{"id":182008,"date":"2015-03-12T17:07:03","date_gmt":"2015-03-13T00:07:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/?p=182008"},"modified":"2015-03-12T17:57:53","modified_gmt":"2015-03-13T00:57:53","slug":"yang-hengjun-historys-most-solemn-two-sessions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2015\/03\/yang-hengjun-historys-most-solemn-two-sessions\/","title":{"rendered":"Yang Hengjun: History’s Most Solemn “Two Sessions”"},"content":{"rendered":"
Once an official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yang Hengjun is a commentator and novelist living now living in Sydney. Yang promotes political reform in China, though he often writes about it in enigmatic terms. Commenting on\u00a0Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign at the Diplomat, Yang says the biggest “tiger<\/a>” that must be caught “is the institution that created so many corrupt officials<\/a>.”<\/p>\n In a March 10 WeChat post<\/a>, Yang suggests that\u00a0Xi’s pursuit of “tigers and flies”<\/a>\u00a0hangs heavy in the air of the ongoing Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and National People’s Congress (NPC)<\/a>. Through a series of photos Yang\u00a0contrasts the smiles worn by\u00a0delegates last year with their furrowed brows at this\u00a0year’s meetings. Even Shen Jilan<\/a>, who has been an NPC representative since 1954, looks forlorn.<\/p>\n The photos begin with actor Zhao Benshan,\u00a0a household icon who is now rumored to be among those under investigation for corruption<\/a>.\u00a0A luxury club he ran in the capital has closed and many of his TV shows have been suspended over the past few months.\u00a0Chinese media report that he also regrets purchasing a private jet in 2009<\/a> [Chinese].<\/p>\n CDT has translated the WeChat post and added explanatory material:<\/p>\n\n