China’s Communist Party worries about its grassroots weakness
It wants to extend its presence deeper into neighbourhoods
MANY CHINESE are familiar with a poem by Mao Zedong called “Farewell to the god of plague”. It was written in 1958 to celebrate the country’s victory over snail fever, a disease that blighted the lives of many millions of people in China (and still afflicts thousands). Today that poem is recalled by officials in their fight against covid-19, because this, too, has involved mobilising citizens on a massive scale, and also to great effect. Life is gradually returning to normal, but the pandemic’s impact on the way urban society is organised at the grassroots may be long-lasting. Features of the Mao era are enjoying a revival.
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “On every street”
From the June 13th 2020 edition
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