China’s short march

Time magazine’s cover story (in the Asia and Europe editions) on “China’s short march” gives a vivid description of China in the midst of transformation from a rural nation to an urban one. In addition to the move from countryside to cities many millions of the newly affluent are moving to suburbs that surround China’s urban centres.

Although Bill Powell refrains from much editorialising in the piece there is a hint of environmental dangers through the spread of car ownership. He also ends with a warning about the potential dangers of inequality:

“It’s not the people living the Great Chinese Dream — with the new house and the car and the dog and maybe a second child on the way — that the government needs to worry about. It’s the people who build that dream for others, and then move on, hoping to do it again somewhere else. They, too, are vested in the country’s economic miracle. But should that miracle somehow turn sour, look out.”

While the dangers are no doubt real it is a pity that it generally seems to be the negative points that are emphasised. On balance the urbanisation of China is a tremendously positive development.