It is often said that to be successful in the Chinese officialdom, you have to acquire a thick face, and a black heart (厚黑, there is an English book if you want to learn more about 厚黑学) . Nine years ago, the director of Jiangsu Provincial Department of Construction, Xu Qiyao (徐其耀), was arrested for taking bribes of over 20 million yuan. He also distinguished himself among … [Read more...] about (Letter from TonyP4) Fatherly advice: Eight success principles for being an official
Letters
Green Dam-Youth Escort
It seems the western media and Chinese blogosphere agree on one thing; Green Dam is not winning any popularity contests. Today, the Chinese government backed down on the mandatory usage of the software, though it will still come either pre-loaded or be included on a compact disc with all PCs sold on the mainland from July 1st. There are several problems associated with this … [Read more...] about Green Dam-Youth Escort
(Letter from Lime) No Such Thing as China
A week or so ago, in one of the final classes of the fourth year history seminar on Christianity in China that I am currently taking, the professor, in an apparent effort to coax us into some critical thinking, posed these questions; “Did Christianity become a Chinese religion? And if so, when and how did this happen?” The answers that we came up with in class included when … [Read more...] about (Letter from Lime) No Such Thing as China
China in the Year 2020: Three Political Scenarios
In our Dalai Lama Warns of Looming Violence thread, Wukailong linked to this essay covering three political scenarios that China might face in the year 2020. The author, Cheng Li is Senior Fellow at the John L. Thornton China Center of the Brookings Institution and William R. Kenan Professor of Government at Hamilton College. His summary is as follows: … [Read more...] about China in the Year 2020: Three Political Scenarios
(Letter) Members of Chen’s Immediate Family Plead Guilty To Money Laundering Charges
The money laundering saga of self-proclaimed son-of-Taiwan Chen Shuibian continues. On Wednesday, Chen Shuibian's son Chen Chih-chung and daughter-in-law Huang Jui-ching both pleaded guilty to money laundering charges in exchange for leniency. According to China Times, the main terms of the plead bargain includes: … [Read more...] about (Letter) Members of Chen’s Immediate Family Plead Guilty To Money Laundering Charges