Sirens wailed across China as the Communist Party eulogised late leader Jiang Zemin Tuesday, hailing him as a patriot who "dedicated his life" to the country.

China's rulers orchestrated a day of mourning across the country, with security services ensuring there were no large gatherings on the streets following rare protests in recent weeks.

Jiang died in Shanghai last Wednesday at the age of 96 and left a mixed legacy, taking power in the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown and leading China towards its emergence as a powerhouse on the global stage.

A public memorial service attended by China's political elite began at 10:00 am (0200 GMT) in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, bedecked with a giant portrait of the late leader as well as slogans lauding him and a massive flower display.

"He dedicated his whole life and energy to the Chinese people, dedicated his life to fighting for national independence, people's liberation, national prosperity, and people's happiness," President Xi Jinping told assembled party faithful at the hall.

"The CPC Central Committee calls on the whole Party, the army and the people of all ethnic groups in China to turn grief into strength," Xi added.

Looking frail and distraught, Jiang's wife Wang Yeping sat in a wheelchair in the front row.

A nationwide "three-minute silence" was held as sirens sounded.

In Jiang's hometown of Yangzhou, around 100 people gathered in front of his former residence to observe the silence after which they were swiftly dispersed by police.

Flags across the country were at half-mast as were those at Chinese government buildings overseas.

Stock markets in Shanghai and Shenzhen suspended trading for three minutes, as did the Chinese Gold and Silver Exchange in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong's bourse suspended the display of data on external screens at its offices while senior executives observed the silence.

And in the semi-autonomous city's harbour, hundreds of vessels honked for three minutes, while officials and government employees observed three minutes of silence.

Public entertainment in mainland China was also suspended on Tuesday, with some online games such as the popular League of Legends announcing a day's pause.

- Mixed legacy -

Jiang leaves a controversial legacy.

State media has hailed him as a great communist revolutionary, highlighting his part in quelling "serious political turmoil".

But his rule also saw the repression of political opposition and religious minorities, as well as a tolerance for the widespread corruption that accompanied China's economic rise.

Jiang died of leukaemia and multiple organ failure after medical treatments failed, according to state media.

His body was cremated Monday in Beijing at a ceremony attended by President Xi and other top leaders, Xinhua said.

Former leader Hu Jintao -- who was escorted out of a top Communist Party meeting in October in an imbroglio that grabbed global attention -- also reportedly attended in his first public appearance since the incident.

- Nostalgia -

The anti-Covid lockdown protests that flared up in China last week were the most widespread public demonstrations in the country since rallies calling for political reform in 1989.

And despite Jiang's role in helping to crush the 1989 rallies, his death has prompted nostalgia among some Chinese for a time seen as more liberal and tolerant of dissent.

"The Jiang era, while not the most prosperous era, was a more tolerant one," one user on the Twitter-like Weibo wrote following his death.

"I have heard many criticisms of him, but the fact that he allowed critical voices to exist shows how he is worthy of praise," wrote another.

In retirement, Jiang had become the subject of light-hearted memes among millennial and Gen Z Chinese fans, who called themselves "toad worshippers" in reference to his frog-like countenance and quirky mannerisms.

More than half a million commenters flooded CCTV's post announcing his death on Weibo within an hour, many referring to him as "Grandpa Jiang".

After the announcement, the websites of state media and government-owned businesses turned black-and-white, as did apps such as Alipay, Taobao and even McDonald's China.

Sirens blaring, protests flaring: Chinese leaders' funerals
Paris (AFP) Dec 6, 2022 - Black armbands, white chrysanthemums, sirens blaring on land and sea: the funerals of Chinese leaders are usually grand affairs steeped in Communist Party pomp and mass mourning.

But at times they have sparked rumblings of dissent.

As China says farewell to former president Jiang Zemin on Tuesday, AFP looks at what kind of sendoffs other leaders received:

- Zhou Enlai, 1976 -

Zhou Enlai, the first prime minister of the People's Republic of China, was widely revered for putting a progressive face on the Communist Party and tempering some of the excesses of the Cultural Revolution.

After his death in January 1976 at the age of 77, huge crowds made their way to Tiananmen Square in Beijing to leave flowers, poems and other tributes at the foot of the Monument to the People's Heroes.

The mourning gave way to unrest when the authorities removed the huge mound of tributes on China's Ancestors' Day in April, sparking riots that were brutally quashed.

- Mao Zedong, 1976 -

The announcement of Mao's death on September 9, 1976 at the age of 82 sparked scenes of mass hysteria in the country where the founder of the People's Republic was revered as a demi-god.

His body lay in state in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing for a week, during which around a million people filed past his open casket.

On September 18, hundreds of millions of Chinese stood where they were in silent tribute at the start of his public funeral, while sirens sounded throughout the country for three minutes.

Hundreds of thousands of people wearing black armbands and white paper chrysanthemums pinned to their chests attended the huge ceremony in Beijing.

Mao's embalmed body was later put on permanent display inside a cavernous memorial hall on Tiananmen Square, where it remains to this day.

- Hu Yaobang, 1989 -

A close ally of reform-minded leader Deng Xiaoping, with whom he was twice purged, Communist Party general secretary Hu Yaobang was deposed in 1987 for failing to crack down on pro-democracy student protests.

He is perhaps best remembered for the demonstrations that erupted after his death in April 1989.

Seven weeks of student-led protests, petitions, class boycotts and hunger strikes came to a bloody end on June 4, when tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square in a crackdown that left hundreds of people dead.

- Deng Xiaoping, 1997 -

The funeral of Deng Xiaoping, who died in 1997 at the age of 92, was also a muted affair.

No foreign dignitaries were invited to the ceremony which took place under heavy security, with gatherings in Tiananmen Square banned in the wake of fears within the party of a repeat of the scenes of 1989.

Deng's childhood village of Paifang was one of the few places where people were allowed to freely express their sorrow over the death of the country's longtime leader, who oversaw China's transformation into an economic superpower.

Former Chinese leader Hu in first public appearance since dramatic Congress exit
Beijing (AFP) Dec 6, 2022 - Former Chinese leader Hu Jintao was seen in public for the first time since he was dramatically escorted out of a top Communist Party meeting, when he paid respects to his late predecessor Jiang Zemin on Monday.

In October, Hu was lifted out of his chair and led out of the closing ceremony of the Party Congress, a highly unusual incident that disrupted the carefully choreographed event at which Xi Jinping was handed a historic third term as leader.

Chinese state media later said Hu had been feeling unwell, but his obvious reluctance to leave the hall prompted speculation over whether political factors were at play.

On Monday morning Hu appeared with other top leaders at the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital in Beijing to pay their final respects to Jiang before his cremation, footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed.

The frail 79-year-old is seen standing next to Xi, an attendant at his shoulder, as the officials bow three times before Jiang's body.

Later, Hu is seen walking unsteadily with the help of the same attendant as the cadres walk around the funereal display and talk to Jiang's widow.

At the October Congress, Xi was anointed general secretary of the party for another five-year period, breaking the precedent of stepping down after two terms followed by Hu and Jiang.

Some believed the unexpected removal of Hu was meant to send a strong political signal to those in the party that might oppose Xi's coronation.

A Hu protege, Hu Chunhua, had been tipped by some to be named to the Politburo Standing Committee, the apex of power in China.

But Xi sidelined him and has filled his inner circle with close allies.

Xi has promoted a narrative that he has rectified huge problems that beset China and the party during the tenures of Hu and his predecessors, such as graft and the unequal distribution of wealth.

China's censors scrubbed references to Hu's removal from Congress from the internet after the incident took place.

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