Sirens will sound across China as the country comes to a standstill on Tuesday for a public memorial service for former leader Jiang Zemin, who died last week at the age of 96.
A public memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. local time at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing and will be broadcast live, state broadcaster CCTV said. “All regions and departments must organize the majority of party members, cadres and the masses to listen and watch,” CCTV added.
Flags are flown at half-mast across the country and at Chinese government buildings abroad.
A nationwide three-minute silence is held with sirens wailing.
Jiang ushered in an era of change from the late 1980s into the new millennium, seizing power after the 1989 crushing of Tiananmen Square and leading China’s rise as a powerhouse on the global stage.
According to state media, he died of leukemia and multiple organ failure in Shanghai on Wednesday last week after medical treatments failed.
Xi Jinping and other CCP leaders paid their last respects to Jiang Zemin at the Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital in Beijing on Monday. Photo: Xinhua/Rex/ShutterstockHis body was cremated in Beijing on Monday at a ceremony attended by President Xi Jinping and other top leaders including his predecessor Hu Jintao, the state-run Xinhua News Agency said.
Hu’s performance marked his first public appearance since October 22, when he was unexpectedly carried off the stage during the closing ceremony of the Communist Party’s National Congress.
No official explanation was given, and speculation about the incident has ranged from a health crisis to the 79-year-old former leader preventing an attempted protest against Xi.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, chats with Jiang Zemin in 2017. Photo: Andy Wong/APAfter the ceremony at a military hospital, Jiang’s body was sent to Babaoshan Cemetery for cremation, where many high-ranking leaders are buried.
Stock markets in Shanghai and Shenzhen will suspend trading for the duration of Tuesday’s silence, as will China’s Hong Kong Gold and Silver Exchange.
The Hong Kong Stock Exchange will suspend the display of data on external screens in its offices for three minutes while senior officials observe the silence.
Public entertainment will also be suspended Tuesday, with some online games like the popular League of Legends announcing a one-day hiatus.
Mourners lay bouquets of flowers in front of the old house of former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin in Yangzhou in eastern Jiangsu province on Monday. Photo: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty ImagesA heavy security presence is expected in Beijing after last week’s anti-Covid lockdown protests became the most widespread public demonstrations in China since rallies calling for political reform in 1989.
Jiang’s role in cracking down on the 1989 protests and repression of other political activists, as well as the flourishing of corruption and inequality during his tenure means he leaves a mixed legacy.
But state media have hailed Jiang as a great communist revolutionary and highlighted his role in suppressing “serious political unrest.” “Jiang Zemin was an outstanding leader who was highly respected,” says a Xinhua biography entitled “Jiang Zemin’s Great, Glorious Life.”
“Throughout his more than 70-year revolutionary career, he remained unshakably firm in communist ideals, absolutely loyal to the Party and the people, and resolutely engaged in the cause of the Party and the people.”
On Thursday, Jiang’s body was flown to Beijing, where it was picked up at the airport by Xi and other top leaders, CCTV footage showed.
Wearing matching black bracelets with a white flower on their jackets, Xi and his colleagues simultaneously bowed as Jiang was escorted off the plane, his signature thick-rimmed glasses clearly visible through a glass coffin.
By retirement, Jiang had become the subject of light-hearted memes among Chinese Millennials and Gen Z fans, who dubbed himself “toad worshipers” for his froggy face and quirky mannerisms.
More than half a million commenters flooded CCTV’s post announcing his death on the Twitter-like social media platform Weibo within an hour, with many dubbing him “Grandpa Jiang.”
Following the announcement, state-owned media and state-owned company websites went black and white, as did apps like Alipay, Taobao, and even McDonald’s China.
With Agence France-Presse and Associated Press