Hu Yaobang

Office	12th General Secretary
Term of Office:	1980-1987
Predecessor:	Deng Xiaoping (position vacant since 1957)
Successor:	Zhao Ziyang
Date of Birth:	November 20, 1915
Place of Birth:	Hunan, China
Date of Death:	April 15, 1989
Place of Death:	Jiangxi, China
Political party:	Chinese Communist Party

Hu Yaobang (Chinese: 胡耀邦 Pinyin: Hú Yàobāng, Wade-Giles: Hu Yao-pang) (November 20, 1915 – April 15, 1989) was a leader of the People's Republic of China. Image File history File links This photo is more colourful. ... The General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee (Chinese: 中国共产党中央委员会总书记 pinyin: Zhōngguó GòngchÇŽndÇŽng Zhōngyāng WÄ›iyuánhuì ZÇ’ngshÅ«jì) is the highest ranking official within the Communist Party of China and heads the Secretariat of the Communist Party of China. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping (help· info) (Simplified Chinese: 邓小平; Traditional Chinese: 鄧小平; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Teng Hsiao-ping; August 22, 1904–February 19, 1997) was a leader in the Communist Party of China (CPC). ... Zhao Ziyang (Simplified: 赵紫阳; Traditional: 趙紫陽; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chao Tzu-yang) (October 17, 1919–January 17, 2005) was a politician in the Peoples Republic of China. ... November 20 is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Hunan (Chinese: 湖南; Hanyu Pinyin: ) is a province of China, located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting (hence the name Hunan, meaning south of the lake). Hunan is sometimes called 湘 (pinyin: Xiāng) for short, after the Xiang River which runs through the province. ... April 15 is the 105th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (106th in leap years). ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jiangxi (Chinese: 江西; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chiang-hsi; Postal System Pinyin: Kiangsi) is a southern province of the Peoples Republic of China, spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south. ... Communist Party of China flag The Communist Party of China (Simplified Chinese: 中国共产党; Traditional Chinese: 中國共産黨; pinyin: Zhōnggu ngchǎndǎng) is the ruling party of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: 汉语拼音; Traditional Chinese: 漢語拼音; Pinyin: , lit. ... Wade-Giles, sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a Romanization (phonetic notation and transliteration) system for the Chinese language based on Mandarin. ... November 20 is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... April 15 is the 105th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (106th in leap years). ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Early career

Born in Liuyang City, Hunan province to a poor peasant family, Hu left home at age 14 to join the Chinese Communist forces, becoming a member of the Communist Party of China in 1933. He participated in the Long March and served as a political officer in the Chinese Red Army under Deng Xiaoping. After the founding of the People's Republic he headed the Communist Youth League. He held many positions in the party and became an important political leader in the CCP after the Cultural Revolution. Hunan (Chinese: 湖南; Hanyu Pinyin: ) is a province of China, located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting (hence the name Hunan, meaning south of the lake). Hunan is sometimes called 湘 (pinyin: Xiāng) for short, after the Xiang River which runs through the province. ... Communism - Wikipedia /**/ @import /w/skins-1. ... The Communist Party of China (CPC) (official name) or Chinese Communist Party (CCP) (Simplified Chinese: 中国共产党; Traditional Chinese: 中國共産黨; Hanyu Pinyin: ) is the ruling political party of the Peoples Republic of China. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Overview map of the course of the Long March The Long March (Chinese: 長征; Hanyu Pinyin: ) was a massive military retreat undertaken by the Chinese Communist Army to evade the pursuit of the Kuomintang army. ... Alternate meaning: Shining Path The Peoples Liberation Army (PLA); Traditional Chinese: 人民解放軍, Simplified Chinese: 人民解放军, pinyin: Rénmín Jiěfàng Jūn), including strategic nuclear forces, an army, navy and air force, serves as the military of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping (help· info) (Simplified Chinese: 邓小平; Traditional Chinese: 鄧小平; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Teng Hsiao-ping; August 22, 1904–February 19, 1997) was a leader in the Communist Party of China (CPC). ... A poster during the Cultural Revolution. ...

Reformer

As Deng Xiaoping gradually regained control over the CCP, Deng's rival Hua Guofeng was replaced by Zhao Ziyang as Premier of the People's Republic of China in 1980, and by Hu Yaobang as Party Chairman in 1981. Hu was also made General Secretary of the Communist Party of China in 1980 but, until the mid-1990s, it was Deng who was the most influential Chinese leader although his sole official title was that of chairman of the Communist Party's Central Military Commission. Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping (help· info) (Simplified Chinese: 邓小平; Traditional Chinese: 鄧小平; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Teng Hsiao-ping; August 22, 1904–February 19, 1997) was a leader in the Communist Party of China (CPC). ... Hua Guofeng (Simplified Chinese: 华国锋; Traditional Chinese: 華國鋒; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Hua Kuo-feng) (born February 16, 1921) was Mao Zedongs designated successor as leader of the Communist Party of China and the Peoples Republic of China. ... Zhao Ziyang (Simplified: 赵紫阳; Traditional: 趙紫陽; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chao Tzu-yang) (October 17, 1919–January 17, 2005) was a politician in the Peoples Republic of China. ... The Premier ( Chinese: 总理 pinyin: zŏnglĭ), sometimes referred to as the Prime Minister, is the Chairman of the State Council of the Peoples Republic of China and head of Central Peoples Government. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee (Chinese: 中国共产党中央委员会总书记 pinyin: Zhōngguó GòngchÇŽndÇŽng Zhōngyāng WÄ›iyuánhuì ZÇ’ngshÅ«jì) is the highest ranking official within the Communist Party of China and heads the Secretariat of the Communist Party of China. ... The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive. ... The Central Military Commission (Chinese: 中央军事委员会 pinyin: Zhōngyāng JÅ«nshì WÄ›iyuánhuì ) refers to one of two bodies within the Peoples Republic of China. ...

During his reign, Hu tried to rehabilitate the people who were persecuted during the Cultural Revolution. Many Chinese people think that this was his most important achievement. A poster during the Cultural Revolution. ...

Although Hu was a dedicated reformer and one of Deng Xiaoping's most important associates, he was later forced to resign in 1987 from his post as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China; leaving officially on January 16. Deng forced Hu to resign because Hu failed to control the student demonstrations in 1986. Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping (help· info) (Simplified Chinese: 邓小平; Traditional Chinese: 鄧小平; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Teng Hsiao-ping; August 22, 1904–February 19, 1997) was a leader in the Communist Party of China (CPC). ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee (Chinese: 中国共产党中央委员会总书记 pinyin: Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng Zhōngyāng Wěiyuánhuì Zǒngshūjì) is the highest ranking official within the Communist Party of China and heads the Secretariat of the Communist Party of China. ... January 16 is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Death and the Tiananmen protests

Hu Yaobang passed away due to a heart attack two years later at a Party Political Bureau meeting on April 15, 1989. In his death announcement, he was described as: "Comrade Hu Yaobang was a long-tested and staunch communist warrior, a great proletarian revolutionist and statesman, an outstanding political leader for the Chinese army". Although he was a "retired" official who had made "mistakes", public pressure forced the CPC to accord him a State Funeral attended by party leaders, and a eulogy which praised his work in restoring political norm and promoting economic development after the Cultural Revolution. A myocardial infarction occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque slowly builds up in the inner lining of a coronary artery and then suddenly ruptures, totally occluding the artery and preventing blood flow downstream. ... Communist Party of China flag The Communist Party of China (Simplified Chinese: 中国共产党; Traditional Chinese: 中國共産黨; pinyin: Zhōnggu ngchǎndǎng) is the ruling party of the Peoples Republic of China. ... A poster during the Cultural Revolution. ...

However, many people were dissatisfied with the party's slow response and relatively subdued funerary arrangements. Public mourning began on the streets of Beijing and elsewhere. In Beijing this was centred on the Monument to the People's Heroes in Tiananmen Square. The mourning became a public conduit for anger against perceived nepotism in the government, the unfair dismissal and early death of Hu, and the behind-the-scenes role of the "old men", officially retired leaders who nevertheless maintained quasi-legal power, such as Deng Xiaoping. Protests eventually escalated into the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Hu's ideas of freedom of speech and freedom of press in 1986 greatly influenced the students participating in the protests. (help· info) (IPA pei˩ tɕɪŋ˦), a city in northern China, is the capital of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... (help· info) (IPA pei˩ tɕɪŋ˦), a city in northern China, is the capital of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... Monument to the Peoples Heroes The Monument to the Peoples Heroes (Chinese: 人民英雄纪念碑; Pinyin: ), Beijing, is a ten-story obelisk that was erected as a national monument of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Tiananmen Square (Simplified Chinese: 天安门广场; Traditional Chinese: 天安門廣場; Pinyin: ) is the large plaza near the center of Beijing, China, named after the Tiananmen (literally, Gate of Heavenly Peace) which sits to its north, separating it from the Forbidden City. ... Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping (help· info) (Simplified Chinese: 邓小平; Traditional Chinese: 鄧小平; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Teng Hsiao-ping; August 22, 1904–February 19, 1997) was a leader in the Communist Party of China (CPC). ... The Unknown Rebel - This famous photo, taken by Associated Press photographer Jeff Widener, depicts a lone protester whose actions halted the progress of a column of advancing tanks for over half an hour. ... A public demonstration Freedom of speech is often regarded as an integral concept in modern liberal democracies, where it is understood to outlaw censorship. ... Freedom of the press (or press freedom) is the guarantee by a government of free public speech often through a state constitution for its citizens, and associations of individuals extended to members of news gathering organizations, and their published reporting. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

After Hu's funeral, his body was cremated. There are reports that initially his widow wanted his ashes to be buried in his home town of Liuyang. However, the local leaders hesitated to accept such a controversial bequest, and he was eventually buried at Gongqing Cheng (literally "Communist Youth City"). The crematorium at Haycombe Cemetery, Bath, England. ...

Possible Rehabilitation

Despite the highly favorable official evaluation of Hu by the PRC government, the media was muted, and his name was not mentioned publicly after 1989. Printed media which commemorated the anniversary of his death in 1994 were withdrawn from publication.

Plans to rehabilitate Hu Yaobang were reported in the Washington Post September 9, 2005. Based on Chinese sources, the article "China Plans To Honor A Reformer" reported planning for events on November 20, the 90th anniversary of his birth. An official biography and a collection of his writings were slated for release. The biography is a source of controversy as there is a three volume biography written by former aides to Hu Yaobang which remains unpublished and has been taken into the control of the government. A memorial was planned in Hunan where he was born. While viewed by some observers as a possible preliminary step to re-evaluation of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, such a move continues to be rejected. Sir Thomas Malory wrote the most famous fictional biography of the Middle Ages with Le Morte dArthur about the life of King Arthur. ...

On November 18, 2005, The Communist Party officially celebrated the 90th anniversary of Hu Yaobang's birth (date was changed to two days before), with activities at the People's Hall. November 18 is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years), with 43 remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Although magazines publishing commemorative articles were initially stopped from being released, the ban was lifted and these magazines were publicly issued.

This was the first time since his death that Hu's name appeared publicly. It has been suggested that he will be "rehabilitated", giving hope that the Tiananmen Square Protests might be re-evaluated by the CCP. Tiananmen Square has been the central point for several major historical protests. ...

Memorials in recognition of the date of someone's birth or death are often signs of political trends within China, with some pointing to the prospect of further reform. This is countered however by other recent statements from the Party that it should learn from the ideologies of Cuba and North Korea.

Some political analysts have argued that the current administration under President Hu Jintao wishes to associate itself with the popular Hu Yaobang. Both rose to power through the Communist Youth League, and are described as part of the same "Youth League Clique". Hu Yaobang was also responsible for promoting Hu Jintao to the CPC central office. Hú Jǐntāo (born December 21, 1942) is the fourth and current President of the Peoples Republic of China and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, succeeding Jiang Zemin in the Fourth Generation Leadership of the Peoples Republic of China. ... The Communist Youth League of China (中国共产主义青年团; abbr. ... Hú Jǐntāo (born December 21, 1942) is the fourth and current President of the Peoples Republic of China and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, succeeding Jiang Zemin in the Fourth Generation Leadership of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Communist Party of China flag The Communist Party of China (Simplified Chinese: 中国共产党; Traditional Chinese: 中國共産黨; pinyin: Zhōnggu ngchǎndǎng) is the ruling party of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

See also

• Politics of China
• History of the People's Republic of China
• Hu Deping, son of Hu Yaobang

State power within the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) is divided among three bodies: the Party, the State, and the Army. ... From a political point of view, the Peoples Republic of China had, for several decades, been known as the political entity that is often synonymous with Mainland China. ... Hu Deping 胡德平 (born November 1942) is currently the vice chairman of All-China General Chamber of Industry & Commerce Party, Secretary of National Association of Industry and Commerce and vice minister of the Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party. ...

External links

• CNN.com-China to redeem late leader