The Funeral Ceremony of the Late Premier Li Keqiang Held... Xi Jinping Mourns in Front of the Body

On the 2nd, the farewell ceremony and cremation were held at Babaoshan Revolutionary Park in Beijing

The funeral and cremation of the late Li Keqiang, former Premier of the State Council, who passed away from a heart attack in Shanghai, China, were held on the 2nd. President Xi Jinping expressed his condolences to Li's body and comforted the bereaved family on the same day.

The state-run Xinhua News Agency reported at 3 p.m. (local time) that "Li Keqiang, an outstanding member of the Communist Party of China, a seasoned and loyal communist warrior, an excellent proletarian revolutionary, politician, an outstanding leader of the Party and the state, and former Premier of the State Council, was cremated on the 2nd at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery in Beijing."

President Xi Jinping consoling the family of former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang [Image source=Yonhap News]

The state-run China Central Television (CCTV) revealed Li's body on the same day. The body was dressed in a black suit and wore glasses. It was covered with a red flag of the Communist Party of China, surrounded by flowers. On this day, Chinese Party and government leaders, including President Xi, paid tribute in front of Li's body.

President Xi visited Li Keqiang around 9 a.m. with his wife, Peng Liyuan. He bowed three times to express his condolences to the body and comforted the bereaved family. Current Premier Li Qiang and Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, as well as Party and government leaders such as Wang Huning and Cai Qi, accompanied Li Keqiang on his final journey. Former President Hu Jintao sent a wreath of condolence.

Chinese-language media described Li Keqiang's funeral as similar to those of former President Jiang Zemin and former Premier Li Peng. After announcing the funeral news, Xinhua News Agency delivered a biography and evaluation related to Li Keqiang's political activities during his lifetime. The biography was about 5,227 characters long, roughly twice the length of the obituary published on the 27th of last month.

Li Keqiang suffered a heart attack while resting in Shanghai on the 26th of last month and was taken to the hospital but passed away shortly after midnight. He was a figure who led China's economy for ten years until he stepped down from the Politburo Standing Committee in October last year.

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