The Chinese want the American lifestyle, a modern lifestyle, the way they think Americans live."
China's main cities are already under siege. Kids munch Big Macs at over 130 McDonald's, content in the gaze not of Mao but "Good Uncle," a.k.a. Ronald McDonald.
This generation's appetite for fashionable products is matched by its growing earning potential. You see members of the Lucky Generation parading the latest fashions nightly at lively discos like the "New York, New York" club in Shanghai. "I come here most nights," says Willy, a 20-something trendoid dressed, like his fellow Chinese buddies, in designer black. "We like to dance and to party," he says. "We mainly like the American style."
"It's created a real bizarre schism. The government may paint a picture of America as a devil country, but the average Chinese looks at America with total fascination."
The American image is what people in China want," says Robert Lamb, a U.S. amusement-park expert who oversaw the opening of the $120 million theme park; others are planned for Chengdu, Wuhan, Beijing and Guangzhou. "Just look at the kids in China. They see American films, have American haircuts, wear blue jeans," Lamb adds. "America sells."
THE AMERICANIZATION OF CHINA
So Even If China Surpasses America in GDP, Will China still remain an American Cultural Slave and America Wins?