Social Cleavages in China
Political Cleavage: Communist Party vs. Falun Gong
The Falun Gong are a religious group in China. However, because of their growing population and popularity, the Communist Party saw them as a threat. Thus, they began to persecute them. Persecution ranged from propaganda attacks to violence. Their books were prohibited, and many members of the Falun Gong had their house searched.
They first started as a simple religious group. At this time, Jiang Zemin, who had been toppling his political rivals, was rising to power, and he saw the Falun Gong as a threat. The Falun Gong were being widely praised by both the people and the media. However, Jiang had been controlling the media as well to spread propaganda promoting himself and taking down political threats as well. Thus, he began a nation-wide investigation and search to find something that could possibly take down the Falun Gong; however, he found nothing. He prohibited their books, and then on April 25th, 1999, the Falun Gong had a peaceful protest in Beijing. Although it dispersed quickly and ended peacefully, Jiang took this to his advantage. He persuaded the nation that they could lose control of the country if the Falun Gong gained too much power. Thus, he began to persecute them. |
Religious Cleavage: Christianity vs. Buddhism
China supposedly has religious tolerance policy. However, in recent years, as the Christian population increased, the Chinese government has gotten stricter and has exercised its power upon the people. In several places, Christians had to fight for the right to keep their church, and many have failed. As a result, many pastors have also been deported to their home country.
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Class Cleavage: The Migrant Class vs. Middle Class
As China begins to industrialize, the gap between people grows wider. The coast has been industrializing quickly, but the rest of China have not. Because of this, there has been a major schism is the population in china. Cities like Beijing and Shanghai are filled with wealthy Chinese families. However, the migrant class,, who have people who come from places like Anhui, China, struggle to find jobs in cities that will pay better.
Regional Cleavage: Xinjiang vs. China
The split between Xinjiang and China originates from the ethnic cleavage of the Hans and the Uyghurs. The people in Xinjiang are currently fighting for a split away from China as they believe their culture is too different and that they deserve their own country. They wish to form their own nation-state.
Ethnic Cleavage: Han Chinese vs. Uyghurs
The Uyghurs want to split from China because they identify more with countries to their left, such as Russia, Kyrghyzstan, and such countries. However, China still wants to hold power over them. Thus, the more China strengthens its hold on them, the more the Uyghurs fight against the state.
Racial Cleavages do not exist in China.
The Chinese population consists of more than 98% Han Chinese. There are no racial cleavages present.
Gender Cleavage: Boys vs. Girls
The idea that boys are superior than girls is an idea rooted deep within Chinese ideology and tradition. As a result, the men are often favored over the females, especially in rural China. Thus, not only are there less opportunities for women in society, many female babies are often abandoned or killed at birth. As a result, this causes a inequality in the average births of babies.
Cross-Cutting Cleavages
There are no overlapping cleavages that can provide China with any benefits.
Coinciding Cleavages: Ethnic and Regional Cleavage
Both these cleavages originate from the same idea that the Uyghurs feel that they should have the right to form their own nation-state. Furthermore, the Chinese occupation of Uyghur territories has also been causing tension as the Chinese have been prohibiting their culture in such areas. They have been prohibited from speaking their own languages in some schools and have been denied their religious freedom.
Effects on Political Participation
Political participation has been affected in ways that include people who have grouped together to stop the persecution of the Falun Gong. Organizations such as the Friends of Falun Gong have created a petition to help them. Furthermore, they are also protecting the Falun Gong from those who target them to harvest their organs.
The ethnic cleavage also affects political participation in that it separates the people and provides different ideas on what China has sovereign over. Their actions cause political leaders to modify their choices; therefore, changing the outcome.
The ethnic cleavage also affects political participation in that it separates the people and provides different ideas on what China has sovereign over. Their actions cause political leaders to modify their choices; therefore, changing the outcome.
Why I Chose These Topics
I chose these topics because they have a major influence on China, especially the split between the Uhygyrs and the Han Chinese. These divisions are so controversial that China has actually used its power over the media to censor it and hite it from the public. I feel that these events really embody some of the major splits in China now. And although I could not find any cross-cutting cleavages, these events combine to become a major coinciding cleavage that China deals with today.
Links to Helpful Resources
http://www.china.org.cn/english/China/239494.htmhttp://fofg.org/
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/25/world/asia/china-violence/index.html
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/09/26/china-xinjiang-terrorism-50-dead/16249969/
http://www.religioustolerance.org/falungong.htm
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/15/world/asia/china-christians-church/index.html
http://www.christianpost.com/news/100-christians-including-children-arrested-during-major-house-church-raid-in-china-126854/
http://genderindex.org/country/china
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/25/world/asia/china-violence/index.html
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/09/26/china-xinjiang-terrorism-50-dead/16249969/
http://www.religioustolerance.org/falungong.htm
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/15/world/asia/china-christians-church/index.html
http://www.christianpost.com/news/100-christians-including-children-arrested-during-major-house-church-raid-in-china-126854/
http://genderindex.org/country/china