Two new books challenge the sense of inevitable permanence of the Chinese party state

This week, China is treating the world to elaborate political theater mired in secrecy: the 20th Communist Party Congress.

It's a gathering of more than 2,000 top party officials to choose the next iteration of leaders, including the next head of the Communist party. Despite occasional pretentions at democratic consensus, this party congress' objective is being carefully managed to signal the opposite: that the party's leader now, Xi Jinping, has absolute control over all levers of power as he continues into his third term in office. Watching from afar, it is easy to feel that the party — under the helm of one man — is very much in the Two new books challenge this sense of inevitable permanence of the Chinese party state.