The Real Cultural Revolution

The 7 million residents of this port and manufacturing city on the Pearl River seem to revel in a boomtown atmosphere, a kind of celebration of capitalism.

The first thing railroad passengers see after stepping off the train from Kowloon is a huge red billboard perched atop the depot. In years past, one might have seen a portrait of Chairman Mao, but today it’s a leering likeness of Ronald McDonald. “Welcome to McDonald’s Guangzhou,” the sign says in English.

Other signs of Western-style capitalism are very much in evidence on Dong Fong Road, a major eight-lane highway.

The Compaq Computers logo is prominently displayed, as are billboards for Epson, Toshiba and IBM. Microsoft has just opened an office in Guangzhou, formerly Canton.