Peoples Republic of China
(1949 to nowadays)
What happened?
The People’s Republic of China is the official name for China (anno 2022). It is the most populous country in the world. The national capital is Beijing.
The Chinese Civil War ended in 1949 with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) gain control of most of mainland China and the Kuomintang retreating offshore tot Taiwan. Its territory was reduced to only Taiwan, Hainan, and their surrounding islands. CCP Chairman Mao Zedong formally proclaimed the establishment of the People’s Republic of China from atop Tiananmen. The People’s Republic of China is the political entity to govern mainland China, preceded by the Republic of China (ROC) and thousands of years of monarchial dynasties. In 1950, the People’s Liberation Army captured Hainan from the ROC and incorporated Tibet. Remaining Kuomintang forces continued to wage an insurgency in western China throughout the 1950s.
Under Mao’s rule, the country went through a socialist transformation from a traditional peasant society, leaning towards heavy industries under planned economy. Campaigns as the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution wreaked havoc on the entire country. The Great Leap Forward was an idealistic massive reform project and resulted in estimated 15 to 35 million deaths until 1961, mostly from starvation. The Cultural Revolution lasted from 1966 to 1976, Mao’s death, a decade of political recrimination and social upheaval.
Economic reforms, since 1978 had made China the world’s second largest and fastest growing economy, with a specialty in high productivity factories and leadership in some areas of high technology.
The People’s Republic of China, after receiving support from the USSR in the 1950s, became enemy of the USSR on a worldwide basis. This ended in 1989 when Mikhail Gorbachev visited China. The new wealth and technology led to a contest for primacy in Asian affairs versus India, Japan, and the United States during the 21st century. Since 2017 China has a growing trade war with the United States.
Original. Found: China (JN0647-0)
Chinese Handcuffs
± 2003
Handcuffs are objects used to bind two hands together. It is made very difficult for a person to still use the hands. They are usually made of metal. They often have lockable braces, which are connected to each other. The wrists are placed close together. The connection between the braces consists of a chain, hinge, or a rigid bar. Someone else can open the shackles which usually happens with a key.
The police, armed forces and security and surveillance services use handcuffs to restrain people. These are situations that are well known to people. Handcuffs are also used as an attribute by magicians and escape artists. Harry Houdini did this frequently. He knew how to take off all the shackles. After the cuffs had been deliberately disabled and could not be opened even with the original key, he always inspected the handcuffs beforehand. Magicians usually use their own engineered handcuffs. Another well-known fact is the handcuffs used in the sexual practice of SM, or BDSM, for the arousal of the submissive aspect.
We regularly see escaping from shackles on television. However, this is not so easy if the shackles are fitted correctly. Extending hands, lock picking, duplicate key or releasing the catch with a shim are the most used methods. Exerting a lot of force on the device can cause it to break open. Persons who are handcuffed behind their backs, may sometimes be able to place the handcuffs under their feet from a sitting or lying position to get a better position and more easily use a tool such as a shim or lock pick to get free.
In Japan, a handcuffed person is not allowed to be photographed without pixelating the hands after use. Also in France, images of handcuffed people before a court conviction are not allowed to be published earlier. In Hong Kong, handcuffed people are usually given the opportunity to have their heads covered with a black cloth bag. In Sri Lanka, women are generally not handcuffed.