China decides its future on the beach

On Zhongzhi beach, a basic partition separates thousands of bathers relaxing on the sand or frolicking in the sea from the luxurious villas the summer retreat of Chinese leaders scattered about in the semideserted bay.

“Don’t you know that? The leaders holiday there!” said a jocular man near the 2meter high partition, made from braided wood and extending from the promenade to the waters of the Zhongzhi beach in Beidaihe.

Across the fence, one can make out several Europeanstyle houses that stand out from the others in the region.

With the help of a telephoto lens, a family in bathing suits can be seen being attended by a maid, in the presence of security officials in civilian clothes in the balcony of one of the houses.

“Stop recording! Delete everything!” says a young guard.

“If these images get out there will be problems!” he tells EFE.

Beidaihe, however, is not just a vacation retreat for Communist leaders and their families.

Since the days of Mao Zedong, this district in Hebei with Kisch constructions, located some 300km east of Beijing, has been the venue of an important, and secret, summer meeting of the créme de la créme of the Communist Party that is believed to be held in the first half of August.

President “Xi Jinping has already arrived,” a taxi driver told EFE just before stopping at one of the police checkpoints at the train station, indicating Zhongzhi is not just any beach.

Many experts believe the reason for the secrecy surrounding the Beidaihe ‘summit’ is that during this period, the Chinese government takes certain key decisions and also tries to resolve disputes between different factions of the party.

“Summer is a good time for intrigues, schemes and backstabbings,” Willy Lam, Hong Kong University’s Political science professor told EFE.

Beidaihe was the place where Mao approved the country’s second fiveyear plan in 1958, and from where he decided to set up people’s communes.

Deng Xiaoping, the precursor of China’s opening up, had a special attachment to this coast, where he used to celebrate his birthdays in August.

It is also the place where in the summer of 2013, the fate of Bo Xilai the first political bigwig sentenced for corruption by Xi’s government was decided.

Lam believes that this year, Xi will use the meeting to consolidate his power and promote members of his faction (the group from Zhejiang) against especially the Youth League, which has yielded leaders like current Prime Minister Li Kequiang and former President Hu Jintao.

Despite being far from the political intrigues, most vacationers claim to be aware of the politically charged atmosphere in the region, especially evident from the security measures in place and police presence in the area.

“I was already asked for my documents over the internet even before reaching my hotel,” a vacationer told EFE.

Meanwhile, Wang soaks in the sun after a dip in the sea, crowded with bathers.

“It’s a place with a lot of history. Mao recommended visiting Beidaihe,” he says.