Topic Essay Question on East Asia 3 pages

(Northeast Asia seen from above)

EAST ASIA

What do you see in the picture below? I think that images so well captures what East Asia is about. It is a place where the old and new coexist. In other words, East Asia is

ancient as well as modern at the same time. Sometimes this coexistence is uneasy and confusing, but certainly exciting. For example, East Asian countries are very advanced in mobile communication technologies. Yet, East Asians communicate through elaborate body languages. If you don’t understand their ritualized body language, you cannot succeed in these modern and advanced societies. I hope you could appreciate that irony. Let us try to find out more about this East Asia. East Asia is a geographical realm well known for its physiographical obstacles and historical backlash. There are five countries in this geographical realm that we are going to take a

close look: China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea and Taiwan. There is something common about these countries. Except North Korea, East Asian countries have achieved relatively high level of development despite their many challenges. Japan is the second largest economy in the world; Taiwan and Korea are major economies of the world. China, although less affluent compared to Japan, Korea, or Taiwan, in terms of per capital income or production, has been the fastest growing economy in the world for more than 10 years. Many observers project that China will become an economic superpower in the Twenty-First century. (North Korea, on the other hand, is suffering from recurring famine.) How could a region that has so many debilitating physiographical handicaps and overwhelming historical challenges (or so many strikes) has accomplish this? That is our question. And we shall take a look at the region’s first strike. (I hope you remember that

I like using baseball analogy.) Population Density: We are going to use U.S. physiologic population density (the number of people in a country per unit of land suitable for farming or grazing) as a benchmark, which is 157 per one square mile. East Asian Countries have the following physiologic population density: Japan: 2607 (per sq. mile) South Korea: 2,592 Taiwan: 2,536 China: 988 North Korea: 1,219 Spatial Limitation: Let’s start with China. Nearly half of China is difficult for human habitation. The northeastern part of China is mostly of arid and dry land with high mountain ranges that do not produce much food, therefore, challenging to human habitation. I want you to take a look at Figure 9-2, which is titled, “China: Population.” You would not have problem understanding that China’s human habitation is concentrated along the eastern seaboard. In almost one-third of China (mostly in west), not many human souls are found there. Is Japan doing any better? Japan’s territory is the size of California (or Montana) with the population half the size of the U.S. As of 2008, there are 128 million people living in this limited space. And 80 percent of its land is mountainous, therefore, not optimal for human habitation. Let’s go over to Taiwan. How big is it? It is smaller than the size of West Virginia, but with a population of 23 million. To make things worse, a half of the island is covered with mountains. Is South Korea any better? It is as big as Indiana. But South Korea’s population is approaching 50 million. And to make things worse, 70 percent of the peninsula is mountainous. (When you travel through Northeast Asian countries, one thing that you would not fail to notice is how mountainous the region is, as shown in the picture above.) East Asian countries, except China, are not rich in natural resources. Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea import most of natural resources they require industrial development and personal uses. China, although not poor in natural resources, does not have enough; so

it has become one of the most aggressive nations in the world in terms of seeking natural resources from other countries.

Historic Upheavals: The word convulsion means a violent shaking that leaves an individual utterly disoriented. That is what had happened to these countries in the form of war and revolution. China lost its territorial integrity in the middle of the 19

th century.

Thereafter China suffered what is called a century of historical convulsion. In the 1930s and 1940s, China experienced civil war between communist and nationalist forces leading to death of a large number of Chinese, and utterly exhausting the country. Only in 1949, did the civil end with the victory of the communists. Japan, in 1945 was defeated in World War II.

You probably know that Japan is the only country that was attacked with atomic bombs in history. (Left) Japan in the mid twentieth century was a beaten and exhausted nation. Taiwan’s historical experience is tumultuous as well. After defeat in the Chinese civil war, the nationalist who fled to the island of Formosa established the Republic of China, better known as Taiwan in 1949. Koreans were colonized Japan in the first half of the 20th century. Then between 1950 and 1953, South and North Korea fought a devastating civil war, in which the U.S. intervened on behalf of South Korea. The Korean War cost millions of Korean lives as well as 40,000 American lives. When you put these strikes together, it is a wonder that these countries has risen from the ashes of historical convulsion and backwardness and embarked on their path to the world-class economies. Let us now move on to each country in the region that has risen from their historical, demographic, and spatial limitations.