This unattributed cartoon video of "How China's leadership is tempered" here went viral in China and abroad.

Available in Putonghua and English, this is no doubt a thinly disguised ploy of political propaganda, leaving aside many political in-fights and manipulations inherent in a lifetime battle to get to the top. (Perhaps not very different in this regard from other political systems?) 

Nevertheless, this rendition of top leaders is unprecedented in China. Notwithstanding the gross over-simplification, it seems to offer a few grains of truth.

The climb to top leadership is no longer pre-ordained. While there are the so-called ""princelings", there is no lack of others like Premier Li Keqiang, who come from humble beginnings. In any case, amidst fierce competition, all have to work their way pretty deftly to the pinnacle, showing competitive track records, winning support and respect in the system, surviving numerous banana skins, and finally beating the age-limit of 67 for ascension to the top leadership.

A somewhat similar and perhaps less propagandist overview in defense of the Communist Party leadership selection system was delivered by Eric X Li, venture capitalist and political scientist on TED here

To gain some more insight of how the Chinese Communist Party works, please visit

"The Secretive world of the Communist Party" – CESRAN academic paper" and "How are China's top leaders selected and how stable is China's Communist Party" here.