china

With man's evolution came the evolution of things around him including furniture. Ever since, furniture has been part of our lives and when we talk about the history of furniture and its evolution, the people who have left a remarkable influence are the Chinese.

Taiwan is a country many of us are familiar with, but many people cannot tell you the difference between China and Taiwan.  Taiwan is in many ways the result of its history as a land influenced by many cultures.  The complexity of the history of Taiwan has led to a very interesting political dilemma for Chinese and Taiwanese citizens.

In 1989, Chinese students and intellectuals gathered in Tiananmen Square in Beijing to protest a lack of freedoms.  This was in the same year as the end of many Communist governments around the world.  At the time it seemed that the old order was beginning to break down and Democracy was soon to follow.  Even the bloody end to that demonstration seemed to herald the beginning of the end.  Yet here we are two decades later and China seems stronger than ever.  What has happened?

While the growth and policies of China may look appealing to the investor, before diving in it may be wise to consider the nature of Chinese society.  They have the trappings of a free market, but they lack many of the other forms of transparency that help us monitor and regulate free markets in the West.