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The Province
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Province
A Forbidden City in Vancouver rediscovered in vintage Chinatown photos
David Lee shares vintage photos of his father's cabaret during Chinatown's heyday David Lee with pictures of the Forbidden City cabaret that his father Jimmy Lee ran in the 1950's. Photo by Jason Payne / PNG In its heyday, Vancouver's Chinatown was home to many swinging nightspots, from the Mandarin Gardens to the Shanghai Junk and the Marco Polo. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors David Lee remembers another Chinatown cabaret/restaurant: the Forbidden City. It was run by his father Jimmy from 1955 to 1959, and featured one of Chinatown's classic neon signs, a spinning neon lion that sat atop neon stating it had 'exquisite cuisine.' Alas, photos from the golden age of Chinatown nightlife are hard to find. But Lee has a treasure trove from his family that he posted on Facebook, where they were recently discovered by a reporter. The photos are a time capsule to another era, when television was still in its infancy and many people still went out to clubs for entertainment. The bandstand at the Forbidden City cabaret/nightclub at 90 East Pender St. in Vancouver, circa 1955-59. Note the 'FC' initial on the big band music stands for the house band members. Courtesy David Lee Photo by Courtesy David Lee His prints show the Forbidden City's chic interior, which featured a tiered bandstand, recessed lighting in a circular ceiling and Chinese touches like a curved roof on the bar. Then there are the shots of the performers, including a quintet of stylish female dancers/chorus girls, a house band with 'FC' music stands, and a female conga player in South Seas attire. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Vancouver performers Bud Lemire and his wife, Elaine, who played at either the Forbidden city or the Mayling in Vancouver's Chinatown in the 1950s. Photo by Courtesy of David Lee Unknown performer from the Forbidden City cabaret at 90 East Pender in Vancouver's Chinatown, circa 1955-59. Photo by Courtesy of David Lee Letterhead for the Forbidden City cabaret/nightclub at 90 East Pender Street in Vancouver's Chinatown circa 1954-58. Photo by Courtesy of David Lee An unnamed music combo at the May Ling cabaret in Vancouver's Chinatown, early 1950s. The guitar playing looks like he's trying to emulate rock and roll great Eddie Cochran, but this would be pre-rock and roll in the early 50s. Photo by Courtesy of David Lee Dancers/chorus girls at the May Ling cabaret/nightclub in Vancouver's Chinatown early 1950s . Photo by Courtesy David Lee An unnamed gymnastic act at the Forbidden City cabaret in Vancouver's Chinatown, early 1950s. Photo by Courtesy David Lee A dancer doing the splits at the Forbidden City cabaret/nightclub at 90 East Pender Street in Vancouver's Chinatown circa 1954-58. Photo by Courtesy David Lee The interior at the Forbidden City cabaret/nightclub at 90 East Pender Street in Vancouver's Chinatown, circa 1954-58. Photo by Courtesy David Lee The house band at the May Ling cabaret in Vancouver's Chinatown, early 1950s. The May Ling was the first nightspot opened by Jimmy Lee, who later opened the Forbidden City. Photo by Courtesy David Lee The bar at the Forbidden City cabaret/nightclub at 90 East Pender Street in Vancouver's Chinatown, circa 1954-58. Courtesy David Lee For John Mackie Photo by Courtesy David Lee The bandstand at the Forbidden City cabaret/nightclub at 90 East Pender Street in Vancouver, circa 1954-58. Note the "FC" initial on the big band music stands for the house band members. Photo by Courtesy David Lee Unknown performer from the Forbidden City cabaret at 90 East Pender in Vancouver's Chinatown, circa 1955-59. Courtesy of David Lee Full Screen is not supported on this browser version. You may use a different browser or device to view this in full screen. It looks like Jimmy Lee brought in all sorts of performers, including old vaudeville acts — there's a photo of a female gymnast standing on top of an older guy's head. Another pic is of an elegant guy with a top hat and white dove, which may mean he was a magician. The now 73-year-old Lee was just a child when the Forbidden City was operating, and doesn't remember any of the performers except for ventriloquist Peter Rolston. 'He used to have (his dummy George) propped up in the dressing room,' said Lee. 'As a little kid, I was terrified to walk past that mannequin.' Dancers/chorus girls at the Forbidden City cabaret/nightclub at 90 East Pender St. in the 1950s. Courtesy David Lee Lee remembers Chinatown was very vibrant at the time. 'It was almost like a Las Vegas atmosphere, (with) all the neon and everything else, all the restaurants,' he said. 'The streets were just bustling with people.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Forbidden City was located at 90 East Pender at Columbia, and was Jimmy Lee's second cabaret/restaurant. He also owned the Mayling Club at 422 Main at Pender. Some of the photos are from the Mayling, including one of a musical combo where the guitar player looks like early rock 'n' roll great Eddie Cochran. The Mayling's big moment in the spotlight came in September 1954, when a drug dealer named Danny Brent was killed in the lane behind the Mayling. The Sun's Tom Ardies dubbed it a 'gangland slaying' worthy of a Mickey Spillane 'crime thriller.' 'There's a dead man, the police, hired killers, big-time drug pedlars, an ex-wife, an estranged wife, and a 'toe dancer' out of New York thrown in for good measure,' Ardies wrote. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'There's wild talk of three more men marked to die, of a gangland war, of a doublecross to a Chicago crime syndicate, and of an outwardly respectable businessman tightening an octopus-grip on Vancouver's lucrative drug trade.' Unknown performer from the Forbidden City cabaret at 90 East Pender in Vancouver's Chinatown, circa 1955-59. Courtesy of David Lee Photo by Courtesy of David Lee But Jimmy Lee had nothing to do with it, the murder just happened to be near his cabaret. He was born Lee Yook Jam in Victoria on June 4, 1907, which was anglicized to Jimmy Lee. He moved to Vancouver and was a cook in Chinese restaurants before opening the Mayling Club in late 1948. 'I think he wanted to make his restaurant stand out, so he brought in live entertainment and stuff like that,' said his son. 'I guess it was really popular, so he opened up this second location, which was the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was supposed to be more upscale, more of a family venue.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The location of the Forbidden City was in the Great Northern Railway's first Vancouver station, which opened at 90 Dupont in 1905. Dupont had a bad reputation (it was home to opium dens and Vancouver's first red light district) and was renamed Pender in 1907. Jimmy Lee sold the Forbidden City to the Louie family, which opened the Marco Polo restaurant there in 1960. It became a cabaret in 1964, and was a success, with big acts like the Fifth Dimension playing there. But it faded with the decline of the cabaret era, and was torn down in 1983. jmackie@ Read More Tennis Local News NFL News News
Vancouver Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Vancouver Sun
A Forbidden City in Vancouver rediscovered in vintage Chinatown photos
In its heyday, Vancouver's Chinatown was home to many swinging nightspots, from the Mandarin Gardens to the Shanghai Junk and the Marco Polo. David Lee remembers another Chinatown cabaret/restaurant: the Forbidden City. It was run by his father Jimmy from 1955 to 1959, and featured one of Chinatown's classic neon signs, a spinning neon lion that sat atop neon stating it had 'exquisite cuisine.' Alas, photos from the golden age of Chinatown nightlife are hard to find. But Lee has a treasure trove from his family that he posted on Facebook, where they were recently discovered by a reporter. The photos are a time capsule to another era, when television was still in its infancy and many people still went out to clubs for entertainment. His prints show the Forbidden City's chic interior, which featured a tiered bandstand, recessed lighting in a circular ceiling and Chinese touches like a curved roof on the bar. Then there are the shots of the performers, including a quintet of stylish female dancers/chorus girls, a house band with 'FC' music stands, and a female conga player in South Seas attire. 1 of 12 Full Screen is not supported on this browser version. You may use a different browser or device to view this in full screen. It looks like Jimmy Lee brought in all sorts of performers, including old vaudeville acts — there's a photo of a female gymnast standing on top of an older guy's head. Another pic is of an elegant guy with a top hat and white dove, which may mean he was a magician. Get top headlines and gossip from the world of celebrity and entertainment. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sun Spots will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The now 73-year-old Lee was just a child when the Forbidden City was operating, and doesn't remember any of the performers except for ventriloquist Peter Rolston. 'He used to have (his dummy George) propped up in the dressing room,' said Lee. 'As a little kid, I was terrified to walk past that mannequin.' Lee remembers Chinatown was very vibrant at the time. 'It was almost like a Las Vegas atmosphere, (with) all the neon and everything else, all the restaurants,' he said. 'The streets were just bustling with people.' The Forbidden City was located at 90 East Pender at Columbia, and was Jimmy Lee's second cabaret/restaurant. He also owned the Mayling Club at 422 Main at Pender. Some of the photos are from the Mayling, including one of a musical combo where the guitar player looks like early rock 'n' roll great Eddie Cochran. The Mayling's big moment in the spotlight came in September 1954, when a drug dealer named Danny Brent was killed in the lane behind the Mayling. The Sun's Tom Ardies dubbed it a 'gangland slaying' worthy of a Mickey Spillane 'crime thriller.' 'There's a dead man, the police, hired killers, big-time drug pedlars, an ex-wife, an estranged wife, and a 'toe dancer' out of New York thrown in for good measure,' Ardies wrote. 'There's wild talk of three more men marked to die, of a gangland war, of a doublecross to a Chicago crime syndicate, and of an outwardly respectable businessman tightening an octopus-grip on Vancouver's lucrative drug trade.' But Jimmy Lee had nothing to do with it, the murder just happened to be near his cabaret. He was born Lee Yook Jam in Victoria on June 4, 1907, which was anglicized to Jimmy Lee. He moved to Vancouver and was a cook in Chinese restaurants before opening the Mayling Club in late 1948. 'I think he wanted to make his restaurant stand out, so he brought in live entertainment and stuff like that,' said his son. 'I guess it was really popular, so he opened up this second location, which was the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was supposed to be more upscale, more of a family venue.' The location of the Forbidden City was in the Great Northern Railway's first Vancouver station, which opened at 90 Dupont in 1905. Dupont had a bad reputation (it was home to opium dens and Vancouver's first red light district) and was renamed Pender in 1907. Jimmy Lee sold the Forbidden City to the Louie family, which opened the Marco Polo restaurant there in 1960. It became a cabaret in 1964, and was a success, with big acts like the Fifth Dimension playing there. But it faded with the decline of the cabaret era, and was torn down in 1983. jmackie@
Vancouver Sun
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Vancouver Sun
Photos: Forbidden City in Vancouver's Chinatown
THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Vancouver Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Vancouver Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Vancouver performers Bud Lemire and his wife, Elaine, who played at either the Forbidden city or the Mayling in Vancouver's Chinatown in the 1950s. Photo by Courtesy of David Lee Unknown performer from the Forbidden City cabaret at 90 East Pender in Vancouver's Chinatown, circa 1955-59. Photo by Courtesy of David Lee Letterhead for the Forbidden City cabaret/nightclub at 90 East Pender Street in Vancouver's Chinatown circa 1954-58. Photo by Courtesy of David Lee An unnamed music combo at the May Ling cabaret in Vancouver's Chinatown, early 1950s. The guitar playing looks like he's trying to emulate rock and roll great Eddie Cochran, but this would be pre-rock and roll in the early 50s. Photo by Courtesy of David Lee Dancers/chorus girls at the May Ling cabaret/nightclub in Vancouver's Chinatown early 1950s . Photo by Courtesy David Lee An unnamed gymnastic act at the Forbidden City cabaret in Vancouver's Chinatown, early 1950s. Photo by Courtesy David Lee A dancer doing the splits at the Forbidden City cabaret/nightclub at 90 East Pender Street in Vancouver's Chinatown circa 1954-58. Photo by Courtesy David Lee The interior at the Forbidden City cabaret/nightclub at 90 East Pender Street in Vancouver's Chinatown, circa 1954-58. Photo by Courtesy David Lee The house band at the May Ling cabaret in Vancouver's Chinatown, early 1950s. The May Ling was the first nightspot opened by Jimmy Lee, who later opened the Forbidden City. Photo by Courtesy David Lee The bar at the Forbidden City cabaret/nightclub at 90 East Pender Street in Vancouver's Chinatown, circa 1954-58. Courtesy David Lee For John Mackie Photo by Courtesy David Lee The bandstand at the Forbidden City cabaret/nightclub at 90 East Pender Street in Vancouver, circa 1954-58. Note the "FC" initial on the big band music stands for the house band members. Photo by Courtesy David Lee Unknown performer from the Forbidden City cabaret at 90 East Pender in Vancouver's Chinatown, circa 1955-59. Courtesy of David Lee Full Screen is not supported on this browser version. You may use a different browser or device to view this in full screen. In the 1950s, Jimmy Lee owned two nightclubs: the Forbidden City and Mayling in Chinatown. See these photos of some of the performers.
The Standard
16-07-2025
- The Standard
China jails Japanese national for espionage: embassy
Tourists walk outside the Forbiden City in Beijing on July 11, 2025. (Photo by WANG Zhao / AFP)
Telegraph
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
The fading power of Xi Jinping
For dictators down the ages, nothing matters more than projecting an image of absolute and unchallenged power. The chance to stride the world stage at a glittering international summit is not to be missed. Yet Xi Jinping, the president of China, will spurn that opportunity on Sunday when he fails to arrive at a summit of Brics countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) in Rio de Janeiro – the first time in his 12 years as paramount leader. This announcement, along with other recent developments, has triggered speculation that Xi could be in political trouble or even that his long supremacy over China may be under threat. In a system built on secrecy, no one outside a tiny circle knows what is really happening behind the walls of Zhongnanhai, the closely guarded enclave near the Forbidden City in Beijing where Xi and his most senior colleagues have offices and state residences. Winston Churchill once likened power struggles in the Kremlin to 'a bulldog fight under a rug', adding: 'An outsider only hears the growling and when he sees the bones fly out from beneath, it is obvious who won.' So can we hear any growls from Zhongnanhai or see any bones hurled from beneath Chinese rugs? What conclusions about Xi's political standing might we draw from recent events? Aside from his non-attendance at Brics, we know the following for certain. Xi made no public appearances for 14 consecutive days between May 21 and June 5. A new Revolutionary Memorial Hall in Shaanxi province will not – contrary to expectations – be named after Xi Zhongxun, his late father, who also held high office in the Communist Party. Having reigned for longer than any Chinese leader since Jiang Zemin, Xi turned 72 on June 15. And last month saw the purging of an admiral called Miao Hua from the Central Military Commission – the apex of China's high command. Just as Cold War Kremlinologists would analyse the precise line-up of Politburo members at the May Day parade, so China-watchers are poring over these new facts. Thus far, the most respected do not discern any clear sign that Xi is in trouble. 'I see no evidence that he is losing power and I have not seen or heard any credible evidence of a move against him,' says Michael Sheridan, the author of The Red Emperor, a biography of Xi. But just because no growls are audible outside Zhongnanhai, it does not follow that the bulldogs within must be quiescent. 'Against all this,' says Sheridan candidly, 'is the big caveat that we just don't know.' China's slowdown China's leadership and people certainly have good reasons to question Xi's judgment. Whether or not Covid-19 leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology – and this explanation of its origins is at least as plausible as any other – his response to the pandemic was consistently disastrous with tragic consequences for China and the world. The doctors who first raised the alarm about a new virus in December 2019 were arrested, in line with the worst tradition of how authoritarian states respond to crises. When every hour counted, Xi said nothing in public about the gathering peril until Jan 20 2020, even though he had given an internal speech about the new virus 13 days earlier on Jan 7. Thanks to his vacillation and instinctive secrecy, the world lost a precious chance to nip the danger in the bud. Once the pandemic was causing havoc, Xi's draconian 'zero Covid' policy brought China's economy to its knees, causing such suffering that rare street protests forced him to reverse course. Suddenly, in December 2022, Chinese policy leapt from eradicating Covid to living with it. In the meantime, Xi's regime had neglected to inoculate millions of vulnerable elderly people and China's vaccines were, in any case, less effective than those developed in the West. In July 2022, only 51 per cent of Chinese over 80 had received one Covid vaccination, compared with 93 per cent in Japan. Just how many Chinese people died of Covid will never be known because Xi's regime will not release the true figure, but the pandemic killed more than seven million worldwide. As well as costing countless lives, Xi's brutally inept response brought China's economic juggernaut to a shuddering halt – and it has never fully restarted. During his first full year in power, 2013, China's economy grew at 7.8 per cent, already the lowest figure since the turn of the century. Since then, he has presided over a steady slowdown. Xi will be lucky if China hits the target growth rate of 5 per cent this year. Many economists suspect that the official numbers are heavily massaged, with the real figure being nearer to 3 per cent or less. That is still well above the big Western economies, with the US recording 2 per cent growth in the first quarter. But for Xi, China's economic performance is too weak for comfort. Five years ago he promised to double the size of the economy by 2035, both in absolute terms and per capita. Unless growth accelerates, he is on course to fail. 'If they don't get close to that, then I think it would be impossible for the Chinese leadership to stay so easily in control of everybody and everything,' says Lord O'Neill, the economist who coined the term 'Bric' in 2001 to describe what were then the four biggest challengers to the Western order: Brazil, Russia, India and China. The boom that allowed China to become the world's second largest economy was based on investment and exports. Today, economists agree that this model has run its course. Excess investment is leading to huge overcapacity, cut-throat competition and deflation. Meanwhile China's exports are threatened by Donald Trump's protectionism and the world's unwillingness to buy all of its huge surplus production. 'If you're a small country, you can rely on exports for a long time to drive growth all the way up to high income levels, as we've seen happen elsewhere in Asia,' says Julian Evans-Pritchard, head of China at Capital Economics. 'But if you're a very large economy like China then you start to dominate more and more of global trade. That engenders pushback at the global level, and it becomes harder and harder for the global economy to absorb more of your exports.' If Xi is going to revive China's economy, he will have to build a new growth model based on domestic consumption, meaning that everything will depend on persuading his people to spend more. But a property crash has reduced the value of the most important asset of most Chinese families. The consumer confidence index slumped by a third after the property bubble burst in 2021, and has flatlined ever since. Youth unemployment is 15 per cent, five points higher than when Xi came to power. 'I always used to think, in the first 25 years I followed China, that among their really good skills was knowing how to respond and when to respond,' says Lord O'Neill. 'But there's no two ways about it: since 2016-17, exacerbated by Covid and Trump, they've lost it a bit on that, for my liking. And I can't fully rationalise how and why.' The long overdue reckoning for China's economy is now beginning. So far, Xi's response has been to invest 300 billion RMB (£31 billion) in a scheme to allow households to trade in their old kitchen appliances for new models. This has succeeded in propping up retail sales, but overall confidence remains weak. Getting consumers to spend is the exact opposite of what the Communist Party has previously encouraged. 'They spent a generation training people to work and sacrifice creature comforts,' says Kevin O'Marah, co-founder of a supply-chain research firm, Zero100. 'And they're trying to turn the wheel and get people to want 'McMansions' or want new appliances.' Xi's other intractable problem is that even if he succeeds in rebalancing the economy towards consumption, the outcome could be lower growth in the short term. 'It smells like people [in the leadership] are petrified,' says Lord O'Neill. 'And/or they think that if they pull the plug on juicing up physical infrastructure, or giving yet more temporary support for parts of the property sector, then yes, it could boost consumption as a share of GDP, but it would mean GDP growth of 2.5 per cent as opposed to 5 per cent.' Already, China's economy has been growing at roughly the same pace as the world economy since 2020, meaning that China's share of global GDP – the best measure of relative national power – is now flatlining. By this telling indicator, China is no longer a rising country. Another vital trend will also weigh on future economic growth: China's population is declining and ageing, allowing India to become the world's most populous country. All this means that China may never overtake America as the world's biggest economy. For now, the US remains 50 per cent ahead at market exchange rates and China under Xi's leadership is no longer closing the gap. Not every expert is pessimistic about Xi's ability to solve the economy's structural problems. 'They do realise that consumption is vitally important for China now, and this is why we're seeing a lot of the policies being shifted from supply-side policies to demand-side policies. But this is going to take time,' says Keyu Jin, of the London School of Economics. 'If you look at the robotic industries, the EV [electric vehicle] industry, the new-energy investors, those things are doing quite well.' As he grapples with all these problems, the leader is feeling the heat. 'Xi Jinping is under a tonne of political pressure,' says O'Marah from Zero100. 'There's a lot of cultural dissatisfaction in China with the future that people's children are going to inherit. He's got to find a way to basically re-energise economic growth, give the people something to care about.' Along the way, China's neighbours have reacted against Xi's belligerent diplomacy by doing exactly what he does not want and strengthening their ties with the United States. China's 'nine-dash line' on the nautical map, laying claim to almost all of the South China Sea, threatens every nation in a giant arc from the Philippines in the east to Indonesia in the south and Vietnam in the west. In 2020, Chinese troops pressed so far forwards across their disputed Himalayan frontier with India that the two sides came to blows. Meanwhile, Xi's relentless pressure on Taiwan has helped to make hawkishness on China one of the few points of bipartisan agreement in Washington. The outcome is that India has drawn closer to America through the Quad, a newly important group which also includes Japan and Australia. In 2023 the Philippines allowed US forces to use another four bases in the country, including one in the northern province of Cagayan, close to Taiwan. By his own incompetence, Xi has made it easier for America to strengthen its military position in East Asia, the very reverse of China's objective. Signs of discontent? Given Xi's record of policy errors and misjudgments, any unexpected events are likely to cause speculation about his future. But it must be said that innocent explanations can be found for recent developments. Vladimir Putin will also be skipping the Brics summit, largely because indicted war criminals like him struggle to travel without being arrested. Xi might have decided that it was hardly worth going all the way to Brazil if there was no chance of meeting his chief ally in the struggle against America and the West. Even worse, Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister and a key geopolitical rival, will be in Rio de Janeiro where he will attract perhaps too much attention. 'Xi, as the Red Emperor, does not want to be overshadowed,' notes Michael Sheridan. As for the supposed snub to the leader's late father, the truth is that Xi Zhongxun already has a giant memorial in Shaanxi, which Sheridan describes as 'grander than the tombs of the Ming Emperors'. Whether yet another monument will honour the name of the elder Xi may not matter very much. Xi's 14-day absence, meanwhile, has happened several times before. He may have health problems – he was certainly a heavy drinker in his youth – but his mother is still alive and she is nearly 100. Turning to Admiral Miao Hua, he is only the latest in a long line of victims of Xi's ruthless campaign against official corruption: seven other members of the Central Military Commission have also been purged. Kerry Brown, another British sinologist and former diplomat, points to vital warning lights that are not flashing. 'Are there any central leaders saying slightly discordant things?' he asks. 'Are there any provincial leaders who are sort of acting in a more autonomous way? Are there military leaders who are [making] overt statements, which are different from the government?' It appears not. Dr Dylan Loh, a China expert at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, says that another danger signal would be Xi disappearing from the state media. 'One of the first few indications of him losing power would be very low – or significantly reduced – mentions of him and features of him in the main Chinese newspapers,' he says. Once again, that light is not blinking. Xi featured on the front page of the People's Daily, the regime's main propaganda organ, 157 times between April and June, only marginally less than his 177 appearances during the same period last year, according to the China Media Project, a US-based research group. But throughout Xi's long rule, the metaphorical bulldogs really have chewed up a good many bones. In 2023 alone, two defence ministers, Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, were purged while the foreign minister, Qin Gang, disappeared within months of his appointment. The fate of this English-speaking career diplomat, once ambassador in Washington and first secretary at China's embassy in London, remains unknown. While the two defence ministers were accused of corruption, Qin's mistake was never disclosed. But Xi's ruthless action against his subordinates briefly revealed the intense combat raging beneath the Chinese rug. Yao Cheng, a former lieutenant-colonel in the People's Liberation Army who defected to the US in 2016, says that Xi's performative campaign against elite corruption has stirred great resentment. 'His arrests of the 'corrupt' are selective – he never truly targets the corrupt. It's all about purging his rivals, which has upset many,' he says. 'The PLA has wanted Xi to step down, but this is not what Xi wants. Once a national leader loses power in the military, they are vulnerable and Xi is now vulnerable.' These are striking words, but Yao was never in the PLA's senior ranks and he defected nearly 10 years ago. How much can he really know about the current situation in China? What next? The Communist Party Congress, where the country's leadership and policy direction will be decided, is due in 2027. This occasion will be a key indicator of the future trajectory of China and the strength of Xi's grip on power. It was during the 2018 Congress that the party removed a two-term limit on the appointment of the general secretary to allow Xi to prolong his supremacy indefinitely. Inconveniently, he owes his continued dominance to the fact that he engineered the rewriting of party rules to serve personal ambition. 'Xi shouldn't have been re-elected in the first place,' points out Yao. 'The CCP's rule was clear: you get to be elected as general secretary for two terms in a row, so Xi's third term is not legal.' China-watchers tend to agree that Xi's usurpation of the rules and his ruthless purges have stirred resentment among the elite. 'He's transformed China in ways that make the common people very pleased but the elite Communist party members less happy,' says Drew Thompson, a former China director at the Pentagon. 'There must be a high degree of animosity going into the next party Congress.' If there is going to be an internal putsch, experts believe that Xi's critics would strike during the Congress in 2027, although they would probably refrain from stripping him of all three of his official positions at once. Xi currently serves as president of the People's Republic of China, general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and chairman of the Central Military Commission, allowing him to dominate the state, party and armed forces respectively. One possibility is that Xi might keep his position at the apex of the military high command while a new figure becomes president – the least significant of the three roles – or even general secretary. For now, all this is speculation and there is no indication of Xi advancing any particular bulldog as a favoured successor. So far, nothing suggests that he has come to grips with the eternal dilemma of all ageing autocrats as they contemplate their own mortality. 'If you identify a successor too early, this successor may pre-emptively challenge your power or he may become a target for others to take down,' says Loh. 'But if you leave it too late, the successor may not have a chance to build his base and get legitimacy.' Loh adds: 'I would imagine that the next party Congress will be the time to give an indication of who the anointed one is, but until then it will be very fluid.' The stakes for Xi could hardly be higher. If he fails to revive the economy, build a new growth model and confront the US with greater skill, the bulldogs may start growling – and it could be his bones that fly out from beneath the rug.
