A solemn commemoration may likely be held on Friday, Nov. 20, to mark the 100th birth anniversary of Hu Yaobang, former chief of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Global Times reported.
Hu was best remembered for promoting reform in the country. He was elected general-secretary of the CPC Central Committee in Feb. 1980. He resigned in 1987 and died on April 15, 1989, at the age of 74.
Hu's elder son Hu Deping was quoted by the Hong Kong-based Singtao Daily as saying that a "solemn" commemoration will be held on Nov. 20 for the 100th anniversary of Hu's birth. Hu Deping reportedly made the remarks in Gongqingcheng, Jiangxi Province, in April.
Details about the reported commemorative rites remain unclear. However, a publication posted in January on the Party's official website, cpcnews.cn, listed the 100th anniversary of Hu's birth as one of the four key commemorations of 2015.
According to reports, the rites commemorating Hu has started to attract media attention.
On Monday, Nov. 16, the press office of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee held a symposium on the commemoration of Hu's 100th birthday where Hu Deping and heads of the Party school were invited, along with scholars and members of the media, news site youth.cn reported.
On Oct. 29, the CPC Central Committee-affiliated Study Times also ran an article entitled, "Officials should read 200 million words' worth of books." The article encouraged officials and leaders to learn from Hu by reading more books to help them build political morality.
Hu Zhizhi, a granddaughter of Hu Yaobang, published an article on Nandu Daily on Monday honoring the former Chinese leader. In her article, Hu Zhizhi talked about memories of her grandfather, calling him a man who "chose justice over evil and was tolerant of different opinions."
"Hu has a very good reputation among the public for his noble morality and practice of reform," Wang Zhanyang, a professor with the Central Institute of Socialism, told the Global Times.