I’m guess I’m one of ‘em.
The Chinese have endured as a nation and people under such a system for thousands of years. It might be oppressive, but, in the long run, it seems to work.
More and more I see the US as a falling Roman Empire: Bankrupt, with an overstretched military, invaded by barbarians, citizens anesthetized by bread and circuses (or “American Idol” and “Dancing with the Stars”), etc. We all know how that ends, but I keep hoping...
Its maintenance cost is loss of lives anywhere from 30% to 70% of Chinese population during inter-dynasty period.
Well, we need to keep in mind, where China is coming from and where it is going.
The concept of democracy and people living apart from indentured servitude is a new concept just in the last couple hundred of years.
Even here in America, whole sale enslavement of an entire segment of the American population end just 145 years ago. The Northern states ended indentured servitude and slavery long before that, and was a thriving prosperous society. The Southern states did not end it and was poor. And until the later half of the 20th century, remained far behind the North.
China's current economic rise and thrust onto world stage has to doing with a DECREASING OPPRESION in China. Sure, China is not to a point of the West is today, but getting better and getting closer to Western way of thinking (admittedly, there will be those outside of China and even in that would disagree with me).
But China's economic rise, at its very core and its very root, has more to do with the general population, the government, etc. becoming LESS OPPRESSIVE than it once was. And becoming less so as the decades pass.
I forsee a day, when China may end up teaching the West about respecting human rights.