Zhang Renliang (张仁良), the former Jing'an district chief who was sacked last year in the wake of the devastating 2010 fire that ravaged an apartment building, killing 58 and injuring 71, has been given a political resurrection with his new appointment as deputy party secretary of Xinjiang's Kashgar prefecture. Zhang's new job comes just seven months after he was sacked from Jingan district, along with dozens of other officials that were either replaced, punished or jailed. more ›

Al-Jazeera's Melissa Chan gives us a fascinating glimpse of student life at a Chinese Communist Party school. more ›

Zhu Weiqun, executive vice minister of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, has raised eyebrows with an article published in Qiushi, or "Seeking Truth," a biweekly journal published by the Chinese Communist Party. In it, he warned that the party would suffer "pernicious" consequences if it overturned a ban on party members to subscribe to religious faiths. more ›

In an appearance that has created more excitement on Sina Weibo than any other UFO sighting this year, former president Jiang Zemin (江泽民) attended the 100th anniversary celebrations of the Xinhai Revolution at the Great Hall of the People today. News of Jiang's first public appearance since rumours of his death surfaced in July quickly trended on Sina Weibo before censors stepped in to remove the subject from the day's trending topics. more ›

"Our ability to question and criticise the party and the government was not made possible by the powers-that-be, but by technological advancement. They are unable to completely control new media. If they were to shut down the internet and shut down Weibo, this would make international news and point to a complete reversal, as well as failure, of the reform and opening up of the CCP -- no one would be willing to take this step. As much as the Agitprop is frustrated by the current situation, the party isn't made of steel." more ›

With the 62nd anniversary of the People's Republic now behind us, another very important date is coming up. October 10 marks the 100th anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution in 1911 which ended in the overthrow of the Qing Empire and the abdication of Emperor Puyi. On the other side of the Taiwan Straits, "Double Ten Day" is commemorated as National Day of the Republic of China, and this year, massive celebrations are expected. more ›

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A safety official with a power company in Wuhu, Anhui has been sacked for harrassing a journalist who was investigating allegations by several workers that the company had been illegally deducting their wages. more ›

At home, that's where! According to the latest news from the South China Morning Post, "Jiang Zemin was resting at home last week when news media - reporting amid intense speculation over his health - said the former president had died, sources who have been briefed about Jiang's health said yesterday." Aiyoh. So many reputable sources out there we don't know which one to believe any more. Let's just hope old Jiang will be good enough to make an appearance on television soon. more ›

Xinhua News Agency has refuted earlier reports by Hong Kong broadcaster ATV and other foreign news outlets that former paramount leader Jiang Zemin (江泽民) has died. more ›

Internet censors have pulled the plug off the state-owned Shandong provincial news portal SDnews.com.cn (山东新闻网) after a screengrab of a banner commemorating the death of former president Jiang Zemin (江泽民) began circulating on Sina Weibo, China's number one microblogging platform. It is unclear if the banner was published live on the homepage of the news portal, or if the screengrab was taken from a tribute mini-site that had been prepared for the event. more ›

Eric Fish of Sinostand has a funny and oh-so-true piece on why the Roman Catholic Church and the Chinese Communist Party are really just estranged brothers in disguise. The two really have more in common than you think, so why aren't they better friends? more ›

Chongqing party boss Bo Xilai (薄熙来) scored massive brownie points among conservative party elders yesterday for successfully conducting the biggest ever red song fest. 108 choirs from all across China participated at the event held at the Chonqing Olympic Centre, and the total number of participants and spectators came up to over 100,000. more ›

Is this Hebei county party secretary aiming to become the next Rebecca Black? This local prefecture official commissioned a music video dedicated to himself and the result is something that leaves us speechless...when we're not doubled over laughing. The vanity project didn't go quite as viral but the music production values are in the same league as that "Friday" disaster. It uses soaring vibratos and seriously dubitable lyrics to sing the qualities of the plump party secretary. Is this guy for real? We're afraid so. Hebei, you have our heartfelt sympathies. more ›

Would you just take a look at how festive that is? No, it's not Chinese New Year all over again -- it's just the 90th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party in Chongqing. According to Xinhua, approximately 10,000 people came dressed in red to celebrate the momentous occasion by singing good ol' fashioned communist songs and to renew their Party oaths. more ›

Remember Li Yang (李阳) of Crazy English fame? The self-styled English guru who believes that the best way for his students to master English is to yell out phrases after him combined with hand gestures? more ›

To be honest, we can't quite figure out whether this video "入党申请书" is a parody or is just unintentionally really, really funny, but either way we'll bet good money it will crack you up. This video shows a fellow singing movingly about how he applied to join the Communist party the year he turned 18...and the rest, well you'll have to watch for yourself. Jump ahead to 3:41 to see him croon several priceless refrains of "Communist party, please test me," spliced between montages of the hammer and sickle symbol. more ›

If the authorities thought that a few days of house arrest would scare Ai Weiwei into silence, they couldn't be more wrong. The artist who had to say goodbye to his Shanghai studio and is fresh off his release from house arrest blasted the government in an interview, saying, "This society is not efficient, it’s inhuman in many ways politically...the government, the whole system... sacrifices education, environmental resources and most people’s interests just to make a few people become extremely rich only because they are associated with the government." He also spelled doom for the CCP, “This cannot last too long.... This society basically has no creativity. It’s just cheap labor and very police-controlled. How long can that last? The Internet is the best gift to China - this kind of technology will end this kind of dictatorship." more ›

Last week, Xi Jinping was promoted to vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, a top position seen as the penultimate step to the presidential post. Although frequently called a "princeling" (his father was previously Vice-Premier), Xi keeps a relatively low-profile, possibly due to the fact that he endured much hardship when his father lost out in a power battle and his family was sent to labor in the countryside for 7 years. Observers say Xi is "...unlikely to be a bold or commanding leader in the mold of Mao, Deng or even the gregarious Jiang Zemin..." but will probably rule moderately like the current leader, Hu Jintao. Xi graduated with a degree in organic chemistry from Tsinghua University, has shown staunch support for free market reforms, making a name for himself administering Fujian and Zhejiang and subsequently in his fight against corruption in Shanghai. more ›

It took a little longer than what some people originally predicted, but Vice-President Xi Jinping has finally been annointed vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission. The promotion puts him one step closer to presidency when Hu Jintao steps down in 2012. What can we expect? His wife, popular folk singer Peng Liyuan, who appeared during the 60th Anniversary celebrations, says he's "frugal, hard-working and down-to-earth." more ›

We all saw this one coming: an open letter written by CCP elders calling for more freedom of speech in China is being rapidly censored from the Chinese internet. Chinese Twitter users report that copies of the letter have been removed in the past 24 hours at a frightening pace. more ›

Is reform for China coming even sooner than we previously thought? Jumping on the timing of Premier Wen Jiabao's recent censored CNN interview and dissident Liu Xiaobo's Nobel Peace Prize win (or perhaps just updated because), CCP elders Li Rui (李锐) and Hu Jiwei (胡绩伟) have written an open letter to the National People's Congress calling for an end to censorship. more ›

In an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria last weekend (video here), Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao spoke extensively of his devotion to political reform, democracy, and freedom of speech. The interview has subsequently been subjected to an official news blackout in China. How are Chinese netizens reacting to such blatant party-on-party censorship? WSJ reports: more ›

"I believe I and all the Chinese people have such conviction that China will make continuous progress and the people's wishes and need for democracy and freedom are irresistible. I hope you will be able to gradually see the continuous progress of China." more ›