A controversy last month in the offices of Southern Weekly, one of China's more liberal publications, appeared to be mainly about censorship. It spread to the streets and widely on the Internet, and the focal point was indeed freedom for journalists. At a deeper level, though, the issue was a precursor of the new year. It was about alternative national dreams.
Xi Jinping, who was installed as the Communist Party leader in November, opened the "dream" discussion with these words in his acceptance speech at the 18th Party Congress: "Our people love life; they hope for better education, more stable jobs, more satisfactory incomes, more reliable social guarantees, higher-level medical and health services, more comfortable living conditions, a more beautiful environment, and they hope that their children can grow up better, work better and live better. The wishes of our people for better lives are the goals of our struggles."
Xi spoke of material matters, but soon he seemed to realize that his "dream" should include more spiritual elements. In a speech two weeks later, he said: