I wonder if this might be changing, however. A lot of very wealthy Chinese are now traveling about the world, and have been for the last several years. Their expectations have changed. Also, there are a lot of entrepreneurs that are now symbols of national pride. If government starts to rain on this parade, this time, the CCP might look like the a jealous and ineffective player that is holding China back. Personally, I doubt the CCP will survive the coming downturn.
When I was there last year, one of our cabbies launched an anti-government tirade, blaming them for inflation and the high cost of housing. -That would not have happened 10 years ago. I think because the government likes to be the authority on so much, they also get to take the blame for so much.
My sense of the PRC is that it's a managed economy where they're doing their level best to bridge the 14th and 21st centuries as quickly as they can; if that means getting medieval from time to time, it's par for the course.
At any rate, I'm pretty sure that we are going to see something interesting in the next several years. My wife was apolitical in China, but I think I've biased her here. :)