Watch: Bo Xilai During Happier Times, Singing And Laughing In 2007

Bo Xilai and Gu Kailai during happier times
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.

Pictures Of Bo Guagua As A Young(er) Child

Bo Guagua as a child 8
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:

Bo Guagua Issues Statement Ahead Of Father’s Trial

Bo Guagua issues statement to the New York Times
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.

Channel 4′s Dispatches Documentary On Neil Heywood Is Operatic, Shadowy, And Full Of Muhhhhduh [UPDATE]

Channel 4′s Dispatches Documentary On Neil Heywood Is Operatic, Shadowy, And Full Of Muhhhhduh featured image
The Sunday Times, in its now-famous (or infamous) piece on Neil Heywood (still paywalled, but it's here if you want to purchase), alluded to a certain Channel 4 documentary on the man. Quote: "After a year-long investigation for Channel 4's Dispatches, based on numerous conversations with friends, business colleagues, diplomatic sources and a Chinese contact who knew both Heywood and the Bo family intimately, we can reveal the real Neil Heywood."

The Sunday Times: Neil Heywood Was An English-Teaching Know-Nothing Nobody

Heywood tweets
In a 3,600-word piece, Cathy Scott-Clark and Adrian Levy of Britain’s The Sunday Times lay bare the myth of Neil Heywood. They argue that far from being an intrepid power broker living astutely within the inner circles of China’s elite, the murdered Briton was a “failed businessman,” a “chancer,” an “irritant,” and a liar who... Read more »

Neil Heywood May Have Had British Spy Ties After All, Says WSJ

Neil Heywood
Neil Heywood was likely feeding information to British intelligence officers while in the inner circle of Bo Xilai, according to Jeremy Page of the Wall Street Journal. From the very beginning of this saga, we’ve known that Heywood — poisoned by Gu Kailai, as the consensus goes — has been connected to MI6, Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service,... Read more »

The Two-Day Trial Of Wang Lijun Is Over

Wang Lijun trial in Chengdu
The “open trial” of Wang Lijun, on charges of bribe-taking and “bending the law for selfish ends,” according to Xinhua, began this morning. It is now over, having taken place “under tight security before a carefully selected audience,” according to the Guardian, from which the above picture is taken. “Foreign journalists were not permitted to... Read more »

To No One’s Surprise, Gu Kailai Given Suspended Death Sentence

Gu Kailai and Neil Heywood during happier, alive times
In the most non-suspenseful verdict ever, a court in Hefei, Anhui province (read: the Party) has officially sentenced Gu Kailai to “death with a two-year reprieve” for murdering Neil Heywood, as expected. What this means is that Gu will not be put to death, assuming she doesn’t commit another crime in the next two years.... Read more »