How the Chinese Communist Party Works

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Select footage from the AP Archive

[@PolyMatter]

Hey all - part 2 of missile defense is still coming! This is a quick detour to another topic because China's Party Congress is currently happening in Beijing. You can be the first to watch the next missile defense video with Nebula, which at $15/year is frankly just a steal of a deal: curiositystream.com/polymatter

[@skeetrix5577]

love your channel man I can't get enough of anything communist/Soviet it's just so goddamn interesting

[@heidirabenau511]

When is the next episode of China Actually

[@_Mike.P]

Do they finally support PayPal?

[@zyansheep]

Woooo!!!!

[@gelinrefira]

Why used such language as veneer of inclusiveness? China does something somewhat bad, ban hammer down. China tried to do something do right, the west use deliberately provocative language to dismiss their efforts. I'm really disappointed in you.

[@MasayaShida]

Chinese politics is actually really interesting even for outsiders.

[@Mario123007]

Indeed, but imo it can be extremely confusing too.

[@davidT.C]

Yah it’s really unique and very different from the US politics

[@MasayaShida]

@@Mario123007 yep still trying to learn about the different factions and infighting between princelings and technocrats.

[@MasayaShida]

@@davidT.C not US citizen but yeah US is more transparent so its like a reality TV for the world to see 😂 Quite different

[@spacetoast7783]

@CantWait Chill

[@xlUIblisUlx]

Georgy Malenkov was *not* removed because he died, there were a series of back-and-forth political struggles between he and Khrushchev, which culminated in his exile to Kazakhstan, expulsion from the Party, but ultimately a peaceful death in 1988.

[@beastrule]

People should watch the death of stalin

[@aluminium5738]

Exactly, I hope he sees this.

[@Chastity_Belt]

Lenin also was not quite removed because he died. Actually, Lenin was isolated from the rest of bolshiveks by Stalin, and de-facto Stalin seized power already when Lenin was still alive and de-jure still the leader of the bolshevik's party. Anyway, still there was no sustained way how to transit power from previous leader to next one. Soviet leaders remained in power until they died or became so weak, that somebody overthrow them. Not quite reliable way of ruling the country.

[@kingace6186]

Oh I see. Honestly, I tend to forget about Malenkov due to his extremely short tenure.

[@eaterdrinker000]

@@kingace6186 : I forgot about him until I watched the dark political comedy "The Death of Stalin."

[@feels.like.coffee]

Chinese politics sounds a lot like office politics. You don't get elected, you get promoted. And people don't listen to you based on title alone, you have to earn the respect and obedience of your peers and subordinates.

[@alexpotts6520]

Partially. Sounds like Xi Jinping however principally got to the top not by commanding respect but by destroying everyone who stood in his way.

[@feels.like.coffee]

@@alexpotts6520 Well. .. That's not uncommon in office politics too 😂

[@taknaknak4957]

@@alexpotts6520 Sometimes you need to swallow the bitterness of reality bro Reality can't be twisted such you said aforementioned

[@Renaresca]

@@alexpotts6520 I mean technically by destroying ppl in your way is also a way to get respect, they know not to mess with you and to take you seriously. XD

[@slayergut]

@@alexpotts6520 well... that's the point right? Part of power and influence is when people dont want to mess with you.

[@hylacinerea970]

people havr asked me "why are you so interested in China, and largely Asia as a whole" and I tell them there has never been a single boring moment on that side of the world. it has been a string of regular show tier events since hominids arrived

[@justice_crash2521]

Game of thrones would look like Cartoon Network if you start reading some of their history 😂

[@juno3254]

That’s such a funny response. I feel kinda flattered to hear this as an East Asian XD

[@MrNajibrazak]

@@juno3254 as a mixed Japanese Chinese it is somewhat depressing. Having lived in China suffice to say it does feels like WW2 isn't over and the Korean war is still in progress. Warmongering propagandas is a daily thing and I learnt how to hate before I learnt how to read. Revenge for the opium war is still alive and well as well. Would not go back for all the money and women in the world. Hateful place.

[@NightTimeDay]

@@MrNajibrazak I'm glad you're out and can see things as they are now. Sounds like a valuable lesson to learn.

[@justice_crash2521]

@Jack Smith no it’s real

[@Homer-OJ-Simpson]

9:52 Deng Xioaping is a good example of how general Secretary isn’t necessarily the power. Another example was Putin 2009-2012 when he had to step down due to term limits and put a puppet in charge while Putin was *Prime Minister (corrected). In weak democracies or non democracies, the leader position isn’t always the most powerful.

[@msasociality]

putin served as prime minister at that time

[@KevinJohnson-cv2no]

That's not just democracies, that's any structure of power. This is known as the difference between De Facto power & De Jure power; De Facto rulers hold actual power and can make things happen, De Jure are merely faces that hold the public titles more-so than anything. Edit: If a power structure is healthy and transparent, then the De Jure & De Facto should be the same individuals. If not, then you'll see an increasingly large divide between those who hold official positions and those who can actually make things happen.

[@Homer-OJ-Simpson]

@@KevinJohnson-cv2no democracies have more set power in positions. Non democracies or weak democracies, the positions means less and sometimes mean nothing.

[@MoonatikYT]

@Ramzan Kadyrov hidenburg was a doddering old man who died in 1934, barely a year into hitler's term as chancellor

[@pradhyudh]

Watch vice from Adam McKay, India under manmohan singh

[@ThishandlefeatureISdumb]

12:35, fun fact his dad was actually purged before. Not the Soviet style purge but the jailed and demoted to a factory worker but still alive type. He was also the one that set up the special economic zones in China and namely was the one Shenzhen’s current success can be somewhat attributed to. It’s probably also why Xinjinping had so much influence. Shenzhen is basically if you combined NYC with silicon valley in the US. Edit: to be clear his success came AFTER the purge not that he got purged later. Here’s his wikipedia page if you are interested: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi_Zhongxun

[@twitter.comelomhycy]

Very cool info

[@vaclevsta]

Deng Xiaoping himself had been purged and helped rehabilitate many economic reformers like Xi's father when he eventually took power

[@MrNicoJac]

@Lone Wolf How do you mean Shenzhen is if you combined NYC with Silicon Valley; is the biggest Chinese stock exchange also centered in Shenzhen? (I thought/assumed Shanghai)

[@newstartyt3700]

Xi Zhongxun was actually way more reformist than Xi Jinping, his beliefs were pretty similar to that of Hu Yaobang and Zhao Ziyang.

[@alejosssdo]

soviet purges were the same, there have never been mass executions

[@PyroFloe]

Just a correction at the start of the video, Georgy Malenkov didn't rule until he died when he briefly succeeded Stalin, he was deposed and his premiership was stripped from him by the power struggle with Khrushchev

[@PseudoProphet]

​@Maxxxie Lorenzo neither of those examples were peaceful transitions of power and he obviously doesn't have enough time in a single video to explain all of this.

[@PseudoProphet]

@Maxxxie Lorenzo hahahaha 😂😂 Just because there was no civil war doesn't mean it was peaceful, exactly the same way as Xi's rise to the supreme leadership is anything but peaceful. 🙄🙄

[@PseudoProphet]

@Maxxxie Lorenzo of course the power transfer in America this time was not peaceful, only blind ideological idiots from the US would call it peaceful. They're even trying to put Trump behind bars, that's almost as far from peaceful as it can be in America. Maybe it'll become even more violent in the coming years.

[@indiasuperclean6969]

WOW VERY DANGEROUS SIR! 😠 😠THIS WHY IM SO LUCKY LIVE IN SUPER INDIA THE CLEANEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD 🇮🇳🤗 , WE NEVER SCAM! WE GIVE RESPECT TO ALL WOMEN THEY CAN WALK SAFELY ALONE AT NIGHT AND WE HAVE CLEAN FOOD AND TOILET EVERYWHERE 🇮🇳🤗🚽, I KNOW MANY POOR PEOPLE JEALOUS WITH SUPER RICH INDIA 🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗

[@alexandrechen3081]

This is such a high-quality video. As a Chinese who have been interested in Chinese politics for more than 10 years. I can say that I am familiar with 80% of the content and it is very accurate. I also learned from the rest 20% of the content that I wasn't quite familiar before watching. Great job!

[@user-fi4ut6jl9l]

@@cyberwar4111 it's not about language. CPC's formal name is Communist Party of China, this is officially determined by Chinese communists themselves a few decades ago.The OF aims to highlight the internationalism of the communist movement, and this party is just a part of it, still a part of it and they will always be a participant of it. And China not Chinese means PRC is the only legitimate government in China. I'm a Chinese but not a member of CPC yet, but I'm familiar with this history.

[@finnbar3042]

@@cyberwar4111 CCP is the westernised scare acronym. It's meant to sound like the soviet CCCP, which was mentioned in a lot of cold war propaganda

[@firewoodloki]

@@AnglersUAE Get off your slippery slope already. Trying to defy the whole video with a tiny mistake as a wumao is not effective.

[@difficiliscarere9838]

@@AnglersUAE i´ve learned quite a lot, like: ruling party > everything else, or that the prince boys still had such high standing after Mao (wouldnt have expected that and always thought Xi was something like the last unicorn). Not gonna remember any party/organiziation ,mentioned in this video , by name , specialy not names of the past . this (among others) is a place for me to learn about the basics of all the different countries and this "mistake" doesnt change anything in that regard. And it aint even a mistake CPC=CCP, or are there actually 2 seperate bodies at the moment? How do u even notice something irrelevant like this , while at the same time ignoring the elephant in the room? "Communist" and current China aint compaitble in the slightest and the party shouldnt even carry on this name. Shaaaady

[@dekumutant]

@@AnglersUAE I can not imagine grasping at straws so much that your main way to try to discredit a video is "he said chinese communist party instead of communist party of china" LMAO

[@abdiganiaden]

Having power without gov title is actually the norm in most of world except for west. Example is when US disbanded Ba’ath party of Iraq after toppling Sadam expecting population to then listen to gov bureaucrats with just fancy titles. Obviously didn’t work.

[@TheZachary86]

This would happen in the US too if the government lost legitimacy/destabilized. It’s not unique to the west. People don’t realise centuries of institutions are already in place in the west. And sometimes it is also very fragile

[@hamzabajwa1960]

You can actually see how it works in practice with Trump. A figure who is nominally an ex-President and doesn't have a title within the party, but due to his popularity with voters, commands almost complete obedience from the party. Obviously, if he was more competent and had half a brain, he would wield this power more intelligently, being more of a king maker rather than having his overt lust for the title of President.

[@KevinJohnson-cv2no]

As explained in another comment, this is a possible fault of any power structure. De Facto power vs De Jure power is a constant in any structure, De Facto leaders being the ones with actual power and De Jure merely being the ones who occupy public positions. Ideally, a countries De Facto & De Jure individuals are the same, but obviously; this isn't always the case.

[@davidford3115]

@@hamzabajwa1960 Same could also be said of the leaders of the DNC. But then folks rarely understand how POPULISM actually works. Populism doesn't recognize ordained offices.

[@anakinthemannequin69]

Its true in many Western countries too.

[@Yirui9500]

I'm Chinese 3:37 I wanna correct you about VPN. VPN is fairly easy to get and it's working perfectly and you don't need to be a technologically savvy. Many foreign owned companies in major Chinese cities will provide its employees (not only expats, personal experience) VPN as an essential tool for work, they are doing it on a corporate level, so you can't say that the government is not aware of this. I guess using VPN is not going to get you into trouble as long as you are using it for leisure or work purposes.

[@stefanli1755]

Lots of schools (mostly International high schools, research universities) have VPN built into wifi networks

[@curtishawkins8052]

I guess the most important question is: Can you access a VPN not sanctioned by the government? If you can't then it doesn't really serve it's purpose which is to mask your identity and protect your location from being discovered.

[@kimjongun505]

@@curtishawkins8052 You can, its easy as hell to find and set one up. Every office i worked at in china had a vpn, most teenagers even had vpns (so to watch certain contents)

[@curtishawkins8052]

@@kimjongun505 That is good news, I was under the impression that the chinese government controlled the VPN's and could track people and had the power to turn them on or off whenever they wanted. If that is not true, we could see a lot of media come out of China.

[@JoseRodriguez-pn8yj]

@@kimjongun505 So why the dumb censorship? Why the great firewall? What’s the purpose of having a law you’re not interested in enforcing, thankfully 😳

[@RBG-ez7pd]

Literally was wondering the video title question just yesterday! Thanks for the video.

[@diggoran]

1:01 I wish we had this maximum age on American presidents too. Can we please have someone running the country who actually has a stake in the future they are creating??

[@sc1338]

Well, we need an intelligent 35 yo to run!

[@Moses_VII]

Someone without dementia, you mean?

[@jonathanodude6660]

we dont need another biden or trump. please 70 is the absolute limit, 65 preferable, its not like they wont be 69 by the end of their first term.

[@denniscorbin5328]

​@@sc1338 l

[@xiphoid2011]

There is no age limit on CCP general secretaries either. As this video mentioned, ruler in China has no age or term limit.

[@MarkAhrens-HeritageFilms]

Very impressive production and density of information!

[@yunleung2631]

you are the reason why I finally subbed for Nebual that and a few others like Tech Altar

[@snekula5353]

Technically Hua Guofeng the leader of China between 1976 - 1981 did peacefully hand over his power when he was forced into resignation by Deng Xiaoping. He lead a quiet life after his resignation until he died in 2008 at the age of 87.

[@capncat8097]

Thank you for uploading a new video!

[@Atropos790]

Malenkov was ousted, he did not die while in power

[@hamslicemcdooogle8080]

At first glance I thought the title was “How the Chinese Communist Party got woke” and damn near spewed my drink from my nose

[@DrOtto-sx7cp]

👍😆

[@aturchomicz821]

ok?🙄🙄

[@grimkahn3775]

@@aturchomicz821 ??

[@proviptk]

@@aturchomicz821 Hey man, if your comment doesn't add anything to the conversation, you might as well save your time and not replying.

[@hamslicemcdooogle8080]

@@aturchomicz821 trash reply

[@Ella-gn8zp]

As a Chinese myself, I´m truly astonished at the high quality of this video! Such vast amount of Information are highly compressed into such a short video, complex concepts and structures are very vividly explained. I do admire the work the creator devoted into! Thanks for uploading!

[@tiansuohaoer]

是这样的

[@Greg-yu4ij]

What do you think of Hu’s purge?

[@user-ko3lu9et1f]

看了开头本来以为又是一个无脑黑的，但出乎意料的准确。

[@mathersmarshall8235]

@@Greg-yu4ij where's the purge?😂

[@jamesyu1414]

are you sure?I think it's talking shit in some aspects, it's not a normal introductory vedio

[@BomChickyBowWow]

I’ve always wondered about everything you covered in this video. VERY informative and entertaining. Thank you, well done.

[@Panashe__S]

Thank you @PolyMatter for yet another detailed and insightful examination!

[@Volition1001]

I recommend a podcast series called “The Prince” by the economist for any interested. It isn’t perfect but it goes into pretty good detail about the rise of Xi Jinping

[@MasayaShida]

Just finished it today while working. Great podcast! Interesting to learn Xi have old friends in Idaho

[@sstff6771]

I started listening to it and its great

[@paulinbrooklyn]

A surprisingly interesting comment. While I have been a fan of their flagship publication my entire adult life, I generally don’t even bother to consume The Economist’s free content as it has invariably been low quality superficial crap.

[@PutXi_Whipped]

If it’s from The Economist it’s guaranteed to be garbage.

[@PutXi_Whipped]

@@josephk1342 “Tankie” is what neocons yell when they have no argument or are losing the argument. So much cope in you. Edit: you sub Vox, Destiny and State Dept sponsored VICE, no wonder you’re such a hopeless dummy.

[@darkbrightnorth]

Great video. I’m guessing the only reason it didn’t do better is because of how many people had midterms and studying when it came out, because a video this important and high quality should get all the views

[@JanuszKrysztofiak]

Generally, this is pretty similar to the way Eastern Block countries operated. The main deviation being no general secretary/the first secretary after the Stalinist period had position comparable to that of Xi Jingping (Romania and non-Eastern Block communist countries: Yugoslavia, Albania being exceptions, as Ceausescu, Tito and Hoxha respectively held the "for life" power grip, being also surrounded by the cult of personality).

[@pyeitme508]

CCP: "That's BS!"

[@atulsodhi8985]

That's classified comrade

[@shashankgadamsetty508]

U missed a T

[@dennisestradda9746]

They go by CPC now well doesn’t matter CCP

[@williamrosswhite]

​​@@dennisestradda9746 that like a Judean Peoples Front vs The Peoples Front of Judea kind of situation?

[@Natogoon]

Funny?

[@ianng4633]

"Intra party democracy" Tories: Write that down, WRITE THAT DOWN

[@larshofler8298]

🤣🤣

[@firewoodloki]

I think Japan and Singapore have similar approaches as well. Obviously better than China tho.

[@twitter.comelomhycy]

Haha yes as a brit I hope this is the case

[@larshofler8298]

@@firewoodloki Because in Japan and Singapore, there is still a healthy space of civil society, and a reliable regime of personal rights.

[@larshofler8298]

@@firewoodloki But I do think democracy is overrated. Japan is a good example, showing us how a country can be run in a good way without much democratic voting. Half of the voters vote, and they almost always vote the same Party and the same politicians into power. but Japan works fine,

[@mohitshukla4609]

Good study!! Thanks a lot for creating this content.

[@enormouzyt]

Love it when Polymatter new video :D

[@jatinraj4974]

Man your videos are so crisp and well produced. I am really curious to know if you write your script word to word???

[@yannick245]

They are funded by the Falun Gong cult.

[@xxxzzz8221]

Hu Jintao never really had true power during his time as leader. Jiang Zemin, even after transferring political power, still held onto military control until Hu's second term in office. Additionally, Jiang had placed many officials around Hu, effectively turning him into a puppet who only followed Jiang's orders. In contrast, Xi Jinping was granted complete power from the outset. Hu handed over both political and military control, while most of Jiang's subordinates were too old to pose any threat to Xi. The sole reason behind Xi's anti-corruption campaign was the rampant corruption among party officials, which damaged the Party's reputation. He had to combat corruption to maintain the Party's rule, but this inevitably led to a large number of officials being investigated and made it difficult for Xi to choose a successor.

[@RuiEspinha]

This is a really fascinating video. Chinese politics are a world of its own and your journalism work in this video is just insane. Thank you so much!

[@MrNajibrazak]

it surely does makes the established traditional main stream media look clueless, in which they totally are.

[@indiasuperclean6969]

WOW VERY DANGEROUS SIR! 😠 😠THIS WHY IM SO LUCKY LIVE IN SUPER INDIA THE CLEANEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD 🇮🇳🤗 , WE NEVER SCAM! WE GIVE RESPECT TO ALL WOMEN THEY CAN WALK SAFELY ALONE AT NIGHT AND WE HAVE CLEAN FOOD AND TOILET EVERYWHERE 🇮🇳🤗🚽, I KNOW MANY POOR PEOPLE JEALOUS WITH SUPER RICH INDIA 🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗🇮🇳🤗

[@chaofengli1411]

@@indiasuperclean6969 I know you are kidding. I got it.

[@user-hc3ju5bv5f]

​@@indiasuperclean6969you managed to make me laugh

[@NazriB]

Lies again? Serie A Leader Torino

[@nolancarte6015]

This video was very insightful. Please make more videos like this

[@davidtran862]

Please make a vn vlog. Thanks

[@dontmindme8709]

Your videos are always so well made! I'm seriously tempted to get Nebula especially to see your series there! I'm just afraid that I'd sink even more time into watching videos then :'^/

[@Ingenius_]

Yea same it’s not the ridiculously low prize that keeps me from getting Nebula, but the fact I simply don’t have the time to dive into all the rabbitholes I could find there.. lol

[@MasayaShida]

Well I'd say go for it but if you don't want to spend too much time then stay away from RealLifeLore coz they got documentary length stuff

[@Ingenius_]

@@MasayaShida I may be going for it someday but at the moment I‘m already "wasting" way too much time on Educational creators KZbin channels alone

[@Ninjaeule97]

@@Ingenius_ Why do you consider that wasted time? If you enjoy it and even learn something on top, that's not wasted time. I would only start worrying if it interferes with the rest of your life.

[@extrapolate]

It’s worth it! No ads too

[@everynametaken]

Um, pretty sure Malenkov was overthrown, not ruling until he died.

[@aaronplunkett7773]

Yeah he most definitely didn't die nor was he general secretary, he was chairman of the council of ministers making him head of government, Krushchev was General secretary and then forced Malenkov out assuming the role of chairman. He was then exiled to Kazakhstan

[@DeathsquadDemongods]

THIS. Maybe he thought the same fate that happened to Beria happened to him?

[@CivilisPrinceps]

Hey PolyMatter, you made a mistake on 0:17 Georgy Malenkov didn't rule until he died, he was forced to resign as he couldn't gain the support of the various Soviet factions competing to take power after Stalin's death, which paved the way for Nikita Khrushchev to consolidate power and gain the support of the Soviet inner circle. He died in January 14th 1988

[@CivilisPrinceps]

@Maxxxie Lorenzo Great point didn't notice glad to see someone with a background knowledge. His narrative in theme from the beginning was false, what you brought up about Deng Jioping was very true.

[@DeathToMockingBirds]

I thought I would learn about chinese political party structure, not just the congress or Xi. A chart and explanation of how people climb, vote, participate, the actual government structure, the departments... that would follow your title.

[@Amanda-10702]

Starting from 5:55

[@suspicionofdeceit]

I agree, this didn’t really explain how it all works.

[@firefly4784]

@@suspicionofdeceit Other channels such as Reports on China have that kind of content I think

[@shiningflag2737]

That would be quite long to explain such topic since the running rules of chinese gov is so different from the western. This video just provides a glance to the top structure of CCP and its relationship with Chinese government(and surprisingly, rather objective even from chinese's view like me)... But that would be a great start if you're interested in it.

[@mathersmarshall8235]

As PolyMatter said in the video, the party represents the nation in China. So the People's Congress(similar to the US congress which is for people) almost equals with the Party's Congress(which is for CPC) or can say there're only trivial differences which can be ignored. The voting and electing activities of the two organizations are individually held. If an ordinary person want to serve as a government officer he can take an examination for government functionaries then take several years or decades to climb from the bottom. If an ordinary person want to be a party member he can apply for it then CPC will inspect him for a period of time and decide whether to recruit him(there's one CPC member among nearly 14 Chinese so they're very common). A government officer is always a party member so his levels of the two identities can be considered consistent more or less. Regarding to the government structure you can refer to the Wikipedia page of "State Council of the People's Republic of China" which serve as "the national government". Otherwise only low-level ones are called "government" such as "People's Government of xxx Province/xxx City".

[@SunYat-sen]

Another amazing video as always

[@yukunliu8348]

Great video! It’s the most accurate video on Chinese gov I’ve seen on KZbin

[@connorbrotcke254]

China Actually is one of the best internet doc series available, it’s single-handedly kept me subbed to Nebula.

[@-haclong2366]

08:30 In Mandarin (also in Vietnamese and Korean) the word for a "President" of a Communist country is already "general secretary", this is why the President of the Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, and the Republic of Vietnam all have / had different titles from their Communist counterparts.

[@Redknight535]

No its not...

[@deanzaZZR]

Curious, according to the Chinese language Wiki his governmental title is 中华人民共和国主席 - so Chairman which is translated as president for the global audience. I thought chairman was only used on the party side for Mao.

[@jamsonren9640]

It means first chair

[@user-qf7ym5vc7o]

Why Korea is here??

[@voidvector]

English word "president" comes from Latin "to sit before" -- prae (“before”) and sedeō (“sit”). So lexically is very similar to the Chinese title.

[@Dash-td8rl]

You see the slimiest person carry a car The weakest person build a city The saddest person make theme parks The most afraid person goes to war This is why China is so powerful The people and the government

[@px5ix4pz6j]

Can you do a video on the chain of command for their government? From military to civilians

[@justthatfast13]

Amazing video! Thanks for making this!

[@MarkNealon]

Good video but it would have been good to discuss how networks of influence are built through guanxi

[@silverchairsg]

Favours, bribes, patronage, blackmail, honeypot traps, joining a preestablished clique...

[@sichengwei6688]

as a chinese myself, I personally divide PRC as three periods. 1. 1949-1976, the Mao Dynasty, in which Mao Zedong clear out his opponents inside and outside the party. 2. 1976-2013, the First Republic, in which Deng, Jiang, and Hu allowed limited democracy within the party. Also, the liberty of press and speech was also partially achieved. 3. 2013-today, the Xi Dynasty, in which Xi Jinping again clear out lol his opponents in the party and change the constitution completely.

[@WissHH-]

I am genuinely curious how are u watching this video. Isnt internet and therefore KZbin banned in China?

[@sichengwei6688]

@@WissHH- the interesting thing is, i am not living in china right now. I left china after covid. but, it is quite common to use vpn in mainland china, especially for programmers.

[@WissHH-]

@@sichengwei6688 maybe can i ask why? Did you leave because the economic turmoil after COVID or maybe because you didnt like how the whole pandemic was hangled??

[@sichengwei6688]

@@WissHH- Both, the most important thing is, I am getting more and more disappointed at the government. Sadly, I can do nothing to change the system. Economic turmoil? Absolutely! Our economy heavily relies on real estate, and its collapse is on the horizon. We had our last chance back in 2015-16, our gov failed to seize it. Covid? Partly, I live in Wuhan during the covid periods. At the beginning, blockade was acceptable, since covid was really fatal in 2020. But later, the blockade and daily PCR testing became gesture politics. It was burden for every people, economically, politically and psychologically. I hope china can be a better country, but I am worried that things might get worse. I think it is better to leave and wait until Xi resign.

[@WissHH-]

@@sichengwei6688 really thanks for such a genuine answer my friend. Its good to have some insight from a chinese person,that doesnt repeat the argument constantly and can see the good and bad and have critical thinking.I hope u doing well, i share the same worries and in how will this end...i also wish the best for chinese people, we are all humans and deserve a good and free life. Government≠ people. Good day my friend.

[@zacharywong483]

Very nice video Polymatter team!

[@cadhlaohanlon4443]

To properly understand the Chinese political system and mindset, you have to understand or at least be able to distinguish the difference between the Chinese culture and the western culture if there’s any at all. Learning a bit of the Chinese history also helps a big time. It’s a mature civilization after all.

[@RonaldCasey]

You do find the point!

[@FloofyMinari]

Sure, but countries like Korea, Japan, and Taiwan have been able to make Democracy work. "Chinese Culture" is a poor excuse to justify an authoritarian one party system.

[@user-ut6mj4in8p]

@@FloofyMinari Don't lie to yourself, South Korea and Japan are all colonies of the United States. The US military in these countries has more troops than South Korea and Japan. The reason why they are allowed to carry out so-called "democratic elections" is just to facilitate the cultivation of puppets that the United States chooses to support. Let these countries serve the United States. Taiwan has been receiving aid from the United States since the last century, and both political parties in Taiwan are puppets of the United States.

[@LouayKouki-zl6iv]

​@@FloofyMinarithey've us client states

[@kunzhang8977]

@@FloofyMinari 1)They were all occupied and colonized by Western countries for long time. Enough to almost destory old east culture and ideology influence. Meanwhile China was never completely colonized. 2)They also all had their own quite long time with dictatorship, only thrown after people's life being unsufferable. Meanwhile CPC reform itself after disaster governing period in 60s/70s. Effort for democracy will not be seen now when mostly citizen are enjoying rapid improvment of their standard of living.

[@JustATempest]

10:34 the power struggle and saving face cliche in most webtoons are starting to make more sense now. The stereotypical do you know who my grandfather brother is!

[@nouhowlmao2809]

The soviets were silly to not think about the future in so many aspects but this one is so damn simple

[@kingwing3203]

In China's five thousand years of history, there are many situations of power replacement, but it is easy to find which one is more perfect.

[@RileyEvansProduction]

What a fantastic video! Excellent job!

[@kingace6186]

Wow. I would have expected this to be a Nebula special.

[@KARL-el3hr]

This is a great video once again from polymatter!❤️.

[@lashlarue7924]

This is a fantastic analysis, very high quality. Liked and subscribed.

[@RXH88]

Amazing video and explanation! I could watch 10h of this!

[@bobbobson760]

Wow, thanks PM! Interesting trends.

[@EpicWink]

I would highly recommend Kevin Rudd's (former Australian prime minister, current head of The Asia Society) write up "The World According to Xi Jinping" (in Foreign Affairs) or his book "The Avoidable War" for more analysis on Chinese international relations

[@julioduan7130]

He is another fake so-called China expert. He knows little about China even if he looks like to know a lot.

[@andrewlim7751]

Too much Anglo-Saxons self entitlement.

[@josesamala1801]

Xi is a DICTATOR. Xi plans to stay in power by POLICE POWER. XI will soon be overthrown by Chinese Citizens. Xi and Putin will both be overthrown, and killed by their citizens.Xi plans to invade Taiwan and all democratic countries of Asia.

[@supa3ek]

Kevin rudd was a clown. All his books are his own speculations and fears. Stay sane, don't read them !!!

[@jonc6157]

Great work bro!

[@GunboyzElite]

I’ve been watching since you argued about Fahrenheit and Celsius and i love your style of content

[@ferboots]

Excellent work!

[@jiamingzhang147]

0:18 Malenkov didn’t die in office, he just gave up power to Khrushchev

[@bubluberstrublers8974]

great production quality

[@suekis2903]

As a chinese, there are several statements that i disagree, but overall it is an informative video. Well done

[@RishiRaj-bh6lb]

Can you please mention those? I am eager to know .

[@user-im3de9eq6m]

比如全国人大 实际上全中国的人都十分关注人大 换句话说就是从所谓‘’无聊“”的会议中去提取真实信息 和猜谜语一个意思 @@RishiRaj-bh6lb

[@bugsygoo]

One of my three vpns still works!

[@MarvinChenFantasy]

There's discussions in acient China that by which way is better to decide the successor, by positions in the family hierarchy or by ability. There's a saying that a stable and consistent handover is worthy more than a good emperor. Sometimes, certainty is already good enough. What's the most stable form of handover? No handover.

[@Brick-Life]

8:44 Awesome Guangdong number plates!

[@hsheuw]

Let’s also discuss Singapore’s PAP power structure next!

[@Ejsmich]

I live in china, and for the last few days the vpn's stop using which is actually good but there is a thing called "secret" or something on our vpn and we have are able to contact the outside world (note i am not from china)

[@sonye-jin6737]

In Vietnam the General Secretary of the VCP and the President of Vietnam are two different persons. Their national assembly also has something resembling real debates.

[@user-qf7ym5vc7o]

You are right, but the General Secretary holds all the power while the President of Vietnam is just a puppet doing paper works. And the National Assembly usually debates shitty and nonsense stuff or proposes some rules that are internally agreed upon by the Party.

[@rodrigomarolv]

Short answer: very well Long answer: they work quite well!

[@bo514]

Great explanation, but this type of video would benefit from a summary/conclusion. The transition from your final point to your sponsorship is smooth yet somehow jarring and abrupt, and could use an intermediary summary. Otherwise awesome video, appreciate your content.

[@KJ4EZJ]

Yeah, the video just abruptly ends. It is particularly bad on Nebula or with Sponsor Block because there isn't even any outro.

[@cetofox]

Chinese economics are pretty interesting. Have you considered producing a video about that?

[@nggyunglydngraady]

He has many videos about specific parzs of the economy.A video about the whole economy would be about 6 hours long

[@globalaiinsights]

@@nggyunglydngraady Are there any specific parts of the economy that you would be interested in seeing?

[@lyle901209]

Point seconded. Very spot-on information.

[@nathanngumi8467]

Very informative!

[@mangudaimonger8915]

This video isn't so much as a commentary on how Chinese politics works as it is a subliminal slander of the current government and blatant favoritism towards different government systems. I expected to find a video with helpful information and insights about the mechanics of how a one-party system works, or whether China is truly a one-party system at all; how the dynamics of power work within the party, what makes it strong, what makes it weak, et cetera... Instead, all I found were trite comments referring to the National Assembly like, "creating a veneer of harmony" 3:12, and "the whole thing is a giant spectacle" 3:18. He proceeds to talk about how there's more clapping than the American State of the Union, and how boring it is-- very relevant information indeed. Then, he talks about how VPN's are shut off, and how people who are already established as being dangerous are stopped from causing trouble, but all with clever wording to spin it in a malicious way. AT 4:20, he reminds us that the Communist Party of China is reminiscent of Lenin's Party, further adding to my annoyance at his silly labeling and name-calling. He then goes on to talk about jargon, and how he doesn't understand it, and how that somehow makes it "vague." After an introduction full of spurious language, potshot critiques on less than minor issues, and ad hominems, PolyMatter finally presents us with some useful information about how elections take place, which members serve what role, and other interesting facts. But all of this is cleverly wound in with irrelevant moral propositions on how the Party is deceitful (9:04) and misleading in their use of names (9:20). The escapade advances, calling out China on what he perceives to be their use of discreet names to hide who is truly in power, the abandonment of age limits somehow being unscrupulous, little notes like "[Xi Jinping's] hUnGeR fOr PoWeR" 12:13 in a fashion typical of those who stand firmly against the political philosophy of the Chinese government. He continues his verbal abuse against Xi, condemning his "privilege and sense of entitlement" 12:39. Underneath all of this lies very subtle, uncanny music, something that you might hear in a horror film during a suspenseful scene. I actually don't mind at all if somebody wants to criticize the Chinese government. Do it all you like-- but not once in this video does PolyMatter offer a thoughtful comment or a genuine critique of the system of government. The issues that he tries to present as moral problems are petty and arbitrary, instead of attacking real moral issues, and the entire video is riddled with subtle verbal abuses and demeaning comments. The worst part of it all is that this is hidden underneath a pile of charts, graphs, and interesting photographs, further adding to the deceptive manner of the presentation. Seriously, try listening to the audio without listening to the video, you'll see what I mean-- the visuals only serve to distract from the preposterous comments that he lazily lays along the way like bread crumbs for you to follow along with. The video's title makes one think that it will be a presentation on the details of how the Chinese government is run. But no, it's anything but that. I am so tired of people who, when attempting to put together a thoughtful critique of China's government, instead just resolve to verbally abusing it. I don't care if you don't like the government, or what they do, or what they say. If the Chinese government has a problem that needs to be fixed, then explain how they're wrong and offer a solution, or if it has a REAL moral issue, then point it out. If you're going to reply to my comment, please read the whole thing carefully before you do.

[@GordonMcWilliams]

Exactly, this video is terrible

[@mirrored464]

I have a solution democracy 🤯🤯 freedom 🤯🤯

[@mangudaimonger8915]

@@mirrored464 You totally missed the point of my comment

[@HoSiva]

You nailed it so well that i don't even have anything else to add. But i do like to point out that the so-called "vague party jagons" are not so vague to us Chinese and he can't be more wrong in saying that the meeting was "boring " and that no one in China pays attention. In fact, all concerned Chinese follow closely the speeches made during the meeting and related reports as they paint a clear picture of where our nation will be heading and what our goals and missions are for the upcoming 5years. It's only the sheer arrogance and ignorance of the western world that prevent them from truly understanding China and the truth of its governing body.

[@mangudaimonger8915]

@@HoSiva Thank you for your informative answer. I'm glad that you can see the Chinese Communist Party in a positive light. It's a good thing that is extremely lacking in the West.

[@bigawdays5724]

Thank you for posting this. People need to know the CCP have different people standing on different opinions

[@randomguy2108]

You should do a video on Malaysia's upcoming election. It has got to be the most interesting political story in the world now

[@emilhuseynov6121]

Could someone please tell me where can I find the full footage of 13:46 and many more?

[@danieltengdin]

I have a subscription to Nebula and I would use it, but the streaming on Nebula is so inferior to KZbin

[@jackwood594]

Good to know

[@RobertLeclercq]

I think we are being a little dramatic here. Roosevelt was on his 4th term when he died. 3 terms for Xi ain't dictator. Lets be fair. 'Merca

[@jayceh]

What title do the Hoch brothers have? Or Jamie Dimon? Because they are in charge of policy.

[@khonable]

“Spectacle “ is a good description of China and its politics.

[@cristofori2230]

One comment I have to make, especially about your more recent content is the theses that you drop with no follow up EXCEPT AN AD FOR BRILLIANT OR NEBULA. Don't get me wrong segways are great for getting to ads, but don't just drop a major and interesting thesis and have no follow up. Use something that has less of an impact. Or perhaps lead it into another video of yours that talks about it. Having too much impact on a transition can have the opposite effect. Make the transitions smoother so we hardly notice it, not questioning where the rest of the video is.

[@jackwood594]

This is so true

[@kingace6186]

This might be my favorite video on the People's Republic of China that PolyMatter has released on KZbin.

[@Mr.Nichan]

13:48 Is that one of those insane Chinese typewriters?

[@SacredDaturana]

Are there any books on the inner workings of the CCP leadership that you could recommend? Other than Coalitions of the Weak, which is on my reading list.

[@giannb5145]

The first thing to understand (especially for Westerners) is that a very large percentage of CCP members are ideologically loyal Marxists-Leninists. Most people can't understand this, pointing out that China is capitalist now, so please read carefully: * There was also capitalism under Mao until 1957-58, and even after that, at the height of Maoism, that there was a huge black market, especially in agricultural products. The USSR itself also had a huge black market, as does North Korea today. * The economic reforms weren't such a theoretical shock for Marxist "theology", as the USSR had used them in the 1920s under Lenin * The prime inspiration and know-how for the reforms came from Communist Yugoslavia and Hungary, as well as from Overseas Chinese and (to a lesser extent) Singapore. It wasn't as if Deng Xiaoping became fascinated with Wall Street Journal. * China today isn't really capitalist, in the sense that there are no legal property rights. Yes, you read that correctly. If the CCP wishes, it can crush every single individual, association or enterprise in five minutes. * The "shock therapy" of the 1990s in East European countries and the bloody dissolution of Yugoslavia, coupled with the financial meltdown of 2008 and the EU debt crisis have strengthened every single aspect of CCP ideology, emphasizing utter contempt for financial markets, belief in national unity through smashing ethnic separatism and an alliance with all "anti-hegemonic" powers.

[@snowlee-ml7rr]

If the Chinese government is as evil as you say, why does China attract the most foreign investment in the world? Are investors all fools? Or are you too smart?😂

[@ethanmye-rs]

老好人 is quite literally a “good ol boys” type of person

[@TJfromEarth]

Lao hao ren makes them seem so harmless and cheery. Quite ironic

[@gaoda1581]

那些人老不好了

[@gouthamkrishnas7517]

Unlike other political parties, communist party systems are very disciplined and structured.

[@user-cd4bx6uq1y]

This was very interesting

[@jeriejames5617]

Chinese politics much like an office workplace politics and less about team red vs blue debate soap opera

[@Tiger_Woo_dds]

Just call him by his English name: winnie the pooh 😶

[@pierce9019]

I love learning about the inner functions of the CCP at 1am. Just brings a whole different feeling to it

[@proviptk]

7:10 The high contrast between cyan and red make this part really hard to read and watch.

[@davidcheung8595]

next topic: CIA: How Color Revolution Works

[@bjornneuhauser6636]

Yes. Just yes. Never clicked on a video faster.

[@JollyJ3rk]

1:04 "by the age of 68 was expected to retire" Le Xi JinPing:

[@the_gamer_kinda]

16:16 The way everything just aligns 👌

[@tstcikhthys]

Very interesting indeed. BTW, 6:00 _alternatives,_ not "alternates"; alternate means "every other".

[@Robert_baiguan]

no, "alternate" members of the central committee, that's the official name

[@tstcikhthys]

@@Robert_baiguan Seeing as China doesn't use English in law, it most definitely isn't the "official" name. It seems like just a mistranslation, most likely by US-Americans.

[@Robert_baiguan]

@@tstcikhthys plausible

[@zsarimaxim692]

While Xi kept his head down, Bo was flamboyant. If the party only prompted those that’s obedient, then Bo would never become a challenger to Xi.

[@twitter.comelomhycy]

Yep

[@firewoodloki]

That's where luck comes in place. They needed a head down person when Xi was there.

[@royhuang9715]

Bo tried, he got no chance which is why he was arrested and his wife was put on the death roll. Bo was defeated completely.