Farewell Ceremony for Former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang Held Today in Beijing

On the 2nd, citizens in Beijing, China, are taking photos with their mobile phones of the funeral procession of the late Premier Li Keqiang heading to the 'Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery'. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

The funeral ceremony for former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang was solemnly held on the morning of the 2nd in the capital city of Beijing, where hundreds of ordinary people gathered around the site to mourn the former premier.

According to major foreign media, the funeral took place at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery in Beijing that morning. Chinese authorities have not officially announced the funeral procedures in order to completely prevent the mourning atmosphere for former Premier Li from spreading into anti-government protests.

Public security officers in both uniform and plain clothes lined the roads leading to the funeral venue, blocking vehicle traffic and preventing access by foreign journalists. The British Guardian reported, "To prevent large-scale mourning or protest activities that could cause social unrest, Chinese authorities deployed a large number of public security personnel around the funeral and maintained strict vigilance." It further explained that the death of Li Wenliang, who revealed the existence of COVID-19 to the world in 2020, and a fire accident in an apartment in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region last year acted as catalysts, leading to a significant spread of silent protests to other cities.

In photos from the funeral site reported by Taiwan's Economic Daily, former Premier Li was seen wearing a suit and glasses. The newspaper noted that the funeral resembled those of former President Jiang Zemin and former Premier Li Peng, which were held at the end of last year and in July 2019, respectively. However, unlike during former President Jiang's funeral, there was no national mourning period.

Former Premier Li suddenly passed away from a heart attack while resting in Shanghai on the 27th of last month. He led China's economy for ten years until stepping down from the Politburo Standing Committee in October last year.

On the 31st of last month, Chinese authorities announced through the state-run Xinhua News Agency, "The body of Comrade Li Keqiang, an outstanding member of the Communist Party of China, an excellent leader of the Party and the country, a member of the 17th, 18th, and 19th Politburo Standing Committee, and former Premier of the State Council, is scheduled to be cremated in Beijing on November 2."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.