Chinese university students told to avoid private memorial events for former premier Li Keqiang

Li – who was premier for a decade until he stepped down in March – died of a heart attack at the age of 68 in the early hours of Friday morning in Shanghai, according to official media.

His sudden death has shocked the nation, with many paying tribute to him online after the news emerged.

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‘People’s Premier’: former Chinese premier Li Keqiang dies of a heart attack at age 68

‘People’s Premier’: former Chinese premier Li Keqiang dies of a heart attack at age 68

In downtown Hefei, capital of southeastern Anhui province, people queued to lay flowers at the entrance to a residential compound where Li spent his childhood, according to videos posted on social media.

But some universities have told student counsellors and leaders not to arrange memorial activities, fearing that they could potentially turn into protests.

One student counsellor at a top university in Beijing said they had been told to work with student leaders to ensure that no memorials were held for now.

“It is not that we will not commemorate former premier Li Keqiang. I think we need to wait for the party’s central leadership to announce details of the national mourning, so the university can follow this properly,” said the counsellor, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

“We don’t want students to organise their own mourning events. They could get overly emotional and cause unnecessary turbulence like what happened 30-plus years ago.”

A lecturer at Shanghai Jiao Tong University said its party committee had issued a notice calling on all faculties and departments to “do a good job on campus security and stability in the coming days to ensure that all aspects of public opinion remain safe and orderly”.

The lecturer, who declined to be named, said staff had been told to stay vigilant and put a stop to “inappropriate remarks” about Li’s death.

“Some of the student counsellors have been asked to remain on campus this weekend to keep track of student activities both on and off-campus, and to immediately report any private mourning activities to the university leadership,” he said.

“We’re not encouraging students to leave the campus this weekend, as some could join radical activities like last year,” he said, referring to protests in November over China’s tough Covid-19 restrictions.

China’s Communist Party mourns Li Keqiang’s death, praises achievements

At Hainan University, the Communist Youth League Committee has issued a notice to the student union calling for student leaders not to post anything on social media about the late former premier. The notice, which has been circulated online, suggests those who want to express their condolences should stick to the language used in official obituaries.

Another notice circulating online, from Guiyang Aviation Industry Technical College, bans students from “commenting, publishing or disseminating any opinions about the political situation” in any social media in coming weeks.

Students at the college have also been told not to take part in public gatherings or talk to the media. The notice says students “will be handed to the authorities” if they are found to have made “any harmful speech or spread harmful content”.

Hong Kong leader offers his condolences over death of former premier Li Keqiang

Chen Daoyin, a political commentator and former professor at the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, said Beijing had learned from the events of 1989 that followed the death of Hu, a popular former leader who – like Li – had risen through the Communist Youth League system.

“Beijing will enter into a period of tightening security. Maintaining stability will become a major theme in coming days as they don’t want any mishaps during this difficult period,” Chen said.

Chen noted that Beijing had praised Li’s contributions and he said security forces would be vigilant for any potential stability ahead of Li’s funeral.

“A lavish farewell will offer some consolation to the liberal camp and Li’s associates from the Communist Youth League, mitigating the potential political risks brought by Li Keqiang’s death,” Chen said.