When @HernandezJavier first started thinking about this story earlier this year, we began with the question: How is China both the most dynamic & repressed place in the world? (1/10)
nytimes.com/interactive/20…
nytimes.com/interactive/20…
The question grew out of a realization that one of the West's fundamental assumptions -- that as China grew richer, political freedoms would follow -- was flawed. (2/10)
It got us thinking about the grand bargain -- the unspoken social contract between the Communist Party and the people -- that has underpinned Chinese society since the early 90's: stay out of politics, and we'll help you prosper. (3/10)
It's a subject that I have been fascinated with for years. Thinking about China's system as a two-way social contract allows us to break free from the binary democracy-authoritarianism paradigm -- and the ideological blinders that often come with that approach. (4/10)
The bargain seems simple, but in reality, of course, it is more complicated. Borrowing a governing strategy from imperial China, the Party has ensured that the gaokao (China's college entrance exam) remains a symbol of opportunity as well as a tool of social control. (5/10)
That belief in a meritocracy is crucial. So too was the Party's decision to smash Confucian and Marxist stigmas against the merchant class and unleash private enterprise. "In this environment...anyone can find their own way," said James Ni, an entrepreneur. (6/10)
Then, of course, there is nationalism. Picking up on ideas that first came to the fore in the early 20th c. in China, the Party has cultivated a potent brand of nationalism, blending pride and humiliation into a narrative of restoring Chinese greatness. (7/10)
It has been remarkably adept at shaping a politicized nationalism that reinforces the primacy of the party — and defends the authoritarian model as the best bulwark against chaos. (In other words, the Party is great at taking credit for the people's successes.) (8/10)
At the same time, repression in China has been growing at an alarming pace. And yet, for now, any frustrations and fears have been overshadowed by the surge in pride -- and the sense of opportunity -- that has come from seeing the motherland’s rise. (9/10)
How long this bargain can hold together is unclear. As we talk about in our story, there are many challenges on the horizon. But as @panphil wrote in his opening essay: “Then again, China has a way of defying expectations.” (10/10)
