In fairness, the current China system has uplifted millions or perhaps even a billion people out of poverty. So while folks are getting educated, it will take another generation or two before they likely will want more.
This is only true up to certain extend and also very misleading. Majority of the Chinese people will tell you the same as I will : the people who was getting lifted are mainly from the big cities, the inland farmers and poors did not get much help there and there are still lots of very poor area in the inland. Inland farmers and workers are also moving to those big cities and they are working at very low wage and like a slaves got their blood sucked by the riches there. Some may save enough money after a few years and then go back to their own inland cities to build a new house to open a small shop, but most of them are just repeating the same cycle. More and more farmland are being abandoned, those poor places were not being helped much and only the elders and children are being left behind. Low tier factories are being built without much environment control and regulation. Hence air pollution is a huge issue everywhere. A female journalist shoot a documentary to report the same but was called by people as b'tch and liar. The ideology of moving from the old communist system to the more controlled and planned capitalism economy was originally suggested by Deng, but with a catch - Let some people to become rich first, and then they will carry the poor and so that we all can be better. The first part was achieved, but the issue is, because of the culture and value, after the riches arise, that only bring more corruptions and wider the gap between the rich and the poor. Obviously, you can argue the same is happening in US regarding our economy too. The bottom line is, everything still boil down to the basic human rights and freedom. Because no matter how much the Chinese government can post the control on its people, up to certain point, when you are no longer hungry, and have a place to live and cloths on your body, you will look for more. And nothing is more important than freedom at the end.
Not quite, some farmers got wealthy, but mostly those who had access to the sea, coastal areas. I have stayed with middle class farmers around the ZheJiang area. Fujian is also wealthy. Lots of oversea Chinese returned and helped out their farming relatives, invested. The land is too vast not to have poor people.
when you say some farmers got richer, those are mainly related to the government taking some of their old houses or farmland on redevelopment purpose. But the issues actually did not get better, the housing market in China is a huge bubble, this alone is one of the biggest crisis the China government needs to deal with right now.
The living standard for Chinese people has improved dramatically in the past three decades, mainly in the big cities along the coast region. But for the vast majority outside of these regions, especially farmers, the life is different. Most people are poor, and struggling to make the ends need. The biggest headache for China right now is the vast population of those "migrated workers" from countryside, after the infrastructure construction inevitably slows down, and the manufacturer jobs dry up due to trade war. But you will never find the truth since the government controlled media won't let you know any of that.
The housing bubble affects both cities and other areas, it’s a nationwide problem but farmers might have built their homes by themselves with the aid of relatives and friends.
Texanasiafan, that is real poetic or you know, idealistic. It also depends on your drive and your age. Because I see a lot of youngsters who go after their dreams, have the drive to protest or do whatever. But when they get to their 30s, 40s and 50s people tend to lose that drive. And the objective shifts to protecting and providing for their family, being around their family. This got nothing to do with communism, democracy, monarchy. This is for Asians, Europeans, Africans, Aussies and Americans all alike. You'll lose that drive and you seek STABILITY AND SECURITY once you get OLD. Can't speak for everyone but observed many do. For pragmatists the term absolute freedom is abstract.
I believe human are always born with kind and decency. Its just a matter of time for people to wake up. That means, even this generation will be tired (the same generation 30 years ago in Tiananmen Square), eventually their next generation will start to learn and know more and fitting the description I had mentioned above. This is exactly the same situation in Hong Kong now, most of the protesters that are risking their life are youngsters and students. No one can seal and block information forever, and no one can control how people should think forever.
