WASHINGTON – After Zhao Ziyang' remains were cremated, his daughter, Wang Yannan, detailed Zhao’s fifteen-year house arrest to Voice of America, telling stories unknown to the world before his death. Zhao was ousted as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in 1989 after opposing the student massacre at Tiananmen Square.

"He did not Suffer Much Pain and Died Peacefully."

When Zhao was dying, his five children were there. The only family member not present was his wife, Liang Boqi. After he passed away, his children worried that their mother would not be able to endure the news and were very afraid to tell her. “Before he passed away, his children were all around him. Because he was unconscious, he could not say his last words to us. He did not suffer much pain and died peacefully,” Wang said.

All of Zhao’s Activities Were Controlled

Wang said that during her father’s house arrest, the Chinese Communist authorities continually restricted and monitored Zhao’s activities and whereabouts. “During the 15 years, he could not go outdoors for the first three years. He was probably only allowed to go outside once. Afterwards, for wherever he wanted to go, he had to apply for permission. Most of the time, he was not allowed to go where he requested, but they would allow him go to somewhere else instead. He went to some places, but he was very restricted when outdoors. He was restricted when he wanted to see anyone, talk to anyone, or when others wanted to visit him.” If someone wanted to visit Zhao, the person had to apply for permission.

Zhao Considered Others

Wang also recalled that in his daily life, Zhao lived fully and optimistically. He read, wrote, watched televison and raised a dog. The dog accompanied him during the 15 years of imprisonment. Wang said that the most exceptional characteristic of her father was that he did not like to ask for help. For example, many of his former subordinates wanted to visit him, but he kindly turned them away. Zhao, considerate of their welfare, was afraid that visiting him would negatively affect their futures. In his daily life, Zhao was also unwilling to be waited upon. Before passing away, he was so weak that he broke into a sweat just eating a bowl of rice, and his heartbeat was higher than 100 beats per minute. Yet, he did not let his family serve him.

Zhao Did Not Regret His Choice

When talking about Zhao’s beliefs, Wang said that her father always thought the government should deal with problems using democratic principles and law. Regarding the issue of the June 4th democratic movement, Zhao insisted on being responsible to history and voted against suppressing the students with weapons. “He always believed in democracy, laws and reforms. No matter what happened, he asked that the issue be solved with democracy and laws. In fact, he did not have any choice at that time. He had the choice to either go with the trend or be responsible to history. He chose to be responsible to history.”

The Chinese Government Controlled the Funeral

After Zhao passed away, international media frequently reported that Zhao’s family and the CCP had disagreements over Zhao’s funeral. According to Wang, “We proposed several things, but they were all denied. We asked to read his biography, but the government would not let us read one word of it. We thought that was abnormal. We asked the government to comment on his last 15 years, and they again denied us. The government arranged the whole funeral. We wanted to put father to rest as soon as possible, so we had to agree on a time for the farewell ceremony.”

Wang said her family asked the government to provide a relaxing atmosphere at the ceremony and give those whom Zhao had hoped to see and those who had hoped to see Zhao for the past 15 years a chance to see Zhao’s remains. However, the government did not address this issue fairly. Wang said that many people who visited to mourn or attend the farewell ceremony were in trouble with the authorities. Some were followed and even imprisoned.

Zhao’s Ashes are Still at Home

Zhao’s daughter said the government proposed to put Zhao’s ashes in Babaoshan. The family could not accept the location, and they took Zhao’s ashes home. They have not yet decided what to do with the ashes.

Zhao Liked to Listen to Voice of America

During the interview with Voice of America, Wang said that her father greatly enjoyed VOA’s broadcast, especially about China and the world. “VOA has some special programs that report situations the way they are in China. I always remember my father would bend down to listen to a small radio, with his ear almost touching it at times. There was always a lot of static. My father wanted to listen to reports from foreign radio stations to understand what was happening within China and around the world. However, hearing the broadcast was hard because of all the signal interference. The information was strictly controlled. Come to think of it, it is pathetic that we have to listen to U.S. or French stations to know what is happening in China.”

Zhao Made His Children Proud

Wang said that all of Zhao’s children were very proud of him, “We are very proud of father’s choice to uphold democracy. Many people we have never met are very supportive of us and feel that father made the right decision.”