Editing Jiang Zemin (section)

== Career in Shanghai ==
In 1985, a political reshuffle took place in Shanghai. Party Secretary [[Chen Guodong]] and Mayor [[Wang Daohan]] were both removed due to age issues. Instead, [[Rui Xingwen]] became the new Party Secretary of Shanghai, and Jiang became new [[List of mayors of Shanghai|mayor of Shanghai]]. Jiang received mixed reviews as mayor. Many of his critics dismissed him as a "flower pot", a Chinese term for someone who only seems useful, but actually gets nothing done.<ref name="BBC: Profile: Jiang Zemin">{{cite news |date=19 September 2004 |title=BBC: Profile: Jiang Zemin |work=[[BBC News]] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1832448.stm |url-status=live |access-date=7 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080529080200/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1832448.stm |archive-date=29 May 2008}}</ref> Many credited Shanghai's growth during the period to [[Zhu Rongji]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-07-31-mn-18906-story.html|title=China Leans Heavily on Trouble-Shooter: Politics: Vice Premier Zhu Rongji's assignment is to cope with economic troubles, corruption, rural anger.|first=David|last=Holley|date=31 July 1993|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=5 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715000828/http://articles.latimes.com/1993-07-31/news/mn-18906_1_zhu-rongji|archive-date=15 July 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Jiang was an ardent believer, during this period, in Deng Xiaoping's economic reforms. In an attempt to curb [[1986 Chinese student demonstrations|student discontent in 1986]], Jiang recited the [[Gettysburg Address]] in English in front of a group of student protesters.{{Sfn|Kuhn|2004|p=133}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://chinaview.wordpress.com/2006/08/25/book-real-story-of-jiang-zemin-introduction4/ |title=Book: Real Story of Jiang Zemin: Introduction(4) |publisher=Chinaview.wordpress.com |date=25 August 2006 |access-date=7 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718094837/http://chinaview.wordpress.com/2006/08/25/book-real-story-of-jiang-zemin-introduction4/ |archive-date=18 July 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Lee |first=Wei Ling |authorlink=Lee Wei Ling |title=A Hakka Woman's Singapore |publisher=Straits Times Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-981-4642-47-7 |edition=1st |pages=124 |language=en}}</ref>

At the [[13th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party|13th National Congress of the CCP]] held in October 1987, Jiang was promoted from mayor to Shanghai [[Chinese Communist Party Committee Secretary|party secretary]], the most powerful position in the city, reporting directly to the central government.{{Sfn|Kuhn|2004|p=138}} He also joined the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, in accordance with customs for party secretaries of major cities.{{Sfn|Kuhn|2004|p=138}}

=== Tiananmen Square protests and massacre ===
In April 1989, former general secretary [[Hu Yaobang]] died; he had previously been forced to resign in January 1987 and accused of supporting "bourgeois liberalization".{{Sfn|Kuhn|2004|p=133}} His death catalyzed the [[1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre]],{{Sfn|Kuhn|2004|pp=148–149}} leading to an ideological crisis between "liberals" (who supported aggressive reforms) and "conservatives" (who favored slower change).{{Sfn|Kuhn|2004|p=147|loc="In fact, no one of importance disagreed fundamentally with the necessity of Chapter 9 reform to spur economic development. The fault line between the so-called "liberals" and "conservatives" was the speed and style of the reforms. Still, the division was seismic, and the epicenter would soon be Tiananmen Square."}}<!-- the scare quotes are present around "liberals" and "conservatives" in the source; please keep --> After the Shanghai-based ''[[World Economic Herald]]'' tried to publish a eulogy rehabilitating Hu and praising his reformist stance, Jiang took control of the newspaper's editorial board.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wright |first=Kate |year=1990 |title=The Political Fortunes of Shanghai's 'World Economic Herald' |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2158797 |journal=The Australian Journal of Chinese Affairs |issue=23 |pages=121–132 |doi=10.2307/2158797 |jstor=2158797 |s2cid=157680075 |issn=0156-7365}}</ref>{{Sfn|Kuhn|2004|pp=133-134, 149}} As the protests continued to grow, the Party imposed martial law and deployed troops in Beijing in May.{{Sfn|Kuhn|2004|p=161}} In Shanghai, 100,000 protestors marched in the streets, and 450 students went on a hunger strike.{{Sfn|Kuhn|2004|p=160}} After the third day, Jiang personally met with them to assure them that the Party shared their goals, and to promise future dialogue. He simultaneously sent a telegram to the Central Committee firmly supporting their martial law declaration.{{Sfn|Kuhn|2004|p=161}}

His careful public appeals were well received by both pro-democracy students and socialist party elders.{{Sfn|Kuhn|2004|p=162}} On 20 May 1989, paramount leader Deng Xiaoping decided to appoint Jiang as the new general secretary, replacing Zhao Ziyang,{{Sfn|Kuhn|2004|p=162|loc=}} who had supported the protestors.<ref name="Pomfret">Pomfret, John. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/14/AR2009051400942.html?sid=ST2009051401023 "In Posthumous Memoir, China's Zhao Ziyang Details Tiananmen Debate, Faults Party"]. ''The Washington Post''. 15 May 2009. p.2.</ref><ref name="PPan">{{Cite book |last=Philip P. Pan |url=http://archive.org/details/outofmaosshadows00panp |title=Out of Mao's shadow |date=2008 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=978-1-4165-3705-2 |pages=4–5 |oclc=1150955831 |author-link=Philip Pan |url-access=registration |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> Jiang was selected as a compromise candidate over [[Tianjin]]'s [[Li Ruihuan]], premier [[Li Peng]], elders [[Li Xiannian]], [[Chen Yun]], and the retired elders to become the new general secretary.{{Sfn|Kuhn|2004|p=163}} Before that, he had been considered to be an unlikely candidate.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-09-19-china-military_x.htm|title=USATODAY.com – China completes military power transfer|website=USA Today|access-date=5 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102160834/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-09-19-china-military_x.htm|archive-date=2 November 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>