The new Chinese President, Xi Jinping, thinks that China is rapidly moving away from Mao’s fundamentals and towards excessive ambitions. Mao Zedong championed learning from the masses and staying close to its people. The new conservative President is starting with 85 million strong party officials and making an attempt to rid the nation of corruptions and excess. He wants to take the country back to its roots.
Some of the things getting hit hard include higher end luxuries such as Swiss made wristwatches, expensive Baijiu liquor that cost about $375 a bottle, and lavish parties. Party officials were accustomed to receiving gifts in the past and it may soon become a thing of the past. Some of the recent prosecutions of party officials including Bo Xilai, Chongqing Party Secretary in China reveals how bad luxury lifestyles of party officials, corruption, abuse of power, embezzlement and bribery.
Some are skeptical about how far President Xi can push Maoism in China at this time. Some of the tactics that Mao used in the past may not work in modern time. Moving a huge bureaucracy that is embedded in corruption for many years may become difficult for the new President.