In the 2010s, everyone knew that China was “the future”. In the 2020s, it feels more like the present. China has fully arrived on the world stage.
We thus have the privilege of seeing a great civilization at its peak. There’s something awe-inspiring about it, but for me, something wistful as well. How much greater would China’s peak have been if Deng Xiaoping had sided with the Tiananmen Square protesters, and liberalized China’s society in addition to its economy? How many great Chinese books, essays, video games, cartoons, TV shows, movies, and songs would we now enjoy if it weren’t for the pervasive censorship regime now in place? How much more would the people of the world have learned from Chinese culture if they could travel there freely and interact with Chinese people freely over the internet? Without a draconian autocrat like Xi Jinping at the helm, would so many Chinese people be looking to flee the country? Would the U.S. and China still be friends instead of at each other’s throats?