Archive · 18 Aug 2026
China lowers flag for funeral of reformer Zhu Rongji
Zhu Rongji was a very important leader in China.
He helped lead the country many years ago.
He made big changes to help China's economy grow.
Some people loved him for making China richer.
Other people were angry because his changes made many workers lose their jobs.
He died last week when he was 97 years old.
On Tuesday, China held a big funeral for him in Beijing.
The president and other leaders bowed to him before he was cremated.
China also lowered its flag as a sign of respect.
Many people remembered him with sadness, but a few were glad he was gone.
Zhu Rongji, China's premier from 1998 to 2003, was cremated Tuesday in Beijing after dying last week at age 97.
President Xi Jinping and the seven members of the Politburo standing committee stood in silence and bowed three times before the cremation.
China lowered the national flag and tightened security around Tiananmen Square and Zhongnanhai along the route to the Babaoshan crematorium.
Zhu drove 1990s economic reforms, curbing inflation, tightening tax and banking systems, and eliminating millions of state-sector jobs.
His death drew both mourning and criticism on social media, with some blaming him for layoffs and others defending his legacy.
- Who
- Zhu Rongji, the former Chinese premier who died last week aged 97, with President Xi Jinping, the Politburo standing committee, and former President Hu Jintao among those honoring him.
- What
- China held a state funeral, lowered the national flag, and cremated Zhu Rongji at the Babaoshan crematorium with tightened security.
- When
- On Tuesday, August 18, after Zhu died the previous week.
- Where
- Beijing, China, with the funeral procession route passing Tiananmen Square and Zhongnanhai.
- Why
- To mourn the former premier known for driving China's economic overhaul in the 1990s, while authorities managed public grief under heightened scrutiny and censorship.
Supporters of Zhu Rongji
Critics of Zhu Rongji
Economic reform legacy
Supporters of Zhu Rongji
Supporters credit Zhu with curbing runaway inflation, overhauling tax and banking systems, and paving the way for China's WTO accession and economic growth.
Critics of Zhu Rongji
Critics, including children of laid-off workers, blame him for eliminating millions of jobs at unprofitable state firms and putting workers out of work.
Reaction to his death
Supporters of Zhu Rongji
Many citizens mourned him with nostalgia, with some genuinely moved and almost tearful, recalling a bygone era of reform.
Critics of Zhu Rongji
A few welcomed his death, with one social media post saying a child of laid-off workers would 'raise a glass tonight.'
- Former roles
- Vice Premier (1991–1998) and Premier (1998–2003)
- Age at death
- 97
- Funeral
- Cremation at the Babaoshan crematorium, Beijing
- Attendance
- President Xi Jinping and seven Politburo standing committee members bowed three times
- National mourning
- National flag lowered
- Key reforms
- Curbed inflation, tightened tax and banking systems, shook up the state sector
- WTO accession
- Reforms helped clear the way for China's WTO entry in 2001
- Party membership
- Revoked in the late 1950s; restored roughly two decades later