It wasn't that long ago when a picture of Beijing wasn't anything but a sea of people on identical bicycles all in black pajamas.
Now, they do stock trading in pig pens and chicken coops.
Where did their money for stock trading come from? What are they buying that's making them so wealthy in a relatively short period of time?
actually not free trade, but trade. the internet and mechanisms for the free and easy transfer of funds have overcome the political obstacles
the answer to your question is Chicaps.
the inherent entrepreneurial spirit within China has been released. It has been present in the overseas chinese for many decades and is now present in the mainland
i would argue that many are applying their minds and hard work to accomplish what you describe