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According to an article published in The Paper, on November 3, 2015, Wang Xiaoling, the niece of Zeng Qinghong’s wife, no longer serves as a Guangzhou Municipal Standing Committee member and the Party Secretary of the City Commission for Discipline Inspection. Zeng Qinghong is the Chinese regime’s former vice chair and a member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Politburo Standing Committee. In the 1990s, Zeng was well known as a close ally and the right-hand-man of Jiang Zemin, the former CCP General Secretary and the Chinese regime’s former chairman.

According to Hong Kong Apple on July 22, 2015, Wang Xiaoling was promoted from her position as a nurse in the army and a clerk in a Trade and Industry Bureau to become the Guangzhou Municipal Deputy Mayor. Her position improved in just a few years because of Zeng Qinghong’s high ranking position. In the most recent two years, she was suspected in getting involved in corruption. Zeng Qinghong is also in trouble in the current CCP anti-corruption campaign. The Guangdong Provincial Committee has no intention of promoting Wang any further as she is 60 years old. According to the CCP’s rules, that is the age for a female cadre to retire if no more promotions are given. Zeng advised her to retire completely so as to avoid a “bad ending.”

Sources: The Paper, November 3, 2015; Hong Kong Apple, July 22, 2015
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1392473
http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/realtime/china/20150722/54004420

On October 30, 2015, People’s Daily reported that the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee expelled two top “tigers” or high-ranking corrupt officials from the Party. They were Le Dake, an official from Tibet and Gu Chunli, from Jilin Province. The Party also dismissed them from their government positions for serious violations of Party discipline and state law.

Le Dake was a loyal follower of Zeng Qinghong. Zeng was the right-hand-man of Jiang Zemin, the former top leader of the CCP and China.  Zeng promoted Le to be the head of the State Security Department in Tibet in 2004. Le was in that position from 2004 to 2013. In June of 2015, the Communist Party placed him under investigation for suspected corruption.

Gu Chunli is the former vice governor of Jilin Province. On August 1, 2015, Gu was taken away to be investigated for suspected corruption. Gu started his political career in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, and once served as a Shenyang Municipal Standing Committee member. Gu Chunli was then an assistant to Chen Zhenggao, the former governor of Liaoning Province and the mayor of Shenyang City, the capital of Liaoning. Chen is the current Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. The report stated that Chen used to be Bo Xilai’s assistant. Bo belonged to the faction of Jiang Zemin and Zeng Qinghong.

Sources: People’s Daily, October 30, 2015; ON.CC, October 31, 2015; and Power Apple, October 31, 2015
http://politics.people.com.cn/n/2015/1030/c1001-27757941.html
http://hk.on.cc/cn/bkn/cnt/news/20151030/bkncn-20151030102507847-1030_05011_001.html
https://www.powerapple.com/news/zhong-gang-tai/2015/10/31/2474363.html

On October27, 2015, a forum was held to commemorate the 110th birthday of Gao Gang, a former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader who committed suicide in August 1954 due to the CCP’s internal purge. Gao Gang and Xi Zhongxun were very close friends. Together, they founded the CCP guerrilla bases in northwestern China in the 1930s.  Xi Zhongxun is Xi Jinping’s father. Xi Jinping is the current General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and the Chairman of China.

Many sons and daughters of the first generation leaders of the CCP (also called the 2nd red generation) gathered and spoke at the forum in Beijing. One of the speeches made particular mention of the close relationship between Gao Gang and Xi Zhongxun. 

Toward the end of the forum, Gao Gang’s daughter said, “Today, we commemorate and memorialize him so as to learn from and follow in his steps; the Party’s cause is the first priority. … Under the new situation, we all need to unite together around the CCP Central Committee that Comrade Xi Jinping heads. For the purpose of revitalizing the nation of China and realizing the China dream, we will each make our contribution!”

Source: China Red Tourism, October 27, 2015
http://www.crt.com.cn/news2007/news/ZPYANG/151027916532AGECC9EI5HG442F011G.html

The fifth plenary session of the 18th Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee has been taking place from Oct. 26 to 29 in Beijing. On October 28, 2015, several major Mainland China websites published a high-profile report about former Prime Minister Zhu Rongji’s recent appearance at his alma mater, Tsinghua University. According to the article, Zhu visited Tsinghua in 2007, 2011, and 2015. In 2011, he shared his motto with the students: “No matter whether there is a minefield or an abyss in front of me, I will not turn back. I will work tirelessly with full effort and will not give up until death.” The person who wrote the article is a WeChat messaging public registrar from Beijing Daily.

The article also told some stories about other current and former top CCP leaders’ visits to their own alma maters, including stories about Xi Jinping, Hu Jintao, Li Keqiang and Wen Jiabao. Xi Jinping is the CCP General Secretary and the president of China; Hu Jintao was the CCP General Secretary from 2002 to 2012 and President of China from 2003 to 2013; Li Keqiang is the current Premier of China’s State Council; Wen Jiabao is the former Premier of China’s State Council.

[Editor’s note: People noticed that the article did not mention Jiang Zemin, the former CCP General Secretary from 1989 to 2002, or Jiang’s faction from the Standing Committee.] 

Source: Tencent QQ, October 28, 2015
http://xw.qq.com/news/20151028036194/NEW2015102803619404

China Press and Publishing Media Group Co. Ltd. hosts the China Press, Publication, Radio and Television website. On October 19, 2015, it published an article titled, “‘A Cross Country Tour Group of the Leading Cadres Learning Sinology’ Enters Guizhou Province.” Xinhua republished the article on the same day. The article indicated that the purpose of the tour was to spread and promote outstanding traditional Chinese culture among the Chinese Communist Party cadres across China. On October 17, 2015, a launching ceremony on how leading cadres should read the classics and learn sinology was held in the Confucius Hall in Guiyang City, Guizhou Province. Guiyang was the second stop in the learning Chinese culture tour campaign.

The article pointed out that sinology is the study of Chinese culture. “For leading cadres, learning sinology is significant in two respects: 1) Within sinology, there are major statecraft principles; only those who cultivate their body and virtue can be officials.  2) In the final stage of a win or lose battle, leading cadres cannot be muddle-headed themselves but require others to be clear-minded. They need to improve their governance capability.”

Sources: China Press, Publication, Radio and Television website and Xinhua, October 19, 2015
http://www.chinaxwcb.com/2015-10/19/content_327230.htm
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2015-10/19/c_128335227.htm

On September 25, 2015, The Paper published an article explaining why the Central Party School of the Chinese Communist Party promotes “national studies” (sinology or traditional Chinese culture). On July 12, 2015, the Central Party School held “The First Chinese Culture Forum for Leading Cadres.” On August 23, 2015, the Central Party School held a grand launching ceremony called, “A Cross Country Tour of Leading Cadres Learning Chinese Culture.” On August 27, 2015, the leading cadres learning Chinese culture tour group arrived at its first stop, Yulin City, Shanxi Province.

The Central Party School focuses on the self-cultivation function of Confucianism. China’s Chairman Xi Jinping also stressed the "statecraft" function of Confucianism. “Nowadays, morality is in disarray. (Our political) system has resulted in many problems. If China does not establish a new political system based on a combination of traditional Chinese culture and what was outstanding in the Western system in the industrialized period and post-industrial society, and if we focus only on good manners and on character, it will not have any effect."  

After having criticized Confucius for a hundred years, today’s Chinese people are not familiar with Confucian doctrine and ritual any more. Gradually, people have begun to notice that Confucianism includes not just certain connotations of absolute monarchy; it also includes Kindness, Righteousness, Politeness, Wisdom and Faith, the bottom line of human morality. These are the basic rules for man to be man that no civilized communities can deny. The current popularity of Confucianism represents the fact that a national reflection and a learning of these lessons are going on in China. The lessons are mandatory. Of course, the leading cadres are not an exception (there are no exceptions).

Source: The Paper, September 25, 2015
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1378746