These momentous foreign and domestic developments left behind far-reaching consequences which endowed the periods that followed, especially the Cultural Revolution, with characteristics greatly different from earlier times. Also, the influence of these other nations on China as to its culture, lifestyle and political sphere, are still in force today and have greatly altered the face of modern China.

             First of all, the convergence of Chinese and Western cultures in the 19th century virtually ended China"s seclusion and resulted in an increase in the involvement of world affairs. Second, the interplay between foreign and domestic elements gave rise to revolutionary changes in the Chinese political system, economic institutions, social structure and intellectual and cultural attitudes. In essence, change "became a key feature and made China far more complex than ever before" (Dinbo 34). .

             Lastly, the occasionally forced injection of alien cultural aspects into Chinese life generated a strong sense of nationalistic/racial consciousness which was to deeply influence the Cultural Revolution, beginning in the early 1960"s. These cultural aspects, especially those based in the West, not only changed China"s cultural life but also made it possible for the seeds of democracy to sprout and bring about the most crucial political changes ever witnessed in China"s long history.

             According to H.T. Lee, "Modern China defies comparison with the China of previous ages, for the changes which distinguish modern China from its traditional counterpart are both fundamental and far-reaching" (37), especially when the cultural aspects of China are taken into account. Politically, the dynasties and most imperial institutions, by the time of the Cultural Revolution, passed out of existence and were replaced with an educated populous based on cultural excellence. Economically, the age-old system of land tenure characterized by landlordism was also eliminated.