November 30, 2022 is destined to be a day remembered by many Chinese.
Because at 12:13 on this day, Jiang Zemin, the core leader of the third generation of the Communist Party of China, died of illness in Shanghai.
The "Message to the Whole Party, the Army, and the People of All Nationalities in the Country" issued by Xinhua News Agency spoke highly of his life, and the evening news broadcast also broadcast some classic pictures of him during his lifetime.
At the same time, memories from the public level flooded in. While reposting his short videos and commemorative articles, people missed the era of "talking and laughing" and burning passion.
The death of each leader has a specific political and social background.
When the news of the death of Mao Zedong, the core leader of the first generation of the Communist Party of China, came out on September 9, 1976, Chinese society fell into great confusion and uncertainty, thinking that "China's sky has collapsed." The two "everything" are the inevitable result of the imprisonment of people's thoughts. Although China has achieved sovereign independence and proposed the construction of four modernizations through the efforts of Mao Zedong and other predecessors, the material civilization, spiritual civilization, and political civilization that the Chinese have been pursuing have been struggling. Civilization is still a distant dream.
When Deng Xiaoping, the core of the second-generation leadership, passed away on February 19, 1997, China's political reform, economic reform, and cultural reform were steadily advancing despite various risks and tests. Returning to the motherland, I feel how it has changed the fate of China and every Chinese through reform and opening up. This kind of grief and emotion has finally turned into strength, because people know that the continuous promotion of reform and opening up is the best consolation for Mr. Deng. and memorial.
In October 1992, Deng Xiaoping (right) shook hands with Jiang Zemin after the closing ceremony of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
(AFP)
Jiang Zemin, as the core of the third-generation leadership of the Communist Party of China, passed away at a time like today, which is like a huge metaphor, because just a few days ago, a rare anti-blockade protest broke out on the streets of Shanghai, and people expressed in various ways Anger and dissatisfaction, and the day after Jiang Zemin's death was the third anniversary of the first case of pneumonia of unknown cause reported in Wuhan.
Today, three years after the COVID-19 pandemic, in the face of internal and external challenges, although the decision-makers are full of confidence and are prepared to withstand the severe test of high winds and even turbulent waves, at the public level, the mood of public anxiety is spreading at all levels .
People’s general confusion lies in: As the only ruling party, when the formalization, institutionalization, and modernization of the party that Jiang Zemin was committed to promoting during the Jiang Zemin era were interrupted, when economic development slowed down or even stagnated, and when the space for society and public opinion was repeatedly restricted, people Can we continue to have expectations for China?
So when people remember Jiang Zemin, what are they thinking about?
People not only miss how he was appointed in the midst of drastic internal and external changes, started with turmoil and doubts, and finally achieved a period of excellence in China, but also miss his approachable, confident and calm after the aura of greatness faded.
Through Jiang Zemin's singing, playing, and speeches, leaders and politics are no longer cold, but warm and concrete.
Kissinger wrote in "On China", "The former leaders of the Communist Party of China carried the aura of greatness in their conduct. They not only had the style of new Marxist materialism, but also traces of Chinese Confucianism. Jiang Zemin was different. He was more like He is an approachable family member who is warm and informal.” “Jiang Zemin does not pursue philosophical superiority. In order to get closer, he sometimes smiles, sometimes laughs loudly, and tells anecdotes to infect the people he talks to. He Proud, sometimes elated, of his talent for foreign languages and knowledge of Western music.” Kissinger concluded, “Jiang Zemin is the least Middle Kingdom-esque of any Chinese leader I have ever met.”
Jiang Zemin and Kissinger.
(Getty)
For many Chinese people, they may not know in detail how Jiang Zemin changed China, and what kind of risk test he has experienced as the core of the third-generation leadership. People's memories of him are composed of events and symbols: Tiananmen Square in 1989 In 1992, a new socialist economic system was established; in 1995, the strategy of rejuvenating the country through science and education was formally proposed to deal with the third Taiwan Strait crisis; Hong Kong returned to China in 1997; "Falun Gong", the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia, Lee Teng-hui's "Two Nations Theory"; the Western Development in 2000, the formal proposal of the "Three Represents"; the entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001, the Sino-US plane collision incident, and the Olympic bid Success, the qualifying of the national football team, the "September 11" incident made decisive decisions, and promoted the modernization of the party; in 2002, the "Three Representatives" were written into the party constitution, and they continued to serve as the chairman of the Military Commission... From 1989 to 2002, all these major events were condensed in After 13 years, looking back now, people can only sigh with emotion that "it was only ordinary at that time."
After retiring from the political arena, although Jiang Zemin is no longer active in front of the camera, his legend has always been circulated among the people and he is loved by young people.
The last time he appeared in public was at the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 2019. At that time, he and his successors—Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping stood together on the Tiananmen Rostrum and looked into the distance.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, and former presidents Jiang Zemin, right, and Hu Jintao, left, attend celebrations for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China in Beijing, October 1, 2019.
(AP)
American biographer Robert Lawrence Kuhn wrote at the end of "Jiang Zemin Biography", "It is not easy for Jiang to leave his mark on history; he has no concise rhetoric that can be used to shape public consciousness. Mao Zedong's unified China has made China stand up in the world". His foresight is easy to understand. Deng Xiaoping "ended the political struggle, reformed and opened up, and made the people rich". His great achievements are obvious. But Jiang faced What is more important is to implement all the trivial details and unforeseen consequences encountered in Deng Xiaoping's reform policies-widening income gap, macroeconomic adjustment, controlling inflation, fighting corruption, increasing taxes, reorganizing state-owned enterprises, relocating laid-off workers- These things are neither easy to understand nor particularly inspiring."
Kuhn may be right, but time and people's hearts will eventually test everything. As the title of his book says, "He changed China."
Because through Jiang Zemin, a unique leader, people see a vibrant, open and inclusive China with unlimited possibilities, and see true confidence in the road, system, and culture. Although such a China is not easy to understand, But the end result must be inspiring.
This is probably the biggest reason why people miss him today.
Jiang Zemin's death | Compared with Mao and Deng, the normalization of Chinese society has accelerated Jiang Zemin's death | A different leader of the Communist Party of China