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The 56 States of Chimerica

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Article: The 56 States of Chimerica

When I was a child, the Chinese people defined wealth not in monetary or material terms, but in the size and harmony of their family. A large, happy, multi-generational household symbolized the pinnacle of prosperity, that was the cultural ethos of the time.

Today, China’s definition of wealth shifted dramatically. Whether influenced by capitalist materialism, Marxist dialectical materialism, or both, the Chinese no longer view a large happy harmonious grand family ultimate measure of wealth. This transformation raises a critical question: what, then, is wealth in modern China?

From Family to Food to Real Property

Since the 1980s, wealth in China became more and more represented by food, particularly a lavish dinner table adorned with delicacies. For much of China's history, a banquet was a rarity, and famine the fucking norm. Feasts were a luxury reserved for the privileged. Meat, especially pork, was considered an indulgence. Today, however, grand buffets and plentiful meals have become a daily reality for most Chinese people. Pork consumption, a once-symbolic marker of affluence, has skyrocketed, with China accounting for nearly half of the world’s pork consumption as of recent years.

So, what was once rare became a daily sight. As access to food approached Western standards, the Chiense definition of wealth shifted again—this time, to real property. This was partly the result of the party, partly the result of the ordinary Chinese people: echoes of the ancestral idea of a grand family, coupled with distrust of the communist government. These are literal communists and liberals love to ignore that fact, and it bites them in the ass so much that i have to rub their nose in their stinking mistakes. For many Chinese people, owning real estate became synonymous with financial security and status. Property, with its inherent potential to appreciate in value, represented a tangible and durable form of wealth, more resistant to fraud than paper investments. This preference aligned with the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) economic strategy, as property investments kept capital within China's borders. Real property also makes a good place to anchor wealth acquired in questionable methods: while prostitution and porn are illegal in China let’s just say “love finds away” and its often a way lined with renminbi.

The Property Bubble

However, this reliance on real estate as a cornerstone of wealth has encountered significant headwinds. With China’s population growth stabilizing—and in some areas, declining—the demand for property is no longer as robust. A key economic principle comes into play here: diminishing marginal utility. If there are more dwellings than people who need them, property values stagnate or even decline. For context, China’s urban homeownership rate is over 90%, among the highest in the world, and reports suggest there is at least one vacant property for each Chinese person.

The Chinese housing glut is accompanied by concerns over construction quality. Shoddy, fraudulent, or substandard construction erode consumer confidence and lower the speculative value of housing. In a market already oversaturated, these risks further diminish the attractiveness of real estate as a form of wealth.

The Demographic Challenge and the Ethno-State Debate

China’s demographic trends exacerbate these economic issues. The country’s fertility rate has plummeted to 1.09 in 2022, far below the replacement rate of 2.1. Without significant population growth, property markets face a grim future. While some suggest that importing millions of migrants could stabilize demand, this is unlikely. China views itself as an ethno-state comprising 56 recognized ethnic groups, and the CCP has historically emphasized cultural homogeneity. Large-scale immigration would challenge these deeply ingrained cultural and political norms, making it an improbable solution. Improbable isn’t impossible.

The Pivot to Intellectual Property and Global Influence

Recognizing these domestic limitations, the CCP is shifting its focus from domestic physical infrastructure to foreign infrastructure and also to transition its domestic economy toward innovative, sustainable, leading technologies. With much of China’s domestic infrastructure already built out, the government has turned its infrastructure know-how and capital to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), exporting its infrastructure expertise to developing countries. Simultaneously, China is investing heavily in domestic intellectual property, particularly in patents, technology, software, and even cultural exports like media and entertainment.

This pivot represents a calculated strategy to sustain economic growth while addressing the constraints of a maturing domestic economy. For example, China has rapidly increased its global patent filings, overtaking the U.S. to lead the world in international patent applications. Additionally, its technological innovations in fields like artificial intelligence, telecommunications, and green energy position it as a global leader in these high-growth industries.

The Harvest of the "Chives"

Domestically however, many Chinese citizens still wryly refer to themselves as "chives," a metaphor for their perceived role in the economy: periodically harvested for taxes or economic contributions but expected to regrow for the next cycle. This reflects a broader societal acceptance—or resignation—to the CCP’s centralized economic control. However, the question remains: can the CCP successfully "harvest" growth from intellectual property and global influence, rather than relying on domestic consumption and infrastructure investment? What if “chives” are smart and simply become “global nomads” or outright emigrate? While China can and does try to use the extensive overseas Chinese communities to contribute to Chinese foreign policy and domestic investments that only goes so far?

The Road Ahead: Challenges and Opportunities

China’s economic future is uncertain but still filled with potential. The country's isolationist tendencies, combined with a culture of hard work, learning, and productivity, offer it a strong foundation to navigate its challenges. Yet, demographic decline, infrastructure fully built out, and geopolitical tensions pose significant hurdles.

China’s ability to pivot its economy toward innovation, intellectual property, and international partnerships will likely determine whether it can sustain growth in the coming decades. If successful, it may redefine wealth once again—not as family, food, or property, but as the power to shape the global economy.

Capital.

Sample sentence: “Capital investments are a topic of concern both to capitalists and Marxists.”

Translations:

1. French: capital - capital

2. Spanish: capital - capital

3. German: Kapital - Kapital

4. Estonian: kapital - kapital

5. Ukrainian: капітал - kapital (transliteration)

6. Russian: капитал - kapital (transliteration)

7. Chinese: 资本 - zīběn (simplified), 資本 - zīběn (traditional)

Sample Sentence Translations:

1. French: Les investissements de capital sont un sujet de préoccupation à la fois pour les capitalistes et les marxistes.

   (n.b. I would say investissements capitaux but that may be joual or such, blame Canada!)

2. Spanish: Las inversiones de capital son un tema de preocupación tanto para los capitalistas como para los marxistas.

3. German: Kapitalinvestitionen sind ein Thema, das sowohl Kapitalisten als auch Marxisten beschäftigt.

4. Estonian: Kapitaliinvesteeringud on mureaine nii kapitalistidele kui marksistidele.

5. Ukrainian: Інвестиції капіталу є темою занепокоєння як для капіталістів, так і для марксистів. (transliteration: Investytsii kapitalu ye temoyu zanepokoyennya yak dlya kapitalistiv, tak i dlya marksystiv)

6. Russian: Инвестиции капитала являются темой беспокойства как для капиталистов, так и для марксистов. (transliteration: Investitsii kapitala yavlyayutsya temoyu bespokoystva kak dlya kapitalistov, tak i dlya marksistov)

7. Chinese: 资本投资是资本家和马克思主义者都关心的话题。 (simplified)

   資本投資是資本家和馬克思主義者都關心的話題。 (traditional)

   Zīběn tóuzī shì zīběnjiā hé mǎkèsī zhǔyì zhě dōu guānxīn de huàtí.