|
  |
|
|
The China Paradox - Or Maybe Not
By Nick Radovanović
Until the US financial meltdown took over the airwaves, you could occasionally still hear the China Paradox mentioned here and there. Not as much as before, though. There was a lot of oohing and aahing in the early days of the Chinese economic miracle, when China started putting out 10 percent GDP growth rates and kept it up for several years in a row without missing a beat. Then, after a few more years of stunning growth and no visible side effects, people just got used to it. The China Paradox is this: Conventional wisdom dictates that you need all the paraphernalia of an open and democratic system if you want your economy to succeed. You need free markets, the rule of law, a legal system and courts that work, an accountable government, a transparent regulatory system, as well as, preferably, a free press. Yet the Chinese economy grew explosively without any of those things. The judicial system does not function, at all - you can forget about taking contract disputes to court. The market is free when the bureaucrats aren't meddling, which is never. Nothing is transparent and corruption is rampant. And I don't need to be the one to remind you that the government of the People's Republic of China isn't accountable. Hence, the China Paradox: A country that is succeeding economically, on a massive scale, despite having the same political system as Zimbabwe, or Burma. The myth of the China Paradox is one of the reasons the international community has let the ruling Communist regime get away with a lot of bad behavior (such as massive human rights abuses) that would never have been tolerated in another country. People assumed that the mandarins in Beijing were a mysterious order of wise men, who for some reason possessed the magic skillset required to grow a country's economy by 10% per annum. As anyone can who has lived in a Chinese community can tell you, this is all nonsense. China did not grow thanks to the leadership. It grew despite of the leadership. There is one reason, and only one reason, the Chinese economy grew the way it did, and it has nothing to do with the suits in Beijing. Chinese growth was driven by the Chinese work ethic, and nothing else. The Chinese work ethic - and "work ethic" may not even be the right term - is unlike any other. Oh sure, the Japanese are hard-working, and so are the Germans. Even some of the Russians and the Americans can be industrious, given the right circumstances. But none of these nations come close to the Chinese. It's not just that the Chinese work hard. It goes far beyond that. First, the breadth and depth of the obsession with work is astonishing. The Chinese are a people who, to a man, are workaholics. You cannot find a single Chinese person anywhere in the world without the "work-like-mad" gene. This is definitely not the case with the Japanese, a lot of whom don't work at all, preferring to dress up in funny custumes or read comics all day, nor the Germans, who I'm told spend six weeks on holiday every year. Second, the concept of "working hard," when applied to China, can be found in a completely different dimension. You can't even begin to measure it, because it goes off the scale. The Chinese don't just work, work, work - they work with a mindnumbing intensity and perseverance, it boggles the mind. The French take three hours for lunch, the Japanese one. The Chinese nibble at a bun with one hand and continue working with the other. Third, and most important, the Chinese work solely for the sake of working. The Chinese way is to work like mad without any ambition, any expectation of rewards, or any desire for a better lifestyle. Hence, everybody from the business owner to the janitor will work even when it is not necessary to work. It would be wrong to say that the Chinese are "dedicated," because the implication is that a sacrifice is being made for the greater good. But in Chinese culture, work is not a sacrifice. The Chinese simply have no concept for existence that does not involve work, and can't stop working any more than you or I can stop breathing. What exactly motivates the Chinese to slave away the way they do is something outsiders might never be able to fully understand. What we do understand, however, is that China is booming because it is a nation of one billion people with the work ethic of Japanese factory robots. Without the incompetent interference from the leadership, the Chinese economy might have grown by as much as 13 ~ 15 percent, or perhaps even more. Recent news of food scares in China does seem to indicate that there are indeed systemic problems in China that need fixing. Will the poisoned-milk scandal have an effect, and contribute to the eventual downfall of the regime? Perhaps. One thing is clear: no matter who rules China, the people will just continue working, and working, and working.
|
Contributor's Note
I did my sister a favor and went to pick up a shipment of pharmaceuticals recently. The distributor is owned and run by an elderly Chinese lady, who has been sitting in exactly the same chair for 40 years, checking invoice tallies and answering phone calls. She has not invested in a computer or even a PBX phone system. And yet she is probably one of the wealthiest people I have ever met.
|
|
|
 |
|
PLEASE VISIT THE CONTRIBUTOR'S WEBSITE
Please login or sign up to rate this intel.
Please login or sign up to add a comment.
That Chinese Lady probably has a history of 5,000 years use of an Abacus behind her instead of a PC.
I have always admired the chinese people's workmanship!! There is skill in their work too not just productivity!! But Indians are not far behind
I think all this hardworking-ness stems from being oppressed by outsiders for a long time. It's almost like the case of Jews where the more they are hated, the richer/stronger they get (i think). It might be somekind of fear that they might end up being colonised again etc. if they were to slow down.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
I often hear sentiments like that. My Chinese landlady here in the Philippines used to tell me that overseas Chinese were considered to be the Jews of Asia.
facinating read Nick, very interesting, I think china will one day be the worlds biggest superpower
The copyright for this content entitled "The China Paradox - Or Maybe Not" has been specified by the contributor as:
All Rights Reserved
This content may not be copied, distributed or adapted by anyone under any circumstances.
|
|
|
This intel was contributed by nick
|
May, 2012
2008
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2009
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2010
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2011
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2012
January, February, March, April, May
|
|
Not a member yet?
Qondio is a powerful network for making it online. If you have a website to
promote, we can help.
Sign up and get in on the action.
|
|
Welcome to Qondio! Discover the awesome power this network can deliver by going to our About page. Or you could skip straight to the Sign Up form.
|
|
appreciated
