization only satisfies and accommodates few countries. Industrialization has been going on for more than 200 years, but the western developed
countries that have truly benefited from it account for only 16% of the world’s population while consuming more than 60% of earth’s resources, with their ecological
footprint exceeding half of earth’s bearing capacity. While the earth is in the middle
of a dire environmental crisis, the western path of industrialization, if adopted by the
rising China that has 20% of global population, will expose both China and the rest
of the world to a common crisis.
As the flaws of the west-exclusive industrialization are exposed, the biggest challenge China faces in its industrialization is whether it is able to create a new civilization path that can benefit the vast majority of people. This is a hard question for
China’s industrialization and for the evolution of human civilization. The solution to
it will be a blessing for China’s modernization and human civilization.
4. Western industrialization kills and smothers the diversification of human
culture and civilization and seriously destroys human civilization and
cultural ecology
The development of cost-externalized industrialization not only seriously destroys
natural ecology and environment, but also damages human civilization ecology and
cultural ecology. The ancient society before industrialization was an ecological world
where various cultures and civilizations co-existed. Starting with industrialization in
the West, the immense productivity of material wealth motivated by technological
innovation and market competition quickly led to the collapse of the ancient productive approach and relations. As far as human civilization is concerned, industrialization replacing and overthrowing the ancient production approach and relations is a
price that has to be paid for human progress. The ancient agricultural civilization took
place in a relatively closed environment as different ethnic groups scattered around
the world completed this process almost in parallel in roughly the same period. In
comparison, industrial civilization started in the West and then spread to the whole
world. It promoted the fast rise of the West with economic, cultural and military
predominance. As a result, the process of western industrialization spreading across
the world was not only accompanied by the disintegration of ancient production
approach, but also by the destruction of the diversified cultural ecology left from
the ancient society. From the 15th to the nineteenth century when the West went
ahead on colonialism, the Latin American and African aboriginals and cultures that
could barely protect themselves were devastated. After WWII, the western industrialization began to make its way to developing countries in a peaceful way, and the
latter’s national cultures were gradually eroded or replaced unawares by commodity
economy and the western lifestyle.
Especially after the end of the Cold War and the disintegration of the Soviet-led
socialist bloc in the 1970s, economic globalization evolved into global economic
marketization and cultural westernization. Pursuing industrialization at the expense