archive

December 5, 2012 If the new Communist Party leadership in China has its way, the country will be saying zaijian to droning speeches and over-the-top red carpet receptions. These are the first concrete signs of change since China's new party leader, Xi Jinping, took power last month.

Summary

November 28, 2012 She is a wildly popular singer, AIDS activist and major general in the Chinese army. Now, Peng Liyuan is slated to add another title: first lady of China. Peng's husband, Xi Jinping, is expected to become the country's president next year. Military garb has replaced her fabulous costumes as China's image-makers ensure she doesn't overshadow Xi.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

November 12, 2012 The man who is about to become China's new leader, Xi Jinping, is well-traveled. In his current role as vice president, he's been to 41 countries, more than any other Chinese leader-to-be. In all his globetrotting, he's kept a soft spot for Muscatine, a small town in Iowa.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

November 11, 2012 A famous documentary maker has inspired more than a hundred young people to take part in an oral history project to collect peasants' stories of the Great Famine in the late 1950s and early 1960s. An estimated 36 million people died during the famine, which the Chinese government blamed on natural disasters.

Transcript

On Weekend Edition SundayPlaylist

November 10, 2012 For 10 years, journalist Yang Jinsheng secretly collected official evidence about the terrible famine in China a half-century ago. In his chilling book Tombstone — which is banned in his homeland — Yang estimates that 36 million people died of starvation and other causes during the famine, even as grain exports continued.

Transcript

On Weekend Edition SaturdayPlaylist

November 9, 2012 Xi Jinping is the son of a prominent political figure who fell out of favor in the 1960s. Just a teenager at the time, Xi was sent off to a remote rural area where he lived in a hillside cave for seven years.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

November 8, 2012 China began its once-a-decade leadership transition as the 18th Communist Party Congress opened Thursday. The message focused on cleaning up government corruption, which President Hu Jintao said could be "fatal" to the party and the state.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

November 3, 2012 The U.S. presidential election and China's once-a-decade political transition are taking place just days apart this month. A recent debate in Hong Kong looks at which system yields better leadership.

Summary

November 2, 2012 China's foreign policy has appeared increasingly assertive recently. What isn't clear is whether this is part of a coherent plan or just an outgrowth of China's increasing stature in Asia and beyond.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

• SERIES: China: Change Or Crisis

October 30, 2012 China spares no effort or expense to suppress individuals and groups that dare to raise grievances. From the government's perspective, this pervasive security system has maintained order. But is it undermining long-term stability?

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

October 29, 2012 As China approaches a once-in-a-decade leadership transition, fissures in the country's political system are deepening. A scandal involving a top official has left the party reeling, and calls for reforms are mounting steadily. Critics say the communists of today have become what they once opposed.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

October 29, 2012 Bao Tong was once a senior figure in the Communist Party. He was ousted and jailed for seven years after the Tiananmen Square events of 1989 and is still followed everywhere by security officers. But he doesn't hesitate to speak his mind, and is a scathing critic of the country's current leaders.

Summary

October 20, 2012 As China prepares for a once-in-a-decade leadership transition, pressures are mounting for the party to change. Discontent over stalled political reforms, a U-turn in economic policy, and a political scandal involving murder and corruption suggest change is expected — but it could be only limited in scope.

Transcript

On Weekend Edition SaturdayPlaylist