Chinese Exiles Mourn Leader

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

For the Chinese exiles who were coming of age at the time of the Tiananmen Square demonstrations in 1989, the memorial service over the weekend in Flushing for the leader who supported their democratic vision was itself a powerful, though small, act of defiance.


Zhao Ziyang, the former leader of China’s communist party whose open support of the student uprising led to his banishment from public life and house arrest over the last 15 years, died last week in Beijing with barely a mention in China’s state run media.


The tribute at the Sheraton hotel in Flushing, one of many that united communities across the Chinese diaspora, was a stark contrast.


“In China, people want to celebrate the life of Zhao, but cannot,” said Chen Yizi, who was Mr. Zhao’s policy advisor before he left Beijing for America prior to the 1989 uprising. “Here we can.”


Mr. Zhao is also credited with initiating economic reforms that helped bridge the socialist economy of Mao Zedong with the market economy that today makes China the fastest growing economy in the world. But, his supporters said, Mr. Zhao realized years ago that economic reform alone would not bring political freedoms.


“On the one hand, in China, we have developed very quickly,” Mr. Chin said. “But people have not experienced the social benefits. We have economic development but not political reform.”


Other prominent but now aging intellectuals and leaders of the Tiananmen Square era voiced similar views during the tribute.


Jinjin Li, who was one of the leaders of the Tiananmen Square protests and is now an immigration lawyer in Queens, said Mr. Zhao’s death was an opportunity for the Chinese community to push for greater reforms in China while at the same time honor a legacy that the Chinese government has sought to erase.


Min Xia, who advised student groups in 1989, said he grew up in “Zhao Ziyang times,” when, “everyday you thought tomorrow would be better than today.”


That hope died with the government crackdown in Tiananmen Square, after which Min Xia left for New York.


The New York Sun

© 2025 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  create a free account

or
By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use