China and the first impact of the industrial revolution: initial conditions and a falling-behind trajectory until 1949

China e o impacto inicial da revolução industrial: condições iniciais e trajetória posterior de baixo crescimento até 1949

Abstract

This paper discusses the specificity of the initial impact of the British Industrial Revolution on China´s economy. This approach is important to a better understanding of the nature of the beginnings of capitalism in that country, a process which was both intentionally and unintentionally influenced by the contacts between UK and China. These early conditions contributed towards defining the subsequent course of the Chinese economy, leading to a low-growth trap experienced between about 1870 and 1950.

Keywords:
China; Industrial Revolution; nature of Chinese economy; low-growth trap