Oh, it couldn't possibly have anything to do with the fact that the past 40 years have been the best out of 4000 years, the fact that 800+ million people have b

Oh, it couldn't possibly have anything to do with the fact that the past 40 years have been the best out of 4000 years, the fact that 800+ million people have been lifted out of poverty, that dirty streets have been transformed to clean ones, that famines have disappeared and everybody has enough to eat, that violent crimes have nearly all disappeared and the streets are safe. I don't say this because I've been fed propaganda, I say this because I saw it with my own eyes. When I grew up, nearly nobody travelled abroad. 15 years before I was born, people couldn't choose what to wear, what work to do, where to live. All of that has changed, and today hundreds of millions of Chinese travel abroad, and they nearly all return voluntarily. Some choose to emigrate, but that number declines every year because China gets nicer every year. Before you accuse me of being brainwashed: the above is corroborated by Kishore Mahbubani, ex-Singapore diplomat, ex-UN Security Council head. Is he brainwashed too? I'd say your opinion is just due to lack of perspective. There are more things that are important than the ability to express political dissent. Freedom from hunger, freedom from being robbed, freedom to get medical care without being bankrupted, freedom to travel. All of these aspects HAVE improved. Of course there are still many problems. But you're judging China through a single dimension only. That's not fair.