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You've been there; I haven't. I've always presumed the society was stratified enough for all sorts of nasty shit to happen without the upper class saying "boo." Am I mistaken?
I'd say Yes and No. I don't think they yet have an established culture of social activism, and when it comes to public spaces and resources, there is definitely a every person for himself/herself way of things. However, many people are like my brother-in-law, who grew up burning coal for heat and now drives a BMW. (Funny, I think the wealthiest people I know are in China.) These people travel all over the world now. Due to the CCP and the Cultural Revolution, wealth doesn't go back in any family very far. There is a real pride in what has been accomplished in the last decade, and I don't think the government gets much credit for it.
When I was there last year, one of our cabbies launched an anti-government tirade, blaming them for inflation and the high cost of housing. -That would not have happened 10 years ago. I think because the government likes to be the authority on so much, they also get to take the blame for so much.
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I get that. At the same time, that seems to be where they were in 1989, as well; from what I've seen of Tienamen Square, the Party was pretty much at "we'll agree to gradual reforms" and the Movement was pretty much at "shut.it.DOWN" so the CPP was all "well, we've got tanks" and that was that.
My sense of the PRC is that it's a managed economy where they're doing their level best to bridge the 14th and 21st centuries as quickly as they can; if that means getting medieval from time to time, it's par for the course.
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Perhaps. I am far from an expert on their national character. It's amazing to me that Tienanmen happened, actually. My brother-in-law sat in on them, but that wasn't in Beijing. It actually happened across the country, but we just hear about Tienanmen.
At any rate, I'm pretty sure that we are going to see something interesting in the next several years. My wife was apolitical in China, but I think I've biased her here. :)