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from Junior Scholastic, September 4, 2000
One of the oldest civilizations, China is once again transformed by change.
from China: A Giant Awakens
by Anthony Kuhn
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 Suppose you were a student in China today. You would be growing up in a period of peace and development seldom seen in China's modern history. Recent decades have brought huge changes to young people's lives—changes that are sure to speed up as China becomes more connected to the world.
Just 20 years ago, there were no fast-food restaurants in China. The Communist government ran all stores, which sold only products made in government factories. . . .
Today, American restaurants . . . are found in every major city. New buildings seem to be going up everywhere. Stores sell the latest brand-name clothes.
This  vibrant new China is exciting to teens like Sui Luyan (pronounced SWAY Loo Yen). He is a well-informed, confident junior at Beijing's prestigious High School No. 25.
When he's not shooting hoops, playing computer games, or listening to CDs by rock bands, Sui surfs the Internet. He spends most of his Internet time on the Chinese-language version of Yahoo.com and other news sites.
In just five years, the number of Chinese using the Internet has gone from zero to 12 million. Still, 70 percent of Chinese youth have no access to the Net, and China's government blocks out Internet news it considers politically unacceptable.
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Most of Sui's classmates are upper or middle class, which shows in their brand-name footwear. . . . And like many of his peers, Sui enjoys hamburgers and sodas as much as he does traditional Chinese food, such as rice and stir-fried vegetables.
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A Rich Heritage
One of the world's oldest civilizations, China is not a newcomer to change. The Chinese invented gunpowder, printing, porcelain, paper money, and the compass. Modern agriculture, decimal mathematics, and multi-stage rockets also came from China.
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From "China: A Giant Awakens" by Anthony Kuhn from Junior Scholastic, September 4, 2000. Copyright © 2000 by Scholastic, Inc. Reproduced by permission of the publisher.
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