Economic Background China's economic rise has been nothing short of astounding. In the span of a few decades, the country brought itself out of isolation and into the center of the global economy. Though the country followed a similar trajectory to that of Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea and Hong Kong — the so-called Asian Tigers — as it developed its economy, the challenges and considerations it dealt with along the way set its story apart. And its transformation isn't over yet. For nearly all of its four millenniums of recorded history, China has been the dominant player in its trade dealings. The vast fertile lands of the Central Plain and Jiangnan regions along the Yellow and Yangtze rivers, coupled with revolutionary advances in agricultural methods and technology, helped support a large and industrious population.