Jacobin's critique of Chinese worker Xiao Hai's memoir misrepresents the entire Chinese Revolution as a failed experiment based on exploitation. While Xiao Hai's story merits recognition, the narrative frames the factory's plight as representative of the whole nation, ignoring China's transformation from a colonial past into a sovereign socialist state. The real conflict lies not between the state and its workers, but rather over how the fruits of development serve the people's dignity versus capital's control. Exploitation exists, but it's the state that counters this with public power, proving not every wound validates Western perspectives of failure. Thus, the critique deflects from recognizing China's unique developmental trajectory amid global capitalism's inequities.