China orders U.S. to shut Chengdu consulate, retaliating for Houston

Re:China orders U.S. to shut Chengdu consulate, retaliating ... by odiroot on Friday July 24, 2020 @05:10AM (#23937378)

Chengdu consulate is a very peculiar place. It shows very well the schizophrenia of a communist state.

You could walk past it and not even notice there's anything special about that place. Yes it has tall, well protected walls around it, but so do many schools in Chengdu (apparently kidnapping is/was a huge concern). The place also has guards around it, but so do many office complexes. There's even one or two armed policemen -- a normal view around any bigger transport hub as well.

At least 3 years ago, when I went there, there was not a single US flag installed visible from the street. It's like CCP doesn't want (their own) people to see, "US is there".

The giveaway for me was the private via consultancy/advisory offices on the other side of the street. They all had USA flags in their windows.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:China orders U.S. to shut Chengdu consulate, retaliating ... by baybal2 on Friday July 24, 2020 @05:13AM (#23937390)

Bo Xilai's defecting protege fled there. Chengdu was also a hotbed of cultural revolution where a lot of party leaders (including close relatives some of current leaders) were "suicided."

Other than that, Sichuan had a strong regional political culture, insular from on in the capital.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:China orders U.S. to shut Chengdu consulate, retaliating ... by odiroot on Friday July 24, 2020 @06:36AM (#23937844)

I've also heard from the locals, Chengdu is (recently) the "San Francisco" of China. You could be quite flamboyant without repressions.

It's also very liveable compared to other mega-cities I've been to.

[ Parent | on HN ]