Foreign Policy has posted a photo essay of Nanjie, a town which collectivized in 1990 and remains a throwback to the Maoist era:
There is little available for purchase in the town beyond food and trinkets; the government provides for all its citizens’ needs, supplying them with everything from cough medicine to funerals. Inspectors visit homes and workplaces to award Nanjie residents gold stars for things like “hygiene,” “effort,” “respect,” and “discipline,” as well as the all-important “being a good communist.” More stars mean better work or a bit more spending-yuan. There is one other way to outearn one’s comrades: making Mao dolls for the tourist trade.
Read more about Nanjie via CDT.
