FWIW, I've been to Shenzhen and actually ended up in a hotel across the street from the big Foxconn campus where I assume Xu worked. At shift change time an unbelievable army comes rolling out; I believe it's over 100,000 workers per shift although most live on-campus. But they looked pretty much like any group of blue collar workers I've ever seen getting off work. They were talking, smiling, laughing, eating snacks.
15 years ago I saw some of rural China. I saw a lot of dirty, leathery, gap-toothed people, and it seemed most couldn't afford shoes. The population density was incredible, with entire families working plots of land that weren't any bigger than suburban yards.
These days, to be fair, it's gotten quite a bit better in the countryside as the Chinese economy has boomed, food prices have risen, and many people have moved to the city. People look healthier, wear shoes, have plumbing. But for the sake of comparing the "indigenous" life I don't think it's fair to look at the post-industrialized state.
I guess in short I'm saying it's not fair to over-dramatize the difference and think about shackled slaves vs. native warriors riding around grassy plains. I think ultimately it's only fair to ask the people themselves and I think you will find that the average Chinese worker is far happier with the direction their life and country are moving in than the average American.
15 years ago I saw some of rural China. I saw a lot of dirty, leathery, gap-toothed people, and it seemed most couldn't afford shoes. The population density was incredible, with entire families working plots of land that weren't any bigger than suburban yards.
These days, to be fair, it's gotten quite a bit better in the countryside as the Chinese economy has boomed, food prices have risen, and many people have moved to the city. People look healthier, wear shoes, have plumbing. But for the sake of comparing the "indigenous" life I don't think it's fair to look at the post-industrialized state.
I guess in short I'm saying it's not fair to over-dramatize the difference and think about shackled slaves vs. native warriors riding around grassy plains. I think ultimately it's only fair to ask the people themselves and I think you will find that the average Chinese worker is far happier with the direction their life and country are moving in than the average American.