Jiang Zemin, 1926-2022: A ChinaFile Conversation

Former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin died on Wednesday at the age of 96, shortly after anger about the zero-COVID policy had boiled over into a wave of protest last weekend. Jiang took the country through the boom years of the 1990s, a time now remembered fondly amid political crackdowns, economic slowdown, and zero-COVID frustrations. A wave of mourning broke out online—but was it a celebration of the sharp-tongued Jiang, known for his love of jokes and opera, or an implicit rebuke to the current leadership? We asked ChinaFile contributors for their thoughts on Jiang’s legacy, and on the significance of official and unofficial remembrance.

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