The Wright Times

Dear Wright Times Readers,

I've been in China for more than one month now. The thing that really strikes me about this place is the efficiency with which this country manages 1.5 billion people. When I first arrived, I asked a Chinese friend how to apologize for bumping into someone on the crowded streets of Beijing; with hundreds of people on nearly every street corner it happens quite a lot! He told me that "duibuqi" is the Chinese word for excuse me but that Chinese people find such apologies unnecessary. The culture of China is such that most Chinese understand the need to make individual sacrifices for the need of the common good, and minor personal affronts made for the sake of progress are often well tolerated.
This sort of attitude is one of the many reasons the economy in China is booming. The rate of progress is awe inspiring. Since being here I've seen large buildings and major roadways demolished and rebuilt in the span of two to three days. Anyone accustomed to the lackadaisical work ethic of Chicago laborers would be greatly impressed by the way projects are handled here. China also has some interesting property rights laws. I am not entirely clear on the scope of these laws yet but from what I understand the Chinese version of imminent domain is applied often, and helps make large scale projects much easier to manage.
Beijing is busy preparing for the 2008 Olympics so large scale projects are quite common here. Many foreign companies are also investing largely here which leads to new additions to the Beijing skyline on a seemingly constant basis. The area I live in is home to two large towers. One owned by Google, and the other by Microsoft. My friends who were here last year said the towers and the surrounding landscape were completed in three months. Tell that to Donald Trump! I've been reading about the construction on his building in Chicago since I was in high school.
All of my observations since coming here have solidified my belief that China will soon be one of the most powerful forces in the global community. The rapid growth here seems bound to continue unabated. Anyone with any interest in global politics and economics should definitely keep an eye on China. It will be quite interesting to watch this country continue to grow.

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