Jiang's engineering of a nation endures

Centenaries invite the long view. They ask, looking backward, what changed because that person lived and led. Aug 17 marks the 100th anniversary of former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin's birth, and my answer is both historical and personal. The reforms he consolidated and the scientific ambition he envisioned have come to full fruition in President Xi Jinping's new era. At a gathering commemorating Jiang's birth centenary on Monday, Xi called for learning from Jiang's extraordinary courage and vision, his dedication to and profound love for the people.

I should declare a personal interest. I spent several years writing Jiang's biography. When I woke up to the news of his death on Nov 30, 2022, I felt as though I had lost a member of my own family — the occupational hazard of biography, and also its privilege.

When historians explain how China moved from the margins of the world economy to its center — the ascent that defines the new era under Xi — part of the explanation will run through the 13 years in which an electrical engineer from Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, led a country he was called upon to lead.