Ｔｈｅ　Ｍｏｒｅ　Ｔｈｉｎｇｓ　Ｃｈａｎｇｅ.docVIP

Ｔｈｅ　Ｍｏｒｅ　Ｔｈｉｎｇｓ　Ｃｈａｎｇｅ 　　A famous French characterization puts it succinctly: “The more things change, the more they remain the same.” Just as famously, in China that does not seem to be the case. Since the beginning of China’s reforms 30 years ago, the country has changed dramatically, both in terms of its infrastructure, and more importanly its people. 　　“I first time came to China in 1986, and back then Beijing was a city without skyscrapers. Bicycles were everywhere on the streets, and even official vehicles were few and far between. The pace of life was slow ― people did not seem to work very hard,” one friend said. When I arrived in China in 1994, the situation had not yet changed a great deal. However, there were plenty of taxis, and construction cranes were a common sight. Highrises were mushrooming everywhere in a concerted attempt to improve people’s living conditions. At the time, the majority of Chinese people still lived in cramped flats. 　　State-owned enterprises were also on the hot seat, because their operations were in need of a transition to a market economy. It was a time of trial and error. 　　The situation changed with the new millenium. Coupled with globalization, which saw the increased introduction of foreign enterprises and brands into the Chinese market, and the integration of China into the WTO in 2001, commercialism became the driving force for a new class of entrepreneurs. China boomed as a consumer society took hold. Ultramodern shopping malls replaced time-honored stores, and restaurants stopped closing early to welcome customers who were dining later and later. Beijing became an international metropolis where, like everywhere in the world, evenings are not spent necessarily at home in front of a television set. 　　It is a development that strikes any foreigner who has lived in China for some time. “Eleven years ago, when I arrived in China,” a friend said, “the sight from my hotel window was rather dull. On the highways, I could on