China

Here I am, living in "Communist" China, so why do I feel so free?

Is it because in Lijiang I never saw a policeman? Is it because everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, and doing exactly what pleases them? Is it because of the obvious entrepreneurial spirit that seems infuse Chinese culture? Is it because China is vastly more capitalist, in many respects, than most western countries?

All I know, is that labels like "communism", "totalitarianism" and the like seem to be completely misplaced when applied to the actual experience of living in China.

China is NOT like the old Soviet Union - with its state-owned stores, where shoes or toilet paper were forever in short supply. China is NOT like North Korea, where people are literally living in a time warp - and brainwashed to believe they live in a paradise.

In fact, China is more like Hong Kong, or Singapore in the making.

I've met scores of Chinese. I've witnessed their lives. These are not people truly suffering under any totalitarian yoke. If they are "slaves", then their serfdom is in many ways better than what we put up with in the West.

Sure there are vast differences between rich and poor. Yes, there is a lot of pollution in the big cities. And yes, I cannot access the BBC.com world news web site!

I can't publish criticism of the Communist Party in the local papers - but I can easily do it on the internet, and in person, talking with other Chinese. I can keep most of the money I earn. I can aspire to riches and achieve it. I can build a life of my own design. In fact, if I'm honest, I'd have to say that middleclass Chinese have all the opportunities we assume are reserved for people in "free" countries.

There are some "downsides" of course.

I would have to take care of my own health - as there is no social welfare to speak of in China. Even a visitor can quickly realise this by noticing the plethora of advertising on TV for various hospitals! I'd have to get used to paying tolls on allthe highways, as the Chinese are big on "user-pays". And of course, I would have to look after my own old age.

The truth is, in China there is virtually no welfarism - something most Westerners are now addicted to. So, yes, there is the hardship that comes with self-responsibility

This got me thinking about the nature of practical freedom - of what is really important in leading life according to one's own wishes.

Is it more important to be able to write a letter criticizing the government and have it published? Or is it more important tobe able to live your life with the minimum of intrusion?

Is it more important to live in a country with effectively just two political parties, and a system called democracy - or a country with just one party, and a system called communism? (...)

Of course, the Communist Party does crack down on political dissent. So dissent moves "underground" - or should I say above ground, on the internet. Yes, the government is what we'd call "authoritarian" - and seeks to manage a free enterprise system.

If I was a Falun Gong practitioner, I wouldn't be happy in China. On the other hand, if I was a Christian, there would be noinfringement on my religious beliefs or practice.

However, for a business-minded person, or someone (like the artisans of Lijiang) who just wants to mind his own business, China does offer quite remarkable opportunities. And life in modern China is certainly light years away from what life waslike under Mao.

But there's more to it than that.

Why do I fear entering the USA more than China? Why do I feel safer walking down the streets of this city of 33 million thanmost other large western cities? Why do I feel the energy of entrepreneurship and opportunity in China, compared with thelethargy and dead-weight of dealing with bureaucratic and tax hurdles in most western countries? Why do I feel less watched, less listened to? Why does China feel on the move, while many western countries feel stagnant?

These are important questions, because they point to a disturbing fact regarding our western countries - the direction they areheaded.

We are used to calling ourselves the "free world" - a badge of honour earned in a bygone age. But we are fooling ourselves if we think we are still free.

What is both fascinating and disturbing to me, is the DIRECTION different countries are taking.

China is a previously impoverished Communist country which is moving decisively in the direction of more practical freedom. In matters economic, it is proving to be a powerhouse of capitalism- where the inherent business talents of the Chinese are being liberated to create a massive growth in productivity and wealth.

This surge in prosperity and accompanying education will change the face of China in the future. And as Chinese people have said to me repeatedly, they expect their transition to more politicalfreedom to be just a matter of time.

On the other hand, we in the West are experiencing movement in a completely opposite direction. More socialism, more fascism,more stagnation and continual infringements of the freedoms we say we hold so dear.(...)

And as my favourite French chef in Lijiang said, "There are no terrorists here!"

(...) And, like me, you may be surprised to find practical freedom in the most unlikely places. " Via LRCBlog