Whither China?

the long version

How has China maintained high-speed economic growth during the last 30-plus years and successfully transformed itself from a poor, backward, and developing country into the world's second-largest economy? Is the economic growth sustainable given the lack of political and social reform? What challenges does China face today, and how will she deal with them to continue moving toward becoming a truly prosperous and modern society? Now standing at a crossroads, what is China's future direction? This text examines this topic.