Chinese burn

By Rebecca Macfie In Columnists

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7th November, 2009
In 1776, the economist and philosopher Adam Smith declared China to be "a much richer country than any part of Europe". Not until 1850 did London overtake Beijing as the world's largest city. Notwithstanding the odd few centuries of stagnation over the previous 2000 years, China's economic and technological superiority was evident in extensive roads and canals, the invention of novel products like paper, the compass and the wheelbarrow, and major scientific and mathematical advances. In the 18th century, China remained the world's largest economy, followed by India; Europe was a secondary player. ...

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