BEIJING: Sirens wailed across China as the country came to a standstill on Tuesday

(Dec 6) during a public memorial service for former leader Jiang Zemin, a tentative
moment of unity after anti-lockdown protests shook the nation last week.
Jiang, who died at the age of 96, oversaw a transformational era from the late
1980s into the new millennium.
He took power in the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident and led China
towards its emergence as a powerhouse on the global stage.
A public memorial service began at 10.00am on Tuesday in Beijing's Great Hall of
the People and was broadcast live across the country.
A nationwide three-minute silence was held, as sirens sounded.
In Jiang's hometown of Yangzhou, around 100 people gathered in front of his former
residence to observe the silence.
Flags across the country were at half-mast as well as at Chinese government
buildings overseas.
Stock markets in Shanghai and Shenzhen were set to suspend trading for three
minutes, as was the Chinese Gold and Silver Exchange in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong's bourse suspended the display of data on external screens at its offices
while senior executives observed the silence.
Public entertainment is also suspended on Tuesday, with some online games such as
the popular League of Legends announcing a day's pause
"UTTELY LOYAL"
Jiang's role in crushing the 1989 protests and repressing other political activism,
as well as the flourishing of corruption and inequality during his tenure, means he
leaves a mixed legacy.
But state media have hailed Jiang as a great communist revolutionary, highlighting
his part in quelling "serious political turmoil".
"Jiang Zemin was an outstanding leader enjoying high prestige," read a Xinhua
biography titled "Jiang Zemin's great, glorious life".
"During his revolutionary career of more than 70 years, he remained unswervingly
firm in communist ideals, utterly loyal to the party and the people, and resolutely
committed to the cause of the party and the people."
Jiang died of leukaemia and multiple organ failure after medical treatments failed,
according to state media.
His body was cremated Monday in Beijing at a ceremony attended by President Xi
Jinping and other top leaders, Xinhua said.
On Thursday Jiang's body was flown to Beijing where it was met at the airport by Xi
and other top leaders, footage from CCTV showed.
Wearing matching black armbands with a white flower pinned to their jackets, Xi and
colleagues bowed in unison as Jiang was brought off the plane, his trademark heavy-
rimmed glasses clearly visible through a glass coffin.
In retirement, Jiang had become the subject of light-hearted memes among millennial
and Gen Z Chinese fans, who called themselves "toad worshippers" in thrall to his
frog-like countenance and quirky mannerisms.
More than half a million commenters flooded CCTV's post announcing his death on the
Twitter-like social media platform Weibo within an hour, many referring to him as
"Grandpa Jiang".
After the announcement, the websites of state media and government-owned businesses
turned black-and-white, as did apps such as Alipay, Taobao and even McDonald's
China.