Xi launched a massive anticorruption campaign, which simultaneously acknowledged the public’s frustration with rampant corruption and served as a useful tool for Xi to sideline potential opponents. Factory owners could use the initiative to justify endless hours for their workers, who were called upon to produce the goods that would make China a great nation (and factory owners rich). And Xi promoted a cult of personality that emphasized his own charisma instead of just putting himself forward as the leader of the Party—students were forced to study his writings, Party members recited his
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