Town and country

Article Abstract:

Zhangjiagang is a small Chinese city which has been set up as a symbol of Jiang Zemin's new ideology of spiritual civilization, emphasizing Confucianism and shunning individualism. The city is tidy and smoking in public places is banned. Residents have been given a book on how to behave and those caught smoking outdoors have to wear a yellow vest. Some residents argue that individualism has to be present in the city, which is prosperous and has well-developed private enterprise. Outside the downtown area the city resembles other parts of China.

Cover Story, Ideology

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Rot all over: corruption cuts into the party's grassroot support

Article Abstract:

Corruption is apparent in all ranks of China's Communist Party and is undermining grassroots support. In 1996, Chinese authorities disclosed over 61,000 corruption cases, compared with 41,000 in 1995. The changing nature of corruption means that it has become more sophisticated, with cadres having access to stockmarkets and financial exchanges, plus links with overseas parties. Beijing' top-down approach is failing to solve the problem but unless it is taken seriously, corruption will continue to blight all aspects of everyday life.

Political organizations, Political corruption, Crime, Communist Party (China)

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Freedom's price

Article Abstract:

Chinese dissident Wei Jingsheng, who was released from the Nanpu New Life Salt Farm labour camp in Nov 1997, faces an uncertain future. He will be able to live as a free man in the US, but may find it hard to establish a high profile as he seeks to continue to speak out against the Chinese administration. Strict controls on the media have meant that his views have received very little coverage in China, and this situation may be exacerbated by the fact that he will now be very far away from China.

International Affairs, Political Imprisonment,Detention, Political activity, Dissenters, Political prisoners, Wei Jingsheng

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