中國人大、政協「兩會」揭幕前夕，英國路透突然在網上公開一個籌備經年的中國官員數據庫。該數據庫針對中國市級以上官員，內容包括官場內上下的人脈網絡、各官員所屬派系以及社會關係等，有如一幅中國官場的人脈圖譜。
路透公布的名為「Connected China」的數據庫宣稱經過一年半時間研發，包含成千上萬個項目，收錄的人物、組織及活動等構成逾3萬種關係網絡，系統化呈現中國官場面貌。
路透在推出的網站 connectedchina.reuters.com 中指出，中共官員的權力來源或因家人的傳承（太子黨），或因娶了高官女兒而得勢（路透稱之為「金龜派」）。而在中共高層，則主要區分為中共中央前總書記江澤民領導的「上海幫」，與即將退任的國家主席胡錦濤領導的「團派」（共青團派系）。
該數據庫由中共最高層至市級官員的資料均有收錄，清晰展示官場內的人脈關係、官員獲誰提拔擢升、派系身分以及家庭成員、親屬任職等資料，連官員秘書誰屬、曾經表揚誰以及他們的社會關係等瑣細內容也加以整理呈現。
由於數據庫牽涉中國的大量官員，加上內容非常敏感，有傳該媒體在數據庫完成後未敢發布，直至「兩會」前夕才突然公開。該數據庫引起網民熱議，不少人大讚數據庫分析可取，認為資料可能成為新一輪反腐利器，揭發中國更多貪官。不過擁有眾多用戶的新浪微博目前已將該數據庫名稱列為敏感詞。
We are thrilled to announce the launch of Connected China, our collaborative project with Thomson Reuters. Available on the Web as an HTML5 application, and optimized for the iPad, Connected China uses a custom database to explore the cultural and political factors that shape the dynamics of power in modern China.
The topic of Chinese leadership has never been more timely. China’s rapid rise in global prominence over the last decade has been well chronicled. Right now, the country is in the middle of a leadership shift that only occurs once every five years. This current shift, which began in November 2012 and will end in March 2013, is particularly significant because it brings a new president, Xi Jinping, and a new premier, Li Keqiang. Their leadership will set the tone for China for at least ten years.
Yet China and its inner workings are still quite a mystery to Western audiences. How are power structures in China organized, and how does the Communist Party exert its influence within those structures? How do familial and professional relationships impact an individual’s level of political achievement? What are the benchmarks for a successful career in Chinese politics?
Connected China delves into the data to provide new perspectives and provocative insights about power dynamics in modern China.
China 101 includes contextual articles and a timeline for understanding the basics of modern Chinese history and politics.
Power in China is all about connections, both political and personal. Social ties from family and factions are strong. Accumulated social capital is a more concrete asset than it is in the West.
Social Power details the families and connections that define the careers of China’s top leaders.
The country’s formal political structure is complex—and also misleading.
Institutional Power demonstrates organizational hierarchy and control.
There are distinct patterns to successful careers. Both social and institutional power play a role in the rise of top officials. Connected China not only reveals who has power now—and how they achieved their current position—but who will likely be in power in ten, fifteen, or twenty years.
Career Comparison compares the career trajectories of Party members.
Connected China offers a multifaceted approach to understanding modern China. Combining investigative journalism, data, and historical context, the tool offers five gateways to understanding：China 101, Social Power, Institutional Power, Career Comparison, and Featured Stories.
Featured Stories includes current news, investigations, and in-depth articles.
Since August 2011, journalists from Thomson Reuters have been researching and documenting the factors that comprise power in China. Their efforts were recorded in the proprietary database that drives this project. Fathom was granted access to the research at an early stage, which informed our approaches to exploring, presenting, and interacting with the data. The resulting sketches then provided direction for further research on the journalists’ part. This collaboration resulted in a unique and powerful information engine that provides unprecedented transparency of this world power’s political players and system.
Welcome to Connected China（Irene Jay Liu）
Connected China, a Reuters News site that tracks and visualizes the people, organizations and relationships that form China’s elite power structure.（Check out our promo video.）
Employing novel design and HTML 5 technologies, Connected China explains the social and professional networks of China’s leaders, highlighting the interpersonal relationships that drive business, move markets and shape the political landscape in the world’s most populous nation.
The site also provides a rich interactive platform to showcase the best of Reuters’ coverage on Chinese politics, providing deep insight into China’s new generation of leaders with immersive, seamless integration of data, text, photos and video.
The project represents a new approach for Reuters News – a model to take the reporting we do every day about people, institutions, power and relationships and put it in a format that gives it sustained significance over time.
Connected China is the culmination of 18 months of research, reporting, design and development, culminating in an app that draws on a database containing:
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