| Abstract | At eight minutes past nine on the evening of 19 February 1997, Deng Xiaoping finally died in Peking Military Hospital Number 301, 92 years old, and suffering from Parkinson's disease. However, there isn't any turmoil both in government and society. Nonetheless, if he had died several years ago, his demise would certainly have given rise to tensions among the leadership, and to more emotional reactions among the population. At present, the population reluctantly accepts the lack of freedom, the corruption, the insecurity, etc., but only because Deng's reforms have brought rapid advances in living standards for a large number of people. If there was a serious slowdown, or if it excluded more and more people from its benefits, the legitimacy of the regime would be severely shaken. Jiang Zemin is certainly aware of these dangers, and will do everything in his power to avoid them, but he does not hold not all the cards in his hand. |
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