China Mourns Zhu Rongji at 97 as His Blunt Style Revives Reform-Era Nostalgia

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 13

State media on Thursday carried the Communist Party’s official obituary for former premier Zhu Rongji, who died Wednesday at 97, with Xi Jinping and other leaders expected at a formal funeral and memorial service.
The obituary highlighted Zhu’s role in rolling back some state controls and driving China’s integration into global commerce from 1993 to 2003, while also praising him as a leader who “dared to speak the truth.”
Chinese social media tributes focused even more on Zhu’s combative news conferences and frank language, turning his death into a rare public moment to celebrate a more outspoken political style.
That nostalgia also underscored the contrast with Xi’s tightly controlled political climate, where mourning for senior leaders is carefully scripted and top officials rarely depart from the party line.