China’s Xi ascendant as attention turns to every facet of life

China celebrates National Day as its government embarks on a massive social engineering project.

As billions across China celebrate National Day on October 1, Chinese society finds itself amid a government-led re-engineering effort on a scale not seen in decades.

Over the past year, the government has targeted major sectors of society from China’s wealthy and powerful tech barons to education, celebrity culture and even citizens’ private lives under the banner of “common prosperity”.

The precise reasoning and timing behind the sweeping crackdown are unknown, but theories include that some regulatory action may have been delayed by COVID-19 or the government may be preparing for next year’s National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.