Why Did The China Miracle Take So Long (Like, 4 Centuries Long)

Filed under: China

China

The new China meets the old one.

Liu Jin/AFP/Getty Images
 

A new economics paper is getting attention and looks quite interesting.

China was a major world power and technologically advanced nation until the late 1200s. Then, its technological edge disappeared until, well, 1979.

The answer, according to this author: trade. When China was open to trade, its technology advanced. When China wasn't open to new inventions and new ideas, it retreated.

Adam Davidson

9:07 AM ET | 09- 1-2008 | permalink

 

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