习近平慰问井冈山农村; 诗意与现实

choi

储百亮, 习近平慰问农村，诗意田园表象下的残酷现实. 纽约时报中文网, Feb 22, 2016
http://cn.nytimes.com/china/20160222/c22china/

, which is translated from

Chris Buckley, Behind Chinese Leader's Warm Visit, a Village's Cold Reality; Bucolic TV images don't match life. New York Times, Feb 20, 2016.

Quotation in the window of print: 'Rural society is in a state of collapse,' a scholar on the topic says.


Quote:

" 'Basically, rural society is in a state of collapse. Villagers come together only for the New Year,' said Zhang Ming 张鸣, a historian at Renmin University in Beijing who has written widely about rural issues and politics. 'Villages have become empty shells.'

"officials took care to ensure that Mr. Xi’s visit was free of any discord. About a week before he arrived, security officers encamped here to check homes, weed out troublemakers, and, according to several villagers, tell people not to say anything 'irresponsible' to an unnamed senior leader who would soon visit [who turned out to be Mr Xi].  'We were told not to talk about bad things'

"Officials also blocked residents of the back part of the village, where dozens of members of the Hakka ethnic minority live, from glimpsing Mr Xi, residents said. The Hakka have long had tensions with other people in this region, and there have been feuds over land and forests.  There was to be no risk of Mr Xi seeing any such flare-ups.

Note: In print: the photo caption is: "President Xi Jinping of China, center, making ciba 糍粑 [a term not used in Taiwan, though we know Chinese , a traditional dish made with sticky rice, with villagers while visiting Sehnshan Village this month.
(a) ciba  糍粑 (Taiwan does not have such food or term, though we know Chinese eat it._
(b) 江西省吉安市井冈山市茅坪乡神山村 (井冈山深处)