Inside China Today

Mass public turnout to farewell former CCP leader Hua Guofeng

Former Chinese Communist Party leader Hua Guofen was farewelled in a public ceremony on August thirty first at Beijing’s Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery. Over one thousand people attend the ceremony, many bringing homemade banners to remember Hua.

The funeral procession was reportedly very solemn and grand, with Chinese Communist leader Hu Jintao and eight other members of the Politburo Standing Committee and retired party leaders attending. Of note was Deng Pufang, son of Deng Xiaoping and the Vice Chairman of the eleventh National Committee. Interestingly, Hua’s rise to prominence was taken over by Deng Xiaoping after the death of Mao Zedong and the two families were said to be in dissonance.

Third generation leaders of the Chinese Communist Party including Zhu Rongji and Li Huan were also present at the proceedings, with the exception of Lipong.

Hua Guofeng held a post at the hometown of Mao Zedong, the man responsible for the Great Cultural Revolution period in China’s recent history. In nineteen seventy six Hua was named by Mao as his successor but was soon forced to give up his post by Deng Xiaoping and others. Since then Hua has kept a low profile until he died on August twentieth this year, he was eighty seven.

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