The rising influence of rising affluence

As terrorism and war shook the world, sweeping change came from the spread of economic liberalization

Call him Hummer Man -- our man of the decade.

It was 2005, and the young Chinese man had parked his beast of a vehicle, a cherry-red Hummer with big fog lamps and huge tires, at a busy intersection in downtown Shanghai. As he sat in the driver's seat, his fellow Chinese passed and marveled.

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