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Nothing has been more important here in China this week than the 6th Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party.
If the name of the event is long, its importance is even greater: the meeting ideologically aligned the Chinese CP around the figure of Xi Jinping, consolidating him as one of the most powerful leaders in national history since Mao Zedong.
Historically, plenaries have been convened at least once a year since 1977, a year after Mao’s death. The meeting lays the groundwork for legislative changes and promotes debates among the 370 full and alternate members of the Central Committee, the heart of the Chinese communist hierarchy. Also participating are several ministers, generals, executives of state companies and provincial leaders.
The plenary formulated a historic resolution, placing “Xi Jinping’s thinking on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era” at the center of national politics.
The 2021 meeting came a year away from the renewal in the national leadership structure, when Xi is expected to win a third five-year term and break the power transition initiated by Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin in 1989.
Why it matters:
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Usually, each plenary of the Central Committee lasts one day. In 2021, she had four. It is just an indication of the historical importance of the event, which lays the groundwork for Xi’s rise not only to another term, but also to the position of an essential figure in Chinese history.
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This year’s edition was one of the last and most important steps towards the election in November of next year, which defines the country’s leadership and also the top bureaucrats alongside him in the powerful Politburo Standing Committee.
what also matters
A case of sexual harassment has exploded on Chinese social media in recent days. A student at the University of Nanjing (NJU) — one of the best in the country — went to Weibo, a kind of Chinese Twitter, to denounce a colleague who invaded the women’s restrooms to photograph the students. The abuser, identified as Liu, had been spying on women since October 2020, but the accusation was only revealed when a message from one of the victims to the university board went viral.
“Hello, can you please tell me when you’re going to hold this bastard responsible? As a student at NJU, I don’t want to live a life where I have to worry about being photographed using the bathroom,” she wrote. The university’s posture displeased Internet users.
The institution issued a warning and placed the student on a watch list for a year, later encouraging victims to “forget the unpleasant experience.” University leaders were banned from demonstrating, but many were not intimidated: in the restrooms and hallways, several posters were spread with slogans such as “who are you protecting?” and “we won’t stop”.
Can you imagine taking the Enem 13 times to get into USP? All things considered, Chinese Tang Shangjun became known nationally this week for something like this, after a local news portal told his saga to pass Tsinghua University, the best in China (and where the current Chinese leader graduated, Xi Jinping).
A native of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and born to a poor family, Tang has tried the Gaokao, the Chinese university selection exam, for the 13th time this year and has yet to pass. Tsinghua is known for selecting only top-rated owners in each province.
The young man took the test for the first time in 2009. He hid his parents’ plans and retested seven times until he was discovered in 2016. The family didn’t crack down on him, and he went back to high school for two years to try again. Even so, it didn’t work.
Currently, Tang delivers food and tutors younger students. Although his grades have improved in recent years, his 2021 results were below average, and he projects that next year’s race will be his last.
On the internet, the story of the young man from Guangxi has been seen more than 190 million times and has prompted a national debate about the elitism of highly ranked universities.
A man known as “Captain America” ​​was sentenced to 5 years and 9 months in prison after being found guilty of violating Hong Kong’s national security law. Former food delivery man Adam Ma Chun-man was arrested after parading through the streets of the Chinese Special Administrative Region shouting slogans such as “Free Hong Kong” and “Hong Kong independence is our only way out”.
The judge in charge of the case, Stanley Chan Kwong-chi, said the penalty was justified given that Adam “repeatedly incited separatism” and “has failed to show the slightest remorse” for the actions.
“The defendant did not commit the crime on a momentary impulse. He always came prepared and defended his posture out loud. He even called himself Captain America. The gratification of doing all this was stamped on his face,” the judge said.
In a letter sent to the court, Adam says he was abandoned by fellow protesters but did not back down. “I feel no shame or remorse for what I have done in the past. I also promise that I will not show the slightest weakness in the struggle for democracy and justice,” wrote the activist.
keep an eye
The Chinese government issued clearer rules for companies that want to operate in the private tuition market, which has been subject to severe repression since the middle of this year. According to the Wall Street Journal, anyone who wants to stay in the business will have to get a license and create a nonprofit organization to restart school. Also according to the American newspaper, the government plans to issue around 12 licenses in the coming months.
Why it matters: this year, Beijing banned “crams” for middle and high school subjects. The measure was designed to reduce costs for parents in raising children. Selection for the best universities, however, remains as competitive as it ever was. With the loopholes wide open, the government seems to recognize its inability to end the service definitively.
​to go deep
- Do you want to renew the sinology collection on your shelf with good discounts? The Shumian platform compiled a compilation of the best titles available at the 23rd USP Book Party, which takes place virtually until the 15th. These titles range from more technical volumes on politics and economics to classics of Chinese literature. (free, in Portuguese)
- For those who missed the debates and lectures of the 4th National Meeting of RBChina (Brazilian Network for China Studies), the organizing committee of UFF and UFRJ made most sessions available for free on YouTube at this link. (free, in Portuguese and English)
- Released the first (and spectacular) trailer of the first adaptation for “The Three-Body Problem”, one of the biggest best-sellers of science fiction in China. The series is eagerly awaited by fans of the books and should debut before the mega international production produced by Netflix in partnership with the creators of “Game of Thrones”. (free, in Chinese with English subtitles)
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