China | Orwellian and proud

Xi Jinping is rewriting history to justify his rule for years to come

Who controls the present controls the past

IN PREPARATION FOR a third five-year term as the Communist Party’s leader, Xi Jinping has been changing the rules of politics, business and society. He has also been pursuing another project that he sees as essential to his continued grip on power: rewriting the history of the party itself. Mr Xi wants to show his country that he is indispensable, a political giant on a par with Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping who is turning China into a global power by building on their legacy.

This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Control the present, control the past”

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