
Yahui: The Chinese Art of Elegant Bribery (2011) - mnemonicsloth
http://www.opendemocracy.net/openeconomy/antony-ou/chinese-art-of-elegant-bribery
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Nokinside
Only Chinese feature in this scheme is using fake paintings.

This type of bribery is common everywhere. In Europe it's usually a real
painting. Bribe is just overpaying for it. Switzerland is center of this.
Geneva Freeport is full of paintings, watches and artifacts used as
intermediaries for bribes and money laundering.

Verified real painting bought for $50,000 sells for $500,000 in auction after
bidding 'competition'. Buyer is some Russian businessman. Seller is a wife of
someone working for major European bank. Rich shady businessmen are drowning
in art because they love the art so much and can't stop themselves.

~~~
agustif
This would make a nice movie action script about the decadencee of art and how
it's all bullshit from a business POV lol

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Nokinside
"The Art, the Bitcoin of the smart."

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hamhand
Accepting bribes and risking it being used against you is for low-level
officials now, for those from humble beginnings who had had nothing but
poverty and being treaded on, so they enjoy their priviledges extra hard, you
now regularly hear news of corrupt Chinese officials with hundreds of millions
in bribes, hundreds of mistresses and condos. But they are taken because of
political struggles not for their crimes, no one is allowed to be clean in
this game.

Those with immense political clout, who are born red with innate immunity,
they play financial games. It's largely legal, much more profitable and
effortless. The NYT has written many articles about Chinese listed companies
with red investors and princelings.

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maeln
> no one is allowed to be clean in this game.

That is why corruption is endemic to authoritarian regime. In a state where it
is impossible to climb the ladder without accepting bribes and giving them,
you make sure everybody and guilty and its easy to do some "clean-up" whenever
you need it.

Anti-corruption operations in authoritarian regime is just this, replacing
problematic cronies with more faithful ones.

Systemic corruption is a proven mean of control.

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ydb
There is a lovely side narrative in the movie _A Serious Man_ about this
phenomenon. Although the characters in the movie were Korean, it is an
excellent example of this phenomenon in Asian cultures.

What intrigues me the most is that it is sort of implicitly the de facto
standard. Curious how cultural mores develop!

~~~
Gys
I tried to find this movie but failed. I only found a 2009 movie by the Coen
brothers. But I assume you meant a different one?

~~~
jimworm
That is the correct movie. Here are the relevant parts.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze2gFeHtTUU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze2gFeHtTUU)

