This is a colorful, ironic look at Chinese society as it is being transformed by burgeoning capitalism. After Deng Xiaoping first allowed private enterprise into new industrial zones, untold wealth has accrued to those who once followed Mao's dictates. We meet a former Red Guard who has become a billionaire, and a family in an old Mao commune which is now quoted on the stock exchange and provides each resident with an income without working. Once undreamed-of luxuries are shown off with pride.
What does one call the new system? Market communism or communist capitalism? One thing is certain --there is a growing gap between rich and poor. The super rich worry that the government will raise taxes, while the poor worry about how to feed themselves, get health care and an education for their children. As capitalism spreads from Bejing and Shanghai to the provinces, entrepreneurs strive for the greatest profit.
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