China It Cannot Harm Us

From merit raises to free-market prices, Deng pushes his daring reforms

The first of every year is often marked by fresh resolutions, but last week China's government workers experienced an especially bracing change. Instead of the traditional two-hour lunch break, which usually allowed time for a nap, they were permitted only an hour off. Though the cutback had been announced in advance, it still proved a rude jolt. Workers who were accustomed to cycling home for lunch found themselves forced to eat near their jobs; since few offices have canteens, employees jammed into crowded restaurants cursed with slow service. Schoolteachers in Canton even asked their supervisors for a < return to the...

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