Defiant shoppers in Shanghai notched up 5 billion RMB worth of counter-revolutionary purchases during October's Golden Week holiday. Rejecting the plain lifestyles of top communist officials they succumbed to such "capitalist roader" items as laptop computers, dishwashers and really big fridges.

In scenes reminiscent of the fall of the Berlin wall impatient bargain hunters crowded around the discounted items sections of countless department stores.

Many amongst the assembled spenders were quick to claim solidarity with the protestors in Myanmar (formerly Burma) such as Mr. Wu, 51 who said "They need flat screen televisions as much as we do".

Official policy in the Peoples Republic remains that of "to each according to his needs".