Advertisement
Jiang Zemin
ChinaPolitics

Former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin’s body makes final journey to Beijing

  • President Xi Jinping and other senior leaders receive the late leader’s casket ahead of the state funeral on Tuesday morning
  • Online tributes look back with nostalgia at time when the country started opening up to the rest of the world and becoming more tolerant of social diversity

Reading Time:5 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
13
Troops carry Jiang Zemin’s casket down the steps from the plane that brought his body from Beijing. Photo: CCTV
Stella ChenandLiu Zhen
As part of SCMP’s commitment to providing comprehensive coverage of former Chinese president Jiang Zemin’s death and legacy, this story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing.
Advertisement

President Xi Jinping led dozens of top officials in receiving the body of former President Jiang Zemin on Thursday, after the casket was flown from Shanghai to Beijing.

State broadcaster CCTV showed Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan standing to attention on the lawn of Beijing’s Xijiao Airport as they waited for the plane.

Xi was joined by all Beijing-based members of the 24-strong Politburo, as well as outgoing senior officials, including Premier Li Keqiang and vice president Wang Qishan.

The body was flown to Beijing after a farewell ceremony in Shanghai attended by Jiang’s family and close friends. Jiang’s wife, Wang Yeping, and other family members had accompanied the body along with Cai Qi, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee.

Advertisement

The authorities in Shanghai sealed off all main roads between the ceremonial hall and the airport, allowing what appeared to be selected crowds to gather by the road to see him off.

Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, greeted the body on its arrival in Beijing. Photo: CCTV
Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, greeted the body on its arrival in Beijing. Photo: CCTV
Advertisement