The foregone verdict is official. CNN:

Bo received the life sentence for bribe-taking, as well as 15 years for embezzlement and seven years for abuse of power.

The 64-year-old Bo Xilai, almost grinning in the above pic, perhaps fashions himself as a political martyr.

Days before the court announced the date for delivering the verdict, Bo reiterated his innocence but said he anticipated a lengthy imprisonment in a letter written to his family.

“I was dragged into this and really wronged, but the truth will come out one day,” wrote Bo in a letter dated September 12, referring to the bribes allegedly taken by his wife and other scandals involving her and her friends.

“Meanwhile I will be waiting quietly in prison,” Bo continued. “Dad was thrown into prison multiple times in his lifetime and I will look up to him as my role model.”

He’s not a martyr, of course. He’s just a Chinese politician who committed the mortal sin of flying too close to the sun, and will now find his name relegated to the footnotes of his country’s textbooks. It seems unlikely that anyone will care about him in a year’s time, and that, instead of any jail sentence (to be served inside the “luxurious” Qincheng Prison in outer Beijing), may be the cruelest punishment.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday evening.

(Image via)

UPDATE, 9/23, 11:56 am: Bo Xilai’s reaction:

But before being forcibly taken away by the court’s guards, Bo shouted: “The decision was not based on facts. The court is neither open nor just and didn’t take the points made by my defence lawyers and me.”

Moving to Chongqing to become its Party Chief was clearly a step up the political ladder for Bo Xilai in 2007, but one figures it must have been bittersweet for him to leave Beijing, where — judging by this video — he was beloved by a large number of supporters.

The above — Bo’s final speech as the Minister of Commerce – was posted to YouTube in December 2013, but just recently tweeted out by Helen Gao. Bo would move down south to begin his stint as a member of the Central Politburo, tabbed for sure elevation into the Standing Committee… until, that is, his career and his life veered off track thanks to his wife, Gu Kailai, his former police chief, Wang Lijun, and Neil Heywood, who just had to get himself murdered.

Jump to the 2:05 mark to see Bo — smiling, happy — make his appearance. He speaks at the three-minute mark. He begins singing at the eight-minute mark. Considering what he looked like at his five-day trial that just ended, what an amazing sight indeed this is.

These screenshots are equally amazing:

Also:

https://twitter.com/Yuxin_Gao/status/372006248545132544/photo/1

The trial of Bo Xilai lasted three days longer than it was supposed to, but it’s all over now except for the sentencing. Until then, here are some links to bring you up to speed.

Denies covering up wife’s crime. “Ousted senior Chinese politician Bo Xilai admitted to shaming his country and poorly handling a defection attempt by his former police chief after he told Bo his wife had committed murder, but Bo denied trying to protect her from the accusation.” (Reuters)

Now we’re getting interesting. “Mr Bo’s corruption trial began on Thursday as high political drama, revealing the oily wheels and cogs of Communist party rule. But it has evolved into a family reality show, complete with sex, murder and deception. // As the trial dragged into its unscheduled third day on Saturday, a still defiant Mr Bo painted a picture of a dysfunctional household, in which his wife rarely spoke to him and was keen to rely on him as little as possible. // But in what may eventually prove to be his undoing, he also said he took responsibility for the fact that £500,000 of public money had somehow made its way into his wife’s account.” (Malcolm Moore, The Telegraph)

Denounces Wang Lijun. “Ousted senior Chinese politician Bo Xilai angrily denounced his former police chief on Sunday on the fourth day of his trial, calling him a ‘vile character’ who faked testimony implicating Bo in covering up a murder committed by his wife. // …On Sunday, Bo rebutted earlier testimony from his former police chief, Wang Lijun, who carried out Bo’s crackdown on crime and gangs in Chongqing, where Bo was Communist Party chief.” (Reuters)

No place for sentiment. “Chinese prosecutors demanded a heavy sentence for ousted top politician Bo Xilai as his divisive, dramatic trial ended on Monday, saying his ‘whimsical’ challenge to charges of bribery, graft and abuse of power flew in the face of the evidence.” (SCMP)

Just the guy we wanted to hear from. “I don’t want to discuss what crime Bo committed–that is up to the court to decide. I just want to say that your subordinate Wang Lijun caused such a stir, and that your wife killed a man. By being drawn into these big scandals, you have already seriously defamed the Party and the government. We low-level Party members work with all our might, but we cannot counterbalance the havoc wrought from the top by someone like you. I hope that no matter how the court judges you, your final statement will be a sincere apology to the people and the Party.” (China Digital Times)

You mean they’d do such a thing, in this country? “But given the limited access, it has been hard to tell how accurate an account the public is getting in Mr. Bo’s trial on corruption and abuse of power charges. On Sunday, the court transcript appeared to show some filtering of the proceedings.” (WSJ)

No wonder Bo Guagua was so popular. “Having spent many of his formative years abroad, Bo is a high-end frequent flyer, shuttling between China, Britain and the US at least three times a year. // He loves to travel, and has visited Venice, Argentina, Cuba, Paris and Africa, and Germany in 2006 for the soccer World Cup. // As a loyal friend, he generously covered the air fares for his friends, mainly foreigners, who were put up at the Grand Hyatt hotel, Fairmont Beijing and other five-star hotels when visiting the capital.” (SCMP)

You know that really tall officer accompanying Bo Xilai? “At least one of the two police officers accompanying Bo in court may be a professional basketball player who is 2.02 meters tall (about 6 foot 6 inches). His name is Gong Xiaobin. Anyone familiar with Chinese basketball in the 90s should know his name. A Shandong native, Gong used to play at Chinese national basketball team and was once voted a national star player. He is now the coach of Shandong basketball team. There is no confirmation or whatsoever, but Gong does look quite like the police officer standing on the left side of Bo.” (Offbeat China)

China Weibo users have found Bo Guagua's rare meat from Africa. To be eaten raw, not cooked. http://t.co/ZpMuqk9mdd

— Edward Wong (@comradewong) August 24, 2013

#BoXilai "I know I'm not perfect, I'm of subjectivism and I have a short temper“

— Yuan Wang (@amorsmap) August 26, 2013

"I have made serious mistakes, and I'm deeply aware of my poor regulation over my family, which has imposed bad impact to the country" #Bo

— Yuan Wang (@amorsmap) August 26, 2013

Every time I met Bo Xilai he alluded to the fact that he was 20 years older than me and asked me to call him uncle. #TrueStory

— Jorge Guajardo (@jorge_guajardo) August 26, 2013

Bo Xilai and Wang Lijun 之二。 pic.twitter.com/Ga9fiBta7d

— edde (@Edourdoo) August 26, 2013

News interlude:

Finally…

“How Bo Xilai might emerge as a Latter Day Confucian Hero.” (The Useless Tree)

“Op-Ed: My Dream? Become the Son of a Chinese Official.” (Ray Kwong, Tea Leaf Nation)

“You must remember this: Bo Xilai cared nothing for fair trials in China until he found himself in the dock.” (China Policy Institute Blog, The University of Nottingham)

“Bo Xilai: A Poor Test of Rule of Law in China.” (China Power, The Diplomat)

Bo Xilai says there was love between his wife, Gu Kailai, and Wang Lijun, his former police chief — the man who would betray him, just as she did, in her own way.

Bo Xilai: Wang Lijun was secretly in love with Gu Kailai. He couldn't help himself. // so the rumors are true.

— Li Yuan (@LiYuan6) August 26, 2013

We waited four days — since the start of the trial on Thursday in Jinan, Shandong province — for a revelation this good, cutting to the inner lining of the human heart, but finally, some clarity, and a motive.

Bo Xilai tells the court that Wang Lijun was infatuated with (暗恋) Bogu Kailai and they were stuck together like white on rice (如胶似漆).

— Xinhua News Agency (@XHNews) August 26, 2013

Of course the poisoning of Neil Heywood was a crime of passion. The exigencies of desire must always be answered for.

Gu had already poisoned her sister’s lover, Neil, in revenge – though she secretly loved him. Luckily, it was all a Chinese dream…

— China Daily Show (@chinadailyshow) August 26, 2013

Does becoming a star politician in an authoritarian state numb one’s soul to the travails, the lashes of love? Does it dull the capricious beast, the jealous heart?

No.

Bo Xilai has a love story to his name, and now one must be written for his wife. A lonely woman who was cheated on, hurt in ways worse than death. A flamboyant man, a police chief, with a knack for trenchcoats and drama – and open arms. A story of passion and betrayal, of blood and backstabbing, set to the backdrop of the inner court in the People’s Republic of China.

Is there love? pic.twitter.com/jKp8emJer6

— XQ (@MissXQ) August 26, 2013

It could be all bullshit. But please don’t tell me if so.

For those who just can’t get enough of the Bo family saga, China Navis has a fairly extensive collection of photos of Bo Guagua — son of Xilai and Gu Kailai — both as a young child in China and growing up overseas.

A lot of these photos you’ve already seen, like the one in which he and his friends pretend to pee on a metal gate, and his graduation photos from Harvard, but others, perhaps not. Take a look at this sampling:

What strikes me about a lot of these — especially the last two — is how typical they seem. That last photo, down to the watermarked timestamp, exists in some variation in thousands of family albums in the homes of Chinese Americans and Chinese Brits, and millions more, probably, across China. (I tell you this from experience.) Look at it: just a young boy doted on by two grandparents, no added significance, nothing artificial about it, no politics.

Bo Guagua led a fortunate life, a privileged one, but from the perch of retrospect, we see these pictures and know, now, that there was an expiration date on his perfect world. (And we also know, judging by his parents’ testimony in the last few days, that his private family life was likely marked by turmoil and tumult; we can imagine how many late-night arguments between his parents he endured.) Especially poignant are the photos of him with mom and dad — showing his mother how to use a Mac, posing with a father in the midst of a meteoric political rise. These are moments in time captured forever, before time went ahead and tore everything apart.

Bo Xilai’s Son Bo Guagua Growth and His Life Overseas Photos (China Navis)

Just when we thought the updates had stopped, the excitement from Bo Xilai’s trial fizzled, here’s Gu Kailai, wife of Bo Xilai and convicted murderer, sending everyone ABUZZ.

The above video was posted to Sina at 11:55 am and already nearly has 1 million views. Everyone is talking about it.

Only things Gu Kailai can remember Bo helping Xu Ming with are buying Dalian football club and putting up the hot air balloon.

— malcolmmoore (@MalcolmMoore) August 23, 2013

For those who, like me, were holding on for mention of the hot-air balloon: 5:25. http://t.co/vQsfCGHlVU

— Brendan O'Kane (@bokane) August 23, 2013

The things princelings ask for…Gu says Xu Ming bought an electric segway-type vehicle for Guagua, and some abalone.

— malcolmmoore (@MalcolmMoore) August 23, 2013

They should have used this double for the trial, she’s much better.

— Samuel Wade (@samuel_wade) August 23, 2013

So Gu implicated Guagua in channeling bribes?

— Eric Fish (@ericfish85) August 23, 2013

Also, we learn that this interrogation room is home to a 1999 dot printer, by the sound of it.

Here’s the Telegraph on the hot air balloon thing.

Curiosity and excitement in the Bo Xilai trial has turned into resignation and despair, expressed through humor with an undercurrent of sizzling anger. Good for those of us who aren’t wasting a second day in Jinan, Shan-fucking-dong.

Five tweets from Jinan court Weibo since the trial resumed today. Zero substance.

— John Ruwitch (@jruwitch) August 23, 2013

Indeed, the Weibos have gone quiet.

Last weibo from the court came almost 90mins ago. No updates on Bo trial this morning

— malcolmmoore (@MalcolmMoore) August 23, 2013

What to do?

Worst-case scenario for Bo Xilai – life sentence sharing a cell with his wife?

— Deirdre Wang Morris (@deeCNBC) August 23, 2013

That Bo Xilai courtroom transcript in full: Day One http://t.co/BUlHjF6bC9 #BoXilai

— China Daily Show (@chinadailyshow) August 23, 2013

Official Bo trial transcript for Friday 8/23: http://t.co/SHm1R1k0XD

— The Relevant Organs (@relevantorgans) August 23, 2013

Local Man Closely Following Bo Xilai Trial pic.twitter.com/GJLYyierpR

— Abe Sauer (@abesauer) August 23, 2013

Patience, journalists! We've been working since 2am on today's trial transcript.

— The Relevant Organs (@relevantorgans) August 23, 2013

We’ll have another update in a little bit. (Update, 12:49 pm: video of Gu Kailai’s testimony!) In the meantime, perhaps you’d like to catch up on some Bo Xilai reading from day one.

Transcript (Chinese). (@jinanzhongyuan, Sina Weibo)

Denial. “Fallen politician Bo Xilai put up a feisty defense on Thursday as he faced China’s most political trial in decades, saying he was framed in bribery charges against him and had admitted to them under psychological pressure during interrogation.” (Reuters)

Aw, Gu Kailai misses her husband. “The wife of a disgraced Chinese politician turned on him during his corruption trial Thursday, saying he filled the family safes with cash and admitting she spent huge amounts.” (Behind the Wall, MSNBC)

And he… kind of misses her. “Mr Bo was no less scathing about his wife, Ms Gu, who is serving a suspended death sentence (almost certain to be commuted to life or shorter) for murdering a British businessman. Referring to her in absentia testimony relating to the bribery allegations, Mr Bo called her words ‘very ridiculous and very laughable.’ Much of the evidence cited by the prosecution he dismissed as ‘irrelevant’ or ‘peripheral.’ One of Mr Bo’s lawyers said Ms Gu’s testimony should be disregarded because she was mentally disturbed (the prosecution replied that she had recovered sufficiently when she gave it). The defence also accused Ms Gu of being ‘in the habit of lying.’” (Analects, Economist)

Bo’s “other son.” “The elder son of ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai has thanked authorities for allowing his father ‘to speak his true mind’ at his trial and said Bo has stood by his ideas despite an investigation that lasted 500 days, the New York Times said. // Bo put up a feisty defense on Thursday at the start of China’s most political trial in decades, saying he was framed in bribery charges against him and had admitted to them under psychological pressure during interrogation. // In a statement posted on the New York Times website late on Thursday, Li Wangzhi, Bo’s son from his first marriage, said he has ‘been subjected to pain and sadness’ for Bo, but is proud of his father’s strength.” (Reuters)

“How Bo Xilai Split the Party and Divided the People.” (ChinaFile)

Bo Xilai’s Beijing home. (WSJ)

Finally, from WSJ:

But seriously, social media, get your act together.

Hard to read weibo silence as a sign that yesterday went according to plan.

— Samuel Wade (@samuel_wade) August 23, 2013

#timing RT @cctvnews: Video: Court uses social media to publish #BoXilai trial details. http://t.co/7I2x9Cy2ko

— Samuel Wade (@samuel_wade) August 23, 2013

Photo of the day, Phoenix TV anchor checking Weibo for #BoXilai updates during live broadcast: pic.twitter.com/lgix1uUw32

— James Griffiths (@jgriffiths) August 22, 2013

Granted, she may not be technically checking Weibo, but everyone else is, isn’t that right?

I love how all photos have a Jinan Inter Crt weibo ad in the lower right hand corner. Like anyone will be following them after this #getreal

— the black China hand (@blackChinahand) August 22, 2013

(See: Gregory Lent’s riposte to the above.)

@blackChinahand i love the way western correspondents who often quote weibo sentiment in their stories are being fed pure weibo on bo trial

— gregorylent (@gregorylent) August 22, 2013

INTERLUDE: This is interesting, potentially, if hotel-room sources are to be believed:

Bo says he admitted to charges against his will

— malcolmmoore (@MalcolmMoore) August 22, 2013

But what really gets me:

In the future, this is how all live courtroom feeds will be broadcast #BoXilai pic.twitter.com/zNGEoaMjFN

— China Daily Show (@chinadailyshow) August 22, 2013

Chinese journos "live-broadcast" the BXL trial: pic.twitter.com/29x5aOyGuC picture via @avb001

— Helen Gao (@Yuxin_Gao) August 22, 2013

Jesus, everyone. Postmodernity is here.

(H/T RFH)

So, who indeed was the first to publicize a photo of Bo Xilai after a year and a half?

The Jinan Intermediate People’s Court, of course. (Of course.) They even beat Xinhua to it.

But who was the first to put this on TWITTER?

Jeremy Goldkorn was almost the first person to tweet about it, except he rickrolled us with Mike Tyson:

No beard! http://t.co/AEAsBS7IFX

— Jeremy Goldkorn 金玉米 (@goldkorn) August 22, 2013

Chris Buckley tweeted a ridiculously small photo:

Jinan court issues picture of Bo in the courtroom pic.twitter.com/j1AcqAUgGD

— Chris Buckley 储百亮 (@ChuBailiang) August 22, 2013

Phoenix TV News UK, however…

See official picture of #BoXilai at the court pic.twitter.com/DzU5i2d1vF

— Phoenix TV News UK (@PhoenixUKNews) August 22, 2013

FTW!

Trial of the century! Please be properly excited.

At this rate, the biggest scoop of the century will be the guy who tweets a picture of Bo Xilai first. Though we know who’s getting that scoop: Xinhua News. 3-to-2 odds it’s them. UPDATE: It wasn’t them.

You can follow more on the Jinan Intermediate People’s Court’s Sina Weibo.

If you’re a China correspondent, you’re likely in Jinan, Shandong province right now, where disgraced former Chongqing Party Chief Bo Xilai, 64, will stand open trial for corruption tomorrow at the Jinan Intermediate People’s Court. Let’s have a peek at all the fun.

On August 11, Ann Heywood, the mother of murdered British businessman Neil Heywood, issued a statement that appeared in the Wall Street Journal. (“The full text of a statement,” according to WSJ.) “Given the circumstances of Neil’s murder, I have been surprised and disappointed that, despite repeated discreet approaches to the Chinese authorities, there has been no substantive or practical response,” she wrote. (It was then reported that the family was asking for $5 million in compensation.)

The Heywood family lawyer, He Zhengsheng, is now saying that Ann’s statement “was not released by the family of Neil Heywood,” as he told SCMP in a phone interview. Something’s gotta be lost in translation there, right? He did not say who released the statement, if not Ann. Did someone hack her email account and email WSJ? Are people using fax machines? How did this happen? What’s going on?

WSJ’s official response to He was more or less “fuck off.” Or as SCMP puts it:

Ali Bullock, a spokesman for The Wall Street Journal, said: “The Journal accurately reported the content of a statement released by Ann Heywood.”

SCMP also reports that “a source with knowledge of the Heywood family said Ann and Wang Lulu, Heywood’s Chinese widow, had different opinions on how to handle the compensation process.”

Also, this:

A friend of the Bo clan said the family “would do something” if the verdict was harsher than they expected.

He would pout. That’s what he’d do. Then eat a big steamed bun without sugar.

The trial starts Thursday. Let’s get it over with.

Heywood lawyer adds new twist ahead of Bo Xilai trial (SCMP)

In a two-paragraph statement to the New York Times, Bo Guagua — the son of Bo Xilai and Gu Kailai, convicted last August of murdering British businessman Neil Heywood — said he has been denied contact with his parents for the past year and a half, and hopes his father gets a chance to defend himself at his trial that is scheduled for Thursday.

Then he dropped a big “however”:

I hope that in my father’s upcoming trial, he is granted the opportunity to answer his critics and defend himself without constraints of any kind. However, if my well-being has been bartered for my father’s acquiescence or my mother’s further cooperation, then the verdict will clearly carry no moral weight.

It’s a sly remark. In Bo Guagua’s view, his father is not being “tried” for bribery, corruption, and abuse of power, but persecuted, like Ned Stark, and only through the noble, self-sacrificing gesture of bargaining for his son’s well-being will he acquiesce to his accusers.

What else is a son to think?

The second of the two paragraphs is interesting, too:

My mother, who is now silenced and defenseless, cannot respond to the opportunistic detractors that attack her reputation with impunity. She has already overcome unimaginable tribulation after the sudden collapse of her physical health in 2006 and subsequent seclusion. Although it is of little comfort to my anxiety about her state of health, I know that she will continue to absorb all that she is accused of with dignity and quiet magnanimity.

Opportunistic detractors? You’d think he doesn’t live in the US, judging by how little he understands the way media works. Look on the bright side though: if Gu Kailai had been tried in the US, Jay Leno would still be cracking jokes. Or is Guagua, perhaps, talking about the Heywood family demanding millions as compensation to the death of Neil? As if that weren’t standard operating procedure.

Anyway. Again, what’s a son to do?

Bo Guagua’s Statement (NY Times)

With each day that we still wait for the trial of Bo Xilai to begin, it becomes a little easier to forget what this is all about. Politics, economics, how it affects Xi Jinping’s reforms, and shuanggui, yes, all very interesting, but at the heart of the matter is a murder — the poisoning of British businessman Neil Heywood — and a high-level cover-up that has already resulted in two people — former Chongqing police chief Wang Lijun and Bo Xilai consort Gu Kailai — being given (essentially) 15-year sentences.

Just today, Ann Heywood, the mother of Neil Heywood, has issued a statement to remind everyone of this little inconvenient fact: that Chinese politics is important and all — “not wanting to cause unnecessary embarrassment to the Chinese authorities,” she wrote about refusing all media requests until now — but you know what else would be nice? Justice.

The full statement is below, but it’s the final paragraph that matters:

It is now more than 1½ years since my only son Neil died suddenly in Chongqing, China, at the age of 41. Until now, I have refused all requests from the media to comment on Neil’s death, not wanting to cause unnecessary embarrassment to the Chinese authorities. However, circumstances now compel me to break my silence.

In the months following Neil’s death, it gradually became clear, from media reports and from official Chinese statements, that Neil did not die from natural causes but was murdered. It also became clear that prominent Chinese officials, including a member of the Communist Party’s politburo and a number of senior policemen, were connected with the murder and involved in a systematic coverup.

While struggling to come to terms with my own grief, my overriding concern has been for the security and well-being of Neil’s two children. Now aged just 8 and 12, they are particularly vulnerable to the hurt and horror of their father’s murder and, since Neil was the family’s sole breadwinner, to uncertainty and insecurity, there being no financial provision for their future.

Given the circumstances of Neil’s murder, I have been surprised and disappointed that, despite repeated discreet approaches to the Chinese authorities, there has been no substantive or practical response. I hope and trust that the leaders of this great nation, which Neil loved and respected, will now show decisiveness and compassion, so as to mitigate the consequences of a terrible crime and to enable my family finally to achieve some kind of closure to our ongoing nightmare.

Essentially, a “let’s get it on already.” It’s as if high-level negotiations of Bo’s fate — after all this time — continue behind closed doors, with powerful opinions split on how to move forward, leaving the rest of us in lingo. “Senior Communist Party officials worry that Bo’s core constituency – conservative leftists as well as the economically dispossessed – will be inflamed by a harsh verdict: the death penalty or even life in prison,” reports Reuters. It continues:

The risk is that Bo’s supporters could remain a brake on the reforms that favor private businesses and greater reliance on market forces.

“Bo Xilai still has many supporters and sympathizers in the party, the government and the military,” said a party source, requesting anonymity due to the political sensitivity of the case.

…”It will be difficult to please both factions regardless of how heavy or light the sentence is,” the source with ties to the leadership said.

In a sign of just how deep the ideological rift runs, a recent commentary in state news agency Xinhua’s online edition called for officials and party members to close ranks.

The commentary, published the day Bo was indicted last month, urged officials to “resolutely uphold the central (government’s) decision, not to be afraid, shrink back or hesitate once the order (verdict) is out the door.”

So what do we tell Mrs. Heywood? Sorry? Alas, the murder of Neil Heywood long ago stopped being about him.

UPDATE, 8/13, 10:33 am: Hmm:

The family of a British businessman whose 2011 murder led to the downfall of Communist Party highflier Bo Xilai is seeking compensation of at least 30 million yuan (about $5 million) for his death, according to people familiar with discussions on the matter.

Not only has the Bo Xilai trial still not happened, but the public hasn’t seen him in 11 months. When we do finally glimpse him (though at this point, it might be if, not when), indications are he’ll look remarkably different from before.

That’s because Bo Xilai has a “chest-length beard.” Reports Reuters:

A second source confirmed that Bo had been on a hunger strike and also said he had refused to shave to protest against what he saw as his unfair treatment.

“His beard is long, chest-length,” the source said.

Oh, right, he’s also on a hunger strike and being uncooperative.

“He refused to cooperate,” the source said. “He wouldn’t answer questions and slammed his fist on a table and told them they were not qualified to question him and to go away.”

But the beard, the beard. We must know: what does Bo Xilai looks like?

Better yet, can you guess whose facial hair Bo is wearing in each of the above images? Hint: all but the beard in the top-right panel belong to Americans.

We’ll update this post with answers on Monday. Happy guessing.

UPDATE, 2/25, 3 pm: Answers:

Top-left
Top-right
Bottom-left
Bottom-right