Editor's note: Einar Tangen is an American political and economic affairs commentator based in Beijing. He was commissioned by Xinhua's China Chat Show to write this article.

by Einar Tangen

Last fall, I was invited by Xinhua's China Chat Show to travel to some places to observe and comment on people's views on freedom and human rights. Over the course of the trip, I witnessed how China's economic success, in producing a massive middle class, is changing the perceptions and interactions of the people with the government and vice versa.

What was most surprising though, was the positive and essential role of local governments in taking on roles normally filled by NGOs in developed countries -- an idea which may be challenging to many whose assumptions about government are based on liberal democratic capitalist models, models which tend to see governments, as at best, a necessary evil that needs to be constantly watched, prodded, punished and periodically changed.

It became a journey of discovery on where the country has been and where it is heading and how those changes are impacting its society.

China is embarking on the next phase of its rejuvenation, becoming a modern, balanced, sustainable, socialist nation. With 1.4 billion people spread out over an area only slightly larger than the United States, China is a vibrant mosaic of people and activity that has had two constants over the last 100 years: Change and the Party.

In China, as everywhere else, the relationship between the individual and society is an ongoing balancing act, influenced by societal attitudes and expectations. A balancing act between the aspirations and rights of individuals, and the responsibilities and laws required to maintain a society.

Before the reform and opening up period, people's thoughts were about basic necessities. Having achieved moderate prosperity, their thoughts have become more about the choices they have, and the environment they live in.

Double-digit rises in disposable income have given people the means to buy luxuries, have their own homes, travel, and given those with the means, access to better domestic and international education for their children.

Today, people are more concerned with the choices they have than worried about necessities they don't have: the quality of their lives, better schools, access to advanced medicine and treatment, their food and water, environmental concerns, the quality of their communities, housing costs, investments, commute times and their options in terms of taking care of their elderly parents and grandparents.

Given much of the developed world's press has made up their minds, it made sense to me to see what people in China thought about their government, and their lives, in terms of their aspirations, rights, responsibilities, and the laws.

Traveling through areas, some of which were new and others that I had visited six to 12 years prior, there was a sense of profound environmental and social change.

Environmentally, the lush green landscapes and prosperous villages I saw in east China's Zhejiang Province, were a far cry from the industrial dustbowls and old, cheaply constructed homes that surrounded them, which I had seen in the past.

Socially, there were two major changes I noted. First, the attitudes and aspirations of the people we interviewed, were the same as the middle-class attitudes and aspirations of those in the developed world: making money to pay for their children's university educations, vacations, cars, houses, savings, access to good medical care, how to take care of their elders. Second, was the level and scope of local and national governments, in promoting civil society.

At a dispute resolution center in Zhejiang's Anji County, the local government gathered 16 government departments in one building, where they were tasked with solving people's problems, rather than sending them in the usual bureaucratic circle.

We witnessed a group of high school students who had not been paid for the work they had done while in holiday. There were no fees, just some paperwork and then a phone call to the company boss, asking what had happened. In the end, the boys were paid what they were owed. In other places, they would have had to try to find their way through the maze of small claims, pay fees and wait for a hearing. A stark contrast in terms of systems and results.

By cutting through the red tape to get a solution, the government made a positive and lasting impact on these high-school boys. It's a process that is being played out throughout China.

Having traveled across China extensively over the last 20 years, including writing two books on Chinese cities and how they work, it was incredible to see the pace of change over a relatively short period of time and how it has changed people's thinking and expectations.

But, what was most impressive, and probably counter-intuitive to those who haven't been to China recently, was the active part the local governments were taking in promoting the transition from a society of necessity, to one of choice.

What was also noticeable, was at each part of the trip, there were interviews of ordinary people, business owners, and local government leaders. We watched elections, attended labor negotiations, saw how governments were creating new more efficient solutions for the people they served, sat in on a legislative feedback session, watched communities planning a local festival.

We interviewed locals and foreigners who participated in these civil society activities. In Shanghai's Gubei civic center, almost all the foreigners indicated that they were initially surprised that they had been invited and the extent to which their opinions on proposed laws and civic matters were considered.

In terms of the people we talked to, about 50 percent were random people we stopped and asked questions of. How are things going for you? Is the local government doing a good job? Do you know who the government leaders are?

What became clear, was that people's minds were not on politics, but the realities of their lives, economic opportunity, access to medical care, their families. It was noticeable that in every interview with Chinese citizens, there was a quiet pride in their country and government.

Yes, there were differences of opinions, especially during the labor negotiations with the owners of the factories. In the end, though, the matters were settled by compromise and consensus, not bombast and threats. A stark difference from many such meetings I have witnessed and presided over in other places.

Sitting through the interviews and meetings, it became clear how stark the differences are between China's culture and those in the U.S. and the EU for example. Permeating all, was a recognition of face and desire for consensus, which is endemic to almost all areas of life in China, and key to understanding the differences between China and other non-Asian countries.

One question I pondered as we traveled is, what is the basic function of government and its relationship to the people. Modern China has done well using different ideals and governance, much to the surprise and consternation of the U.S. and other liberal democratic capitalist nations.

Today, many feel China's success is an existential threat to the assumed supremacy of their systems, but China is not ideological, it hasn't started any wars, it hasn't tried to push its values and systems on other countries, instead, it has focused on answering the needs of its citizens, and protecting itself from the forces which seem intent on "containing" it, which seems to be just a code word for changing it.

The world has witnessed this time and again, the economic rise of China from virtually nothing, the handling of the global financial crisis, COVID-19, and most importantly, in earning the trust of its people through operational legitimacy.

My journey covered only a fraction of China, but what I saw indicates that China's success will continue. As long as the Party is willing to change, plan and implement, it will retain the confidence of its people.