CHINA’S PYRRHIC VICTORY

In this piece for the New York Review Daily, I look at how the protests are playing out and conclude that what we’re seeing is the death of a great city.

A couple of readers called me out on the pessimistic conclusion, saying it’s still vibrant and alive. My views definitely are subjective, but I feel it’s declined in stature and doesn’t have the same buzz around it, largely because of China’s steady mismanagement of it over the past two decades.

I hope I’m wrong–if you have a view, send me a note at ij@ian-johnson.com