Listening to the masses
The rape trial of the son of prominent entertainers exposes a social divide
FOR those who feed on courtroom drama and lurid tales of the lives of China’s elite, late August saw a double bonanza. First the corruption trial of Bo Xilai, a Politburo member whose son, the prosecution alleged, enjoyed a high-rolling lifestyle in the West. Then on August 28th Li Tianyi, the 17-year-old son of two well-known singers in the People’s Liberation Army, appeared in court to face a charge of participation in a gang rape. The political reverberations of Mr Bo’s case are greater, but Mr Li’s has aroused a stronger public reaction.
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Listening to the masses”
China September 7th 2013
From the September 7th 2013 edition
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