Zhu Rongji will go down in history as a leader who helped create the foundations of modern China.
Some say he is the modern version of both Zhuge Liang, a Three Kingdoms period strategist, and Bao Zheng, the Song dynasty judge who meted out justice with a fair hand and a compassionate heart.
Laurence Brahm, the author of Zhu Rongji and the Transformation of Modern China, compares Mr Zhu to late premier Zhou Enlai, a national hero who helped save China from the excesses of Maoist fanaticism during the Cultural Revolution.
'Zhou is looked upon as someone who was a rational voice during the Cultural Revolution, whereas Zhu is Hunanese, a strong-minded figure who helped push China down the road of reform,' said Brahm.
What made Mr Zhu stand out were his personal characteristics. Chief among his assets is a photographic memory, which a US State Department official once described as 'Rolls-Royce'.
During a meeting with former US president Bill Clinton, Mr Zhu impressed the White House press corps by getting up and speaking for more than half an hour without notes, while the US president read his speech verbatim on live national TV.