Years of Poems and Spirits

Article from the Wall Street Journal, reprinted on the Washington Post (c).

China’s governing model: overshoot–start with a harsh campaign, over-action or reaction, make sure the message is cross, then cruise and slack off. This seems to be a message setting moment.

Read an excellent article on NYT (c)

Summary:
“Leftists in our society are saying absurd things,” Mr. Sun said. “But as elite intellectuals, we cannot deny that they have a solid basis for saying them.”

Zhang Weiying, a deputy dean of the Guanghua School of Management at Beijing University and a director of several major Chinese companies, said President Hu Jintao’s emphasis on building a “harmonious society” implied that rapid economic development led to disharmony, which he said was wrong.

The most provocative comments at the session were made by He Weifang, He said he favored splitting the Communist Party into rival parties and stripping it of its control of the military.

“My own view is that the period of economic reform has ended,” said Li Shuguang, a dean at the China University of Politics and Law. “Reform itself needs to be redefined because the crux of it has left the economic sphere and entered other areas.” … “poverty of rights and power.” He implied that the leaders should address those concerns with political rather than economic measures.

Thoughts:
There have been talks of why political reform and economic reform have to go together. Here are some substantial discussions of why and how.