科斯至死未到过中国。但他并未缺席中国过去25年的历史。这一切是从1988年秋天的一次会面开始的。经济学家张五常、弗里德曼以及当时的中共中央总书记坐到一起。张五常决定向面前的政治家推荐一位外国的经济学家。在结束谈话前,他提到了科斯的名字。这看上去有些奇怪。因为与科斯相比,坐在他身边的弗里德曼成名更早,美国自由学派经济学家弗里德曼是里根时代经济繁荣的思想设计师之一,1976年就拿了诺贝尔经济学奖。而科斯得奖是在这场会 Coase has not been to China until death. However, he did not miss China’s past 25-year history. It all started with a meeting in the fall of 1988. Economists Zhang Wuchang, Friedman and then general secretary of the CPC Central Committee sit together. Zhang Wuchang decided to recommend a foreign economist to the politicians before him. Before concluding his talk, he referred to Coase’s name. This may seem strange. Because Friedman, who was sitting beside him became famous earlier than Coase, Friedman, an economist at Liberalism in the United States, was one of the thought-makers in the Reagan era of economic prosperity. In 1976, he took Nobel Economics prize. Coase winning is at this meeting