But beyond its daunting linguistic and cultural barriers, China is a strikingly ordinary place. The China I first visited in 1984 is gone. The People's Republic has become one of the world's largest and fastest growing economies, has raised the standard of living for much of its population, and has launched countless satellites into space. Economic reforms that were introduced in the provinces during the late 1970s and early 1980s were made official policy by the Beijing leadership and have opened new realms of autonomy for many. But much in China is the same as it was in 1984.
Most citizens still live in the countryside.
Most Chinese are poor by any standard. An immensely powerful bureaucracy sharply defines the limits of personal freedom. Decades of political campaigns have undermined the faith of the people, and individualism, for good and for ill, has supplanted communalism. If hard times return, they tell their grandchildren, they can do it again. These days, however, urban Chinese kids have taste buds more suited to McDonald's fries than bitter dregs.