President Xi Jinping led commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the birth of former state leader Jiang Zemin at a grand ceremony in Beijing, in a show of political continuity and party unity ahead of next year’s major power reshuffle. In a 40-minute speech, Xi addressed thousands of officials and delegates from various sectors at the ceremony, held in the Great Hall of the People, delivering a speech that highlighted Jiang’s contribution to the party and the country. A large portrait of...

A provincial propaganda department in China has warned the public against subscribing to growing conspiracy theories on history, such as those stating that Aristotle and Ancient Greece never existed. In a post on Wednesday, “Zhejiang Propaganda” – a social media account affiliated with the Zhejiang provincial publicity department – warned about the rise of the “pseudo-historical school” online. The school promotes conspiracy theories that deny Western history and claim key achievements of...

Scheduled drone performances at tourist attractions and events across China have been grounded as the country steps up scrutiny of low-altitude aviation, although in many cases no clear reason was given for the cancellation. Tourist attractions and event organisers in 11 provinces and regions – including Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Shandong, Guangdong and Hainan – took the unusual step last week of announcing that drone shows scheduled from Friday onwards were cancelled. By Monday, none had announced...