September 17 — Yu Keping, a key theorist in Hu Jintao’s circle, praised Hu in the pages of Beijing Daily, linking the president’s notion of “liberation of thought” – a phrase first used at the 1978 congress, when Deng Xiaoping introduced the Four Modernizations – to such issues as “human rights” and “constitutionalism.” Another Yu essay, “Democracy is a Good Thing”, created waves back in late 2006 by arguing that democracy was indispensable if China wanted to build a strong and modern socialist society. [More from CMP]
September 18 — Following its move to shut down “First Heartthrob”, a talent competition show on Chongqing TV, China’s State Administration of Radio Film and Television announced its was putting a stop to “Red Question Mark”, a program based on re-enactments of crimes committed by women. [More from Danwei.org]