M A I N   N E W S

In Dragon Country
China breathes progress, inequality
Anita Katyal
Tribune News service

Shanghai, September 22
Years ago, when an Indian Cabinet minister visited the UAE, he came back awestruck by Dubai’s amazing infrastructure and its high development indices. Lamenting at length on how India was lagging way behind on these two fronts, he ended on a more philosophical note; “If nothing else, at least we have the freedom to speak”.

This may well be true of China.

Nearly two decades after it embraced market reforms, the country is clearly on a roll. The gleaming skyscrapers in Shanghai and Beijing, the overflowing glitzy shopping malls, the entry of international brand names, the increasing number of cars and the expressways criss-crossing the cities are a far cry from the grim image one has always had of old China when Beijing was a forest of chimneys and everybody wore blue tunics and rode bicycles.

The figures on the country’s economic profile are indeed mind-boggling. China is the third largest trading economy in the world, has attracted $ 660 billion worth of FDI since 1978, has the largest foreign exchange reserve at $ 1,300 billion while its per capita GDP stands at $ 2,000.

Although China has opened its doors to the world giving people exposure to new ideas, dissent is still frowned upon. The press in China continues to be state-controlled, discussions on democracy and human rights are clearly not liked while NGOs and trade unions, which can take up the cause of the displaced and the marginalised, are non-existent. In other words, there is little room for Nandigram-style demonstrations though there are stray reports from the rural areas about similar protests.

China’s economic success story has another side to it. The changes introduced by the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) are state-led and the totalitarian political regime remains very much in place. Once an egalitarian society, the switch-over to a globalised economy has resulted in growing inequalities, the emergence of a widely-consuming middle class, rising corruption and increasing displacement of people in both rural and urban areas whose homes have been demolished to make way for glitzy skyscrapers or industrial parks.

“We try to reduce conflict to a minimum..... but it is important to follow the rules,” Ma Xuejie, deputy director general, press and information office, Shanghai Pudong New Area, told a group of visiting journalists from the Indian Women’s Press Corps when asked about the acquisition of land for development projects. The press is equally benign about reporting on the frequent demolition drives being resorted to by the authorities.

“Such conflicts are inevitable when you want progress. We tell people about the existing laws for the protection of an individual’s rights and there is growing awareness about these rules among the people. There is also growing awareness in the government about enforcing these laws,” says Wang Lan, senior editor, Shanghai Daily, adding that the Chinese press is well aware of its social responsibility and does not indulge in unnecessary criticism of government’s policies but also writes about the solutions to these problems.

Despite the heavy cost it is paying for its policies, the Chinese are unapologetic about opting for a free market economy, first introduced by Deng Xiaoping. Ask anybody about the impact of reforms and the answer is the same. Whether it is your tour guide or a journalist, they will tell you that the market economy has brought in tremendous economic prosperity.

“Look at it this way....earlier everybody was poor but now a large number of ordinary people have a chance to lead a fairly good life,” says Zu Shuangqi, a Beijing-based journalist. “Market economy is the only way forward for social development... you have to change or else you will be thrown out,” adds Ma.

Although China remains unwavering in its commitment to economic reforms, the ruling Communist party is not unaware of the social tensions being fuelled by growing disparities and the increasing urban-rural divide. Constantly seeking to balance the aspirations of the growing middle class and the rural poor and farmers, who have remained unaffected by the booming economy, the Communist party constantly stresses people-centred development.

The party has increased budgetary allocations for health and education, promised to improve infrastructure in the rural areas and offer subsidies to farmers. Not very different from the UPA government’s programmes for the “aam aadmi”.

A bit of Bollywood in Beijing
Anita Katyal

There is a little bit of Bollywood in Beijing. We discovered this accidentally when we recently decided to sample the capital’s nightlife in Sanlitun, rated one of the most popular bar areas here. Sitting outside one of the numerous nightspots, we were pleasantly surprised to hear the remix version of “Mere Naseeb me tu hai ya nahin,” being played in the midst of western pop songs. A young Chinese girl, dressed in a shimmering lehnga and cutsy blouse, gyrated to the music with all the jhatkas associated with the typical Bollywood-style dance numbers. Move over Mallika Sherawat, the Chinese are coming.

Shah Rukh craze

If Bollywood is just making inroads in Beijing, then Shah Rukh Khan is a clear winner His posters were spotted in several shops while songs from “Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gum” were being played regularly on the street outside our hotel. The Shah Rukh craze has been imported to Lhasa, thanks to a large number of Tibetans who have studied in Dharamsala or have been to India to visit their relatives. Although local Tibetans do not watch Hindi movies (as they don’t understand the language), videos of songs featuring Shah Rukh are a great hit.

Name game

But these instances are clearly an exception as the Chinese have a marked preference for Hollywood movies, American television serials and western pop music. In fact, the younger Chinese are so enamoured of the West that they have even given themselves English names in addition to their Chinese names. They all said it was more convenient to use English names since the Chinese ones are difficult to pronounce.

Internal migration

Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray, who is known to rant against Mumbai’s invasion by outsiders, will be happy to hear about how the Chinese deal with internal migration. Officials in Shanghai admitted that people who come to the bustling metropolis for employment are exactly welcome. They are taken to what are described as “aid centres” where they are provided some succour, after which they are shipped back home.

From another era

Although Beijing is being transformed into a city of modern buildings and expressways, there are pockets where you can get a glimpse of Chinese capital of yesteryear. The Beijing Foreign Languages Printing House, which once had the sole monopoly for printing Chairman Mao’s selected works and has since moved on to print books and magazines, still lives in another era.