An Analysis of the Similarities and Differences between Chinese and Western Modernization

Abstract The common features of Chinese and Western modernization can be summarized briefly as the basic realization of industrialization, urbanization, agricultural modernization, service provision, mechanization, electrification, chemicalization, socialization, large-scale and intensive operation, marketization, democratization and the rule of law, as well as ongoing evolution toward informatization, networking, digitization, and intelligentization. Where the paths to modernization are concerned, the prerequisite in each case is emancipation of the mind, the primary driving force is a scientific and technological revolution, the foundation is industrial revolution, and the guarantee is provided by the change of production relations (economic base) and superstructure, that is, by institutional innovation. Meanwhile, there are fundamental differences between Chinese and Western modernization in terms of their fundamental purpose, content, nature, and characteristics. The paths to their realization and their actual effects are different. The most fundamental divergence here is that Chinese modernization is socialist modernization under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, while Western modernization is capitalist modernization.