I woke up this morning to the sound of fighter jets and helicopters flying past the window of my 23rd floor Beijing apartment. Below, I could see a caravan of military vehicles, including several tanks, traversing up the 3rd Ring Road. 4 KM west, thousands gathered in the cordoned off Tiananmen Square to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the People's Republic of China.
While it is easy to dismiss the bombastic events I witnessed today outside my window and on my TV screen as nothing more than an empty display of patriotic propaganda, the overarching optimism shown by the participants and speakers relayed a message of pride stemming from the accomplishments of recent economic growth rather than the 60-year old promise of a self-sufficient Communist state.
Indeed, it is amazing how China has been able to transform itself in such a short time span. The quality of life is markedly better than it was 60, 30, and even 10 years ago for a great many people. Forbes recently produced an intriguing special report about China @ 60 featuring articles from several prominent Chinese players-I highly recommend it.
While it is easy to dismiss the bombastic events I witnessed today outside my window and on my TV screen as nothing more than an empty display of patriotic propaganda, the overarching optimism shown by the participants and speakers relayed a message of pride stemming from the accomplishments of recent economic growth rather than the 60-year old promise of a self-sufficient Communist state.
Indeed, it is amazing how China has been able to transform itself in such a short time span. The quality of life is markedly better than it was 60, 30, and even 10 years ago for a great many people. Forbes recently produced an intriguing special report about China @ 60 featuring articles from several prominent Chinese players-I highly recommend it.
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