As premier, he oversaw the bureaucracy from 2013 until he stepped down in March 2023, and although he was once billed as a contender for the presidency, Li saw his influence dwindle as Xi consolidated power.
The death of reformist Hu Yaobang 13 years later was co-opted by student protesters in Beijing, culminating in the infamous “Tiananmen Square massacre.”
Over the weekend, video surfaced on social media showing locals flocking to Li’s childhood home in Hefei, Anhui Province, to pay their respects.
Their directions included telling flower vendors to vacate the area, but to refrain from “excessive behavior toward the masses,” presumably to avoid the risk of angering the crowd and causing an incident.
In an apparent swipe at Xi, the Mandopop song “Too Bad It Wasn’t You” by singer Fish Leong briefly circulated on China’s heavily censored social media before it was scrubbed.
Amid slowing GDP growth, a property market crisis, and high youth unemployment, some say the premier is a reminder of lost optimism.
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