Former Chinese Communist Party leader Hu Yaobang’s son, Hu Dehua, passed away on March 30. Not long before his death, during a gathering, he mentioned that a video of his father speaking about Mao Zedong would have gone viral if it wasn’t for the sake of his children.
A video circulating online showed Hu Dehua recalling a past conversation with his father, Hu Yaobang, where he said, “If it weren’t for you kids, if it weren’t for you, if it weren’t for our family, I would have…,” implying a confrontation with Mao Zedong similar to “breaking the net and killing the fish.”
Overseas independent media commentators have pointed out that Xi Jinping, the current CCP leader, is being compared to “Mao Zedong 2.0,” and various factions within the Party hold a deep hatred towards Xi. The release of this video reflects an internal sentiment within the system desiring to see Xi fall just like in the metaphor from the past.
Hu Dehua, the third son of Hu Yaobang, is a well-known second-generation member. He previously served as the head of the Software Center at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 1994, he founded Beijing Taylor Tech Co., Ltd., focusing on software system development for finance, banking, and office applications. Additionally, he held the position of Vice President at “Yan Huang Chun Qiu,” considered a bastion for Party reformists.
In 2016, the editorial department of “Yan Huang Chun Qiu” was restructured by the authorities, leading to a confrontation where Hu Dehua defended the magazine’s rights and faced physical clashes with the censorship department. Despite his efforts, the magazine was forcefully taken over and all original staff members were dismissed.
A netizen posted a video showing Hu Dehua vehemently protesting the forced takeover of “Yan Huang Chun Qiu” by officials sent by Xi Jinping, reminding people that Hu Yaobang was a mentor to Xi, who, in turn, showed no gratitude and instead worshipped Mao Zedong.
According to a report by the Hong Kong newspaper “Ming Pao” on April 1 of this year, Hu Dehua criticized the current top leader of the CCP (Xi Jinping) during a meeting at the “Yan Huang Chun Qiu” magazine in April 2013. He questioned whether the CCP would continue its reform and opening-up policies and sarcastically remarked on the leader’s lack of extensive reading. His remarks angered the authorities, who warned him against unwarranted criticism of the central leadership.