Starting from the leadership change in China, on the occasion of the 16th Congress of the CCP (November 2002), the present article analyses the utilization of the concept of "generation", a sociological category, as the way to systematize and regulate the transitions of power in China, assuring at the same time the permanent legitimization of the regime. Special attention is given to the man at the center of each generation.
China's government; Generational succecion; Elite politics; The man at the center