I think it is going pretty fast. So fast in fact I would recommend seatbelts and sunglasses to everyone on board. 

Only for the people outside of China (or from outside of China) who see through the smoke and mirrors and realize it is all an illusion.

For the locals...nope...China the BEST!

getting harder to hide the chaos from the rest of the world, must be driving the leaders crazy when they are  busy with the perception they try to show the world of a harmonious society.

Of course, that's why China scores so high on popularity in international polls. Everyone has a good laugh when little brother is trying to be a big man, and goes back to business, extracting money from China. Someday soon the amount of money made on China's export will be equaled by the amount they spend on import for reasons of status or quality. Social unrest is rampant within China and the whole world is becoming a better place.

Slowly...?

Man, it feels like a matter of time before it all implodes....people putting bugs in drinks, and all this nonsense. No government can cure this much corruption. Too many people to keep track of. Or rather. I feel like the government has just given up. Ap

In all seriousness, I think China used up a lot of the goodwill and capital it gained leading up to the Olympics. The world saw it as a backward nation, but gave it a break because of the historical hardships and social oddities that created that. As a result things like lying, cheating etc... at business were ignored largley. 

However, it's becoming clear that these things aren't going to change. And as China becomes larger on an international stage people are seeing these things aren't going away and that will ultimately lead China back to where it started, as history has always dictated. 

China is the world's entitled brat. For some reason it thinks it DESERVES respect, power and envy. It seems to have no idea that not only is it not that special, it's actually rather sub-par. 

So, as a result, when it gets just a little recognition it suddenly thinks that all these things its feels entitled to are now China's for the taking. It's really messed up. 

Maybe one day China will learn the concept of substance and honesty being what makes a world leader, not just WANTING to be one. 

the joke of the day

in 1904, a german architect built the biggest train station in asia in the city of jinan, it appeared in many movies throughout the last century..

in 1992, the government tore it down even though it was a very historic building and many people were upset, it was so well constructed that it took a whole month to tear it down,

now the great urban planners want to make the exact replica again with no blueprints and the quality material they had then want be used at a cost of 1.5 billion rmb.

now the people think urban planning is a joke.

How is Chinese resistance to one hundred toxins cultivated?

SOME Chinese people have taken stupidity to a whole new level never before seen in the history of mankind.

Please note that I am not including ALL Chinese people, and do not wish to insult or defame the Chinese people in general.

You're probably new here. People have been laughing for a while now.

Much like Justin's comment, China is basically a laughing stock among people from other countries who are in the know.  However, China get's a degree of respect (as every sovereign nation should), that they misinterpret as parity.  A good example of this is Silvia's presence here.  We joke about him/her and comment about him/her, but he/she probably has no idea they are basically the village idiot in most of our eyes.  Perhaps I'm being a tad harsh (even he/she deserves a modicum of respect) but it's the same idea.

I feel sad for them, because I see hilarious things only because of the obvious things they do see or do.

It's hard to tell people take jokes differently different people different customs etc.,