In my younger years, I was really interested in deep dives on how China "worked". As the decades passed, I realized that 99% of the information out there is well-written bullshit, propaganda, and disinformation. Especially reports coming from academics or governmental bodies, be they foreign or domestic, because it has never been in any of the greater powers' interests to be honest about it. But what is undeniable is that for my entire life, hordes of Chinese have been constantly trying to get the hell out of China, and to this day that fact still remains so. Any researcher who wishes to cut through all the bullshit and understand the reality of China would do well to keep that simple truth in mind.
In my younger years, I was really interested in deep dives on how China "worked". As the decades passed, I realized that 99% of the information out there is well-written bullshit, propaganda, and disinformation. Especially reports coming from academics or governmental bodies, be they foreign or domestic, because it has never been in any of the greater powers' interests to be honest about it. But what is undeniable is that for my entire life, hordes of Chinese have been constantly trying to get the hell out of China, and to this day that fact still remains so. Any researcher who wishes to cut through all the bullshit and understand the reality of China would do well to keep that simple truth in mind.