The cultural syncretism of the Africa/Americas and China/India

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****This work is to be used as guidance only and should not be considered hand in ready, the student should formulate his or her original ideas from the information provided****

The cultural syncretism of the Africa/Americas and China/India is a difficult postulation because they occurred at different times and the term resistance to cultural change is a misnomer. The Western world at that time being comprised of Europeans simply bullied their way into the Asian and Indian cultures. The British began their exploitation of the Chinese approximately 1840 with the start of the Opium wars. This was an attempt to keep the triangle trade of opium, textiles and tea operational and generating profits for not only the British but Chinese, Indians and Japanese. An interesting excerpt follows:

"During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries the British, having failed to persuade China to alter its business and diplomatic practices to their own liking, and aghast that the Chinese would dare attempt to interdict British narcotics trafficking, simply bullied their way into China and imposed their will on the hapless nation through brute force. The Opium War, fought between the two nations from 1840 to 1841, ended with British victory and the Treaty of Nanking, which compelled Qing China to cede the island of Hong Kong to the British crown in perpetuity, pay Britain an enormous war indemnity, and open several coastal cities to British residence and trade. The Opium War and its aftermath inaugurated China's "Century of Humiliation," which endured until 1949 and the final victory of the Chinese Communist revolution. During this long and challenging century, the British, and also other foreign powers following at their heels, dominated but never quite subjugated the Chinese. China did manage to escape the utter ignominy of India, which was completely conquered and incorporated into the British empire." (1)

This statement clearly shows the manner in which the British opened up China, this would have contributed greatly to resistance as it would been seen as an invasion by foreigners. As stated in this excerpt Indian was ...