Having been to China myself also.. i can honestly say how blown away i was over there by the FREE trade market... the entrepeneurial nature of the Chinese.. the HIGH standard of living combined with extremely low electricity prices ( remember its our coal they burn to get this... starting to feel ripped off yet?)
China is absolutely buzzing.. was a fantastic experience to go there and witness it.
The Gov sent a guide to take my wife and i on a tour of Guangzhou.. talking to her was a real experience... she was so proud of what her country had to offer... her electricity bill was US$7 per month ( with aircon of course), she was employed by the Gov ( civil servant) and as such would retire at 42 where her pension was her full wage index linked for the rest of her life... she was also free to seek other fulltime employment once retired and would not be penalised tax wise
