The truth is somewhere between Chang and Halliday's spine-tingling horror story and the fairy tale endorsed by the party. With that in mind, what follows are five pairs of the Chinese Communist Party's interrelated triumphs and tragedies. This list is not intended to deliver a final verdict on the party's 90 years of existence, but to remind us that, while its failures have been very bad indeed, its accomplishments illustrate why some in China will sincerely wish the party a happy birthday.
My, how balanced of him.
But I'm sorry, 65 million eggs (and a billion plus kept locked up should they need to be broken by the state for whatever whim strikes them) is quite the price to pay for the omelet that is modern China.
