"They thought it would last three to six months but it was never just an anti-corruption campaign, it was a party rectification campaign, and it was to be sustained forever," says Professor Steve Tsang who heads the China Institute at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. Fear and loyalty has led to "over-compliance and over-implementation of what Xi himself originally wanted", Ms Shirk says. irannews.ru/ - irannews.ru list 1 of 4 He says the party needs a "unity ticket" in wake of the economic situation, and that there's no point spending another four to five days voting for a leader. Mao's mantle eventually fell to Deng Xiaoping, who had survived two purges, and insisted on collective leadership that would change every 10 years. Earlier this year, a Chinese friend spent 83 days alone, locked in a Shanghai hotel room.