I constantly watch my wallet here (and in Shanghai as well). The police did come to our apartment one day to check our status. They were polite but serious.
One thing that I know will be provocative, but I may as well say it. After visiting Shanghai, this thought occured to me: If Ayn Rand woke up one day in the Bund or Pudong, if she could walk around and see the enterprise about her, she’d probably ask something like, “when were the Communists defeated?” Then we could tell her the more complicated story.
I agree. The end of all-encompassing government control of the economy has been good for living standards. They're not at First World standards, but the typical Chinese consumer's main concern today is keeping up with their neighbors' acquisition of consumer durables, not starvation.