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Xi Jinping to save the poor: China's new leaders embark on tour of the villages
Bearing boiled sweets and barrels of cooking oil, China's incoming leaders have embarked on a tour of the country's impoverished underbelly, hoping to boost their grassroots credentials ahead of next month's political handover.
General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping visited some poor villages in Gansu Province in northwest China
On Sunday, Xi Jinping, who formally takes over as president at the National People's Congress in March, visited an impoverished village in the northwestern province of Gansu.
The same day, incoming premier Li Keqiang toured Beiliang, a shanty-town in Inner Mongolia where 900 residents reportedly share just one lavatory.
"The Party and government will care for you and help you," Mr Xi told the 447 families of Gansu's drought-stricken Yuangudui village, according to official news agency Xinhua.
During his visit, Mr Xi "discussed plans for poverty elimination with the villagers" and handed out gifts ahead of China's Lunar New Year.
Each family received two bags of flour, two barrels of cooking oil, 3.3lb of melon seeds and 3.3lb of boiled sweets, it was reported.
Local children were given pencil cases and dictionaries. "It would be their happiest Chinese New Year ever," cooed a report in the government-run Beijing Times.
In Inner Mongolia, Mr Li also tried to promote his image as a man of the people. "I work at the government, which means I work for you," he told migrant workers.
The visits, which follow similar trips in December, drew gushing praise from state-controlled media outlets.
"Xi Jinping [and] Li Keqiang going grassroots," shouted the Beijing Times' front-page headline on Monday.
Analysts say the focus on China's poor is an attempt to reconnect with the masses following a year of damaging corruption scandals that severely dented the credibility of the country's nominally Communist rulers.
Speaking at last November's 18th Communist Party Congress, Mr Xi warned fellow leaders against becoming "divorced from the people." "The people are sources of our strength," he said.
Wu Hui, a Communist Party School professor, told the China Daily the visits were intended to send "a message that the country's top leaders care about people's lives" and underline the government's "resolve to close the income gap and pull poor people out of poverty." Other members of China's academic community showed less enthusiasm for Sunday's slum-tours.
"It is a cliché, to show that the Party and the people are connected," said Zhang Ming, a professor of political science from Beijing's Renmin University. "They simply don't want to make any fundamental changes. It's all about the show."
Another top professor at the university – who declined to be named – dismissed Mr Xi's trip as a "political stunt" designed to emulate the down-to-earth public persona of Wen Jiabao. China's outgoing prime minister – often referred to as "Grandpa Wen" – is known for his well-publicised forays into the country's impoverished hinterlands.
"We really want them to do some real work, like abolishing the labour camp system, disclosing officials' assets, shrinking the wealth gap and so on," the professor said. "I really hate state leaders pulling political stunts."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...w-leaders-embark-on-tour-of-the-villages.html
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It appears that when the Chinese poster talk about India and sanitation, they do not take into account places like Beiliang, a shanty-town in Inner Mongolia where 900 residents reportedly share just one lavatory.
The issue is if 900 people share one lav, is it possible for all of them to attend to natures call in this sole lav?
Mathematically it is not possible!
But then that is not the Chinese maths but real maths!
If each family received two bags of flour, two barrels of cooking oil, 3.3lb of melon seeds and 3.3lb of boiled sweets and they are to somersault in ecstasy, then it indicated how impoverished they are!
To imagine that the Head of State of a nation which the Chinese posters keep reminding is flush with money giving such meagre gifts is extraordinarily cheap.
Or is it because these people are non Han and so who cares for them and it is OK to give crumbs off the table?!
Imagine Beijing Times gushing that local children were given pencil cases and dictionaries and that "It would be their happiest Chinese New Year ever".
Christ on crunch! If a couple of pencils and dictionaries makes the happiest Chinese New Year, then it indicates the utter deprivation that the Muslim Chinese are subjected to!
As the Chinese professor Zhang Ming, has correctly said - "It is a cliché, to show that the Party and the people are connected," and "They simply don't want to make any fundamental changes. It's all about the show."
All show and no go!
Bearing boiled sweets and barrels of cooking oil, China's incoming leaders have embarked on a tour of the country's impoverished underbelly, hoping to boost their grassroots credentials ahead of next month's political handover.
General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping visited some poor villages in Gansu Province in northwest China
On Sunday, Xi Jinping, who formally takes over as president at the National People's Congress in March, visited an impoverished village in the northwestern province of Gansu.
The same day, incoming premier Li Keqiang toured Beiliang, a shanty-town in Inner Mongolia where 900 residents reportedly share just one lavatory.
"The Party and government will care for you and help you," Mr Xi told the 447 families of Gansu's drought-stricken Yuangudui village, according to official news agency Xinhua.
During his visit, Mr Xi "discussed plans for poverty elimination with the villagers" and handed out gifts ahead of China's Lunar New Year.
Each family received two bags of flour, two barrels of cooking oil, 3.3lb of melon seeds and 3.3lb of boiled sweets, it was reported.
Local children were given pencil cases and dictionaries. "It would be their happiest Chinese New Year ever," cooed a report in the government-run Beijing Times.
In Inner Mongolia, Mr Li also tried to promote his image as a man of the people. "I work at the government, which means I work for you," he told migrant workers.
The visits, which follow similar trips in December, drew gushing praise from state-controlled media outlets.
"Xi Jinping [and] Li Keqiang going grassroots," shouted the Beijing Times' front-page headline on Monday.
Analysts say the focus on China's poor is an attempt to reconnect with the masses following a year of damaging corruption scandals that severely dented the credibility of the country's nominally Communist rulers.
Speaking at last November's 18th Communist Party Congress, Mr Xi warned fellow leaders against becoming "divorced from the people." "The people are sources of our strength," he said.
Wu Hui, a Communist Party School professor, told the China Daily the visits were intended to send "a message that the country's top leaders care about people's lives" and underline the government's "resolve to close the income gap and pull poor people out of poverty." Other members of China's academic community showed less enthusiasm for Sunday's slum-tours.
"It is a cliché, to show that the Party and the people are connected," said Zhang Ming, a professor of political science from Beijing's Renmin University. "They simply don't want to make any fundamental changes. It's all about the show."
Another top professor at the university – who declined to be named – dismissed Mr Xi's trip as a "political stunt" designed to emulate the down-to-earth public persona of Wen Jiabao. China's outgoing prime minister – often referred to as "Grandpa Wen" – is known for his well-publicised forays into the country's impoverished hinterlands.
"We really want them to do some real work, like abolishing the labour camp system, disclosing officials' assets, shrinking the wealth gap and so on," the professor said. "I really hate state leaders pulling political stunts."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...w-leaders-embark-on-tour-of-the-villages.html
******************************
It appears that when the Chinese poster talk about India and sanitation, they do not take into account places like Beiliang, a shanty-town in Inner Mongolia where 900 residents reportedly share just one lavatory.
The issue is if 900 people share one lav, is it possible for all of them to attend to natures call in this sole lav?
Mathematically it is not possible!
But then that is not the Chinese maths but real maths!
If each family received two bags of flour, two barrels of cooking oil, 3.3lb of melon seeds and 3.3lb of boiled sweets and they are to somersault in ecstasy, then it indicated how impoverished they are!
To imagine that the Head of State of a nation which the Chinese posters keep reminding is flush with money giving such meagre gifts is extraordinarily cheap.
Or is it because these people are non Han and so who cares for them and it is OK to give crumbs off the table?!
Imagine Beijing Times gushing that local children were given pencil cases and dictionaries and that "It would be their happiest Chinese New Year ever".
Christ on crunch! If a couple of pencils and dictionaries makes the happiest Chinese New Year, then it indicates the utter deprivation that the Muslim Chinese are subjected to!
As the Chinese professor Zhang Ming, has correctly said - "It is a cliché, to show that the Party and the people are connected," and "They simply don't want to make any fundamental changes. It's all about the show."
All show and no go!
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