At the memorial service for late former leader Jiang Zemin, Chinese authorities projected an air of national grief and unity as they tamped down rare dissent against the ruling Communist Party
HONG KONG—China bade a somber farewell to late former leader Jiang Zemin, with authorities projecting an air of national grief and unity as they tamped down a rare outburst of dissent against the ruling Communist Party.
A military band played a dirge while attendees—dressed in black or in service uniforms, with white flowers on their chests—bowed their heads toward a large portrait of Mr. Jiang displayed on the stage, state-television footage showed. The former leader’s urn was draped with a party flag and placed on a floral dais flanked by wreaths and honor guards.
Appointed general secretary after the party crushed the 1989 protests with deadly force, Mr. Jiang helped shore up China’s authoritarian system and presided over the nation’s economic rise heading into the 21st century. He brought entrepreneurs into the Communist Party fold and accelerated the embrace of market principles—a policy trajectory that Mr. Xi has halted since taking power in late 2012.
“For many middle-class Chinese, Jiang represented a relatively more open society even though the party’s authoritarian rule remained strong,” said Rana Mitter, a professor and China historian at Oxford University. The party would be eager to prevent such nostalgia from feeding into present-day dissatisfaction, he said.
Police officers, some clad in thick coats and hats to ward off the Beijing chill, maintained a heavy presence around the square, even after the memorial service ended, closing off some areas to pedestrians while allowing access to others only after identity checks.
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