From Maoist Criminal to Popular Hero?

By PIN HO

Published: August 7, 2013

ANY day now — the authorities won’t say precisely when — China will begin one of the most sensational trials in its modern political history, when Bo Xilai, the former rising star in the Politburo and Communist Party boss in the megacity of Chongqing, faces corruption charges.

Officials hope the proceedings — a highly choreographed court drama, in front of a carefully selected audience — will put an end to the party’s most embarrassing political scandal in decades. But even if the trial goes as planned, Mr. Bo could end up an unlikely hero.

Most Chinese know that the alleged bribes are but a pittance when measured against the breathtaking scale of official graft in China. Mr. Bo’s real offense was political: his leftist, populist style challenged the party’s carefully orchestrated, consensus-based succession plans.

Mr. Bo’s fall from grace last year threatened to overshadow the party’s once-a-decade leadership transfer. It was the most dramatic ouster of a Chinese leader since the former premier Zhao Ziyang was removed for being too soft on the Tiananmen Square protesters in 1989.

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