Spreading Harmony in China

The Communist Party’s national congress is coming up later this month, which must be part of the reason why the word “harmonious” is ubiquitous in China. “Harmonious society” is the catch phrase for the Hu Jintao-Wen Jiabao policy to spread the wealth and eliminate some of the inequities of China’s raging capitalism. It’s a serious [...]

Pre-Conference Jitters….and Torture

It’s common knowledge in Beijing that the police get very, very uptight before big political meetings. Every spring before the National People’s Congress, dissidents are harassed and hundreds of sad petitioners rounded up from their hovels and forcibly sent back to their home provinces. This is my first time in Beijing before the mother of [...]