April 2008
Intermediate to advanced
240 pages
4h 41m
English
Predatory officials rob farmers of their lands, forcibly evict residents from their homes, and cover up extravagant abuses of power—typically embezzlement, but also rape and murder. These officials close their eyes to labor exploitation and condone or profit from criminal rackets, human trafficking, and illegal mining. There is even a term in Chinese for local officials who collude with criminal gangs: “black umbrellas.” With no avenues to seek redress, China’s citizens are abused and exploited on a shocking scale. The problems are not confined to small towns or rural areas: Recent prominent corruption cases include the police chief of Shenyang in Liaoning province, the ...
Read now
Unlock full access