Hu Yaobang

Hu Yaobang was a leading politician of the People's Republic of China in the Deng Xiaoping era. From 1981 to 1987, he led the Communist Party of China, first as Chairman until 1982, then as General Secretary.

Hu was purged twice in the Cultural Revolution. After Deng rose to power, Hu played a major role in the Boluan Fanzheng rehabilitations.

Throughout the 1980s, he pursued a series of economic and political reforms in a liberal direction. In 1987, his conservative opponents forced him to resign as General Secretary, though he remained in the Politburo. He was succeeded by his close ally Zhao Ziyang, who has been called the "Gorbachev of China".

Hu died in April 1989, causing the next day a small-scale unofficial commemoration in Beijing, which became an organizing ground for liberals. A week later, the Tiananmen Square protests began, supported by Zhao Ziyang.

The Chinese government censored details of Hu's life for years. After Zhao Ziyang died in January 2005, in late 2005 Hu Jintao ended the censorship and declared a commemoration of Hu Yaobang.

See also

• Zhao Ziyang
• 1989 Tiananmen Square protests