Editor’s note: I’m thrilled to have this guest post from Josh Waitzkin, author of The Art of Learning, and the subject of the book and movie, Searching for Bobby Fischer. An eight-time National Chess Champion in his youth, he is now a martial arts champion, holding a combined 21 National titles in addition to several World Championships. - Lizunlong
pg:"China certainly had a merchant class. The problem was that merchants were powerless compared to the official class, who could thus confiscate any surplus they generated.//Results: (1) The merchant class is unable to accumulate capital to finance new technological development. (2) Ambitious kids become bureaucrats instead of making something people want.//(Britain reproduced this result in the mid 20th Century.)" - Lizunlong
