How the Cultural Revolution shaped China's leaders today
Chinese Whispers30 Maj 2022

How the Cultural Revolution shaped China's leaders today

All eyes are on the Communist leadership this year, as the months count down to autumn’s National Party Congress, where Xi Jinping may be crowned for a third term. But how much do we really know about the Party’s leadership? In particular, can we better understand them through looking at the experiences that they've had?

Take Xi Jinping, who is what is known as a 'princeling' – his father was the Communist revolutionary Xi Zhongxun, one of the Party's early cadres. How did that upbringing impact him, and his faith in the Chinese Communist Party?

Also consider the Cultural Revolution – the sixtysomethings on the Politburo Standing Committee would have been teenagers during that decade of turmoil. How did it form who they are as leaders today?
Joining me on the podcast is Professor Kerry Brown from Kings College London, whose latest book is Xi: A Study in Power, so very knowledgeable on the President himself; as well as Professor Steve Tsang, a historian at SOAS.

Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.


For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.


Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Avsnitt(122)

Why do people join the CCP?

Why do people join the CCP?

At last count, the Chinese Communist Party has 98 million members, more people than the population of Germany. Its membership also continues to grow, making it one of the most successful and resilient...

5 Feb 202446min

Was China's economic boom 'made in America'?

Was China's economic boom 'made in America'?

Today, the US and China are at loggerheads. There’s renewed talk of a Cold War as Washington finds various ways to cut China out of key supply chains and to block China’s economic development in areas...

22 Jan 202453min

What lies at the root of the India-China rivalry?

What lies at the root of the India-China rivalry?

India is the fifth largest economy in the world, and now has a population larger than China’s. It’s no surprise, then, that officials in Washington often see India as a powerful non-western bulwark to...

8 Jan 202445min

Who will be Taiwan's next President?

Who will be Taiwan's next President?

Taiwan goes to the polls in just over a month. This is an election that could have wide repercussions, given the island’s status as a potential flashpoint in the coming years.The incumbent President, ...

11 Dec 202342min

Dialect and identity: is Mandarin bad for China?

Dialect and identity: is Mandarin bad for China?

Across the span of China, a country as big as Europe, there are countless regional dialects and accents – perhaps even languages. Often, they're mutually unintelligible.The Chinese call these ‘fangyan...

28 Nov 202343min

Battling the official narrative – China's 'underground historians'

Battling the official narrative – China's 'underground historians'

Controlling history is key to the Chinese Communist Party’s control of the country. Whether it’s playing up the ‘century of humiliation’, or whitewashing past mistakes like the Great Leap Forward or t...

13 Nov 202335min

Rethinking Chinese food with Fuchsia Dunlop

Rethinking Chinese food with Fuchsia Dunlop

All cultures care about their cuisine, but the Chinese must have one of the most food-obsessed cultures in the world. It may be because we have the best food...Those listeners of Chinese Whispers who’...

30 Okt 202350min

'The mask has slipped' – Tuvia Gering on China, Israel and Hamas

'The mask has slipped' – Tuvia Gering on China, Israel and Hamas

When China brokered a historic detente between Saudi Arabia and Iran earlier this year, it seemed that a new phase in world history – and certainly in Chinese foreign policy – had opened up. Instead o...

16 Okt 202343min

Populärt inom Politik & nyheter

svenska-fall
p3-krim
rss-krimstad
fordomspodden
aftonbladet-krim
spar
flashback-forever
rss-sanning-konsekvens
rss-vad-fan-hande
aftonbladet-daily
rss-krimreportrarna
motiv
politiken
rss-aftonbladet-krim
rss-frandfors-horna
rss-klubbland-en-podd-mest-om-frolunda
krimmagasinet
rss-flodet
dagens-eko
olyckan-inifran