Editor’s note for Tuesday, June 29, 2021
A note from the editor of today's The China Project Access newsletter.
Thoughts from Lucas, filling in for Jeremy this week:
Our word of the day is ordinary heroes (ๅนณๅก่ฑ้ pรญngfรกn yฤซngxiรณng).
That is one way that Xรญ Jรฌnpรญng ไน ่ฟๅนณ described (in Chinese) the 29 recipients of the โJuly 1 Medal,โ awarded at a ceremony in Beijing today, honoring cadres who โvividly embody the noble character and spirit of the Chinese Communists’ firm belief, practice of purpose, struggle and dedication, and integrity.โ
But Party membership is anything but ordinary in China, where just 6.5% of the total population is part of the CCP.
- โThe Party is no longer a workersโ and peasantsโ partyโฆIt is a managersโ and businessmenโs party,โ the scholar Richard McGregor told the Financial Times.
- The FT cites a statistic that out of 2.1 million new Party recruits in 2018, less than โ5,700 of them were migrant workers even though such laborers account for more than a third of Chinaโs working-age population.โ
Upcoming events:
- June 30: A book discussion with Cheng Li on his new book, Middle Class Shanghai, and how the U.S. needs to readjust its thinking when it comes to China.
- July 7: Sourcing from China in an age of uncertainty.
โLucas Niewenhuis, Newsletter Editor (lucas@thechinaproject.com)
