Shanghai gets new party chief — how long will this guy last?

The suspense is finally over. Shanghai woke up to a new leader today. On Saturday, Beijing appointed Comrade Xi Jinping as the city’s new General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, replacing Mayor Han Zheng, who temporarily held that post when former Secretary Chen Liangyu was investigated last fall for misappropriating public funds. City residents cheered the decision:

“Who the hell is this guy?”

“Different guy, same shit.”

These were just two of the praises we heard today. Always the curious type, Shanghaiist dug a little deeper. Turns out Mr. Xi used to call shots in neighboring Zhejiang Provnince, and listed as his “Recent Travel and Appearances” was a bridge opening ceremony in 2003.

For his part, Secretary Xi vowed not to repeat the mistakes of his prior administration (Translation: “I won’t get caught”) and promised that growth and prosperity will continue under his watch. Great, sounds good to us — now back to the bar.