Hu Yaobang, born in 1915 in Liuyang City (Hunan), was a member of the Chinese Communist Party's Politburo from 1978 until his death in 1989 (The International Who's Who, p.721). From 1980 until his disgrace in 1987, he was General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (Ibid).

Hu was considered a liberal (MacDougall), and his death on 15 April 1989 prompted student protests in Beijing (Wong, 24 April 1989). He was named Chairman of the CCP by his old comrade Deng Xiaoping (Wong, 22 April 1989) and he was sacked in 1987 after large-scale protests allegedly induced by his liberal political views ("The Bell Tolls", p.33; Franklin, p.4). BIBLIOGRAPHY

Franklin, Romain

"Hu Yaobang, symbole malgré lui", Libération [Paris], 22-23 April 1989, p.4.
MacDougall, Colina

"Insoluble Problems at the Gate", The Financial Times [London], 21 April 1989.

"The Bell Tolls For Deng", The Economist [London], 22 April 1989, p.33-34.

The International Who's Who 1989-90, Fifty-Third Edition, London: Europa Publications, 1990.
Wong, Jan

"China's Top Leaders Face Sea of Students at Funeral Protest", The Globe and Mail [Toronto], 24 April 1989, p.A1.
Wong, Jan

"Hu's Death Revives Reform Spirit", The Globe and Mail, 22 April 1989, p.D3.