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Stand-up comic and writer Léa Stréliski recently shared the front cover of Elle Québec for the month of April on Twitter, letting her followers know she had interviewed the “cover girl,” novelist, screenwriter and actress Sarah-Maude Beauchesne. To get more news about 免费人成视频在线观看, you can visit our official website.

The cover features Beauchesne wearing a baseball cap and jacket and donning what appears to be underwear, a bikini bottom or short shorts. It’s hard to tell because one of the white sneakers she’s wearing is strategically placed on the chair, showcasing her long naked legs. It’s a conventional glamour shot, with just a soupcon of risqué thrown in — the kind one routinely finds on the cover of a women’s magazine. Beauchesne’s pose is hyper casual, confident, sexy. A young woman comfortable in her own skin.

Would it be inappropriate to ask why a woman of words would be photographed with her crotch prominently displayed?”

Beauchesne isn’t flashing her crotch, she’s showing her sneaker. But the idea of a barely concealed vagina was apparently enough to rattle some of you. The author first made a name for herself back in 2010 by writing Les Fourchettes, an unfiltered blog about sex, sensuality and relationships that appealed to young Quebecers. It’s not exactly out of character or in contradiction to whatever brand she’s built so far to be photographed in this fashion. Now in her 30s, the former teen model (and soon-to-be Elle Québec columnist) is enjoying a successful career making the decisions she sees fit to make.
What the question, “Should a woman of words be showing her crotch?” was really asking is, “If you want to be taken seriously, should you be presenting yourself in this fashion?” The rhetorical question, of course, is an implicit accusation. The conclusion has already been reached by the person asking it: you can’t possibly be both sexy and respected for your brains — you must choose. If you’re overtly sexy, you won’t be seen as smart. If you’re already smart, why would you need to showcase your sexy? Nowhere in any of these possible scenarios does the element of choice come in.

Even in Quebec — a place some grudgingly claim is too much of a matriarchy — antiquated, patriarchal expectations persist about what a woman should look like and how a woman should act. We continue to be judged by some strict binary — the Madonna/Whore dichotomy, the sacred or the profane, the virginal or the raunchy, the smart or the sexy. We’re often defined and judged by how much or how little we choose to highlight our sensuality, and, even in “modern, feminist, equal” societies such as ours, people continue to conflate sexuality with morality.

While many found it normal that someone who’s capitalized on writing about sensuality and relationships would pose like this for a cover photo, others found it unnecessarily hypersexualized, taking the focus away from her work and her words. To them, it was degrading, un-feminist, someone of “value” treating themselves as “valueless.”

These reactions, of course, betray our own issues with the female body, our hang-ups about femininity, shaped by a patriarchal world that both values and penalizes women for their looks. Even in 2022, smart women who are comfortably sexy confuse people. They scare them. They turn them off. To be smart and yet still showcase your sex appeal means you’ll be questioned about your motives, your values, your very own agency.
Oct 6 '22 · 0 comments · Tags: best film
OnlyFans isn’t the only place you’ll find hot girls making super sexy exclusive content behind a paywall. The hottest Patreon Babes are giving OnlyFans Girls a run for their money.To get more news about 国产在线观看91精品, you can visit our official website.

That’s right! When the racy content subscription service OnlyFans announced in 2021 that it would cease to host “sexually explicit” content on its platform, lots of content creators went running to Patreon as an alternative.

Additionally, with OnlyFans having a rather umm sketchy reputation, many content creators who don’t want to keep their reputation reputable would rather stay far far away.

From try-on haulers, twerk queens, and pole dancers, here are some of the hottest girls on Patreon making super sexy exclusive content you’ll want to pay for.Now, I may be a little biased… but if I’m creating a round-up of the sexiest girls on Patreon, you better believe I’m putting myself at the top of the list .

Seriously though, I just very recently started a Patreon account and I’m really enjoying the freedom a paywall allows for me to let loose and be my sexy self without judging eyes. If you appreciate black women and enjoy classy femininity, join my Patreon community now for super sexy content from moi.
The blonde babe living in Miami, Natbelleza takes you around the world to experience different cultures, food, and the latest fashion. On her Patreon page, you will find exclusive behind-the-scenes try-on hauls.

This beautiful Youtuber with a very curvy shape and a big booty enjoys sharing her fashion finds and her adventures living her very best life. Her personality is chill and bubbly and her content features swimsuit try-on, lingerie try-ons, and the like.

Another hot black girl on Patreon to out if you’re into curvy women with natural bodies just being themselves and sharing their beauty. On her Patreon, you will get weekly fan-requested videos of try-on hauls, yoga workouts, and dancing tutorials.

ChristinaKhalil who has a very successful Youtube channel with nearly over 700, 000 subscribers creates fun and playful content on her private Patreon account. This gal is also into big bikes and fast cars which she features on her channels.

Join this blonde on her journey of creating art and embracing all this life has to offer. On Sarahs Patreon, she shares her immense passion for fitness, art, modeling, and inspiring others to see how beautiful life can be.

If you like stockings and pantyhose, leather, vinyl and leather outfits, boots, and nylon feet, you will appreciate Vanessa Pur. Her Patreon features very frequent exclusive and sexy updates and some special video clips from time to time.

Tina Louise is for you if you love tattoed women. Tina Louise, is a part-time model, animal lover, and co-owner of an eco-friendly vegan restaurant in Los Angeles, California. With 3,370 Patreons, Stefania Ferrario is pulling in a whopping $14,221 a month with her Patreon. On her account, you will find different aspects of her life through the lens, including my more sensual sides.
Oct 6 '22 · 0 comments · Tags: best film

Deciding what to carry in a medical kit is highly dependent on anticipating the injuries and illnesses you may encounter in a given situation. It’s also dependent on the space available for your gear. After all, the space available when partaking in outdoor activities off the beaten path can be quite limited. You must eliminate unnecessary items so that you can carry other essentials. If you carry a gunshot trauma kit on your person or in a range bag, it’s even more essential that the contents remain compact and free of clutter from unnecessary items.To get more news about IFAK kit, you can visit rusuntacmed.com official website.

In choosing components to use in my medical kits, I drew on my experience of over 16 years as a paramedic, seven years as an ER nurse, and five years in my current role as a nurse practitioner in the ER and in trauma surgery. I saw definite patterns of injury related to outdoor sports, including shooting sports, and thought about what someone with only basic first-aid knowledge could carry in order to temporarily treat these injuries until they could be evaluated and treated definitively by medical providers.
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As a shooter and outdoor enthusiast, there are two essential medical kits I’d choose to have with me at all times: a gunshot trauma kit containing the bare-bones essentials to treat catastrophic penetrating injuries, and an expanded Individual First Aid Kit.
It’s estimated that 40 percent of trauma-related deaths worldwide are due to bleeding and its consequences. Specifically in penetrating injuries including gunshot wounds, injuries most likely to cause death are a result of internal and/or external hemorrhage, catastrophic brain injury, and penetrating chest trauma resulting in compromised breathing due to pneumothorax or tension pneumothorax. Of these injuries, there are several components in gunshot trauma kits that can increase the odds of survival until definitive care is reached. These components include:
A CAT-7 tourniquet is one of several recommended by the Committee for Tactical Combat Casualty Care. One of the more recently approved options to consider is the SAM-XT by SAM Medical. There are many great training videos on both manufacturers’ websites. What do the civilian trauma societies say about tourniquets? The big guns of trauma in the U.S., the American College of Surgeons, Pediatric Trauma Society, and Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS), provide guidelines recommending training for everyone in bleeding control and the application of a tourniquet if direct pressure and pressure dressings fail to control bleeding. They don’t recommend specific manufacturers of tourniquets, but all agree that purpose-built, manufactured tourniquets are preferred over improvised versions.

You can find a Stop the Bleed training class and download a free brochure on how to recognize and treat life-threatening bleeding using tourniquets and wound packing at Bleedingcontrol.org. You can also search for a free Stop the Bleed class in your area on the site, and learn how to become an instructor. The most important thing to consider in choosing your tourniquet is whether you know how and when to use it.

Wound packing gauze is used to fill gaps caused by penetrating wounds to the groin, armpits, or extremities. It isn’t recommended for use in the abdomen or chest. The theory behind wound packing is simple: If you can fit a finger into the wound, you should pack it before applying a pressure dressing. The reason for this is because if there’s a large channel in the wound, there are likely broken blood vessels leaking into the space. Applying external pressure on top of the wound will still allow bleeding into the space. If you pack gauze tightly into the space, you’ll stop the bleeding deep in the wound.

Plain wound packing gauze is very inexpensive. There are many generic brands out there. This is one item where you can save a little in order to splurge on a brand-name tourniquet or better set of trauma shears. Alternatively, you can upgrade to gauze treated with a hemostatic agent that promotes faster clotting, such as QuikClot or Celox. I prefer the QuikClot rolled gauze in my kit, because it can be used as wound packing or as roller gauze for an additional pressure dressing on an extremity.

Oct 6 '22 · 0 comments · Tags: ifak kit

Body armor is making mass shootings more deadly

The mass shootings that occurred this month in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York had several things in common. The shooters were both 18 years old, both used semi-automatic weapons, and both were wearing tactical gear.To get more news about best bullet proof vests, you can visit bulletproofboxs.com official website.

Salvador Ramos, the attacker in Uvalde, muscled his way past a school police officer and into an elementary school wearing a “tactical vest carrier,” Texas police lieutenant Christopher Olivarez told reporters. On May 15, Payton S. Gendron killed 13 people at a Buffalo supermarket while wearing body armor, tactical gear, and a helmet. Ramos took 21 lives, 19 of them young children. Gendron, who targeted Black people and was shot at and hit by a retired police officer on the scene, killed 13. In a 180-page manifesto, he specifically cited procuring body armor to protect himself from armed security.
Military-style body armor is readily available in the US, and nonprofit The Violence Project has found that in the past decade it’s increasingly favored by perpetrators of mass shootings. While the debate on gun control is well trodden, dialogue around body armor is harder to find, and regulations are exceedingly scarce.

Details have yet to emerge on the exact gear worn by the Uvalde and Buffalo shooters, but all kinds of tactical equipment are easily available online. Bullet-proof vests typically consist of plate carriers made of steel, ceramic, or Kevlar, a kind of synthetic fiber—although bullet-proof is a bit of a misnomer. Brands and retailers warn that their products should be considered bullet-resistant and that any gear always carries a risk. In the US, protection is graded on a six-level scale, from being able to withstand stabbings to multiple ballistic hits.

Although New York is currently considering a bill that would prohibit owning a body vest, there are few restrictions like it elsewhere in the US. The state of Connecticut restricts face-to-face sales unless the buyer is active police or military, but again, kits are easy to find online. It’s also illegal under federal law to own body armor with a prior felony conviction, but since background checks are not required to buy tactical gear, that particular legislation is easily sidestepped.

Some of the more popular manufacturers of protective vests include Hesco and RMA, with styles starting at a few hundred dollars. High-end gear can run up into the thousands.

Oct 6 '22 · 0 comments · Tags: best bullet proof vest

Summer car tires from Continental

As one of the world's leading tire manufacturers, Continental has again added to its range of passenger car and light truck tires. Almost every car in Europe can be equipped with tires developed in Hanover. As roughly one third of all new cars manufactured in Europe are fitted with Continental tires as original equipment, car dealerships and specialist tire dealers alike carry an extensive range of replacement tires as specified by the automakers. With a total of six models to choose from – ContiSportContact 5 P, ContiSportContact 5, ContiPremiumContact 5, ContiEcoContact 5, and the Conti.eContact for all-electric and hybrid vehicles – Continental has the tires to meet almost every need. Available material includes edited packages and still images from IAA Frankfurt auto show.To get more news about summer car tires, you can visit gofortunetire.com official website.
High-powered models with rear-wheel drive can gain a real edge in terms of acceleration, braking, and handling when fitted with different sized tires at the front and rear. The ContiSportContact 5 P was designed for this drive concept and is manufactured as two different models – one for the front wheels and one for the rear. Sports cars with front-wheel drive can be fitted with the front-wheel version all round.

The tread design features large contact patches for maximum traction. Two robust central ribs in the asymmetrical tread deliver top-class grip at the rear. They ensure that the car can put down its full power even under sharp acceleration. At the same time the block structure on the outer shoulder of the tire ensures good transmission of lateral forces. In particular, this promotes direct handling as steering commands are executed fast and reliably. To reinforce this effect, on the front-wheel tire the developers have dispensed with one of the central ribs to accommodate wider block structures in the interests of enhanced handling. To keep brake applications as short and measured as possible, the tread blocks at the center of the tire are mutually supported by small bars that prevent the blocks giving way.

As a result, the designs of the front and rear tires are perfectly geared to one another and to being fitted on the respective axles. The range includes tires between 225 and 335 millimeters wide and with aspect ratios of between 45 and 25 percent for rims from 18 to 23 inches.In the ContiSportContact 5, Continental has a product that suits both sporty cars and SUVs with sporty ambitions. The tire offers firm grip and short braking distances on wet and dry roads. Its special features include low rolling resistance for a sports tire and high mileage. This is made possible by its BlackChilliCompound that provides maximum grip under braking but also makes for low rolling resistance during normal driving. The ContiSportContact 5 serves up very precise handling, clearing the way for very sporty performance. Continental offers this high-tech tire for passenger cars in sizes of between 17 and 21 inches and with aspect ratios from 50 to 35 percent, while the range of sizes for SUVs extends from 18 to 20 inches with aspect ratios from 60 to 35 percent. Both versions are approved for speeds of up to 300 km/h.

The popular ContiPremiumContact 5 delivers impressively short braking distances on dry and wet roads, high mileage, precision handling, a comfortable ride, and low rolling resistance. This summer tire for compact to luxury models is available in 75 versions for rims between 14 and 17 inches and is approved for speeds of up to 300 km/h. In several tire tests by the trade press last year, the ContiPremiumContact 5 finished best in test.

In the past, combining short braking distances on wet and dry roads with low rolling resistance was considered extremely difficult. In the ContiEcoContact 5 there is a car tire that unites these two abilities with apparent ease. In the development process this called for changes in every component of the tire. But the outcome – with shorter braking distances in the wet – was a 20 percent drop in rolling resistance and a 12 percent increase in mileage. As a result, a car fitted with the new ContiEcoContact 5 can be operated with some three percent less fuel than the same car on standard tires. The ContiEcoContact 5 is available in 93 versions in sizes from 13 to 19 inches and is approved for speeds of up to 300 km/h.

Oct 6 '22 · 0 comments · Tags: summer car tires

Ring’s latest smart alarm sensor loves the sound of breaking glass

Amazon-owned Ring loves to expand its wares as you’ll know. At CES 2022 it has introduced a new sensor for homes where large windows or glass doors could be entry points for nasty crims. And it works alongside the existing Ring Alarm system.To get more news about smart window sensors, you can visit securamsys.com official website.

What’s more, it doesn’t actually need installing anywhere as it just needs to be placed in the vicinity of the glass. Ring says it can detect the glass sounds from around 7 metres away (though we guess it is more effective close up) and features built-in intelligence to help it distinguish when there’s actually a break-in as opposed to someone throwing some keys down or clattering plates about.

If the sound of breaking glass is detected, you’ll get an alert sent to your Ring app, though you can choose for your Ring Alarm siren or Alarm Outdoor Siren to sound if you’re in away mode for example.

The Ring Alarm system comes with various extras depending on the size of your home and you can buy extra motion detectors and contact sensors as well as an outdoor siren. The basic kit will get you a base station, keypad, one contact sensor, one motion detector, and a range extender.

You can hook it up to your other Ring products, too, of course, although as with all Ring products you need to pay a monthly subscription to keep it useful.

Oct 6 '22 · 0 comments · Tags: smart window sensors

Mastercam Reseller MLC CAD Systems acquires San Diego CAD CAM Inc.

a leading provider of engineering and manufacturing solutions with extensive experience in CAD, CAM, CAE, PLM, and Additive Manufacturing, has acquired San Diego CAD CAM Inc. For over 40 years, MLC CAD Systems has helped customers design, engineer, and manufacture their products with an emphasis on optimizing the usage of mission-critical applications including SOLIDWORKS, Mastercam, and Markforged 3D Printers. The combined company will provide customers with the most comprehensive technical and customer service teams in the global Mastercam partner network, serving over 13,000 customers across 24 offices.To get more news about designer cad, you can visit shine news official website.

San Diego CAD CAM Inc. customers will have immediate access to MLC’s large technical support staff for training and implementation, application troubleshooting, best practices, optimization strategies, and post-development and modifications. To ensure a smooth transition, San Diego CAD CAM personnel will join the MLC CAD Systems team indefinitely. MLC’s mission is to provide “Unbeatable Service” to all clients and to help them achieve successful business outcomes.

MLC has a strong track record of growth by acquisition while focusing on improved customer satisfaction by delivering a large depth of solutions and knowledge and by increasing value-added offerings such as CAM Skills Workshops, Hands-On Test Drives, and Onsite Consultation and Education.

This most recent merger will continue to grow MLC’s share in the value-added reseller market. Director of Business Development, Joel Hill, sees this acquisition as a strong endorsement of MLC. “Over the last 40 years, more customers have seen the value MLC CAD Systems provides, which has led us to expand our reach into new markets in need of our services and solutions. We are proud to have earned the trust of San Diego CAD CAM who passionately believes in their customers and wants to ensure they are prioritized and receive ‘Unbeatable Service’.”
At MLC CAD Systems, we provide Unbeatable Service, backed by decades of industry experience. We offer our customers the best in 3D design, subtractive, and additive solutions from SOLIDWORKS, Mastercam, and Markforged, along with the support of our award-winning application experts. From concept to production, we’re with you every step of the way.

Oct 6 '22 · 0 comments · Tags: cad and cam systems

Deploy robotic solutions with RaaS to enable worry-free

Robotic automation is fast becoming the preferred approach for businesses to transform their supply chain systems into a competitive advantage. With Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS), businesses can adopt and deploy robotic solutions in a worry-free and flexible manner.To get more news about RaaS, you can visit glprobotics.com official website.

The focus on solutions rather than just equipment is driving up the demand for RaaS models that are best suited for the customer and their supply chain ecosystem.

According to ABI Research and Supply Chain Dive, there will be more than 1.3 million RaaS deployments worldwide by 2026 with the largest installations in logistics, manufacturing, and hospitality.The thriving stay-at-home economy that emerged in 2020 unleashed the potential of the cloud-based communications market. Rising alongside the ongoing improvement of the communications infrastructure, the market is entering a golden age. The cloud-based communications market in China will continue to grow rapidly in the coming years and is expected to exceed RMB100 billion by 2024, according to a report from China Investment Corporation (CIC).
With the sector's anticipated growth, industry players are fulfilling expectations by continually delivering notable performances. Recently, Cloopen Group Holding Limited (NYSE: RAAS) ("Cloopen" or the "Company") announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2021. According to the report, the Company's revenues for the second quarter were RMB274 million, representing a 47.9% increase year-over-year or a 33.9% increase quarter-over-quarter. Its core CC (Cloud-based Contact Center) solutions business performed especially well, achieving revenues of RMB108 million, an increase of 105.1% year-over-year. In terms of profitability, the Company's gross margin increased to 43.1%. Adjusted EBITDA loss was RMB29.966 million, while adjusted EBITDA loss margin (as a percentage of revenue) decreased markedly to 10.9%, a nearly 6% decrease year-over-year and an 18% decrease quarter-over-quarter.

Cloopen, began to provide cloud-based communications solutions in 2014, went public in the US in February of this year, becoming the first Chinese SaaS company to do so. After over a decade of development, the Company's businesses now include communications platform as a service (CPaaS),Cloud-based Contact center (CC) and Cloud-based Unified Communications and Collaboration(UC&C).

In terms of revenue composition, CPaaS revenue reached RMB115 million in the second quarter,maintaining organic growth rate of 13% year-over-year. The high-margin CC and UC businesses contributed more than 50% of total revenue for the first time, and CC solutions contributed significantly to revenue growth. In recent years, the CC solutions market has maintained rapid growth, attracting the attention of the industry's powerful players.

Against the backdrop of a thriving market, Cloopen delivered positive news regarding its CC solutions business. During the reporting period, the Company's CC business achieved revenues of RMB108 million, an increase of over 100% year-over-year.

Two factors account for the exceptional performance of the CC business. First, Cloopen's acquisition of CRM software provider EliteCRM in March of this year and its integration enabled strategic synergies. Second, the Company expanded its CC business by adding CRM and CPaaS products, producing a compound sales effect and further growing market share.

Another part of Cloopen's revenue composition consists of UC&C solutions, which include IM and CV services. Compared to CPaaS and CC solutions, the UC&C solutions business is smaller in volume, having achieved revenues of RMB49 million in the second quarter, an impressive increase of 74.9%.

In addition to strong revenues, Cloopen's performance showed laudable profitability. The financial report revealed the Company's gross margin to be 43.1%, compared to 38.5% in the second quarter of 2020. Cloopen's improved profitability was primarily driven by an increase in the proportion of the Company's higher gross margin businesses. According to previous financial reports, the gross margins of Cloopen's CC and UC&C businesses are considerably higher than that of its CPaaS business. In the second quarter of this year, the proportion of the Company's higher gross margin businesses surpassed 50% for the first time, boosting the overall gross margin while significantly optimizing the Company's revenue structure. Meanwhile, the Company's reduced the red ink considerably, with an adjusted EBITDA loss of RMB29.966 million.

Oct 6 '22 · 0 comments · Tags: raas

20th CPC National Congress to set China's main tasks in next 5 years

The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), scheduled for the second half of this year, will look ahead to China's two-stage development plan toward the middle of the 21st century and outline strategic tasks in the next five years in particular.To get more news about when is china's 20th party congress, you can visit shine news official website.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks at a workshop for provincial and ministerial officials, held from Tuesday to Wednesday in Beijing in preparation for the key Party congress.

The CPC drew up a two-stage development plan for the period from 2020 to the middle of this century at its 19th National Congress in October 2017. According to the plan, socialist modernization will be basically realized in China by 2035, and China will be developed into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful by the middle of the century.
Xi said the 20th CPC National Congress will be a very important event taking place at a crucial moment, with China embarking on a new journey to fully build a modern socialist country. He called for efforts to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and write a "brand new chapter" of fully building a modern socialist country.

The 20th CPC National Congress will make arrangements on strategic tasks for the country and important measures to be taken in the next five years, he said, adding that the period is crucial for achieving the Party's second centenary goal.More efforts should be made to solve problems in terms of "unbalanced and inadequate development" in the next five years, he said.

The CPC has set two centenary goals: The first was to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2021 when the CPC celebrated its centenary, and the second is to build China into a great modern socialist country in all respects by the middle of the century to celebrate the centenary of the People's Republic of China.

The world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, which have been accelerating, Xi said, stressing that China faces risks and challenges more complex than before.The rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is not an easy task, he said, calling for more strenuous efforts to achieve the goal.

He also stressed that there is no fixed model for modernization in the world, and underscored the CPC's leadership in China's socialist modernization drive.

On the journey ahead, the Party must adhere to its fundamental aim of serving the people heart and soul and always maintain close ties with the people, he said.
Xi reviewed China's development since the 19th CPC National Congress, hailing the past five years as "extraordinary." The Party has united and led the Chinese people to effectively address the "severe and complex" international situation and "huge risks and challenges" coming one after another, he said.

China has striven to advance the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, promote high-quality development, deepen reforms in a rapid and steady manner, and fight poverty, he said.China had declared a victory in eradicating absolute poverty nationwide by the end of 2020. It had also announced the completion of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

During the past five years, China has made great efforts to boost ecological civilization, resolutely safeguard national security, modernize national defense and the military, and advance the major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, Xi said.

China has followed a people-first approach in the fight against COVID-19 and made maximum efforts to protect people's lives and health, he said. China has achieved the best outcome worldwide in coordinating economic development and epidemic prevention and control, he added.

Oct 6 '22 · 0 comments · Tags: 20th cpc national congress

8 Books to Read Ahead of China’s 20th Party Congress

Sure, people are off work until Friday—and then working a seven-day week afterward. But with the zero-COVID regime in full swing, it’s rare for people to take vacations; they aren’t even going to the cinema. It also doesn’t help that China is facing another record-breaking heat wave. And for Chinese officials, the run-up to the historic 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is not the time to take a break from politicking.To get more news about the 20th CPC national congress, you can visit shine news official website.

However, China Brief is taking a break from regular programming to help readers prepare for the Party Congress, which begins on Oct. 16. Chinese politics can be difficult for outsiders to grasp, in part because it’s so opaque. At the highest levels, the CCP’s inner circle resembles a cross between Leninist bureaucracy, a pre-modern royal court, and a mafia family.

With that in mind, below are eight books that provide a better understanding of what might be happening in the run-up to the Party Congress next week—and what the fallout might look like.Studying Soviet governance is invaluable for understanding Chinese governance. In its early years, the People’s Republic of China often imported the Soviet system and policies wholesale. For example, one can’t understand the Chinese government’s obsession with quotas and—mostly fake—statistical evaluations without examining the mix of Stalinism and Taylorism it inherited from the Soviet Union.

Yuri Slezkine’s The House of Government is about the so-called house on the embankment, the Russian building constructed to house the Stalinist leadership, and the mixture of intellectual ambition and personal grudges that drove the first decades of Soviet government. That clannishness also applies in China: Chinese President Xi Jinping is the son of a founding revolutionary and grew up alongside many of the people he works with.

One thing that comes across strongly in Slezkine’s book is the physical proximity in which the Soviet leadership lived; they were literally neighbors. That is still the case with the Chinese leadership; they all have access to opulent homes elsewhere, but the demands of power mean that much of their day-to-day life is spent in Zhongnanhai, the former palace complex in the heart of Beijing.

Zhongnanhai is fancy, but it isn’t that nice—and it’s crowded. But as with former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, getting facetime with the man at the top is critical for the Chinese leadership, which means living as close to him as they can.
It’s nearly 30 years old, but Mayfair Mei-hui Yang’s study of how guanxi—a slippery term usually translated as “pull” or “influence”—works in ordinary Chinese life remains vital. Yang shows how the demands and restrictions of a non-market economy created constant favor-trading, where enterprising individuals made shallow social contacts to access premium goods, whether a private car ride or the use of a telephone.

Guanxi shaped an atmosphere in which purely personal friendships were difficult to sustain and even commercial relationships needed a social gloss. Although the material conditions of Chinese life have changed radically since Yang’s fieldwork in the 1980s, the attitudes she describes persist in the generation who grew up then—including China’s 60-something leadership.
Likewise, Richard McGregor’s decade-old book on the CCP remains the best single introduction to the party’s history and operations and the internal dynamics of its leadership. The dynamics within the party have changed as a result of Xi’s rise, and the business elites whom McGregor shows being drawn into the CCP’s structures have become much weaker (something that McGregor covers in his short follow-up book, Xi Jinping: The Backlash).

Minxin Pei’s 2016 study of crony capitalism shows how the dynamics of kleptocracy in China work, with state-owned assets essentially divvied up among the powerful. Xi’s rule started with an attempt to rein in corruption, but that involved replacing existing interests with those of his allies. Money is often at the core of Chinese political battles, which tend to focus on who gets to run what—whether it’s skimming off the tobacco industry or control of property empires.

Most Chinese officials work for provincial governments rather than the relatively small central government. But party power remains entrenched—both key to and somewhat separate from the state. Provincial interests thus play a big role in Chinese politics, even for projects conceived by the central government, such as the much-lauded high-speed railway project. Fights over the project—and the corruption involved—became so intense that it eventually resulted in the dissolution of China’s once-powerful Ministry of Railways.

Xiao Ma’s recent book Localized Bargaining uses the high-speed railway project to examine the complicated interplay of bureaucratic power, officials’ personal ambitions, Leninist planning, public protest, and the desires of the central government. I found his descriptions of elaborate hierarchies exceptionally useful, especially how the same officials often hold posts concurrently across different levels of power.

Oct 6 '22 · 0 comments · Tags: 20th cpc national congress
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