Screw the "Characteristics," Give Us the Capitalism

Must-read of the week is a gritty on-the-grounder about "capitalism with Chinese characteristics," and how we'd all be better off with more capitalism, fewer characteristics.   Focus on Zhejiang, where the livelihood use to settle on

used packaging, plucked chicken feathers, tattered cotton and spent toothpaste tubes.

The adjacent indoor market now features:

bales of wire, crockery, wrenches, lights, cutlery, pens, toys, tools, ornaments for the world’s holidaymakers and even newly manufactured Middle Eastern “antiques”. Across the street are halal restaurants for the many Arab customers.

For perspective you might want to match it with a piece on rustbelt recovery and another on the culture of disability payments--one government goodie that nobody has the stomach to disturb.