The Chinese government has decided to clamp down on the schoolchildren issue to ensure social harmony and stability. All protests are dealt with by black-clad police and the media has been warned from on high to keep their mouths shut about the schools. They can’t even mention it.
Instead, Wang Shi, CEO of one of the largest real estate developers in China, Wan Ke, has been vilified in the press for only giving 2 million RMB to the victims. Wang is known for his high-class, carefree lifestyle and he was loved for it when he was on top. But the paltry two million and him flashing the peace sign for a pic in the quake devastated area has sent Wan Ke’s stock price plummeting and unleashed waves of Internet insults against their CEO. The media has been all over it here in Chengdu and Wang Shi has now announced that he will step down as head of Wan Ke.
The same can’t be said for the dozens of government rats that are responsible for the shoddy construction of schools. Schools are usually paid for with government funds, a prime cash cow for whore-mongering, BMW-driving officials in the Sichuanese hinterlands.
“We can take Wang Shi down,” said a friend of mine, “but we can’t possibly vilify the government so. Have you ever seen that happen here? Impossible …”
