That's not to say that the Chinese appear to have the same range of political freedoms that we expect in America. There are definitely more signs of government intrusion into ordinary people's affairs. But a government can be repressive without being Communist, and if anyone is counting, I'll bet that around the world, right-wing dictatorships outnumber those on the left.

It was different when I came here in 1981. All of the stereotypes of Red China were unmistakably present. Virtually everyone, men and women alike, wore blue Mao suits. Shanghai, one of the largest cities in China (and therefore, the world) had a grand total of three department stores, all of which were run by the government, and all of which sold exactly the same items at exactly the same prices.

While there were many small restaurants, the food choices in the market were extremely limited, and generally unappealing. Having arrived in China from Hong Kong, where the markets were overflowing with fresh oranges from Israel, apples from Washington state, pineapples from the Philippines and exotic fruits from all over Asia, it was alarming to see that the markets in Shanghai sold nothing but wilted greens and ancient root vegetables.

There were no private cars. Apart from trucks and busses, (and an occasional solitary government limousine, carrying a solitary American tourist) everything moving on wheels was in the form of a pushcart or bicycle. But despite their prevalence, bikes were severely rationed; a worker had to apply to his or her work unit for authorization to buy one.
Once you were authorized, you would still have to wait for a new bike to become available, and that could take several months to more than a year.

Twenty years later, nothing described above is true. Deb may find the Chinese fashion sense appalling, but there is enough choice here for her to find clothing that she likes. Kunming, a relatively sleepy backwater town, has a department store on virtually every downtown block, and even in our two-bit neighborhood there is more shopping variety than I saw in all of Shanghai back then.

We still haven't found a source for sourdough or whole wheat bread (although we did find wholewheat flour last week) but the produce here is fresher than anything we can find at Bread and Circus, and affordable for all working people. The tofu selection puts even Boston's Chinatown to shame. While cars are still a novelty, they are by no means rare, taxis are commonly available, and bicycles can be purchased at the drop of a hat. (And with the bicycle theft rate being what it is, they often need to be.)

So what's left of Communism? Do people still have employment for life, with guaranteed housing, food, and health care? No, none of that. The government is closing factories and firing millions of workers (who are spoken of as "retired") and there is widespread unemployment; housing must now be purchased, either from your employer or privately; health insurance is your responsibility and most people go without it, paying for treatment when that is unavoidable, and often borrowing from family members when they do.

How about free public education for all? Nope, sorry about that. Elementary schools are provided by your employer (when you have a job) but you must pay for them. The cost of a college education is beyond the means of anyone who is less than middle class. (Did I hear someone say something about a "classless society?") Some scholarships are available, but only for those students who excel on the standardized tests. If you don't do well on these, you can forget about even applying to a good school.

When we listen to the news, and we hear about the problems of overpriced housing, unemployment, and inaccessible heath care, I have to stop and think - Is this China or the United States they're talking about?

Sometimes what China reminds me of is the America that I dimly recall from my youth. Despite the problems, a lot of what goes on in China has the feeling of our post-World War II economic boom. People are richer than ever and the increasing wealth breeds boundless optimism. The upward trend causes people to overlook the obviously growing social and economic problems. Nobody seems to be concerned about the rapidly expanding gap between the rich and the poor. If people are rich, all they notice is that last year they bought a TV, this year they bought a washing machine and next year they're going to buy a car. If they're poor, well then, last year they bought new clothes and next year they're saving up to buy a refrigerator. But neither side is looking too hard at the other and thinking, "Why aren't we living the same as our neighbors?" And nobody is calling anyone comrade.

If I had the job of a government official, I would be worried. How do they expect to handle frustrated expectations and growing dissent? What about the privileges that the wealthy will expect to receive? I will not be surprised if 10 or 15 years from now, China goes through its own version of the '60s, with the children of prosperity demanding that their country and the world give them the freedom and the luxury that they have come to think they deserve, especially after having been raised as only-children. (This will be the unexpected fallout of the One-Child Policy.) Memories of Tiananmen Square in 1989 may dampen some of the fervor, but by then, 1989 will have been a long time ago.

If the boom keeps going, then maybe there will be nothing to worry about. China is excitedly looking forward to becoming a member of the World Trade Organization, something they take to be inevitable, even though the decision makers are still skeptical. Not a week goes by that we don't here something on the news about the WTO, but it's still not clear to me what China hopes to gain by admission.

Another big pie in the sky is China's plan for hosting the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The government is going all out to fire up popular support for this project, which I suspect will have absolutely no impact on the voting of the Olympic committee. Does it really make a difference if, as we hear, all of China wants to have the games here? Is that on the committee's checklist? I doubt it: air pollution levels in Beijing, yes; schoolchildren's signatures on a petition, no. And I don't think any city ever got rich on Olympic revenues.

All of this makes me wonder just what it is that a government does for its people. Tries to make them rich and tries to make them secure, I think. That's what we ask them to do anyway. And if it's Communism or Capitalism that does the trick, does anyone care, or does anyone even notice?