Reactions: The passing of Zhao Ziyang

Awaiting a Democratic Hong Kong

"We can in fact say that with Zhao’s passing, true reform in China has died."

Wang Dan 王丹, Student Leader of 1989 Democratic Movement.

A death in Beijing is cause for reflection by Wang Dan

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"At the critical moment of history, he made a very
important choice. He stood with the people and stood with democracy…
He chose justice.

The Chinese people will not forget him."

Ding Zilin, co-founder of Tiananmen Mothers

Dissidents react to Zhao’s death

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"Mourning Zhao Ziyang is a quest for democracy, the rule of
law, and a republic system."

Zhao Ziyang’s former secretary, Bao Tong

Hong Kong, Taiwanese press mourn hero

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Contrary to China’s state controlled media’s low-keyed reporting of
Zhao Ziyang’s death, within half an hour of the news published on Sina
Net, there were massive responses from people wishing to express their
grief. However the BBS commentary provided by Sina Net was very quickly
deleted. The number of people logging on to PeopleNet’s Qiangguo Forum
rapidly increased and quickly rose from an initial nearly 10,000 to
50,000. Large-scale expressions of mourning emerged. On average, there
were approximately 2,000 messages per hour, but most messages were very
quickly deleted by censors.

By 2:00 p.m. Beijing time, January
17, there were almost no new expressions of mourning posted. Even the
ones posted earlier had been almost entirely removed. The only channel
for China’s Internet users to express their feelings had been closed.

Chinese People Mourn Zhao’s Death