In this speech, Emmanuel Daniel, founder of Wealth and Society outlined some of the places he had visited in China in the past one year that gave him a glimpse of the relationship between the state and society in Chinese history

The following is the edited transcript of the full interview:

I have been traveling to China since 1994. I brought The Asian Banker in China in 2000. I started Wealth and Society worldwide in 2017. Although I have been visiting China for a very long time, I did not get the chance to understand the country very deeply. Every month I would travel to China, but stay only a few days.

But in the past one year, I have had the privilege of living in China. I did not leave the country. Because of the pandemic. This gave me the chance to travel to many parts of China to understand its history more deeply.

When I visited the ancient frontiers of the country along the Hexi corridor, I saw huge granaries. The biggest in the world, built during the Han dynasty, 2000 years ago.

The granaries ensured that there was food in the furthest parts of the country. It also ensured that food prices were kept stable over difficult times. These granaries are a symbol of the cooperation between the state and the people. For many countries, this relationship between the state and its people is new. In China, it is ancient.

You must understand that as a foreigner, the female emperor Wu Tze Tian was just one line in our history books. When I visited Luoyang, I was shocked to find that the personality of the emperor Wu Tze Tian was everywhere. It was huge. Wu Tze Tian pioneered the “Dian Shi” examinations that enabled talented people to rise in society, regardless of their family background. Today, we call this social mobility. She also made it normal for women to have an important role in society. Nearly 1500 years ago.

In Shanxi province, I visited the huge courtyards of the Wang family and the Qiao family. These wealthy families played an important role in the Ming and Qing dynasties. These families were the bridge between the state and society. The Shanxi region had constant floods and famine. These noble families redistributed wealth several times in their history. The Shanxi region also had attacks from foreigners. These noble families helped the emperors protect the region.

In this way, everywhere I went in China, I could see the theme of “wealth and society” again and again. Drawn from deep inside Chinese history and culture. Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are new to this game. The west is looking for ways to tame capitalism. China always had the answers. “Da ze jian ji tian xia“. Through this “Wealth and Society” programme, let us find the answers together.