Jiang hailed for improving nation, lives
President Xi Jinping (center), also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, stands on the Tian'anmen Rostrum with Jiang Zemin (right of Xi) and other Party and State leaders during celebrations in Beijing on Oct 1, 2019, to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. XINHUA NEWS AGENCY
People, ex-colleagues who benefited from late leader's policies mourn him
Shortly after Jiang Zemin's passing was announced on Wednesday, hundreds of bouquets of flowers could be seen at significant places in the life of the late Chinese leader.
Floral tributes were placed on the doorstep of Jiang's residence in his hometown of Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, as well as in a square at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, his alma mater.
Jiang passed away at the age of 96 and has been mourned by many witnesses to his achievements, from former colleagues to people engaged in or benefiting from the groundbreaking work he initiated. They have voiced determination to build on Jiang's legacy and work for the nation's greater prosperity as led by the Communist Party of China Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core.
Jiang Zemin holds an inscription at a grand celebration for the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on July 1, 1997. The inscription, written by Jiang, reads, "A More Splendid Future for Hong Kong". XINHUA NEWS AGENCY
Early on Thursday morning, people stood quietly in the chilly wind blowing through Beijing's Tian'anmen Square as the national flag was flown at half-staff in a ceremony to mourn Jiang.
Ren Yuhe, a Beijing resident who attended the ceremony, said, "Jiang led the Party's leadership to shape and carry out a slew of policies and major strategies to advance reform, development and the nation's stability, giving many ordinary people like me the chance to change our fate."
In 1999, Jiang believed the time was ripe to speed up the development of China's central and western regions, which lagged behind the eastern coastal regions, according to major economic indicators.
Later that year, the landmark western development strategy was officially introduced to channel more resources, talent and favorable policies to the region and narrow the economic gap.
Jiang Zemin inspects the troops at the National Day parade in Beijing's Tian'anmen Square on Oct 1, 1999. XINHUA NEWS AGENCY
"Thanks to the western development strategy, the economy in the western region has developed rapidly and people's livelihoods have been continuously improved. They were placed on track for a better life, along with the rest of the country," said Mao Zhonggen, head of Southwestern University of Finance and Economics' Institute of Western China Economic Research.
Also etched in the public's memory is how Jiang responded with a cool head to a series of major challenges on the political, economic and security fronts at home and abroad, as well as dealing with natural disasters.
In the summer of 1998, China suffered from severe weather, with catastrophic flooding of the Yangtze, Nenjiang and Songhua rivers breaking records.
Officials and residents in inundated areas of Hubei and Heilongjiang provinces recalled how Jiang checked on the safety of the public and led the fight against the floods.