Life in China

[monsoon]

And interesting and fascinating read on what is going on there for most people. Capitalism gone amonk.

See here.

[dgreco]

Great Article, I find it amazing how people fall into this communism and see it as an honorable thing. I also thought it was amazing that they make around 1,200.

[Pillsbury]

It sounds like the Wild West to me. In fact, there was an article in the AJC Sunday paper about how the Chinese were starting to develop the western part of China, comparing it to how we developed the Wild West.

Edited because I can't spell.

[Snowguy716]

Amazing, isn't it?

China is by no means communist. It's basically authoratative-capitalism. The government manipulates the economy here and there and tweaks it to keep it growing, but most of the authoratative part comes in less civil liberties, etc.

It's a great example of what happens when the regulatory lids are blown off and economic growth runs amok. The future looks bright for China as a whole. They better hope they never have to re-value their currency.

[Charlotte_native]

A friend just came back from Shanghai, he said that we get excited about the number of construction towers here, they are building hundreds of high-rises all over the city...

[monsoon]

I have heard that a number of those towers are basically unoccupied. They build towers to plan and not to need so as result there is a huge disconnect in that market between developers and consumers. Millions also are being displaced as they continue to bulldoze down old neighborhoods to make way for these towers.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

It sounds like government planning run amok.

[Charlotte_native]

I have heard that a number of those towers are basically unoccupied. They build towers to plan and not to need so as result there is a huge disconnect in that market between developers and consumers. Millions also are being displaced as they continue to bulldoze down old neighborhoods to make way for these towers.

[Snowguy716]

Boat traffic on China's Yangtze River has driven the White Dolphin to extinction after 20 million years of existence. Overfishing and over-boating are being blamed, and although there is a chance that a few more do exist, they will most likely be extinct very soon.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/12/13...n.ap/index.html

Another environmental tragedy at the hands of out-of-control economic growth.

[Charlotteman]

I feel that China is an authoritarian state---a dictatorship. Communism is just in name only.

One of the aspects of modern Chinese economics that facinates me is how strangled the internal markets are. A couple years back we decorated our home and bought lots of wonderful textiles made in China. They were reasonably priced, and I have a feeling that if they had been made in the West we wouldn't have been able to afford them.

I looked at several Chinese websites that deal in these textiles, and was surprised to see that 100% of factory output was for export. i.e. Chinese people were not allowed to buy the very products they were making. Talk about a mucked up arrangement.......

The Chinese economy is huge, but only because there are so many people. I don't think anyone in the West envies the Chinese people.

[Captain Worley]

That was a really interesting article. China's potential, both good and bad, are staggering. Let's hope they stay squarely in the 'good' side of things.

[tamias6]

China's economy may be white hot and rocketing through the roof now. But what goes up must eventually come down. The going up part dosen't worry me. It's the going down part that's got me shaking in my boots. An economic crash in China could pull the rest of the world down with them since so much stuff is made there.

[Captain Worley]

I doubt they'll crash. I think a decrease in growth rate is more likely.

[monsoon]

The head of the Chinese government has said the 20th century was America's century. The 21st will belong to China.

[Captain Worley]

He could very well be right.

[Charlotteman]

Until China opens up it's economy, political system and communications/freedom of the press, it won't be number one of anything. Dictatorships never flourish in the long term.

China will continue to be number one in population until India eventually overtakes that distinction. But until the absurd Politburo of China comes to an end, then China will continue to be a backwater, no matter how much Wal Mart garbage it manufactures.