[tokenadult]

in 1999, the Beijing subway was almost nonexistent

Well, you did say "almost," and I'm aware that the subway system in Beijing has been considerably extended, but parts of the system were old in 1987 when I first rode it. I'm not at all sure that I agree that it "is more than worth the 40 billion that was spent" for peasants in a backward region of a still poor country to have the illusion that they live in a developed country.

[nemesisj]

Yeah, it was installed in the late 60s, but it was really poor during the 80s (and yes, I rode it in the mid 80s as well). There's really no comparison between it then and what it became just prior to the olympics. Same with the highway situation, airport, transport links to Tianjin, and even more minor things like making sure Pinyin was on all street signs. These things matter. The 40 billion didn't just give people an illusion - it transformed Beijing and partner cities and made a lasting contribution to the people who lived there.