China at the Brink: Class Contradictions of "Market Socialism"—Part I

In the Chinese boardgame wei qi, better known to many in the United States by its Japanese name go, two players alternate in placing white and black stones on a grid of lines, trying to surround and capture the opposing pieces. A more experienced player will open the game by racing around the board, leaving a piece here and there in what, to the novice, seems to be an arbitrary pattern, before settling down to more concentrated play in one or two areas. Sometimes it is only hours later that these first apparently random moves are shown to be decisive, as a lone stone, off in one corner, suddenly holds the strategic position that provides the key to victory in a closely contested match.This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.