Status Updates From Unending Capitalism: How Co...

the Sino-Soviet relationship reflected in fashion trends and competitive spirit in the fofm of consumerist culture. Super refreshing approach to a topic that has hitherto been predominantly analyzed in terms of "big" politics.

Consumerism in China today is not simply a counterreaction to half a century of communist suppression of capitalist manifestations but can actually be seen as another stage of the consumerist culture accumulated well accross and deeply ingrained in the social fabric of the Maoist era. The part abt the Three Goods of wristwatch, bicycle, and sewing machine as symbols of social status was hella interesting.

Just finished listening to the podcast that introduced this book. Love the concept of the book. Lotsa people who have never truly experienced living in overt authoritarian "communist" regimes may assume that the "building communism" there was/is as orthodox and followed strictly the words of Marx or Lenin or Mao or whoever. Well, things weren't so simple for sure. Can't w8 to finish this book.