Zhao Ziyang in his Final Resting Place

Zhao Ziyang's and Liang Boqi's family by their grave plot outside Beijing

Back in April 2015, I wrote a blog post that Zhao Ziyang, former premier and general secretary of the People's Republic of China, would finally be laid to rest, as the senior leadership agreed he could be buried together with his wife. But it took another four years to decide where.

In a very low-key ceremony outside Beijing today, his children buried the cremated remains of Zhao, who died in 2005 and his wife, Liang Boqi, who passed away in 2013. It has taken this long for them to be buried because the senior leadership didn't make a decision for years until now, a day after what would have been Zhao's 100th birthday.

Zhao tried to tell the students to leave Tiananmen Square

"We feel relieved that our parents can finally rest in peace," said Zhao's daughter Wang Yannan. "But we also feel regret that it took such a long time and back and forth discussion with the authorities. It still feels surreal that this day has finally come.

"We feel guilty about not being able to inform everybody about today's [burial] in advance," she added. "Please understand we did not have much choice."

The family had been negotiating with the senior leadership about Zhao's final resting place since their mother passed away six years ago, and in all this time the children kept their parents' cremated remains at their old Beijing home.

Originally the government wanted to keep Zhao's remains in a cemetery for officials, but the Zhao family wanted more control and access. So it was a victory for Zhao's family to be able to finally choose where to he and their mother would be buried.

This book features Zhao's memoirs

Zhao will be forever remembered as a liberal reformer who felt as China was opening up with economic reforms, of which he was a leading proponent, political reforms were the next logical step.

When the students occupied Tiananmen Square in 1989 demanding democracy, he tried to warn them on May 19 that year, telling them to leave the square. After that he was stripped of his position, expelled from the Communist Party and was under house arrest for the rest of his life.

On the evening of June 4, he recalled in his memoirs, recorded on cassette tapes that were then smuggled out of his home and published in Hong Kong, that he heard pop-pop sounds and realized it was the PLA soldiers opening fire on the students in Tiananmen Square. He was resigned to the fact he could not do more to save them.

"Zhao is a ghost that haunts the Chinese Communist Party," says Julian Gewirtz, a China historian at Harvard University. "He represents a different path for China's rise -- one profoundly different from Xi Jinping today.

"To some he is a martyr who sought to stop the violent crackdown of 1989, and to others -- in the official line -- he's an enemy who sought to bring down socialism in China," he added.

Imagine what would have happened if the senior leadership had agreed with Zhao and talked to the students to negotiate some kind of compromise. China would be vastly different from what it is today, and even Hong Kong would be in a very different situation it is in now.

Zhao lived under house arrest until his death in 2005

Deng Xiaoping's hard line approach, encouraged by the likes of Li Peng, has shaped the CCP to what it is today. Zhao lost that ideological and political battle and that fallout forever changed China.

Which is why there are still many people, former officials, intellectuals and dissidents, who paid tribute to Zhao on the anniversaries of his birth and death at his old Beijing home. Now they can visit the burial plot, 60km from the capital city.

In a letter published in Ming Pao newspaper on Monday in Hong Kong, Zhao's children wrote that their father's time as premier and Communist Party general secretary in the 1980s was an era of bold change and intellectual ferment that is in striking contrast to China today.

"That truly was an exciting time that caused people's hearts to jump. The whole country was prospering, officialdom and the public, in power and out, worked in tandem," they wrote.

Many people would pay respects to Zhao at his old home

"These days we're confronted with ideological regression and doctrinal shortcomings. There is a spiritual malaise the likes of which hasn't been seen for a century."

In a conversation Zhao had with his friend Zong Fengming, that was later published in 2010, the former general secretary said: "China's failure to transform toward democracy runs against the global tide. Sooner or later we must take that path."

Zhao is probably still waiting, patiently.

The Butcher of Beijing is Dead

"The butcher of Beijing" is dead -- Li Peng died on Monday in Beijing

This evening came the news that former Chinese premier Li Peng -- the man who advocated the violent crackdown in Tiananmen Square in June 30 years ago -- passed away on Monday at the age of 90.

For many critics of China, Li will is remembered as "The butcher of Beijing", while the Communist Party of China revere him as a great communist leader and statesman.

Jiang Zemin, Li Peng and Deng Xiaoping

The official obituary in Xinhua says Li played an "important role" in the 1989 crackdown.

"Under the resolute support of veteran revolutionary leaders represented by comrade Deng Xiaoping, comrade Li Peng unequivocally stood with most of the comrades of the Politburo, taking decisive measures to stop the turmoil, cracking down on the counter-revolutionary riot and stabilizing the domestic situation. He made an important contribution in this fundamental struggle, which was critical to the future and fate of the Communist Party and the state."

It was at this critical juncture that Li helped the CPC take a more hard line path; they had seen East Germany crumble as well as the Soviet Union, and the Chinese leaders were not going to let the People's Republic of China to follow the same fate.

The PLA move in to clear out Tiananmen Square in 1989

Alas, was this the right decision?

The CPC would like to think so and is proving it is right by showing off its economic muscle that is way stronger than everyone else's. But morally it plays by its own rules that the rest of the world is still grappling with.

Li, a hydraulic engineer by training, was also responsible for the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. It was considered a massive engineering feat, despite forcing villagers to move and causing massive environmental damage.

The dam was supposed to control floods, but it hardly solved the issue, and so much silt from the Yangtze River accumulates in the dam that it caused a lot of problems, even triggering minor earthquakes! And no, the massive hydroelectric dam didn't solve electrical supply issues either.

The Three Gorges Dam is an environmental disaster

But Li did well for his family. He has three children, two of whom ran two of China's electrical monopolies. One of them, Li Xiaopeng entered politics in Shanxi province and became its governor in 2012, and four years later he became Minister of Transport. Li Xiaolin was chief executive of China Power International Development before being transferred out to another power company.

The more the Chinese know about what happened on June 4, the more they will change their opinions about Li Peng. They have a right to know about this bloody stain on their country's history and Li's part in it.

Another Year to Remember June 4

Thousands of people walking past political party stalls to get to Victoria Park

Today I thought it wouldn't rain with blue skies, but around 2.30pm it started raining buckets and I got pretty soaked. Would the weather affect tonight's turnout for the June 4th candlelight vigil?

Luckily it started drying up around 4pm and the temperature cooled down too, making it the perfect conditions for the annual event in Victoria Park.

Joshua Wong got lots of attention

Coming out of the Causeway Bay MTR just after 7pm, there were throngs of people, with politicians of all stripes shouting into microphones to get noticed and garner donations. I didn't realize we had that many political parties!

Fernando Cheung Chiu-hung of the Labour Party was there, Audrey Eu Yuet-mee of the Civic Party, even Joshua Wong Chi-fung wore a turquoise T-shirt that read, "Determine our future", and getting a lot of attention from smartphone snaps.

It seems they were all out in force on the street towards Victoria Park because once inside, there were fewer booths than before.

Arriving almost 45 minutes before the event and I managed to get a spot in the front half of the park; it was worrying to see lots of empty patches that had yet to be filled.

But in the end, organizers say 125,000 people showed up, down 135,000 from last year. Tomorrow the police will say only half that number was there... nevertheless it was a relief to know that even though the Federation of Students, the University of Hong Kong and Chinese University were organizing their own events, there was still a united crowd in Victoria Park.

Democracy Goddess wants universal suffrage

In fact at one point in the vigil, a Chinese University professor came on stage to explain that even though he was from that university, and it was his alma mater, he felt it was important to come to Victoria Park instead, which got applause from the audience.

Two other students were with him, who also said the other university groups' choice of opting out wasn't their choice, that they preferred to be with us, and that they (the student unions) didn't represent an entire generation. It was an honest answer, but also a stinging public rebuke against the student groups that claimed they were more concerned about fighting for democracy in Hong Kong than in China.

The vigil also remained relevant by talking about forced disappearances, a direct reference to the missing booksellers that horrified Hong Kong people. They showed video clips of Lee Po that seemed so outrageous in his attempts to do verbal gymnastics in explaining his bizarre trips to the mainland without using his return home permit.

Another speaker was Jonathan Chan Ching-wa, a representative of the Hong Kong Federation of Students who was in Beijing during the Tiananmen protests in 1989. He tearfully recalled when they left for the airport, an old man knew they were from Hong Kong and instructed them to tell the world what had happened.

Organizers say some 125,000 people attended this evening

I have read comments from political commentator Johnny Lau Yui-siu in many articles, but as he pointed out when he got on stage, not many people have seen him in person, but now we had, much to the delight of the audience.

He gave a fiery speech, talking about how Beijing is still trying to exert its influence in Hong Kong, mostly through money, that it had been trying to sway foreign media through business investment -- Australia is the most recent one.

Lau added that the Chinese government didn't understand that its people don't just want economic gains, but also freedoms on the mainland.

Tonight's program in Chinese and English

By the end, there were calls for people to donate to the June 4th Museum so that it could move to another location. The landlord of the current premises is making it difficult for them to operate. And so there are calls for donations of at least HK$100 per person.

When the event was over, tens of thousands of us walked back to the MTR in an orderly manner even though there was lots of police presence. Some 300 people are walking to the Liaison office in Western with three paper figurines, representing Deng Xiaoping, Li Peng and Yang Shangkun, the three officials who were believed to have ordered the crackdown in and around Tiananmen Square.

For some reason, this year seemed particularly sad to me -- was it because we have to mark yet another year and still stony silence from Beijing?

Bagging a Military Tiger

Guo Boxiong is the highest military official to date to be charged for graft

Looks like Chinese President Xi Jinping has caught another "tiger" in his anti-corruption campaign. This time it's retired military chief of the People's Liberation Army, Guo Boxiong, 74, charged with taking bribes worth 80 million yuan.

He has apparently "confessed unsparingly" to his wrongdoings. Guo retired in 2013 and was under investigation last year, and expelled from the Party in July.

Apparently 80 million yuan is only a fraction of the amount Guo actually received, as prosecutors didn't want to play this up, which seems strange, but all may be revealed later.

Xi's relatives have been named in the Panama Papers

Previously Guo was considered the most powerful professional soldier in former president Hu Jintao's two terms. As the former vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, Guo was in charge of the day-to-day operations of the world's largest army for a decade.

He had a powerbase in the Lanzhou Military Command, the largest of the seven commands that made up the PLA before the system was overhauled this year.

The command oversaw five far-western provinces and regions, including Xinjiang.

While Guo's case is likely to be held in a closed-door military court, state media will probably have a field day revealing details of the case afterwards to justify why this tiger was caught.

Li Peng's daughter, Li Xiaolin apparently has shell companies

It seems like there is a bottomless pit of people to catch, though with the release of the Panama Papers that point out Xi's relatives, in particular his brother-in-law Deng Jiagui, has used shell companies to hide wealth.

Li Xiaolin, former premier Li Peng's daughter is also named in the documents, along with eight former and current members of China's Politburo.

But of course, this kind of news was conveniently rubbed out on the mainland, and when asked by foreign reporters about this, Hong Lei, the official spokesperson said: "For such groundless accusations I have no comment."

The Chinese equivalent of, "Nothing to see here folks, move along!"

David Tang Vocalizes his Discontent

Sir David Tang voiced his discontent of the Leung administration at the FCC

Sir David Tang has been busy designing high-end restaurants and luxury products for his store Tang Tang Tang Tang, but he's also found time to criticize Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying and his administration for not representing the interests of the Hong Kong people.

At the Foreign Correspondents' Club, Tang gave a rare but fiery speech stating how the city is in a sad state of affairs, from how the Umbrella Movement was handled, to the stalemate in the Legislative Council.

While he was sympathetic with the students and members of the public who protested in the fall of 2014, Tang said the government made a series of missteps, most crucially that Leung did not meet with the students.

Tang says even Li Peng met with Wu'er Kaixi in 1989

"Throughout the 'Umbrella Movement' our chief executive steadfastly refused to meet the protesters. We should remember that even Li Peng -- even Li Peng, the hardcore, hardline Chinese premier at the time -- received Wu'er Kaixi, and, what's more, in full view of national television."

That is definitely a stinging indictment of Leung, though funny Tang should point this out almost a year and a half later...

The businessman loves to use big words to show off his expansive vocabulary which is amusing to hear in his strong British accent. Perhaps the best quote was of him describing Leung a leader who was not strong enough and turn himself into "a puppet on a string dancing obsequiously to the tunes and echoes of Zhongnanhai".

Touche.

In the beginning of his speech, Tang complained about Leung's 2016 policy address on how idealistic it was.

"Whoever wrote that for the chief executive... must be a comedian or perhaps a monkey who accidentally typed up those words on a typewriter," he said.

Tang described Leung as a "puppet" dancing to Zhongnanhai

The policy address -- which Tang forced himself to read twice -- mentions "One Belt, One Road" 50 times.

"Quite apart from the embarrassing unctuousness towards the Chinese president, what on earth would an ordinary resident of Hong Kong care or understand about 'One Belt, One Road'?"

He questioned whether any Hong Kong tycoon would be able to name even two countries in the supposed silk road.

As for bookseller Lee Po, Tang said it was quite sure that someone high up had arranged for Lee to be moved onto the mainland, and that it was not a good sign for people to be disappearing.

Tang claimed of knowing at least two businessmen who refused to go to the mainland to assist in criminal investigations, insisting the authorities come to Hong Kong instead to question them.

But did Lee have a choice in the matter? We have yet to find out.

Nevertheless, it was very refreshing to have Tang speak out what we have all been thinking, despite him sounding pompous at times.

It is evident through his speech that the entrepreneur and restaurateur cares deeply about Hong Kong and hopes things will get better through reconciliation and talks.

Now if only people will heed his advice...

Or should we start campaigning for Tang for CE?

Generating Shock News

Li Xiaolin suddenly resigned from a nuclear power company yesterday

When I lived in Beijing, the government under then President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao tried to merge various state enterprises together to make them more efficient.

However, the biggest problem was at the top, where the leaders of each company would refuse to budge, ie step down, and so each continued ruling their own companies like fiefdoms.

That led to further stagnation, overproduction, and stock prices sinking.

But there is some light at the end of the tunnel, starting with Li Xiaolin, daughter of former Premier Li Peng.

On December 30, a deal was struck between China Power New Energy Development and State Nuclear Power Technology Company involving the payment of shares and cash for the latter's assets.

Li in Roberto Cavalli coat worth 35K yuan

The restructuring was engineered by the State Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.

Up until yesterday she was chairwoman of China Power International Development, a sister company of China Power New Energy Development.

Li, 54, was also vice-president of China Power Investment Corporation, working there for 12 years. But in July, CPI merged with State Nuclear Power Technology to become State Power Investment Group, and there was no announcement of her having any role in the new entity.

The news shocked those in the industry who assumed Li would lead State Power Investment Group because of her background.

However she was recently transferred to China Datang Corporation, a large state-owned enterprise focused on power generation.

But even more interesting -- because she had to resign from China Power New Energy Development, shares of the company jumped 19.35 percent on the Hong Kong stock exchange to HK$0.74. It was previously at HK$0.60.

The resignation also paves the way for the new boss, Wang Binghua to finally make some changes, such as set up a back-door listing in order to publicly trade the country's nuclear power assets.

No longer the "power queen", Li will have to be content in a somewhat respectable job, but with much less influence than before.

Perhaps this might have something to do with a report that came out last January by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. The group found Li was director of two companies, Tianwo Holdings and Tianwo Development that were set up in the British Virgin Islands, a well-known tax haven.

The report contended that Li and many other close relatives of current and former leaders had funneled so much illicit capital that it had a severe impact on China's economy and contributed to the widening wealth gap and corruption.

And how did Chinese state media report on Li's sudden departure of China Power New Energy Development?

China Radio International said she resigned "due to her work schedule" with no further details...