CCTV FOLLIES 5.10 China's Potemkin City

Xi visits Xiong'an, a new city for new era -Grand arrival at showpiece train station -Xi pointing at things -Wheat growing in south -Wang Huning talks Taiwan -Russia fires away -US debt ceiling crisis

CCTV is so excited about Xi’s visit to model city of Xiong’an it devotes half the entire news program to this topic. The screen is littered with breathless sloganeering by Xi.

“Be firm in your confidence, maintain your determination, work steadily and surely, and make good progress in promoting the construction of Xiong'an New Area to make new progress.”

Wow.

Xi descends to the Xiong’an Train Station waiting hall by escalator where he is met with immediate applause. Even before the applause fully dies down, he’s already pointing at things.

For reasons unknown, Xi wears a mask at all indoor venues throughout the visit to Xiong’an. It’s a departure from recent practice in which everyone else in the room masks but the paramount leader himself.

A visit to a model dining hall with a model menu.

The leader points at the model food on display but he doesn’t eat anything.