Party cadres urged to 'emancipate the mind' but Chinese officials remain more cautious than ever

Communist Party officials in the southern Chinese province of Hunan returned from the Lunar New Year break last week with a new mission: to free their minds. In a campaign that will run until the end of March, they will engage in "large-scale discussions on emancipating the mind" - in strict accordance with Xi Jinping Thought. "Emancipating the mind is the essential requirement of the party's ideological line and an important magic weapon for the success of the development of the cause of the party and the country," the provincial party directive said. "The development process of Hunan's reform and…