"May you live in interesting times," has long been both an intellectual salutation we bestow upon others and a private wish for ourselves. For me, the passing today of Zhao Ziyang, the former prime minister of China and general secretary of its Communist Party, at the age of 85, brought forth those words in both capacities, in private conversation with a most respected mind, and in silent discourse with myself.
With the admonition of William Faulkner very much in mind--"The past is never dead. It's not even past"--the days and weeks immediately to follow here in Beijing and all of China will indeed be interesting times to note come what may. Think about it. And observe. Carefully. Starting with the photograph above.
For perspective as you think, The New York Timeshas an excellent article on the passing of Mr. Zhao that goes well beyond the event that ended his public career, and reminds us all of what may well be his primary legacy a century from now:
Mr. Zhao's role at Tiananmen came to overshadow his other legacy as a principal architect of the sweeping economic changes that began in the 1980's under Deng Xiaoping, then China's paramount leader. Mr. Zhao pushed to develop coastal provinces with special economic zones that could lure foreign investment and create export hubs - the blueprint for what is the backbone of the current Chinese economy.
