Modernization Theory and China's Road to Modernization

Research into modernization in the West can be traced back to over 200 years ago. In the 1960s, theories under the umbrella of "modernization theory" took shape and developed. Modernization theory addresses countries' transformation from traditional to modern forms through looking into the various paths taken by these countries and the characteristics manifested during the process. In the meantime, the theory itself has been undergoing adjustment and evolution amidst the theoretical clashes of many theories of social development. In exploring its road to modernization and learning from modernization theory, China has adopted an approach of drawing on the useful and discarding the unfit elements found in modernization theory. As a result, China has formed its own ideas on development with Chinese characteristics. At present, the task that China faces is to properly handle all kinds of social contradictions, build a harmonious society, and strive to realize China's development by leaps and bounds.