I highly recommend these two TED talk for some less Eurocentric views on China's political system, and the country itself. Keep an open mind, there are many facts you will never hear from the Western media, which you might find interesting and very surprising.
It's communist because the people still can't participate in government activities outside of a local level. The media is censored. The economy, while huge, is still state controlled, and most people don't benefit from the booming economy. There are special economic zones, such as Hong Kong, Shanghai, etc where things are less constricted.
I remember I watched this 10 minute video on how the government is making farmers move out of their villages so they can build cities over the land, but no one can afford to live in these cities so they're empty. It was v eerie
