I Love Australia

@walabby But you dont tip most places😷

@Transplantadele You make an excellent point, Everything is relative. In the end every country is Socialist somehow. It depends on who they give the money to.😷

@DavidT8899 Actually. Thats not so. North Korea is totally Totalitarian. Very different.😷

@DavidT8899 OK. Thats quite accurate. But Most Chinese are happy to exchange some "freedom" for the massive improvement in their standard of living..And No. I wouldnt want to live there. 😷

@DavidT8899 It's not a socialist country. Not even close. The reason things are expensive is because of runaway capitalism.

@Transplantadele You are correct. I have never been to China personally, although my son was there as part of a school exchange back in secondary school. However, for some years I spent part of my work day dealing with Chinese exchange students studying overseas and helping them find their feet in our culture. So you talk and listen and understand clearly what they get and what they find strange. Having said all this I totally accept everything you have said about China and the Chinese people. I am also aware you might need to temper your language and have often been told the same thing by students I assisted. You also touched on the reasons I found to highlight some of the differences. China is land of contradictions and diversity. And opportunity is not equal. (Then again, where is it?) So while big city folk may well enjoy every freedom and luxury you list, some regional and ethnic groups find their options more limited and the scrutiny they face is greater. Of course, all this interaction was shut down with Covid, so I cant speak to anything since 2020.. And of course, the international student pool from China was always drawn from the educated and politically "appropriate" populations. So I am sure I didnt get every opinion. But the message was clear. "We have come a long way in a short time.. But not everyone is in the same place" I might add that being aware of the social credit system and roughly how it works, I would love to see it applied in some other places..The United States would be fun to watch, from a distance..😷

@Transplantadele I think we are very much on the same page. But remember the nepotism and preferencial treatment you describe still happens everywhere. It is just a matter of degree. So maybe making sure those with talent are also seen will be a good first step. Goodness knows the work ethic every Chinese person I have met brings to the table should make them the equal of anyone. (My daughter in law is Malaysian Chinese)😷