Social Advancements: The Chinese people have excelled throughout history to absorb the people of surrounding areas into their own civilization. Their success has been attributed to the superiority of their ideographic written language, technology, artistic and intellectual creativity, and the sheer weight of their numbers. The process of assimilation continued over the centuries through conquest and colonization until modern China was brought under unified rule. The Chinese also left an enduring mark on people beyond their borders, especially the Koreans, Japanese, and Vietnamese.
China's people - one-fifth of the world's population - were isolated for several decades of the 20th Century. But massive changes have swept the country today. English language proficiency is now a universal graduation requirement in Chinese colleges and universities. And, many young Chinese use "American English" names with each other and with their foreign friends, preferring it to their formal Chinese names. For more information, see the
Volunteer in China web site.
