Last Friday, I had a meeting with 10 or so Chinese journalist in a conference room. They had lots questions for me (politics in Seattle, the future of blogging, the state of the local housing market, gay marriage, and so on); I only had one question for them: Bo Xilai, which side are you on? A spilt went right down the middle. Half of the journalists thought he was an evil leader; the other, a hero. My position, at this point, is mostly on the side of those who are for Bo Xilai. Why? Dense social housing:
Troubled Chinese politician Bo Xilai will be remembered by some as the man who launched a social housing scheme in Chongqing when he was the city’s party chief.
The former rising star also implemented a policy to let farmers to exchange their land to enjoy social benefits when they move into the cities.
These reforms, however, have had mixed results.
Madam Zhang Daqiong, a 43-year-old insurance agent, is one of thousands of Chongqing residents who have benefited from an affordable public housing scheme.
The programme provides low-cost homes for those earning US$480 or less, and was started by Bo Xilai when he was party chief of the city.
The mixed results do not sound so mixed. They sound mostly positive.
Xilai’s career is certainly over, and it’s possible his demise is not a bad thing, as his usefulness might have expired. He was needed to set the city in a clear direction: the universalization of housing by state intervention rather than market forces. Once this was done, once this was set in irreversible motion, the city (the people) didn’t need a hero, they needed administrators. As Hegel knew, this transition from hero to officials is never easy. Why? Because the hero always wants to be a hero. The hero thinks his work is never done. The hero is always the last to know it’s the end of the show.
- Blade Runner: The hero has a drink.
