Chinese Mourn Zhu Rongji at 97 as Reformer Who Opened Economy and Tolerated Criticism
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 13
Chinese Mourn Zhu Rongji at 97 as Reformer Who Opened Economy and Tolerated Criticism
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 13
Summary
Chinese social media users mourned Zhu Rongji after his death Wednesday at 97, recirculating stories that cast him as a blunt, independent-minded leader from a more hopeful era.
A 1998 episode became a touchstone: Zhu praised an investigative state TV program, questioned the party's insistence on overwhelmingly positive coverage and argued that critical reporting helped government hear public voices.
As premier from 1998 to 2003 under Jiang Zemin, Zhu drove major market reforms and pushed China deeper into global trade, helping lay the groundwork for two decades of rapid growth.
That legacy remains mixed: the same changes brought mass layoffs, strengthened central control and left social and economic problems that still shape views of his tenure.