The battle of the century: Defining the legacy of China’s late liberal leader Hu Yaobang
One hundred years after his birth, the late leader should be remembered for his tolerance and not repurposed for the party’s benefit, scholars say
The centenary on Friday of the birth of Hu Yaobang is a time for the present regime to remember the late leader’s spirit of liberalism and tolerance and not just play up the legacy that benefits the Communist Party, analysts say.
The late party chief, whose death in 1989 sparked the Tiananmen pro-democracy protests, was born 100 years ago to a poor family in Hunan province. Known for his liberal and undogmatic style, Hu was in charge of China’s economic and political reform efforts in the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution, but was purged in 1987 for tolerating “bourgeois liberalisation”. He was also accused of being too lenient with students protesting in 1986 for democracy and freedoms.
Read more: China to mark centenary of liberal leader Hu Yaobang, the man whose death sparked Tiananmen protests
Hu died on April 15, 1989, from a heart attack. People saw him as a victim of oppression from the conservative leaders and hundreds of thousands turned out on the streets to mourn him. The mourning later transformed into the Tiananmen pro-democracy movement, which ended in the June 4 crackdown.
A formal commemorative ceremony is expected to be held today, and other remembrance activities will take place in his hometown in Liuyang on Monday.
The official People’s Publishing House released a collection of his essays and speeches on Thursday, Xinhua reported. His son, Hu Deping, said at the Central Party School this week it was published with the permission of the Central Committee’s document research office headed by President Xi Jinping . A five-part documentary on Hu’s life would also be broadcast on state television from Friday, news portal Sohu reported.
