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Thursday, December 18, 2008
Human Geography - CONSERVATION! There is conservation in every country as so it is not uncommon for Beijing to have conservation too. However, something that is unique to Beijing’s conservation is that not only does Beijing have to conserve and improve on its modern development, but she also has to preserve her historical past.
Beijing has to keep pollution low for the march towards a civilised country. Beijing suffers from severe air pollution due to factories as there is a staggering expansion of heavy industry and urbanisation that requires large amount of coals, which though readily available, is the dirtiest source of energy. The main sources of water pollution is industrial (chemical, organic, and thermal wastes), municipal (largely sewage consisting of human wastes, other organic wastes, and detergents), and agricultural (animal wastes, pesticides, and fertilizers). Nearly 500 million people lack access to safe drinking water. The scarcity of water caused Chinese farmers to face strong water competition from local cities, hence pushing up the price of water. Pollution poses not only a major long-term burden on the Chinese public but also an acute political challenge to the CCP. Air pollution is blamed for hundreds of thousands of deaths each year and pollution has made cancer China’s leading cause of death. China’s economy is on historical run but she is choking on her own success due to pollution. China’s problem has become the world’s problem too, where sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides fall as acid rain on Seoul, South Korea and Tokyo. Automobiles are increasing by 10 percent annually and roads being extended by only 2 percent, as people’s income increases. Hence there is the problem of traffic congestion.
Hence the government is trying out different strategies to solve this long-termed problem. For example, one has to pay extra to get plastic bags for goods and there are recycling bins around and posters to promote recycling. The government also implemented the car policy where car plates with different alphabets are not allowed to drive on certain days. The fares of public transport are very very affordable as well so as to encourage the locals to take more of them instead. Though there are results on these implementations, there is still room for improvement. This problem must be solved to ensure China’s reputation as China is now under strict inspection by other countries since it is one of the countries who is contributing most to global warming.
Another thing the government has to conserve is China’s historical places of interest, like the hutong and Summer Palace. There are nets to prevent birds from destroying the majestic palace and barriers to prevent destruction caused by men. These places are a reminder of China’s rich dynastic past and how far the Chinese have come. The richness and grandeur of such places will make the Chinese feel proud being a Chinese and also give them places to identify with. The numerous places of interests among the Chinese will also bring them closer to each other due to their shared history and heritage, knowing that they all had something in common. These places allow the future generations to have a peek at the past, though they are not physically there to witness it. For example, the Great Wall showed China’s insularity and self-sufficiency in the past as the Chinese performed amazing feats to build a 6,400km long solid wall to block out the foreigners. It also showed the strong love they had for the country. The Anti-Japanese War Museum on the other hand showed the Chinese’s struggle towards independence and how the Chinese were so brave and persevering in the face of war. It showed them that they had been through the same bitter hardship together, hence forming a sense of closeness and rootedness among the locals. It also allows the future generations to appreciate and love China more since their ancestors had so painstakingly defended China and many had sacrificed their lives for the independence of their homeland.
These historical conservations are definitely necessary though China is undergoing globalisation as it is important for a country not to lose her identity and culture. If the locals do not feel attached to the country, he might migrate and there will be a loss of talents overseas as the young talents search for greener grass elsewhere. This is the problem which is happening to Singapore, where one in four migrates overseas. This, for us, is a very serious problem since we already lack manpower due to our limited population. This affects our economy and puts a strain on the remaining working force to support the increasing aging population. Traditional Chinese values will be lost as well if China loses her identity since everyone will be similar to those in the West. The loss of good values like filial piety and honesty will be a huge loss as more and more people may become more liberal in their thinking and hence commit more crimes.