From Letters from China:
Much popular literature about China, such as Jung Chang‘s recent biography of Mao, makes it seem as though China did little after the communist revolution in 1949 but lurch from one disaster to another. In fact, China’s national income under a planned economy grew fivefold between 1952 and 1978. Though wages were low, the welfare system – the famous “iron rice bowl” – guaranteed lifetime employment, pensions, healthcare and other benefits that created a high degree of personal security. [Full Text]
