During the past four decades, the world has witnessed China’s transformation – a swift economic rise, the uplifting of hundreds of millions out of poverty, and an opening up to the rest of the world.
But what’s it been like to witness these changes from inside China and through the eyes of a foreigner? We talk to one of the first foreigners who witnessed the transformation from the inside of China, American professor Dr. Bill Brown. Brown was the first foreigner to become a permanent resident in Fujian Province, where he’s lived for more than three decades.
One of the biggest changes in China’s modern history came to the education system. In 1980, two-thirds of adults could read. After the government called for nine years of compulsory education, the literacy rate rose to more than 95 percent just three decades later.
Brown explains how the reforms impacted not only how Chinese students are educated, but also their entire worldview, in the second part of his interview.
With China’s massive economic growth, many foreigners moved there looking for opportunities. One of them is Mark Rowswell, one of the country’s most famous foreigners. He’s a Canadian performer better known by his Chinese stage name, Dashan.