In the article, I write from Beijing during one of my repeated visits to China. I reflect on my own instinctive frugality, the habit of saving rather than consuming, and why these habits matter not only personally but also civilizationally. China’s development was often dismissed by outsiders as artificial, overbuilt, or unsustainable, but I saw something deeper: a society of savers, workers, and increasingly confident individuals.

I also discuss the friendliness and practicality I encountered in China, the entrepreneurial energy outside tourist zones, the difference between real freedom and democratic slogans, and why China’s growth was likely to continue for many decades.

Read the archived article at Liberty Unbound via the Wayback Machine →