China is the Nation to Watch this Century

When I was in high school over 20 years ago in the early to mid 1980's, we studied China in history class. There was a quote by one of the writers in the book that went something like, "China is a sleeping Giant, and when it awakes, the World should beware."

Beware? Maybe, but China is definitely a country to watch with her massive population, rich culture, roaring economy and taking her super power to new heights. The people of China could do whatever their hearts desire.

Will the women of China find new freedoms and rights? I base my question not on experience but by media information.
How about the status quo workers?
What will happen to the character of those who bask in their new found power?

http://www.pbs.org/kqed/chinainside/



This is a book I should really set out to read: Romance of the Three Kingdoms
One of the 4 greatest novels ever written in Chinese literature according to some.

from Wikipedia
Myths from the Three Kingdoms period existed as oral traditions before any written compilations. In these popular stories, the characters typically took on exaggerated characteristics, often becoming immortals or supernatural beings with magical powers. With their focus on the history of Han Chinese, the stories grew in popularity during the reign of the foreign Mongol emperors of the Yuan Dynasty. During the succeeding Míng Dynasty, an interest in plays and novels resulted in further expansions and retelling of the stories.

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms as we know it today is attributed to Luo Guanzhong, written between 1330 and 1400 (late Yuan to early Ming period). It was written in partly vernacular and partly Classical Chinese and was considered the standard text for 300 years. Luo made use of available historical records, including the Records of the Three Kingdoms compiled by Chen Shou, which covered events from the Yellow Turban Rebellion in AD 184 up to the unification of the three kingdoms under the Jin Dynasty in AD 280. Luo Guanzhong also included material from Tang Dynasty poetic works, Yuan Dynasty operas and his own personal interpretation of elements such as virtue and legitimacy. Luo combined this historical knowledge with a gift for storytelling to create a rich tapestry of personalities, and initially published it in 24 volumes. During Kangxi's reign in the Qing Dynasty, Mao Zonggang significantly edited the text, fitting it into 120 chapters. Nowadays, Mao's version is the most common.