The burial of Comrade Ziyang

摘要

The low-key funeral held on January 29th for China's former Communist Party chief, Zhao Ziyang, who was deposed in 1989 for allegedly supporting pro-democracy protesters, reflected the mood of a party leadership that still feels deeply insecure. But it also showed how adept the party has become at handling its anxieties. The leadership feared the event might unleash an outpouring of public discontent, just as the death of Mr Zhao's liberal predecessor, Hu Yaobang, 16 years ago triggered the Tiananmen Square protests. The funeral of Zhou Enlai, a prime minister also considered something of a moderate, triggered demonstrations in 1976.