Blood and Treasure, one of my favorite blogs, suggests a leaked document as a guide to the current fears of China's leadership -- A General Notice from the Central Propaganda Bureau Regarding News and Propaganda in 2011. In bullet form, they are (emphases mine):
- income distribution, the stock and real-estate markets, employment and social security, education and health, and safety in manufacturing.
- reports on disasters and extreme incidents. They "cannot include interviews or supervision from non-local areas".
- reports on the requisition of land and forcible demolition, especially report on incidents of violent demolition or “suicides, self-mutilation, or collective action”
- public selection of news, people, or events [jg: I think this refers to social reporting, public selection of topics]
- incidents of collective action ... prevent reports on collective action from pointing towards and focusing on the party and the government.
- anti-corruption cases ... Do not use the term “civil society” (gongmin shehui).
- Do not conduct questionnaires or on-line surveys on housing prices.
- instances of using a residential construction foundation to change a residential permit
- problems related to Spring Festival travel, such as “difficulties in obtaining even one ticket.”
For China in 2011 it's all about real estate and land seizures. Yes, they have a housing bubble too, and it's going to blow soon. I am really tired of "interesting times".
