People, ex-colleagues who benefited from late leader's policies mourn him

Shortly after Jiang Zemin's passing was announced on Wednesday, hundreds of bouquets of flowers could be seen at significant places in the life of the late Chinese leader.

Floral tributes were placed on the doorstep of Jiang's residence in his hometown of Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, as well as in a square at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, his alma mater.

Jiang passed away at the age of 96 and has been mourned by many witnesses to his achievements, from former colleagues to people engaged in or benefiting from the groundbreaking work he initiated. They have voiced determination to build on Jiang's legacy and work for the nation's greater prosperity as led by the Communist Party of China Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core.

Early on Thursday morning, people stood quietly in the chilly wind blowing through Beijing's Tian'anmen Square as the national flag was flown at half-staff in a ceremony to mourn Jiang.

Ren Yuhe, a Beijing resident who attended the ceremony, said, "Jiang led the Party's leadership to shape and carry out a slew of policies and major strategies to advance reform, development and the nation's stability, giving many ordinary people like me the chance to change our fate."

In 1999, Jiang believed the time was ripe to speed up the development of China's central and western regions, which lagged behind the eastern coastal regions, according to major economic indicators.

Later that year, the landmark western development strategy was officially introduced to channel more resources, talent and favorable policies to the region and narrow the economic gap.

"Thanks to the western development strategy, the economy in the western region has developed rapidly and people's livelihoods have been continuously improved. They were placed on track for a better life, along with the rest of the country," said Mao Zhonggen, head of Southwestern University of Finance and Economics' Institute of Western China Economic Research.

Also etched in the public's memory is how Jiang responded with a cool head to a series of major challenges on the political, economic and security fronts at home and abroad, as well as dealing with natural disasters.

In the summer of 1998, China suffered from severe weather, with catastrophic flooding of the Yangtze, Nenjiang and Songhua rivers breaking records.

Officials and residents in inundated areas of Hubei and Heilongjiang provinces recalled how Jiang checked on the safety of the public and led the fight against the floods.

Liu Keyi, then secretary of the municipal Party committee of Hubei's city of Jingzhou, said at a critical moment as the peak of flooding approached, Jiang climbed on an embankment and directed the rescue mission, motivating workers with his actions. "History definitely will take note of his great achievements," he said.

Wang Yumei, a villager from Tailai county, Qiqihar, Heilongjiang, recalled that Jiang's personal involvement lifted people's spirits.

"The flood destroyed my home. At the hardest moment, Jiang came to visit us, the victims of the floods, and shook hands with me. This kind of warmth will stay in my heart throughout my life. I just can't forget that," Wang said.

Jiang's diligence and professionalism as an engineer and his popularity as a grassroots manager, before he led the Party and country decades later, were testified to by many of his colleagues.

In 1954, the country was in need of a large number of technical and management officials for the construction of the First Automotive Works in Changchun, Jilin province. Jiang was assigned to the plant.

Mao Lyuping, a colleague of Jiang at the time and a leading engineer at the factory, said, "Although Comrade Jiang Zemin has left us, his diligence in study and his perseverance in researching and conquering technological difficulties are always worth learning from."

In 1966, Jiang worked as director and acting Party secretary of the Wuhan Heat-Power Machinery Institute, where he later became the Party secretary and organized work for the design of atomic power generation equipment.

Li Yuzhen, a 78-year-old who knew Jiang at the institute, said, "Comrade Jiang did not have any air of bureaucracy, and he got along well with all the staff and workers of the institute. He also often asked us to have a firm political stand and master excellent working skills and knowledge."

Jiang's lifelong dedication to the nation and the people has impressed and motivated many youngsters from different generations.

Zhang Ziwen, a PhD student at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, recalled Jiang's active role in patriotic events and movements against Japanese aggression in the 1940s, when the late leader was a student at the university.

"During his study at the university… he adopted Marxism, chose the path for his whole life, and established his life's ideal of striving for the nation's liberation and people's happiness," Zhang said.

A memorial service for the late Chinese leader will start at 10 am on Tuesday in Beijing. People across the country will take part in a three-minute silent tribute, while those in vehicles will be encouraged to honk their horns and air defense sirens will be sounded for three minutes.

The People's Bank of China, China's central bank, announced on Sunday that trading in the interbank bond, money, foreign exchange, bill and gold markets will be temporarily suspended for three minutes for the tribute.