Wapasha
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- May 28, 2019
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Yup, I've seen enough Chinese kung-fu movies where the bad guy is the local government official.I think there is truth to what you say, Wapasha, but it is easy to exaggerate the fear most Chinese feel from the government. The attitude of most is supportive of China's leaders, and often it is just corruption in society that people hate. They like XiJinping's supposed "anti-corruption" drive. There are 90 million people in the Communist Party, and most middle class people know members personally. I certainly met many, decent and responsible people mostly. Many just shrug their shoulders and say things like "Hey, you can't fight City Hall."Everyone wants to have a good life. But in China, even the wealthiest person is like a naked man clinging for his life on the edge of a rocky cliff. Ass soon as the wrong person in the Chinese government feels a slight annoyance towards you, they can flick you off that cliff, and no one will ever see or hear from you again. They are all living a fragile existence on a tiny little ant hill, and Xi's government is the boot heelLink that 900 mil are "very poor"
Poverty is relative, but let me try to put it this way...
China GNP before Covid-19 was just below the U.S.A level, based on a productive (rather than just a financial) economy. It has roughly 4X the population.
As you surely know it has millionaires and billionaires, a big "middle class," and also extremely poor people recently moved into cities from wretched rural poverty. But on average it remains poor by U.S. standards, with 1/4 the income per capita, suffering more pollution and corruption and competition to get ahead.
From my experience living there for eight years, hard work, discipline, striving for education and family values are all important parts of Chinese culture. Finally, the horrors and tragedies of their recent past make most Chinese happy to be "richer" than ever before.
Just trying to explain some basic aspects of Chinese reality that Americans often overlook...
But of course you are right: If you are an outspoken dissident, or just somebody with outspoken American values, you probably will end up paying a high price, or at least have your career prospects ruined.
Finally, there are lots of corrupt little local mafias outside the big cities, and in big companies too. They are Party members too, of course. They just nod in agreement to whatever Beijing says, but then do their own thing.