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Grab your calculator – China’s leaders are at it again!

To usher in the Year of the Sheep, President Xi Jinping has placed his indelible stamp on Chinese history by unveiling the Four Comprehensives.

In so doing, Xi continues a long tradition of Chinese leaders wrapping up complex policy packages into concise numbered lists with catchy names.

The list of lists continues to grow. In case you are having a hard time keeping them straight, we have compiled our own list here in a convenient format, complete with links in case you may, in a momentary lapse, have forgotten the meaning of one or two.

As a memory aid, our list may be sung to the tune of a familiar Christmas carol (which, after the eighth or ninth verse has been known to test the sanity of even the soundest of souls).

On the twelfth day of New Year, the Party gave to me:

Twelve Socialist Values  
Eleven Most Active Cults 
Ten-Year Visas 
Nine-Dash Line 
Eight Shames and Honors 
Seven Percent Growth Rate 
Six New Movies
Five Year Plan 
Four Comprehensives 
Three Represents 
Two Systems 
And a Harmonious Society! 

Image Credit: Happy Chinese New Year (农历新年) by Bokeh & Travel, on Flickr

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Brent Fulton

Brent Fulton

Brent Fulton is the founder of ChinaSource. Dr. Fulton served as the first president of ChinaSource until 2019. Prior to his service with ChinaSource, he served from 1995 to 2000 as the managing director of the Institute for Chinese Studies at Wheaton College. From 1987 to 1995 he served as founding …View Full Bio


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