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Nicholas Kristof: China, Concubines and Google
The Communist Party’s greatest success is the extraordinary economic changes it has ushered in over the last three decades with visionary policies and impressive governance. Its greatest failing is its refusal to adjust politically to accommodate the middle class that it created. Read more... |
National Geographic: Shanghai View
The 94th floor of the Shanghai World Financial Center tower yields an unmatched view of the city’s urban sprawl. At 1,614 feet, the building is the tallest skyscraper in China and boasts the world’s highest observation deck on the 100th floor. View the photo ...
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Derek Scissors, Ph.D: 10 China Myths for the New Decade. Contrary to conventional wisdom, China is not leading the world out of a recession, is no longer moving toward a market economy, is not America's banker, and may never surpass the U.S. Read more...
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THE CHINESE DREAM
The Rise of the World's Largest Middle Class
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Myth of China as a Superpower
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Many people in the West believe that China is already a superpower, or will quickly replace the United States to become a superpower. A recent poll by the Pew Research Center reveals that 44 percent of Americans believe that China is the top global economic power, while in reality, China’s economy is barely one-third the size of U. S. economy. This kind of misconception has engendered many unrealistic fears about China.
The truth is that China is not a superpower, and I doubt it will ever become one. Continue to read... |
Chinese Consumers Helped to Pull American Companies through the Recession |
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While older Chinese still save almost 50 percent of their incomes, younger generations are “shopaholics” and save next to zero. A typical young middle class Chinese drives a Buick, talks on an iPhone, eats in MacDonald's, and wears Nikes.
During the 2008-2009 global recession, enthusiastic Chinese consumers helped to pull many U. S. companies through the recession:
- The NBA’s 30,000 Chinese retails stores were selling 60 percent more merchandise in 2009 than the previous year.
- Nike has become China’s number one sports brand. In 2009, Nike’s revenue in China increased 22 percent, compared only 2 percent in the U. S.
- KFC and Pizza Hut are also feeding Chinese appetites faster than ever before. They are opening 1 – 2 restaurants a day in China
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My First Taste of Freedom |
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In January 1989, I came to the United States to pursue my graduate study. Like thousands of Chinese students, coming to America was not merely a chance for academic advancement. It was a way to seek a better future in this “land of opportunity” and “country of freedom.”
For those of us who had not known the meanings of words like “opportunity” or “freedom,” America was a place for the impossible, a romantic version of what the world was not, and a fantasy land with the glittering skyline of New York City, wild cowboys in California, and humming boatmen on the Mississippi River. For me, America was a dream coming true. Continue to read... |
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"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."
- unknown author
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