<em>The Himalayan Mountains and the Gobi Desert acted as natural barriers surrounding ancient China. </em>
<em />
China was surrounded by natural barriers on almost all sides (Ocean, Gobi Desert, Himalayan Mountains). This protected China from any invaders. This allowed China to grow safely and quickly. When countries are safe, they develop at a faster and better rate than countries that are without natural barriers.
Well, mercantilism is when the colony is only made to support the mother country. In this scenario, the mother country is Great Britain and they are benefiting off of the colonies in America. America doesn’t want to only benefit England, but they want to be independent. That was tension enough.