Apparently, authorities in China had to declare martial law — leaving me to wonder: How can they tell the difference?

A New York Times report, however, included this vaguely hopeful section:

China’s countryside and second-tier cities are rife with unrest among peasants and workers complaining about corruption, unpaid wages and a host of other issues. Violent protests, once extremely rare in the authoritarian country, now are frequent occurrences.

Last week rioters looted and set fire to police cars and a government building in Wanzhou, Chongqing, after an argument among several people triggered a mass riot involving as many as 10,000, residents, Western news agencies reported.

I know this is too optimistic, but, well, “Freedom is on the march.”