Communist Party membership shares the qualities of LinkedIn and the Legion of Mary

A member of the Peoples Armed Police at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Photograph: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images It had been a long time since we last met and although the traffic was bad and Xiang was going to be almost two hours late, we were determined to meet for dinner regardless. But before he arrived he told me there was something I should know. "I'm very angry and sad," he said. Xiang worked at a forest park outside Beijing where he led a team of 12 people who spent their days planting, pruning and trimming. He enjoyed…