CCTV FOLLIES 12.04 Xi: Constitution is me
-Jiang accolades keep coming in:
-All ethnic groups in Tibet loved Jiang
-Jiang was a precursor to Xi Jinping (Hu, not so much)
-Constitution is the authority and will of the Party
-Russian rockets flare
-Pasta pricey in Italy
Tibet party branch secretary on the passing of Comrade Jiang Zemin...
"We are deeply saddened because we really have deep memories of him."
"Jiang exerted great effort to build a new, modern socialist Tibet"
"We must turn our grief into power to unite and struggle"
(last line sounds like a Xi soundbite)
The President of Senegal chimes in his deep condolences.
Jiang did so much for the Chinese race, great rejuvenation, etc etc. Miss him so much and forever.
(One wonders how old she was when Jiang was in power.)
More stock photos of Xi's ten years.
Not sure if this pix are real or altered, but they make for great visuals of China's advance into space.
But the big story of the day is rule of law. Police reach out to the people to teach them their rights. (ahem)
From the snowy northeast to tropical Yunnan, police pose for photo ops illustrating rule by law.
The police make house calls to colorfully dressed minorities who act totally natural and don't seem to notice the camera. Once inside they tell the minorities about their rights.
China is a country under rule of law.
Swearing to uphold the constitution:
"To uphold the authority of the constitution is to uphold the authority and common will of the Party" -Xi Jinping
The constitution as Xi sees it is like the new red book:
"As China’s fundamental law, the constitution is the concentrated embodiment of the will of the Party" -Xi
(law=party, party=Xi, but I digress)
It's important to remind everyone in all walks of life that they have rights.
The right to uphold the iron-clad rule of the party.
Elsewhere on the planet...
It's bombs away as Russia tames Ukraine.
CCTV, perhaps tiring of stock Russian footage, is starting to get fancy, blending Russian assault shots with their own in-house map of Ukraine.
Lots of rocket shots...
With firepower like this, how can Russia not succeed?
Well, Ukraine is fighting back.
(Soldiers here are shown taking a break for drinks)
But CCTV really shows its universal, humanitarian side by lamenting the high cost of preparing of pasta in Italy which is subject to higher fuel costs due to the pernicious US sanctions against Russian gas suppliers.
CCTV FOLLIES 12.06 Great Hall Memorial
-Xi dominates dull proceedings with half-hour rote speech read in slow motion.
-Delegates can be seen looking at watches
-Russia shooting rockets at Ukraine
-Ukraine strikes Russian airfield
-Volcanoes around the world
The Shenzhou 14 crew flies back to Beijing after a successful mission but needs ground assist to get out of plane since they've been in zero-gravity for half a year.
China's space program is on a roll. A new crew, ferried to the Tiangong space station by the Shenzhou 15 capsule atop a Long March rocket, is now in space.
The news today is three-fold: Jiang's funeral, Shenzhou astronauts return and usual Russian bombing footage in Ukraine.
-Hu Jintao makes a low key appearance to pay respects to his predecessor Jiang Zemin.
Hu stands between Xi Jinping and Li Zhanshu, bringing to mind the seating chart on the dais of the 20th party congress from which Hu was ejected.
Everyone's following a script here, so it's hard to say what's really happening, but it's news enough just to see Hu in attendance.
Hu Jintao pauses to show respect as he passes the open-coffin of Jiang Zemin
CCTV FOLLIES 12.03 Gold and silver in the hills...
News mostly fresh out of the can, but some of the images are pretty.
-Nation mourns, Foreigners send condolences
-China is beautiful. It's an environmental wonderland
-Russia pipeline penetrates Yangtze
-Russia makes war
Chinese remember Jiang at home...
Foreign leaders phone it in.
(foreigners not invited to funeral ceremonies)
The authoritative flagship news program devotes the middle section entirely to pretty pictures.
Airing canned news gives a break to tired staffers overworked from covering, and covering up, the news of recent days.
Gloomy mourning rites for Jiang Zemin (10 minutes)
-Things brighten up at a CCP museum exhibit personally inspired by Xi Jinping
(It's like the Wizard of Oz going from B&W to color.)
-Russian update on Ukraine
-US stealing oil
The camera starts with Xi and his wife and then turns its hierarchy-sensitive gaze to the rest of the masked politburo. What? Xi wearing a mask? Outside in the fresh air?
Symbolism.
He's at one with the mourning elite today.
The Nightly News recounts the drama of Jiang Zemin's body being flown into Beijing.
"Jiang was a great Marxist...an outstanding leader of our great cause...an incalculable loss"
"In accordance with China's practice, foreign governments, political parties and friendly personages will not be invited."
Xi Jinping (top of the list, large print) heads the honorary funeral committee. This section includes hundreds of names and goes on for a mind-numbing five minutes.
Fun fact: Hu Jintao ranks 36th in the titular hierarchy.
Sometimes CCTV wows its viewers with spectacular images.