Cashing In on Communism: China's New Rich

Maureen Fan's article in the Washington Post (February 18) is a good rundown on the new rich in China. Fan explains the background from the 1950's to the present, especially Deng Xioaping's encouragement of the policy "let some people get rich first."

One interesting twist is the anxiety many of the new rich feel. They feel guilty over their "original sin," that is, the dodges they used to make their fortunes -- bribing bank officials to get loans, forcing the poor out of their houses to build luxury developments. They revel in their privileges (private jets, exemption from the one-child policy) but fear that this exposes them to predatory local officials.