All of China, it seems, is channel surfing on a wave of new entertainment. Cable networks charging $1 or $2 a month have wired up all but the smallest hamlets, and satellite dishes, ostensibly illegal, adorn rooftops across the heartland, netting free programming from as far away as India. A generation ago, just one in 10 rural Chinese households owned a TV set. Today penetration is almost universal, as are the costume dramas, urban soaps, cop shows and cooking classes that compose the typical programming fare. Admen pepper these offerings with edgy pitches for skin-whitening creams, disposable diapers and Big Macs.