Well, after meetings, a lecture/seminar on “Locke’s Theory of Property and Modern Political Economy” (with discussion of some concrete issues, including property in fisheries and the very complex land issues in China), a lunch and a dinner of Sichuan food that left my lips numb, I went with my colleagues and hosts to an after-dinner performance of Chinese violin playing, comic opera, dancing, and the famous Chengdu Bian Lian, or opera face change, which is simply amazing. I wish I could access Wikipedia’s entry on the topic, but Wikipedia is, ahem, a bit hard to access in China. But this YouTube video gives some idea of the artistry:
I’m off for some more meetings with university people and some visits to the countryside tomorrow.
P.S. You know that free-market capitalism has arrived when the Chengdu Metro Market (a kind of giant Sam’s Warehouse or Costco) has shelves upon shelves of … well, almost everything, including Belgian beer:
