The Princelings (), also translated as the Party's Crown Princes, are the descendants of prominent and influential senior communist officials in the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. It is an informal, and often derogatory, categorization to signify those believed to be benefiting from

nepotism Nepotism is the act of granting an In-group favoritism, advantage, privilege, or position to Kinship, relatives in an occupation or field. These fields can include business, politics, academia, entertainment, sports, religion or health care. In ...

and

cronyism Cronyism is a specific form of in-group favoritism, the spoils system practice of partiality in awarding jobs and other advantages to friends or trusted colleagues, especially in politics and between politicians and supportive organizations. ...

, by analogy with the

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...

(Chinese: ''

taizi Taizi () was the title of the crown prince of imperial China. Succession Traditional Confucian political theory favored strict agnatic primogeniture, with younger sons displaying filial obedience to the eldest upon the passing of the father. ...

'') in hereditary monarchies. Many of its members have held high-level political and business positions in the upper echelons of power. In contemporary China, "Princelings" are the descendants of senior

Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

(CCP) leaders and have themselves risen to high-ranking positions within the CCP. If their parents belong to the first generation of CCP revolutionaries, they are also referred to as the "second Red Generation," "Red Heirs," or "the Red Nobility." Princelings also encompass the sons and daughters of later generations of top leaders, including figures like Jiang Zemin, Li Peng, and Hu Jintao. Princelings exert their influence in the country either by occupying significant roles within the party-state apparatus, which includes the party, government, and military services, or by controlling substantial state-owned enterprises. Opportunities are available to princelings that are not available to common people. Using their powerful connections they have the opportunity to obtain profitable opportunities for themselves and for others. The more aggressive of the princelings have amassed fortunes of hundreds of millions of dollars. However, there is no discernible political cohesion within the group, and as such they should not be compared to other informal groupings such as the ''

Shanghai clique The Shanghai clique ( zh, s=上海帮, t=上海幫, p=Shànghǎi bāng), also referred to as the Shanghai gang, Jiang clique, or Jiang faction, refers to an informal group of Chinese Communist Party ( CCP) officials who rose to prominence under ...

'' or the ''

Tuanpai The Tuanpai (), or Youth League Faction, is a term used by political observers and analysts to describe an informal political faction in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which includes cadres and government officials who originated from the C ...

'' ("Youth League clique"), which resemble intra-party factions with some degree of affinity on policy issues. Under the People's Republic, the term initially came into use during the Cultural Revolution to describe

Lin Biao Lin Biao ( zh, 林彪; 5 December 1907 – 13 September 1971) was a Chinese politician and Marshal of the People's Republic of China who was pivotal in the Chinese Communist Party, Communist Chinese Communist Revolution, victory during the Chines ...

's son Lin Liguo as well as his close friends and allies who had been promoted alongside him into elite positions of the

People's Liberation Army Air Force The People's Liberation Army Air Force, also referred to as the Chinese Air Force () or the People's Air Force (), is the primary aerial warfare service of the People's Liberation Army. The PLAAF controls most of the PLA's air assets, includi ...

who were envisioned as the future "Third Generation" leadership of the CCP. In 1966, the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

led to many Princelings to be sent to rural China. Princelings lived in similar villages, worked together, and received their educations together. After some years, the Princelings started to return to home (commonly areas like Shanghai or Beijing) however this crucial period of time had already led many Princelings to form lifelong friendships/partnerships. Following the death of Lin Liguo in a failed coup and the subsequent purges of this group, the term briefly fell out of use until the 1980s to label the children of the

Eight Elders The Eight Great Eminent Officials (), abbreviated as the Eight Elders (), were a group of elderly members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) who held substantial power in the last two decades of the 20th century. In the English-speaking world, ...

and other First and Second Generation leaders who had been increasingly promoted in the party and were opposed to the efforts of reformers

Hu Yaobang Hu Yaobang (20 November 1915 – 15 April 1989) was a Chinese politician who was a high-ranking official of the People's Republic of China. He held the Leader of the Chinese Communist Party, top office of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from ...

and

Zhao Ziyang Zhao Ziyang; pronounced (17 October 1919 – 17 January 2005) was a Chinese politician. He served as the 3rd premier of China from 1980 to 1987, as vice chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1981 to 1982, and as the CCP general ...

to curb corruption and cronyism. Notable contemporary Princelings include

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping, pronounced (born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has been the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China), chairman of the Central Military Commission ...

(son of

Xi Zhongxun Xi Zhongxun ( Chinese: 习仲勋; pinyin: ''Xí Zhòngxūn;'' 15 October 1913 – 24 May 2002) was a Chinese Communist revolutionary and politician who played a significant role in the history of the People's Republic of China. He served ...

), China's top leader and Party

General Secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, Power (social and political), power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the org ...

since 2012, and

Bo Xilai Bo Xilai ( zh, s=薄熙来, p=Bó Xīlái; born 3 July 1949) is a Chinese former politician who was convicted on bribery and embezzlement charges. He came to prominence through his tenures as Mayor of Dalian and then the governor of Liaoning. ...

(son of

Bo Yibo Bo Yibo (; 17 February 1908 – 15 January 2007) was a Chinese politician. He was one of the most senior political figures in China during the 1980s and 1990s. After joining the Chinese Communist Party when he was 17, he worked as a Communist P ...

), a former

Party Committee Secretary A Party Committee Secretary () is the leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) organization in a province, city, village, or other administrative unit. In most cases, it is the ''de facto'' highest political office of its area of jurisdictio ...

Chongqing ChongqingPostal Romanization, Previously romanized as Chungking ();. is a direct-administered municipality in Southwestern China. Chongqing is one of the four direct-administered municipalities under the State Council of the People's Republi ...

who was also a member of the

Politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the highest organ of the central committee in communist parties. The term is also sometimes used to refer to similar organs in socialist and Islamist parties, such as the UK Labour Party's NEC or the Poli ...

. The political influence of princelings has weakened during the leadership of Xi Jinping, who has excluded them from the top leadership.

History

The term was coined in the early 20th century in the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, referring to the

son A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some current ...

Yuan Shikai Yuan Shikai (; 16 September 18596 June 1916) was a Chinese general and statesman who served as the second provisional president and the first official president of the Republic of China, head of the Beiyang government from 1912 to 1916 and ...

(a self-declared emperor) and his cronies. It was later used to describe the relatives of the top four nationalist families; Chiang Kai-shek's kin,

Soong Mei-ling Soong Mei-ling (also spelled Soong May-ling; March 4, 1898 – October 23, 2003), also known as Madame Chiang (), was a Chinese political figure and socialite. The youngest of the Soong sisters, she married Chiang Kai-shek and played a prom ...

's kin,

Chen Lifu Chen Lifu or Ch'en Li-fu (; 21 August 1900 – 8 February 2001) was a politician in the Republic of China. He was a close advisor of Chiang Kai-shek. With his brother Chen Guofu, he led the CC Clique. Life and career Chen was born in Wuxi ...

's kin, and

Kong Xiangxi Kung Hsiang-hsi (; 11 September 1880 – 16 August 1967), often known as Dr. H. H. Kung, also known as Dr. Chauncey Kung, was a Chinese banker and politician. He married Soong Ai-ling, the eldest of the three Soong sisters; the other two marrie ...

's kin. After the 1950s, the term was used in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

to describe

Chiang Ching-kuo Chiang Ching-kuo (, 27 April 1910 – 13 January 1988) was a politician of the Republic of China. The eldest and only biological son of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, he held numerous posts in the government of the Republic of China and ended ...

, son of Chiang Kai-shek, and his friends. The latest generation of "crown princes" are in

mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...

. The first generation of princelings in the PRC were the children of the initial revolutionaries. These children were initially raised in environments where their quality of life far eclipsed that of the ordinary Chinese citizen, often close to other princelings and senior party officials to develop a network of influence. Many senior leaders often lobbied directly or indirectly for their descendants and relatives to succeed them. Xiang Lanxin, professor of international history and politics at the

Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (, abbreviated IHEID), commonly referred to as Geneva Graduate Institute, is a graduate-level research university in Geneva, Switzerland dedicated to international relations, dev ...

, explains it thus:

Historically, how to control local officials who possessed imperial lineage was always a problem. The
Politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the highest organ of the central committee in communist parties. The term is also sometimes used to refer to similar organs in socialist and Islamist parties, such as the UK Labour Party's NEC or the Poli ...
is equivalent to the inner circle of the imperial household. Its members, if assigned a local administrative position, can easily overrule any opposition in their jurisdictions as no other party officials can match them in rank and prestige.Xiang, Lanxin (Apr 20, 2012). "Bo Xilai probe shows up China's outdated system of government". ''South China Morning Post''

Some of these crown princes are able to hold senior positions at the vice-ministerial level or above while still in their thirties, for which other ordinary cadres would struggle for decades. For national party positions, princelings often were promoted earlier and into higher positions than their non princeling counterparts. It is speculated that when

Jiang Zemin Jiang Zemin (17 August 1926 – 30 November 2022) was a Chinese politician who served as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1989 to 2002, as Chairman of the Central Mil ...

was close to the end of his term for his age, he put many Princelings into important positions to appeal to senior leaders of the CCP and win their support for his continued influence. There is a trend towards Princelings taking over power step by step. Of these,

Yu Zhengsheng Yu Zhengsheng (; ; born 5 April 1945) is a retired Chinese politician who served as the chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) from March 2013 to 2018. Between 2012 and 2017, Yu was the fourth-ranking member ...

, son of Huang Jing, former mayor of

Tianjin Tianjin is a direct-administered municipality in North China, northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the National Central City, nine national central cities, with a total population of 13,866,009 inhabitants at the time of the ...

, was already a member of the powerful

politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the highest organ of the central committee in communist parties. The term is also sometimes used to refer to similar organs in socialist and Islamist parties, such as the UK Labour Party's NEC or the Poli ...

of the CCP;

Wang Qishan Wang Qishan (; ; born 19 July 1948) is a Chinese retired politician who was one of the leading members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Wang gained prominence in China's financial sector in the late 1980s. In 1994, Wang became the governor ...

, son-in-law of

Yao Yilin Yao Yilin ( zh, c=姚依林, p=Yáo Yīlín; September 6, 1917 – December 11, 1994) was a Chinese politician and soldier who was Vice Premier of China from 1979 to 1988 and First Vice Premier from 1988 to 1993. Early life and career He was ...

(former vice premier and member of politburo), mayor of Beijing;

, Bo Xilai,

Zhou Xiaochuan Zhou Xiaochuan (; born 29 January 1948) is a Chinese economist. Zhou served as the governor of the People's Bank of China from 2002 to 2018. Zhou previously served as vice governor of the People's Bank of China, director of the State Adminis ...

, son of Zhou Jiannan (former minister of the First Machinery Ministry and Jiang Zemin's former boss), governor of the

People's Bank of China The People's Bank of China (officially PBC and unofficially PBOC) is the central bank of the People's Republic of China. It is responsible for carrying out monetary policy as determined by the ''PRC People's Bank Law'' and the ''PRC Commercia ...

, have also occupied important positions since the 17th Party Congress. Princelings have been holding a steady 5-6% of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CC-CCP) since the 12th Party Congress until 2012. In 2013 a "sons and daughters" program instituted by

JPMorgan Chase JPMorgan Chase & Co. (stylized as JPMorganChase) is an American multinational financial services, finance corporation headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. It is List of largest banks in the United States, the largest ba ...

to hire young princelings for positions in its Chinese operations came to light during a bribery investigation by the SEC. At times standards for hiring young princelings were more lenient than those imposed on other Chinese. At least twelve of the princelings were revealed to have used companies in the offshore

tax haven A tax haven is a term, often used pejoratively, to describe a place with very low tax rates for Domicile (law), non-domiciled investors, even if the official rates may be higher. In some older definitions, a tax haven also offers Bank secrecy, ...

of the

British Virgin Islands The British Virgin Islands (BVI), officially the Virgin Islands, are a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, to the east of Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands, US Virgin Islands and north-west ...

to store wealth in an investigation by the

International Consortium of Investigative Journalists The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Inc. (ICIJ), is an independent global network of 280 investigative journalists and over 140 media organizations spanning more than 100 countries. It is based in Washington, D.C., with ...

. The political influence of princelings have declined significantly under the leadership of Xi Jinping, who himself is considered one. The number of princelings in the CCP Central Committee peaked in the 18th Central Committee, where there were a total of 41 princelings out of a total of 376 members and alternate members. By the beginning of the 20th Central Committee, their numbers decreased to 10, with the number further declining to 9 with the expelling of

Li Shangfu Li Shangfu (; born February 1958) is a Chinese aerospace engineer and former military administrator. He served as the 13th Minister of National Defense and as State Councillor of China from March to October 2023. Li joined the People's Liberati ...

. Similarly, there were four out of the seven members of the 18th Politburo Standing Committee members were princelings. in the 20th Politburo Standing Committee, Xi is the only remaining princeling. According to

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is an international broadcasting network funded by the federal government of the United States that by law has editorial independence from the government. It is the largest and oldest of the American internation ...

, Xi "effectively excluded the second generation of princelings of his generation from China's highest decision-making and provincial-ministerial leadership".

Examples

The following are some of the most famous crown princes: *Son of

Ye Jianying Ye Jianying (; 28 April 1897 – 22 October 1986) was a Chinese Communist revolutionary leader and politician, one of the Ten Marshals of the People's Republic of China. He was the top military leader in the 1976 coup that overthrew the Gang ...

: The leader or Godfather of the Princelings was

Ye Xuanning Ye Xuanning (; October 1938 – 10 July 2016) was a Chinese official, general and businessman. Early life and education Ye was born in British Hong Kong in October 1938, the son of Ye Jianying, a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) general, Marshal o ...

, the second son of

. Ye Xuanning was low-profile but influential in political, military and business circles. Many people who ran into troubles looked for Ye and Ye was known for being able to resolve their problems. *Son of elder

, General Secretary of the CCP, President of China, Chairman of the Central Military Commission. *Son and daughters of former leader

Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping also Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Teng Hsiao-p'ing; born Xiansheng (). (22 August 190419 February 1997) was a Chinese statesman, revolutionary, and political theorist who served as the paramount leader of the People's R ...

Deng Pufang Deng Pufang () (born 16 April 1944) is a Chinese politician, who is the eldest son of former Chinese paramount leader Deng Xiaoping.Pearson, Veronica. Royal College of Psychiatrists. 995(1995). RCPsych Publications. . p. 88 He is mostly known fo ...

, honorary chairman of the Handicapped Association;

Deng Nan Deng Nan (; born October 1945 in Guang'an, Sichuan) is a Chinese politician and physicist. Early life Deng was born the second daughter of Deng Xiaoping with his third wife Zhuo Lin. Deng studied physics at Peking University Peking Unive ...

, former vice minister Science and Technology;

Deng Rong Deng Rong () is a Chinese politician and the third daughter of paramount leader Deng Xiaoping. She has been accused of playing a key role in the cover-up of the 1966 killing of Bian Zhongyun by Red Guards (Deng was a prominent student leader of ...

, deputy president of the

China Association for International Friendly Contact The China Association for International Friendly Contact (CAIFC) is a united front organization subordinate to the Liaison Bureau of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission. CAIFC was founded in 1984 and is active in ove ...

*Son of former President

Li Xiannian Li Xiannian (; 23 June 1909 – 21 June 1992) was a Chinese Chinese Communist Party, Communist military and political leader, president of China from 1983 to 1988 under paramount leader Deng Xiaoping and then chairman of the Chinese People's Politi ...

: Li Ping, high-ranking military official, daughter Li Xiaolin Chairperson of Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, son in law Liu Yazhou (husband of Li Xiaolin) Political Commissar, National Defense University. *Son of elder

Chen Yun Chen Yun (13 June 1905 – 10 April 1995) was a statesman of the Chinese Communist Party and the People's Republic of China. He was one of the most prominent leaders during the periods when China was governed by Mao Zedong and later by Deng Xia ...

Chen Yuan Chen Yuan (, born in January 1945) is a Chinese economist who is the current chairman of the China Association for International Friendly Contact (CAIFC). He was previously the chairman of the China Development Bank from March 1998 to April 2 ...

, governor of the

China Development Bank China Development Bank (CDB) is a policy bank of China under the State Council. Established in 1994, it has been described as the engine that powers the national government's economic development policies.

(1998–2013) *Son of elder

, former secretary of the CCP of

, and by extension, his own son,

Bo Guagua Bo Kuangyi (born 17 December 1987), more commonly known as Bo Guagua, is a Chinese businessman and lawyer. The second son of former Chinese politician Bo Xilai and the only child of Gu Kailai, he attracted media attention for his family backgr ...

. *Son of

Zeng Shan Zeng Shan (; 1899–1972) was a Chinese Communist military commander and security minister. His wife, Deng Liujin, was one of the few women who participated in the Long March, and later ran a school for the children of high cadres. He was the fa ...

(former interior minister of CCP):

Zeng Qinghong Zeng Qinghong (, born 30 July 1939) is a retired Chinese politician. He was a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, China's highest leadership council, and a member of the Secretariat of the Central Commit ...

, former Politburo Standing Committee member, vice-president of China, and, by extension, his own son, Zeng Wei, who purchased a $32.4 million property in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. Zeng's source of income is unknown. *Son of Huang Jing:

, former Politburo Standing Committee member and the chairman of the CPPCC National Committee. *Son in law of

, former vice-president of China, former Politburo Standing Committee member and the Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. *Son and daughter of former Premier

Li Peng Li Peng (; 20 October 1928 – 22 July 2019) was a Chinese politician who served as the 4th premier of China from 1987 to 1998, and as the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislative body, from ...

(as son of a martyr and protégé of

Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai ( zh, s=周恩来, p=Zhōu Ēnlái, w=Chou1 Ên1-lai2; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman, diplomat, and revolutionary who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China from September 1954 unti ...

, a member of Crown Prince Party, too): Li Xiaopeng, Minister of Transport, former governor of Shanxi, former chairman of Huaneng Power Group; Li Xiaolin, president of China Power International Development. *Sons of former General Secretary

Jiang Mianheng Jiang Mianheng (; born 8 April 1951) is a Chinese scholar, entrepreneur, and political figure. He has served as Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and President of ShanghaiTech University. His father is Jiang Zemin, General Secre ...

, former vice dean of the

Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS; ) is the national academy for natural sciences and the highest consultancy for science and technology of the People's Republic of China. It is the world's largest research organization, with 106 research i ...

, director of several major SOEs such as SAIC; Jiang Miankang, a major general of the

PLA Pla may refer to: People * Cecilio Plá (1860–1934), Spanish painter * Conrad Pla (born 1966), Canadian kickboxer and actor * Jim Pla (born 1992), French racing driver * Joan Baptista Pla (ca. 1720–1773), Spanish composer and oboist * Josefina ...

*Son of Wang Zhen, Wang Jun chairman of

CITIC CITIC Group Corporation Ltd., formerly the China International Trust Investment Corporation (CITIC), is a state-owned investment company of the People's Republic of China, established by Rong Yiren in 1979 with the approval of Deng Xiaoping. ...

; Wang Zhi, former chairman of Great Wall Group *Son of former President

Liu Shaoqi Liu Shaoqi ( ; 24 November 189812 November 1969) was a Chinese revolutionary and politician. He was the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress from 1954 to 1959, first-ranking Vice Chairman of the Chinese Communis ...

: Liu Yuan, lieutenant general of the military police *Son of Marshal

He Long He Long (; March 22, 1896 – June 9, 1969) was a Chinese Communist revolutionary and a Marshal of the People's Republic of China. He was from a poor rural family in Hunan, and his family was not able to provide him with any formal education. H ...

, He Pengfei, Deputy Commander in Chief of the Chinese Navy, vice-admiral *Former son-in-law of General Liu Huaqing: Pan Yue, vice director of the State Environmental Protection Administration *Son of Marshal Chen Yi: Chen Haosu, former vice minister of the Ministry of Culture *Grandson of former leader

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; traditionally Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Mao Tse-tung. (26December 18939September 1976) was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in ...

Mao Xinyu Mao Xinyu (born 17 January 1970) is a grandson of Mao Zedong and a major general in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of the People's Republic of China. Early life and education Mao was born on 17 January 1970 at 301 Hospital, People's Libera ...

, major general of the PLA. *Son of former Premier

Wen Jiabao Wen Jiabao ( zh, s=温家宝, p=Wēn Jiābǎo; born 15 September 1942) is a Chinese retired politician who served as the 6th premier of China from 2003 to 2013. In his capacity as head of government, Wen was regarded as the leading figure behin ...

Wen Yunsong Wen Yunsong, also known as Winston Wen () is a Chinese businessman and current CEO of Unihub Global Networks, a Chinese networking company. He is the son of former Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and thus a princeling. Mr. Wen was a principal of Ne ...

(Winston Wen), chairman of China Satellite Communications Corporation A list of 226 princelings has been published (see link below).

Popular culture

In late 2015 and early 2016 the term "Zhao family" from

Lu Xun Lu Xun ( zh, c=魯迅, p=Lǔ Xùn, ; 25 September 188119 October 1936), pen name of Zhou Shuren, born Zhou Zhangshou, was a Chinese writer. A leading figure of modern Chinese literature, he wrote in both vernacular and literary Chinese as a no ...

's novella ''

The True Story of Ah Q ''The True Story of Ah Q'' is an episodic novella written by Lu Xun using third-person narration perspective, first published as a serial between December 4, 1921 and February 12, 1922. It was later included in his first short story collectio ...

'', went viral in China after it was used in an anonymous article "Barbarians at the Gate, Zhao Family Inside" to allude to princelings involvement in a business dispute.

References

External links

中共太子党名单及任职一览表 (2004版) (A list of names of "Crown Princes").China's former 'first family'
about the children of Deng Xiaoping

John Garnaut, ''Sydney Morning Herald'', 2 October 2010]
"China's 'Princelings' Pose Issue for Party
Jeremy Page, ''The Wall Street Journal'', 26 November 2011 {{CPC Factions Factions of the Chinese Communist Party Politics of the People's Republic of China

History

Examples

Popular culture

See also

References

External links