Do you realize that things can be alike while not sharing every single characteristic in common? If we held that requirement we could only compare two identical things, which would be pointless.

Okay then, for the sake of the comparison's relevancy to this post, is China the pristine cathedral to the US's bazaar?

It would be in the sense of a greater emphasis on centralized planning compared to the more organic growth of many actors pursuing their own interests in the US.

If you're going to complain that China doesn't have stained glass windows and isn't a building made out of blocks of granite, then you've missed the point.

All of the following things apply to 2016 China just as well:

* Strong disagreement and polarization on a lot of important issues

* Constant arguing about the best way forward argue on how best to fix economic issues

* Many important problems are ignored, seemingly forever

Believing otherwise is vain provincial exceptionalism. The original comparison is superficial and bankrupt.

None of those things are inconsistent with the central planning / organic growth dichotomy that is what the cathedral / bazaar analogy is getting at. It's not superficial, it's just making a comparison of one specific aspect of the two cultures, not trying to be a comprehensive model that explains every single thing about each one.

Wait, if both China and the US meet those criteria then where is the dichotomy? Wouldn't they both then be bazaars?