Chitchat China Corruption: The Mountains Are High and The Emperor Is Far Away.

The political price of Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign

“The mountains are high and the emperor is far away” is an ancient saying that remains popular to this day. Through millennia of dynastic cycles, central control over the Chinese empire has often been weak. The emperor’s mandarins, with the help of the garrison, were supposed to impose order and uphold the laws in the provinces — but more often than not they served as corrupt symbols of the predatory state, bending the laws and tax codes to suit their own interests.

The empire was frequently conquered and controlled by foreign invaders and this added to the alienation of the subjugated majority Han populace. In the face of a weak but predatory state, Chinese society organised itself around the clan unit, putting loyalty to this above all else, including laws emanating from the Forbidden City.

This is how to understand the roots of corruption in China. Loyalty to family and clan has always overridden loyalty to the state, and breaking the letter of the law is a trifling matter compared with letting down your extended network.

kryonlight said:

... “The mountains are high and the emperor is far away” ...

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山高黃帝遠 ... 無法又無天 ... 誰人經此地 ... 必收買路錢 ...

You folks are "blowing cows".

Didn't Mao Zedong unite China once and for all.even though I'm disappointed KMT did not win the war.i can see now how much more chaotic China would be if it was a democratic country.it would be like India,most democratic country in the world where nothing gets done.perhaps there will be a place for democracy in China one day,just like South Korea,South Korea was not a democracy until the 90s.before that it was ruled by a iron grip millitary regime for the sake of its survival.

U must understand China as a modern nation is kind of like america in the early days,it had tons of birthing pains and was broken up into different factions,and went thru a massive civil war before one side subjugated the other to form what is called united States today under the democratic system.of course the pissy Republicans lost,but that's what made america who she is today,all those supporting Trump and Republicans u might as well be supporting america and who she is for the last 100 years to be erased.if u saw america at the time u wouldn't have imagine what it could have become today,u only saw a struggling nation in crisis.

Now American history is boring,only Americans are interested in that bullshit but there are lessons and parrallels to draw from,to understand the past and present and where us and China stands and where China will be in the future.

Go update your info.

Every 10 years China change president too. With no voting but selected from the system. What dictator?

The angmoh voting system is waste of time to elect their leader.

Look at angmoh now are getting a monkey Trumpet as president.

kryonlight said:

The political price of Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign

“The mountains are high and the emperor is far away” is an ancient saying that remains popular to this day. Through millennia of dynastic cycles, central control over the Chinese empire has often been weak. The emperor’s mandarins, with the help of the garrison, were supposed to impose order and uphold the laws in the provinces — but more often than not they served as corrupt symbols of the predatory state, bending the laws and tax codes to suit their own interests.

The empire was frequently conquered and controlled by foreign invaders and this added to the alienation of the subjugated majority Han populace. In the face of a weak but predatory state, Chinese society organised itself around the clan unit, putting loyalty to this above all else, including laws emanating from the Forbidden City.

This is how to understand the roots of corruption in China. Loyalty to family and clan has always overridden loyalty to the state, and breaking the letter of the law is a trifling matter compared with letting down your extended network.

Click to expand...

tanwahtiu said:

Go update your info.

Every 10 years China change president too. With no voting but selected from the system. What dictator?

The angmoh voting system is waste of time to elect their leader.

Look at angmoh now are getting a monkey Trumpet as president.

Click to expand...

USA, China and many other countries their President and Premier must be replaced every 8 years or 10 years, except for Stinkapore the Premier wants
to there for ever, Papaya has place time limit on cars, motorbike, commercial vehicles and taxis, 10 years COE, why can't they put in place their term and condition must not exceed 10 years just like COE for the Premiership and MP???
after 10 f*&^%k off!! Brain also became dementia! can remember things that they have said and promised e.g. Swiss standard of Living!! My foot!

They must have an expire date for 10 years please!! similar to COE!!

Kuailan said:

USA, China and many other countries their President and Premier must be replaced every 8 years or 10 years, except for Stinkapore the Premier wants
to there for ever, Papaya has place time limit on cars, motorbike, commercial vehicles and taxis, 10 years COE, why can't they put in place their term and condition must not exceed 10 years just like COE for the Premiership and MP???
after 10 f*&^%k off!! Brain also became dementia! can remember things that they have said and promised e.g. Swiss standard of Living!! My foot!

They must have an expire date for 10 years please!! similar to COE!!

Click to expand...

God placed expiry on pinky already by giving him cancer.
But it's still too long