1984-like mind control in China

If there is something I really hate about China, it is the mind control that the government builds it's power on. I am reminded of it wherever I am, no matter whether I am at home using the Internet and being not able to write my blog because blogspot is blocked once again, or I go out to buy things, being watched by the government's electrical eyes to prevent that I commit a crime against society or against the government.
What is truly amazing me is that people here are often not aware of that they are watched and controlled by their government. For instance, several days ago, I asked somebody why their are cameras everywhere in the street, they haven't been here two years ago. The answer I received was that these were no cameras, these were broken streetlights. On my further question, why all these broken streetlamps have a box with antenna by Chinese telecom on it and the working ones don't, I never received any answer.
Even if some websites are blocked, most people here believe that it was a problem of the Internet connection or of the web server of the entered URL.

This control sometimes gets me kinda paranoid, sometimes I just feel like hiding from all those cameras everywhere.. but except for staying in my apartment all day long, there is no way of hiding from Big Brother Hu's eyes.

Would people here get unhappy if they knew about how much they're watched?
The answer would be probably no. Surveillance is quite common in Chinese society, even in a big city like Chengdu there's no such thing like anonymity in mass, like it is common in Europe or America. Thus people are used to being watched and not taking responsibility of themselves and their actions. Of course it's nice that there is somebody who cares - but it prevents you from unfolding yourself. There are always some people you gotta deal with, no matter whether you like them or not, no matter whether you agree with them or not. Sometimes somebody tells you something that you know is totally wrong but you can not show any disagreement or you may seriously hurt this person, especially when this person is part of a higher generation and therefore higher in society than you.
These social rules limit China's opportunities, but fortunately they're about to change - hopefully the enlightenment in China is not going to cause as much blood shedding as it's European counterpart in 17th and 18 century.

Anyway, these changes go on slowly and it seems that I am going on smiling to the cameras pointed at me, performing my daily Kowtows in front of government and society. China still understands loyalty as self-denial.