Most Chinese people in the dark about Zhao's death, funeral
Agence France-Presse
Beijing, January 29, 2005
Despite his immense popularity among Chinese people during his lifetime, most citizens remain ignorant about deposed leader Zhao Ziyang's death even on the day of his funeral on Saturday.
Zhao, who was premier and communist party chief for much of the 1980s, was purged and put under house arrest for 15 years until his death for opposing the military crackdown on the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests.
He died aged 85 in a Beijing hospital on January 17, but authorities have been muted over his passing and his funeral, fearing the event could spark the kind of public mourning seen in 1989 following the death of his predecessor, reformist party chief Hu Yaobang.
"If you want food, you go find Ziyang," went the popular saying among peasants in the 1970s, who benefited from Zhao's successful agriculture reforms when he was a party chief in southwest China's Sichuan province.
But most people in Beijing -- normally the most politically informed in the country -- were surprised to hear about his death or his funeral.
"Oh my goodness. Is that true? I had no idea. Thank you for telling me," said a middle-aged man who refused to give his name, saying he was too afraid to comment on political matters.
News of his death was ignored by state media. State newspapers only carried a terse three-line statement on his death in the inside or back pages the day after he died.
His funeral was only mentioned in a brief Xinhua news agency dispatch after it had taken place Saturday, in which the government expressed its condolences.
Zhang Fan, 71, a retired worker, said he saw a newspaper report about Zhao's death but complained that the brief statement was not prominent enough for a man who used to be one of the top leaders.
"He should be given higher accords. But what can you do, (his fate) is the result of political struggles," he said. "It's so unfair."
Many young people -- who were toddlers during the Tiananmen massacre -- are unaware of who he is, reflecting the success of the government's campaign to purge him from the history books.
"I have never heard of him. I don't know who he is or what he did," said a 21-year-old college student, who identified himself by his surname Li.
Zhao's funeral was delayed by a dispute between family members and the government over the official assessment of his legacy, the guest list and where his ashes should be placed.
The government maintains that he made a "grave mistake" in sympathising with pro-democracy protestors in 1989 -- an accusation firmly rejected by him and his family.
As a result of a compromise, the family agreed with Beijing that the assessment, which is important to maintain a person's reputation after his death, would not be read out at the funeral or published in the state media.
A taxi driver who learned about Zhao's death from a reporter said he was dismayed about the way authorities tried to hush up the news.
"He was a political victim. As a righteous man you're bound to lose out," said Yang Cheng, adding that authorities should allow public mourning.
"At the end of the day, they are just afraid of stirring trouble, they are afraid of everything. If people want to go to the funeral, just let them go."
© HT Media Ltd. 2004.