(This is my original post; see previous post for an explanation)
Monday we finally got to meet the members of the new, nine-man Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party. This group, who run China, have been selected after months of factional maneuvering which culminated in the 17th Party Congress, a five-yearly, seriously retro occasion during which some 2000 Party delegates from all over the country get to go through the motions of choosing their leadership. In fact, there are only a few more candidates than slots for most positions, so tension is not exactly high. Still, the outcome does determine who will rule the world’s most populous nation for the next five years, or even for the next fifteen if you assume that the two youngsters (54 and 52, see the link to my story below) designated as potential successors to President Hu will serve a full two five year terms. Anyway, having been told to show up by 9.40, we waited ….and waited …and waited until finally the thrilling moment came, preceded by an announcement by a (inevitably) black suited official who told us we must be quiet and not ask questions. (Hu Jintao, to his credit, did apologize to “our friends in the media” for keeping us twiddling our thumbs). Sorry about the quality of the video. I promise to take a proper camera next time. This was done with a point-and-shoot. But I do think it makes interesting viewing for those of you who didn’t get the live China Central TV feed. In fact, I’ll refrain from commenting as in this case, a thousand pictures are worth, well, you know. (See here for a postcard from the Congress and here for my take on the results). This clip opens as we wait for the entrance of the chosen nine in tense silence, then jumps (I’ll work on transitions next time) to their appearance and the beginning of Hu Jintao’s statement, then to his naming of the other members of the team, then a bit of translation of his statement and then the departure. Enjoy.