Bo Xilai: The Trial of the Century

The spectacular trial of Bo Xilai seized the media's attention last week as the fallen politburo member — still widely admired in Chongqing and Dalian and heavily connected among the Party elite — defended himself with unexpected vigor against charges of corruption, and hardly paused to implicate his wife and subordinates in murder, mutual poisoning and financial skullduggery. This week on Sinica, Kaiser and Jeremy host two guests: Ed Wong from The New York Times and James Miles of The Economist for a closer look at what some Chinese commentators are calling China's "trial of the century." Join us for an in-depth discussion of the trial which looks at not only what this means for media transparency in China, but also makes historical comparisons with previous political purges, including the famous case against Jiang Qing and the Gang of Four following the Cultural Revolution. Recommendations: Jeremy The twitter feed of Jorge Guajardo https://twitter.com/jorge_guajardo James The Rise and Fall of the House of Bo: How A Murder Exposed The Cracks In China's Leadership, by John Garnaut http://www.amazon.com/Rise-House-Penguin-Specials-ebook/dp/B00A3Q9ER6 Ed A Death in the Lucky Holiday Hotel: Murder, Money, and an Epic Power Struggle in China, by Pin Ho and Wenguang Huang http://www.amazon.com/Death-Lucky-Holiday-Hotel-Struggle/dp/1610392736 Kaiser Blocked on Weibo: What Gets Suppressed on China's Version of Twitter (And Why), by Jason Q. Ng http://www.amazon.com/Blocked-Weibo-Suppressed-Version-Twitter/dp/159558871X