(TibetanReview.net, Apr30’20) – China’s top party leaders were barely seen, if ever, when the Covid-19 pandemic swept their country because, as it now turns out, they had fled to their villas in a secret resort to wait out the disease’s ravages, reported dailymail.co.uk Apr 29, citing the prominent Chinese-language Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao.
The Jade Spring Hill, located in north-western Beijing, is a villa complex for the Central Military Commission that is inaccessible for the general public. Several party leaders, including President Xi Jinping, allegedly have homes there, the report said.
Key government members had left the central leadership compound of Zhongnanhai – the Chinese equivalent of the White House – and moved to the secret resort during the coronavirus epidemic to avoid contracting the killer bug, the report said.
Zhongnanhai, the headquarters for the Communist government, is the formal residence for senior party members and their families.
The Jade Spring Hill, along with Zhongnanhai, are considered as Beijing’s “top two forbidden areas,” the report noted.
The scenic spot was said to have been used by ancient Chinese emperors as a summer palace since the 12th century.
Chinese media Caijing was cited as saying the tightly guarded hideaway was also billed as China’s “political back garden.”
Chairman Mao Zedong was stated to have spent some time living and working in Jade Spring Hill after establishing the Communist government in China.
Several of the most recent General Secretaries of the Communist Party of China, including Xi, reportedly own properties in Jade Spring Hill.
