Even a visit to a bookstore can shock anyone who first came to know China decades ago, when it seemed inconceivable that works by non-Marxist theorists would ever outnumber those by Marxists. A theatre company has even been allowed to stage “Animal Farm,” George Orwell’s famous anti-authoritarian allegory, once known to socialist-bloc readers only via underground editions.
自八十年代中期以来，中国发生了巨变。变化不仅仅是增加了让长久未来的访客不知所措的高速公路、广告牌以及摩天大楼。甚至去一下书店就足以让在几十年前了解中国的人震惊。那时，非马列主义理论的著作会超过马列主义者是不可想象的。一家话剧演出公司甚至被允许上演乔治·奥维尔著名的反专制主义讽喻剧&lt;&lt;动物庄园&gt;&gt;。社会主义阵营的读者以往只是通过地下版本知道这部作品。