China doesn’t want people flaunting their wealth
Especially not on the internet
![Young women in Chengdu, China](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240622_CNP003.jpg)
MAO ZEDONG persecuted the rich. But his successor as paramount leader, Deng Xiaoping, decided to “let some people get rich first”, as he launched market-oriented reforms. Now a growing number of Chinese are rich—and the pendulum has swung back, with the government cracking down on ostentatious displays of wealth.
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This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Leave the Hermès at home”
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