Humans go from here to the sea: Western Europe

Author: Wu Jisong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: All human emotions can be expressed through "looking." Love at first sight is due to "looking," conveying emotions through "gaze," and falling into conflict is the result of "seeing" the contradiction. There are also expressions like "staring sideways," "furious eyes," "contempt," "scorn," "longing," and "staring." Human ways of looking are diverse, and the study of looking is vast. One could say that the history of human civilization cannot be separated from "looking." Looking—communication and connection; looking—gives this world color. Many beautiful things in the world are born from the need to look, such as architecture, decoration, clothing, film, books, and more. Seeing—more than just fate, many stories in the world have unfolded because of seeing.
This book recounts six countries: Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Luxembourg, and Andorra. Except for Spain, all are considered "small countries." Their total land area is no more than 670,000 square kilometers, even smaller than Qinghai Province in China; their population is only 77 million, not even as large as China's third-largest province—Sichuan. Yet, in 2000, their combined GDP was $1,330 billion, surpassing China, accounting for about 4% of the world's total economy, while their total import and export volume reached 6%. Listing these countries as a separate collection is far more than highlighting their position in the world economy—it emphasizes their irreplaceable role in building the society we have today.
In today's era of global information, it is essential to remember and study how the continents of the entire Earth broke free from isolation and (closed) states to become one, a result of the global voyages pioneered by Spain and Portugal, despite the colonialism it brought. In today's era of global economic integration, it is essential to remember and study that the germination of commercial capitalism originated in the Netherlands and Belgium, though it was not yet industrial capitalism.