And there's plenty of American influence in entertainment and culture. The capital city of Bejing has more than 300 Kentucky Fried Chicken fast food restaurants. But the government still controls society in some important ways. The government controls the newspapers, TV and radio. The protesters who recently marched against large international banking organizations in Seattle and Washington, DC would have been arrested in China.
People serve long prison sentences for speaking out against the government.
Work in China for some, means sweatshops. People can work as long as 18 hours day - with small breaks and little pay. Children work in sweatshops too. It's not uncommon for children of sweatshop workers to work alongside their parents, missing school or not being enrolled at all. Recently the Chinese government outlawed a religious group known as Falun Gong.