rld，　and　even　as　he　falls　for　the　young　beauty　Jiang　Qing　in　this　doomed　capitalist　love　story，　he　understands　the　world　hates　him。

〃Forbes　is　a　curse，　you　know，〃　Feng　tells　Jiang，　in　an　excerpt　translated　recently　at　a　Penguin　Group…sponsored　workshop　in　China。　〃If　you　get　onto　the　Forbes　list　you'll　be　dead　meat　in　no　time。〃

If　you　think　the　executives　at　AIG　h*e　it　rough　（whether　they　deserve　it　or　not），　try　being　rich　in　China。　Numerous　members　of　Forbes'　China　rich　list　h*e　been　jailed　over　the　years，　and　the　rest，　Wang　believes，　h*e　to　wonder　if　they're　next。

〃I　feel　a　lot　of　sympathy　for　them，　and　I　also　hate　them。　It's　kind　of　a　tragic　class　in　China，〃　Wang　says，　speaking　over　dinner　recently　at　a　dumpling　restaurant　in　Beijing。　〃Poor　people　and　the　middle　class　really　hate　them，　and　it's　unclear　whether　the　government，　in　order　to　deal　with　public　opinion，　will　punish　them。〃

America's　wealthiest　are　subject　to　a　ritual　public　purge　whenever　hard　times　hit　and　excesses　e　to　light。　Today's　target　of　choice　may　be　AIG，　but　this　has　been　true　since　Ida　Tarbell　and　the　trust…busters　made　John　D。　Rockefeller　the　most　hated　man　in　America。

In　the　，　a　free　press，　independent　courts　and　elected　representatives—each　with　their　own　shortings，　to　be　sure—help　sort　out　who　deserves　to　be　pilloried，　and　how　to　fix　the　underlying　mess。

ment　On　This　Story

China　takes　a　different　approach。　A　number　of　prominent　members　of　Forbes'　China　rich　lists　over　the　years　h*e　been　detained　or　imprisoned　–　the　〃curse〃　Wang　describes。

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Since　Forbes'　first　China　rich　list　in　1999，　Sichuanese　tycoon　M