The Concentration of Wealth and Power in China

Recently Bloomberg News has published several articles with interactive graphics discussing how some decedents of leading figures from the China's communist revolution have amassed incredible wealth, potentially through their family names and connections. It's a story that has been told in part elsewhere -- the New York Times, for example, published an article with its own interactive graphics on the wealthy relations of Wen Jiabao (温家宝) -- China's Premier of the State Council ("head of government" and leading the cabinet, compare Xi Jinping (习近平) who is the effective leader of China). I thought it might be interesting to combine some of the key graphics from some of the articles.

A couple of brief introductory notes: Bloomberg uses the phrase "eight immortals" to refer to the elders, but that's sarcastic -- the "eight immortals" were legendary apocryphal figures in Chinese history, sort of superheros who went around solving problems, and whose images, when solitary are sometimes confused with buddhas'. In addition, several of the elders and some of their descendants appear very unhappy with profiteering by their families or spouses. Below are just static images; the articles (linked above) are worth clicking through to; there's a lot I've left out, like, for instance, the entire interactive part.