But in China today, a number of factors have converged to make the situation unique.

CNN: LITTLE EMPERORS

But in today's China, English was compulsory from the sixth grade on, and the language had become an obsession among the younger generation.

NPR: An Outstanding Name for an Outstanding Student

But compare China today with China in 1985 (the first year the country conducted comprehensive consumer surveys) and it is clear that China's growth has been rapid.

ECONOMIST: Not quite a billion

But today the shrine is one of the holiest in China.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | China: Inside China's Search for Its Soul

There are many alarming similarities between China today and Japan in the late 1980s but there are also big differences.

ECONOMIST: China's battered image

But being a power in the world also brings with it responsibilities that today's China is still loth to accept.

ECONOMIST: China��s party

The parallel between the United States then and China and India today is uncanny, not only in terms of long-term growth prospects, but also in the potential for short-term turmoil.

FORBES: In China and India, Turbulence and Volatility Are Part Of The Bargain