Beijing's new leaders aspire to international greatness. Ordinary Chinese just want access to untainted baby formula.
(Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Since China unveiled the new Politburo Standing Committee at the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, the country's Web users have been paying close attention to the new elite group of leaders who will set the country's agenda for the next decade.
- The Meaning of the 'Chinese Dream'
- A Viral Critique of Chinese Property Reform
- Chinese Leaders Share a Human Moment
A recent speech that Mr. Xi Jinping, China's new paramount leader, delivered during a tour to a museum exhibition called the "Road to Revival" has garnered wide online attention because of its mention of the "Chinese Dream." In his speech, Xi defined the "Chinese Dream" as "achieving the great revival of the Chinese nation." But what does this "dream" mean to ordinary Chinese?
Defining the "Chinese Dream"
On Weibo, China's Twitter-like microblogging services, "Chinese Dream" quickly became one of the hottest topics. But many users were critical of Xi's choice of words. For example, @长话短说 wrote: "'Chinese Dream' appears on television all the time, but I still don't understand; what is the so-called 'Chinese Dream' really about? Is it about making 1.3 billion Chinese people help one organization or one person to fulfill this dream, or, is it about keeping 1.3 billion Chinese daydreaming? [My] research result indicates that the latter is more convincing: keeping 1.3 billion people in a dreamlike state while sending all your children and relatives to the United States to pursue the 'American Dream!'"