China’s other face The red and the black Oct 1st 2009 From The Economist
Dec 22, 2015
As the People’s Republic celebrates its 60th birthday, the gangsterism the communists boasted of vanquishing has staged a comeback.
boasted = triumphed,exulted
vanquishing = defeating,subjugating
staged = produced,presented
comeback = return,recovery,reaction
Shortly before the 60th anniversary of communist China’s founding on October 1st, police in the south-western city of Chongqing opened an unusual exhibition. On display, to invited guests only, were 65 luxury cars formerly owned by the bosses of the city’s crime gangs as well as an assortment of jewellery, guns and drugs.
founding =establishment
assortment =variety
Chongqing, the wartime capital of China, had been a hub of organised crime in pre-communist days. Now the gangs are back, with roots in the party that almost wiped them out six decades ago.
hub =center,focus
roots =origin,stem
wiped them out =destroyed them
In Beijing the huge military parade on October 1st, China’s first in ten years, was intended to show off a modern, powerful face. The country’s leaders had reason to flaunt their stuff this year. Not only has China made enormous economic and technological strides since 1999, but it has also weathered the global financial crisis with remarkable resilience.
show off =display,exhibit
flaunt =advertise,divulge
stuff =equipment,machinery
In Beijing the huge military parade on October 1st, China’s first in ten years, was intended to show off a modern, powerful face. The country’s leaders had reason to flaunt their stuff this year. Not only has China made enormous economic and technological strides since 1999, but it has also weathered the global financial crisis with remarkable resilience.
strides =progress,advancement
weathered =endured,resisted
resilience =vitality,vigor
Officials had worried that widespread lay-offs in export businesses could lead to social unrest. But, apart from bloody rioting in the far-western region of Xinjiang in July, fuelled mainly by ethnic rivalry, the past few months have seen no obvious increase in the number or scale of protests.
widespread =extensive
lay-offs =dismissals
unrest =disturbance
Officials had worried that widespread lay-offs in export businesses could lead to social unrest. But, apart from bloody rioting in the far-western region of Xinjiang in July, fuelled mainly by ethnic rivalry, the past few months have seen no obvious increase in the number or scale of protests.
rioting =rebellion,tumult
fuelled =encouraged
As is evident in Chongqing, however, China has another face. Although central authority appears strong, at the local level public anger is boiling. Double-digit economic growth for much of this decade has highlighted how corrupt and dysfunctional local government has become.
highlighted =emphasized,stressed
The campaign against organised crime launched by Chongqing in June demonstrated just how prone China remains, after all those years of Communist rule, to the age-old scourge of collusion between bureaucrats and gangland bosses.
launched =initiated,started
prone =predisposed,likely
The campaign against organised crime launched by Chongqing in June demonstrated just how prone China remains, after all those years of Communist rule, to the age-old scourge of collusion between bureaucrats and gangland bosses.
rule =government,regime
scourge =plague,poison
collusion =complicity,conspiracy
gangland =organized crime
For many Chinese, life is vastly more affluent now than it was when the Communists came to power. Decent health care and education are far easier to get. But confidence in local government is threadbare.
affluent =wealthy,rich,prosperous
threadbare =broken-down,debilitated,
Corruption, some Chinese officials argue, is an inevitable by-product of rapid economic growth. But the cumbersome structure of local government in China also helps it flourish. For centuries Chinese rulers have pondered how to extend power across such a vast country.
by-product =consequence,result
cumbersome =massive,oppressive
flourish =prosper,grow
pondered =reflected,considered
In recent years many have debated whether part of the problem lies with there being too many tiers of government—China has five, compared with three in America. Some advocate cutting one or two layers. This adds to a sense that, after 60 years of rule, the party is still unsure how best to govern.
tiers =levels
layers =sectors
unsure =insecure
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Officials had worried that widespread lay-off in export businesses could lead to social unrest. But, apart bloody rioting in the far-western region of Xinjiang in July, fuelled mainly for ethnic rivalry, the past few months have seen no obvious increase in the number or scale of protests.
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The campaign against organising crime launched by Chongqing in June demonstrated just how prone China remains, after all those years of Communist rule, for the age-old scourge of collusion between bureaucrats and gangland bosses.
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