Having the Emperor far away in Beijing has been an advantage for the Kunming government and people in the past as they have been able to adjust their policies to fit and also to perhaps get away with some unethical practices? Since President Xi has taken over do you think that has changed? What evidence do you see?
The ice is thin and the wu mao are not so far away.
After a good clear out its business as usual. As for changes, with new technologies the central power can have a tighter grip on corruption. Adding to this, an increased international cooperation with countries helping find and send back naughty boys back home.
It should be 'The mountains are high and the Emperor far away'.
A saying that stems from when the Jiayuguan fort in Gansu province was the frontier of imperial China.
The fort has the Beishan mountains to the north, and the Qilian mountains to the south, hense the saying.
When that saying originated people traveled by foot or horseback. Now they travel by jet plane and communicate by smart phones. The emperor is not far away at all now.
It appears the westerners have barstardized the saying.
Last time I read it in my PhD candidates report they said 'the sky is high'. The 'mountain' makes more sense. My apologies Napolean.
I read in GoKunming news that 200 officials had been arrested for corruption. Are they getting all corrupt players or are the well connected still proving evasive.
Couple of years back 90 billion yuan worth of assets seized from family and associates of Zhou Yongkang, a very high level politician that upset Xi earlier.
I remember being invited to the Yunnan governors 50th Anniversary of China dinner in 1999. The governor was famous and it was a great night however he disappeared not long after apparently for taking a slice of aid funding from Taiwan that was supposed to help Kunming's poor people.
Cantonese has it: it is not the Emperor, it is the eunuchs that you have to watch out for. the Emperor might be far away, eunuch appears everywhere. so the cantonese knows if one wants a 'bicycle,' one does not ask the emperor for one because the system does not work that way. one steals one from the Emperor then asks for forgiveness, that is the only way, thy kingdom come. hahahah :-)
