平西王

 平西王 is a nickname for Bo Xilai, and it means "The king who pacified the West", the west refering to Chongqing, where he was Party Secretary.
The story of Bo Xilai in China is a guide to the future of China... and to its past.

Throughout Chinese history there have been concentrations of power in the provinces, far away from the capital, and what the rich and powerful did in a place far from Beijing often was in direct contradiction to the laws of the land. Rich and powerful groups have always sought wealth, money, and land, and have rarely let custom or law stand in their way.

Bo is an example of a feudal leader. His accession to power in the government ruling group would have represented a tendency away from the principles of the Communist Party to an accommodation not only with wealthy individuals, but also with powerful individuals who might have different aims than those historically of the Party.
Many of Bo’s initiatives, like the promotion of “red” Maoist songs, were an attempt to recall an earlier time and appease leftists who felt that China’s reforms had betrayed its Communist philosophy. However, anyone who thought that Bo was a "leftist" and desired a return to the old days of the Cultural Revolution would be mistaken. Bo sought to appeal to the disaffected, and thus to create his own power base.

There are a thousand Bo Xilais in China. China's future depends on how they are handled in the political process.
--