A hallmark of totalitarian governments is the need to promote an image of their populace as tranquil and content under their leadership.  Such is the case with the government of China.  However the image belies the reality. The rapid growth of the Chinese economy over the past 30 years has been driven by rapid urbanization and a never-ending supply of cheap migrant labor moving from the countryside to the cities.  According to the latest government figures, an estimated 153 million people have left their homes in the rural areas of the country and moved to the cities to work on construction sites, in restaurants and in factories just over the past 12 years.  The result has been widespread civil unrest, which has been a feature of life for years.  The unrest continues today, as numerous large and violent protests have broken out between the police and these migrant workers. Per the Financial Times: One side-effect has been the creation of a huge underclass of...(Read Full Post)