Analysis of When I Was a Boy in China - Research Paper Example

?When I Was a Boy in China Analysis of When I Was a Boy in China Many changes have taken place historically. Every country invests inconsiderable amount of resources in its education system to transform its economy and ultimately its country through its people. China was such a country, which in the 1800s was technologically and educationally in need. The decision by the government to spend fortunes in educating its citizens the American way was prompted by the desire of the government to transform the country. It was during this move that the author of the book, When I Was a Boy in China found his way to America to study the westernized form of education. This paper looks at the contributions of education to the development of a country and transformation of the world from an historical perspective, with reference to the book, when I was a Boy in China by Yan Phou Lee. The paper will seek to answer the question, what was the contribution of the formal education system to the transformation of the economy of the world? Lee (1877) narrates of a story that stresses the importance of education and the early perception of education by people. In the story, a learned lawyer was conned due to his greed for money. Although having had been greatly educated, he fell trap of the cons. Were it not for the negative reception he received form his people in his hometown of Fragrant Hills, Clang would not have lost his money and valuable law books in pursuit of better life. Somehow, he had lost his faith in education, not with the negative reception extended towards him after his master’s degree attainment, forcing him to pursue a Doctorate degree in Perkin. Many reasons prompt a person into pursuing higher education. The failure of a student to secure a desirable job, the frustrating salaries and job title, educational advancement or prestige are all reasons why a person would seek education advancement (Sinha, 2003). However, how does the advancement in education help in developing the economy of a particular country and the world? Education equips people with understanding of the various phenomena affecting people. It is the foundation of all discoveries. Education enables people to think and reason from their vicinity, removing ignorance from the people. It thus enables people to think about the future more, especially specialists in various areas. Just like Sinha (2003) points out, education is essential for long term planning and prediction. It may take long for education to transform the economy, although its effects are long term. Lee and his friends were sent to America for fifteen years to receive education, and would latter return, fully equipped with knowledge and skills to transform the Chinese country and the general economy (Lee 1877). Through this, evidence of the contributions of education to the transformation the world economy is seen. Long term plans are possible with education. The differences between the Chinese people and the Americans during Lee’s time were significant, especially in terms of civilization. By then, a very few Chinese people could read or write, with the educated ones having designated jobs. His uncle for example, lived a good life and had a good job working in an American firm due to his education. He was part of the few citizens who contributed to the economic development of the country. In Lee’s view, the civilized people dressed weird, spoke in funny languages, and behaved in a funny manner. This showed the level of un-civilization among the Chinese, a reason why they could not communicate directly with the Europeans. However, with the acquisition of formal education, they were in a position to communicate efficiently with the Americans, giving them an opportunity to easily and efficiently interact with them. The interaction would then enable them discuss economically and politically oriented ideas. This is a key contribution of the formal education to the country and the world general Lee (1877). Regardless the willingness of the Europeans to participate in the development of the country with the inclusion of the Chinese, it would not have been possible with the language differences between them. The young boys had to be taught English to communicate properly with the people they interacted with. Because of this, they had to be trained for a whole year on the basics of communication, reciting phrases and cramming the consonants. This was a form of education that the government felt would be a big step towards advancement of its people into socializing with the Americans. Without communication, it would be impossible for people of different races to communicate properly, which is essential for development of the world. According to Sinha (2003), education brings people in different levels of economic status close. Evidently from narration by Lee, there was a big difference between the Chinese country and America. While back in china they had to rely on boats and steamers making people spend a lot of time on the journey, Americans used rail transport and busses. Lee was amazed by the fact that a car could travel on two parallel metal bars. He was more amazed by the height of buildings and more perplexed by the elevators. Back in China, the tallest building that he had seen was high school complex that was just a storey high. These differences were evident form the fact that Americans were more educated and understood technology more than Chinese people. The current developments in the Chinese country and across the world have been attributed to education. People can communicate easily, interact and share information that leads to economic development of the world. Thus, education is essential for the development of the world and a country’s economy. References Sinha, B. R. (2003). Education and development. New Delhi: Sarup & Sons. Lee, Y. F. (1887). When I was a boy in China, by Yan Phou Lee. Boston: D. Sothrop. Read More