A year in a word: Princeling (noun) the child or grandchild of a top leader in the Communist Party of China According to the Chinese zodiac, 2012 was the year of the dragon but in the Byzantine world of Chinese politics this was undoubtedly the year of the princeling. It began with the downfall of Bo Xilai - one of the most powerful Communist playboys - and ended with the apotheosis of another when Xi Jinping took the helm of the world's most populous nation as head of the party. Joining Mr Xi at the pinnacle of political power on the seven-man Standing Committee of the Politburo were three more princelings, making this the most privileged and hereditary of top leaderships in the history of the People's Republic. The ascent of the "red-blooded" aristocrats to the top ranks of the party marks a stark change from the past, when the party generally tried to avoid the perception of nepotism, at least at the highest levels. In fact, as recently as 1997 some political insiders complained that princelings were being discriminated against and passed over because of their pedigree as the sons and daughters of revolutionary heroes. It was that year that Mr Xi came last in a popularity vote among top party leaders that formally anointed 344 members of the Central Committee that forms the core of the Chinese nomenklatura. At least he made the list. Mr Bo, the dashing son of Bo Yibo, Mao Zedong's former finance minister and one of the most powerful figures in post-Mao politics, was left out of the Central Committee altogether in 1997. This year was supposed to be the year of Mr Bo's redemption, the moment when he was tapped to join the Standing Committee to lead the republic his father helped found. Instead, he is sitting in a prison cell awaiting trial for corruption, spying on colleagues, abuse of power and at least peripheral involvement in his wife's murder of the British businessman Neil Heywood. He is also accused of numerous "breaches of party discipline," including "improper sexual relations" with numerous women. As Mr Bo's ambitions flamed out in a blaze of murder, corruption and scandal, it became difficult this year for the party to cover up the antics of the many other princelings who regard China and its people as their personal property. Western news organisations have published detailed accounts of the outrageous fortunes amassed by family members of top-serving officials, including the outgoing premier Wen Jiabao and the incoming Mr Xi. Chinese people who despair at the kleptocratic behaviour of the ruling class can only take heart from an old Chinese aphorism they hope will apply to today's princelings: "fu bu guo san dai" - or "fortune never lasts more than three generations."