Criticizing the People’s Republic of China (PRC or China) comes in various degrees, ranging from what some call “China bashing” to scholarly critiques. Conferences held outside China about China often consist of only revealing problems. Indeed, one does not have to look far to find things to criticize. While the PRC has achieved unprecedented economic growth, bringing hundreds of millions out of poverty, it also has more than its share of problems, ranging from human rights abuse to environmental catastrophes. Foreigners and natives alike find that living in China brings daily frustrations and constant exasperations. Nonetheless, the longer foreigners stay in China, the more they realize that outsiders often have quite distorted views of China. Americans outside of China often see the country as an authoritarian, centralized state constantly exerting its power over its people. The reality is much more complex. The military and the police, for example, do not have a strong presence on the streets of China. In fact, it is chaos rather than dictatorial regimentation that most often reigns supreme.