Mrs. CarlsonEnglish 1110 May 2014Democratic Change in ChinaChina is the largest developing country in the world today, and the rapid growth of China's economy has attracted worldwide attention. Some people mistakenly think that China is a country where China is only pursuing economic reform, but without any democratic change. In contrast, China actually has a long history of democratic reform. China has a different way of reforming democracy than Western-style democracy, which has led Westerners to think that China is a powerful country with limitations in terms of democracy. However, my view is that China is not limiting its democratic change and is using a particular form of democracy. For Americans, democracy is something they are truly proud of because every people can do whatever they want. For the Chinese, democracy (translated into Chinese as "minzhu", or "people as masters") is not a concept that "lives" in Chinese culture. In fact, it is completely opposite to the Confucian idea, which emphasizes harmony and obedience. China actually has a history of democratic reform since the nation's founding before 1949. China's democratic pioneer, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, viewed democracy as an inevitable step in the progress of civilization. He told the Chinese people: “This global trend is vast and powerful. Following its example will prosper, while opposing it will perish (qtd in Yu).” He led the first democratic revolution to defeat the Qing Dynasty in order to build the entire new democratic China. However, the democratic revolution pursued by Sun was ultimately unsuccessful (qtd in Nathan). Chairman Mao Zedong was another supporter of China's democratic politics. Follows...... half of the article ...... of China's political development: “Maybe I don't think China's democratic model is completely mature or successful. But at least I can say that the Chinese democratic model is extremely distinctive compared to Western liberal democracy. Different contexts and cultures of Eastern and Western countries determine differences in democracy. Therefore, it is difficult to explain China's democratic path through existing Western democratic theories” (qtd in Yu). The Chinese democratic form is essentially part of the process of modernization of Chinese society. Help the Chinese people maintain social stability, protect citizens' basic human rights, and promote China's confidence in good governance. For China, democracy could be an opportunity not only to bring good fortune to the Chinese people, but also to greatly contribute to the advancement of democratic theory..