Murder, Lies, Abuse Of Power And Other Crimes Of The Chinese Century

Photo-Illustration of Bo Xilai by Miles Donovan for TIME

Correction Appended May 8, 2012

In China these days, the last refuge of both scoundrels and heroes is turning out to be a U.S. diplomatic compound. Two unscripted but parallel dashes for safety have riveted the world and, more important, have affirmed long-foreshadowed plot points in the narrative of the 21st century's would-be superpower: first, that the People's Republic is in the hands of an elite riddled with corruption and nepotism, and second, that those who crusade for the basic legal rights of the powerless must on occasion deal with feudal repression. Those elements have always lurked amid the often dazzling spectacle...

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