Tea Leaf Nation

A news article published in early May suggests that reform may be in the works for China’s long-standing petitioning system, also known as the Letters and Visits system, which is often associated with scandals involving cruelty and inhumanity. On May 9, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported that in March, the State Bureau for Letters and [...]

In April, China’s central government and provincial authorities released data on the country’s economic performance for the first quarter of 2013. On April 15, the National Bureau of Statistics announced that the country’s year-on-year real GDP growth rate had been 7.7 percent. But something baffling arises when one compares the number published by the central [...]

In recent years, issues about China’s pension system have repeatedly hit a public nerve. Among the hot topics consistently reappearing on the front pages of Chinese papers, the social pension perhaps has the most direct influence on people’s lives. Yet convoluted procedures and a lack of transparency make the institution hard to decipher. From time [...]

On March 25, China’s Ministry of Finance publicly released the central government’s budget for the 2013 fiscal year, which was approved by the National People’s Congress (NPC) during the closing ceremony of the annual Two Sessions meeting. Though one of the most significant legislative motions the NPC processes each year, information about the budget has [...]

This article also appears on The Atlantic, a Tea Leaf Nation partner site. On March 10, the secretary-general of China’s State Council, the executive branch of government, announced its plan for bureau downsizing, which was to be approved by the National People’s Congress. Upon the announcement, the plan became the most eye-catching subject for domestic [...]

This article also appears in The Atlantic, a Tea Leaf Nation partner site. Over the last few days, new regulations on China’s real estate information system have provoked another wave of anti-corruption sentiment. According to the Southern Metropolis Daily (@南方都市报), the government of Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province instituted a regulation on February 16 restricting access [...]

This article also appeared in The Atlantic, a Tea Leaf Nation partner site. Among all the ancient traditions that Chinese people observe during the lunar New Year, setting off firecrackers is the most controversial. Originally used to “drive bad luck away,” firecrackers have been an intrinsic part of the Chinese New Year celebration for thousands [...]

This article also appears in The Atlantic, a Tea Leaf Nation partner site. Last week, china’s “Re-education Through Labor” system returned to the center of public attention. Re-education through labor, or laojiao in shorthand Chinese, has long been a reviled means for police to jail Chinese citizens without due process. In 2011, laojiao was used [...]

On November 28, China’s powerful State Council submitted a proposal to amend the country’s Land Management Law to the standing committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC). The amendment, which observers expect the NPC to approve soon, will be followed by promulgation of the new Administrative Regulation on Rural Land Appropriation and Compensation. According to [...]

This article also appeared in The Atlantic, a Tea Leaf Nation partner site. On December 9, world anti-corruption day, the government of Guangdong province in Southern China took a step toward something potentially huge. According to China Business Journal, the government selected three counties–Hengqin County of Zhuhai City, Nansha County of Guangzhou City and Shixing [...]

This article also appears on The Atlantic, a Tea Leaf Nation partner site. For those who look for hints of political reforms after the leadership transition in China’s 18th Party Congress, here is a piece of glad tidings: A round of bureau downsizing led by the State Council is likely to come soon. Although not confirmed [...]

This article also appears in The Atlantic, a Tea Leaf Nation partner site. As China’s economic growth loses steam, its government has started to place more burdens on the shoulders of its citizens. According to the Xiaoxiang Morning Post (@潇湘晨报), at the end of October, the Treasury Bureau of Zhejiang province asked companies to pay [...]